Victoria was tall and sharp-featured, her expression serious. Even though her attire was no different from the ordinary agents—a sea of white shirts and black tactical vests—one glance was enough to tell she wasn't like the others.
She was smart, purposeful, and only built connections with people she deemed valuable. You could call her a calculating pragmatist, or simply say she represented the elite of this generation.
Bella had proven her usefulness and didn't carry any troublesome personal labels, so Victoria classified her as someone worth investing in—and worth observing.
Victoria Hand's network was extensive. She knew people in academia, politics, and the military. She had excelled in college, maintained a vast circle of friends, and kept herself in peak physical condition. Whether she truly loved sports or just the discipline they required... only heaven knew.
After graduation, she expanded her network even further. Not quite to the level of a seasoned politician who seemed to have friends everywhere, but she was definitely someone with a formidable social circle.
Bella was still unfamiliar with the nuances of the American university system, so Victoria used her own experience to offer advice—practical, strategic guidance that would benefit Bella's future.
...
After nearly an entire day of grueling travel, the group finally reached Sapulpa Canyon at dawn.
Two hundred years of weathering had erased all traces of human habitation. Just as the Chieftain who sacrificed himself for the curse had said—he had returned this land to nature.
Tree canopies blocked out the sky; waist-high wild grass grew everywhere. With over a hundred people altogether—survivors and agents—their arrival shattered the canyon's tranquility. Insects fled their homes. And something slumbering slowly awakened.
They weren't here for peace. The agents didn't care about harmony with nature. The Chieftain's curse would erupt on the night of the full moon. Before then, they needed a solid shelter to withstand the "endless swarm" Bella had warned them about.
The agents debated the defense level. Some wanted sturdy rooms. Others insisted on a fortress. In the end, Victoria Hand threw the question to Bella.
"How large do you think the swarm will be?"
How the hell would I know?
It was a curse—magic—completely outside the logic of food chains, climate, or ecological balance.
Bella opened her notebook. "Look at this passage—these were accounts the missionary heard from others... He said the sky was completely darkened. The Indians—no, the Native Americans!—their blood turned the river red. The colonists—sorry, the 'American Pioneers'—after trying to 'peacefully negotiate' with the Natives, were attacked by countless insects..."
After being corrected by Victoria several times, Bella now paid great attention to using politically correct terminology. People could think whatever they wanted privately, but in public, words mattered.
"The fortress can't be too strong. If we shut out the Unknown Enemy entirely, then everything we've done becomes pointless. But it can't be too weak either. Besides the bait who'll confront that Unknown Enemy directly, the other survivors still have to endure the curse's insect swarm."
The core strategy was a delicate balance: Defense had to be strong enough to withstand the swarm—but porous enough to let Death in.
If they blocked Death completely, He wouldn't show up, and they'd all just die to the curse. That would be... tragicomic.
Modern tech made construction fast. By evening, a mid-sized compound was already standing in the canyon.
The agents had generators, so they had limited electricity. But water was scarce. They'd need to stay at least two days. Even with deliveries from nearby towns, they couldn't waste any supplies.
No one spoke loudly. Everyone remained on alert, waiting for the Unknown Enemy.
Whispers were unavoidable. Fear had forced people to drop their wild theories for now—but a large group suddenly appearing in a remote canyon was bound to stir conversation.
Bella didn't bother explaining anything. With government officials present, why should she? Let them spin the narrative.
And strangely enough—Victoria Hand was really good at this. She quelled survivor doubts with excuses like:
"The invisible killer cannot operate inside a dense forest environment.""The enemy's advanced tech fails in complex terrain."
Death wasn't something you discussed with ordinary people. Even to Bella, Victoria still used the term "Unknown Enemy."
To lure Death in, the agents intentionally set up controlled hazards inside the buildings.
Frayed ropes, faulty wiring, loose metal racks—various "accidental death traps" were planted everywhere. From Death's viewpoint, the survivors were prey. But if you shifted perspective... Death was also the prey.
The cursed swarm had to intersect with Death. If it didn't, the plan wouldn't work. But if millions of insects flooded the compound at once, they'd all die anyway. Balancing the two forces—letting Death and the curse collide just right—required extremely careful control.
"The record says the curse activates when the moonlight is brightest... Maybe we can set up some timing triggers..."
Bella wasn't confident. The missionary's notes were hearsay. Anyone who had witnessed the curse firsthand was long dead. No one knew when the curse would be strongest.
Victoria Hand frowned heavily. She'd experienced supernatural cases before. She wasn't clueless.
Which was exactly why she knew this timing would be tricky.
"We should make two plans. First—"
"No need for that much trouble. If you've prepared everything, then let me trigger the curse myself."
Storm—Ororo—who had been observing quietly from the sidelines, stepped forward at the crucial moment and solved the biggest issue.
Storm didn't look that old—twenty-something at most. Bella really wanted to approach her, but the woman had been so cold and distant the whole time that Bella never got a chance.
Now that chance finally appeared.
Bella volunteered immediately. "I was the first to foresee the crash. I'll be the bait."
Victoria Hand didn't approve. Her view was that a professionally trained agent should be the bait while Bella and the survivors stayed behind.