The two of them switched to CIA credentials. If anyone asked, they'd claim to be local informants. Besides Nick Fury, no one in the world knew their true identities.
By coincidence, Chris was already in West Africa. A day later, he arrived to rendezvous with the "CIA."
Chris wasn't alone—his brown-haired, long-legged sister Claire came with him.
Gone was her student appearance from before. Now Claire looked like a seasoned soldier. The confidence in her movements rivaled Natasha's.
Following them were three fully armed BSAA soldiers.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s reinforcements were more interesting—a group of seven, led by an older man named John Garrett. Among them was a familiar face: Jacob, Bella's first friend after arriving in this world!
Bella thought the Golden Apple's disguise was flawless, but she'd overlooked one thing—scent.
Jacob's nose twitched slightly as he scrutinized her carefully, then smiled mysteriously.
She'd been discovered!
Having already learned Jacob's recent activities from Natasha, Bella's attitude toward this old friend was noticeably different.
She shot Natasha a look, signaling her to handle the others, then quietly slipped out of the safe house. Jacob followed close behind.
Once in the shadows, Bella canceled her disguise.
"Hey! Your nose is too good! You saw through such a perfect disguise?" Just like back in Forks, she casually reached out to pat his shoulder, using about thirty percent of her strength. But when her hand hit his shoulder, Jacob only swayed slightly, completely dissipating her force.
She pursed her lips. "Uncle Billy mentioned you on the phone last time. You've gotten even stronger!"
Jacob's expression was sincere, his gaze pure, his words as devoted as ever: "You're still as beautiful as ever."
Bella beamed. "How've you been lately? Have you... met any pretty girls?" she asked pointedly.
Jacob shook his head firmly. "I met an old fortune teller in New York. She told me my imprinted soulmate has been lost to time. I've broken free from destiny—I'll never have a soulmate now."
His words carried neither joy nor sorrow, but a certain lightness.
The werewolf imprinting phenomenon was seriously flawed. Your imprinted person could be an enemy, or some random stranger you'd never meet—completely predetermined, as if some higher power decreed "you will love this person" whether you wanted to or not.
Bella had known about this all along. If nothing had changed, Jacob's imprinted soulmate would have been her daughter with Edward Cullen. Of course, now there was nothing.
She was happy her friend had escaped his fate.
But she mulled over his words: "An old woman... with prophetic abilities? A woman?"
New York had such a person? Could it be someone from the New York Sanctum?
"She seemed to be a mutant. They called her Madame Web."
Jacob revealed the answer, though it was completely different from what Bella expected.
She pondered briefly. "Madame Web?"
Searching her memories, she had a vague impression of this figure, but couldn't recall the specifics of her abilities.
Judging from the codename, it must be related to Spider-Man.
However, there were over nine hundred superheroes and supervillains connected to Spider-Man—from street-corner shoe repairmen and glue sellers to shipbuilders, missile manufacturers, and aircraft engineers. Far too many to track.
She struggled to remember, and the memory grew clearer: an old woman, suffering from myasthenia gravis, confined to a chair, possibly blind. Madame Web's image gradually crystallized in her mind. She remembered the old lady had a beautiful granddaughter... who was also a fashion designer!
Bella had always worried about her lack of talented personnel. Suddenly, she realized New York was full of talent! Why not recruit there?
Excluding those connected to the government or military, and those who'd never leave New York no matter what, the remaining talents were all within her recruitment range.
It was like finding hundreds of unaligned generals in a single city! What a concept!
She decided to conduct a talent survey soon, cross-referencing the heroes and villains from her memories with reality. She didn't need many—just five or six people would allow her current ventures to flourish.
She was very pleased with the inspiration Jacob had provided.
After warning Jacob not to reveal her identity, she reapplied her disguise, and they returned to the safe house one after the other.
The biochemical virus leak was a major incident for both Bella and Natasha, as well as S.H.I.E.L.D. and the BSAA—the organization dedicated to combating global bioterrorism.
In total, there were seven S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on site, five BSAA operatives, plus Bella and Natasha as "CIA," making fourteen people.
When Bella and Jacob returned, Natasha had just finished briefing everyone.
"...That's the current situation. We suspect the Ndipaya tribe in the forest is connected to the bioweapons. Tricell built an oil refinery here, but local crude oil production is very low. Their purpose for building the facility is highly suspect."
Natasha posted two photos. One showed a man with a cunning expression, wearing a dark suit—the weapons dealer, Irving. The other was a woman in revealing clothing with a hint of madness in her eyes—Tricell's president, Excella Gionne.
Among the assembled agents, Chris's BSAA team was the professional organization responsible for bioweapon management, but S.H.I.E.L.D. had sent more people, and John Garrett was older. This veteran agent in his fifties was famous throughout the intelligence community. He was even older than 006—using "old but vigorous" to describe him wasn't an exaggeration. Chris was more than twenty years younger, clearly a junior.
He asked humbly, "What do you think, Mr. Garrett?"
The old agent didn't hesitate, pointing to Excella Gionne's photo. "No need to search for some primitive tribe. Find her, control her, then force her to reveal where the bioweapons are stored. Destroy everything."
His voice was firm and powerful. It was, admittedly, the most efficient approach.
They were agents, not police officers. They didn't need evidence. If they said you were suspicious, you were suspicious! Arrest first, ask questions later!
Chris thought they should gather some evidence first, but after hesitating, he also decided preventing bioweapon leaks was the top priority.
"I'll add one thing. According to our BSAA investigation, the real mastermind behind Tricell is this man." He pulled out a photograph showing a tall, blond man wearing sunglasses with a stern expression.
"His name is Albert Wesker. He's cunning, ruthless, and will stop at nothing. He's my old friend... and old enemy..."