Marvel's Princess - Chapter 38
“We’ve caused unimaginable damage to this land,” Storm noted within the protective circle, her focus different from ordinary people’s.
Bella had already noticed that the Reaper’s energy weakened as more insects died at the scene. This lost energy didn’t just disappear; according to her observations, it seemed to return to the natural environment along with the insect corpses.
This canyon might have once been a paradise for insects, but after today, it would be an ideal place to build a mausoleum! The heavy aura of death here made her very uncomfortable.
She didn’t care about the ecological issues of the canyon. After this event, she wouldn’t come here again. Whether it became a land of death or not had nothing to do with her.
Bella kept her focus on the Reaper. His current form was neither humanoid nor gaseous. It was vaguely something with wings, but it was unclear what exactly.
She had cast an invisibility spell and wrapped herself tightly in a thick quilt, only her eyes peeking out to observe the surroundings.
Despite such strict protection, she was still bitten twice by insects, resulting in a significant, purple-red swelling on her hand that was painfully throbbing, forcing her to grit her teeth and bear it.
The battle lasted all night, and the vibrant life within the canyon had been depleted by the following day. Not even the Shi’ar could survive in the canyon under the sun, where ghostly shadows were faintly visible—who could stand this?
The Reaper had destroyed all the life energy in the canyon, replacing the original curse with another.
“It seems like that guy has disappeared?” Storm said, unsure.
No one could answer that question. The survivors and the agents were exhausted, and even Bella had no strength left, looking utterly wilted.
The group rested in a nearby town, Bella feeling no premonition of death and quickly falling asleep.
In the canyon, agents from S.H.I.E.L.D., masquerading as FBI, came and went repeatedly.
The team was still led by Victoria Hand, but with all new faces, primarily technical staff rather than combatants.
They pulled out various high-tech devices and, wearing tight protective suits, conducted a grid search in the canyon.
That afternoon, they found a pool of thick, foul-smelling liquid in the southern central part of the canyon.
The liquid, about a meter in diameter, was not touched by anyone, but the dark brown substance seemed to have a life of its own, continuously moving in another direction.
“Commander, there’s another pool of this strange liquid two hundred meters to the west.”
“Commander, there’s also one to the northeast.”
Victoria Hand had anticipated this: “Collect them in batches, seal them in alloy boxes for containment, coded as X-1187, X-1188, X-1189, codenamed Reaper, and stored at the cabin.”
She then picked up the phone: “Nick Fury, I’ve completed your task. Remember your promise.”
The other end replied, “Of course, the investment you need will be transferred to your lab’s account before the sun sets today.”
Victoria Hand quickly ended the call, sighing softly. In these times, living wasn’t easy for anyone!
High school students have their troubles, and she, too, has a heavy burden on her shoulders. For her dreams and herself, she doesn’t allow herself to stop.
However, she claims most of Bella’s credit for herself this time. Usually, as a high school student, taking credit might go unnoticed—who could blame her?
But she has a keen eye for people, sensing that Bella is not an ordinary high school student. Even Claire was somewhat flustered in the most critical moments, and some elite female agents performed far worse than Bella. Why was she so composed?
Victoria Hand suspected that Bella had some tricks she didn’t know about. Taking the credit was a necessary evil, but she didn’t want to create a rift with Bella over it. She planned to send benefits Bella’s way later to smooth things over thoroughly.
“Ah—” Yawning, Bella stretched lazily, her abdominal skin shimmering in the sunlight.
No signs of death, no vampires to bother her—this was real life!
She guessed that the Reaper had perished, and even if not, it couldn’t jump out to kill anyone anytime soon.
Agents were gradually leaving—the busy ones had no death threats to contend with, so naturally, staying in this small town was unnecessary.
The survivors were also returning to Arizona. They planned to sue Global Airlines for a hefty compensation. Dealing with demons and ghosts wasn’t their forte, but when it came to lawsuits, protests, and even garnering sympathy from the public in the media, they were experts. Bella still had a lot to learn in this area.
Storm was left alone; she had come here on a mission from Professor Charles Xavier to investigate, and with the matter resolved, she naturally could leave.
The Claire siblings also bid farewell to Bella. They didn’t want to be in the spotlight, and since mercenaries can easily earn money, unlike Bella, who was broke, they opted out of pursuing compensation. Chris even handled Claire’s school transfer procedures.
“Goodbye, Bella.”
“Goodbye, Claire.”
Bella was also preparing to leave, but Victoria Hand stopped her and invited her for coffee.
Out of her agent attire, Victoria Hand looked much more refined.
She seemed very amiable in a chestnut-colored dress suit and eight-centimeter heels, complemented by broad-rimmed glasses that gave her the air of a university professor.
“So, Bella, which university are you planning to apply to?” she asked, following her self-interest principles.
Bella’s next primary goal was university; she had quietly made some selections.
Bard College, named after Professor John Grey, founded in 1860, is one of the top liberal arts colleges in the U.S. But—the tuition is costly! According to Bella, it costs at least $70,000 a year!
Setting aside whether she has $70,000, even if she did, she wouldn’t dare go there! Where is that? Marvel’s New York! A place where a falling brick can hit two superheroes and a supervillain—how terrifying! She wouldn’t go there if killed!
Her school should be as far from New York as possible. Though she doesn’t agree herself, being born in the West, she can be considered a Westerner now.
Easterners and Westerners in America despise each other, Northerners look down on Southerners, and everyone pities Midwesterners. As a Westerner heading to an Eastern city, she would face all sorts of subtle discrimination.
Her options are limited.
“Maybe the history department at Stanford University. My grades are good enough, but I lack community service.”
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