NOVEL NEXT Chapter 131: Departure
DUMMY CHP DONT READ. STILL FIXING THE OLD ONES
# Chapter: Departure Preparations
## The Next Morning - USOV Headquarters
The early morning sun cast long shadows through the corridors of USOV headquarters as agents began their daily routines. The building hummed with its usual activity, but there was an underlying tension that everyone could feel, even if they didn't fully understand why.
Liam arrived at the facility earlier than usual, carrying a small duffel bag with supplies for what he assumed would be a few days in Wisconsin. He had spent most of the previous evening reading "The Hobbit," managing to get through the first few chapters before falling asleep with the book still open on his chest.
As he walked through the main lobby, he noticed several unfamiliar faces—agents he didn't recognize who seemed to be setting up some kind of equipment near the communications center. When he tried to get a closer look, Kent appeared beside him.
"Morning, Liam," Kent said with a slightly forced cheerfulness. "Ready for your mission?"
"Yeah, I guess so," Liam replied, still looking toward the unfamiliar agents. "Who are those guys?"
"Just some technical specialists from another department. Nothing you need to worry about," Kent said quickly, steering Liam away from the area. "Quinn's waiting for you in Conference Room B for your briefing."
Liam nodded but couldn't shake the feeling that something was different about the atmosphere in the building today. There was a kind of nervous energy that reminded him of the way people acted before a big exam or an important meeting.
## Conference Room B - Mission Briefing
Quinn was already seated at the conference table when Liam arrived, with several files spread out in front of her. She looked up as he entered and gestured to the chair across from her.
"Morning, Liam. Hope you're ready for some interesting work," she said.
"Always am," Liam replied, settling into his seat. "So what's the situation in Wisconsin?"
Quinn opened the top file and turned it so Liam could see the contents. There were photographs of a middle-aged man in expensive suits, aerial shots of various properties, and what looked like geological survey reports.
"Meet Senator Marcus Webb," Quinn began, pointing to the photographs. "On the surface, he's a respected state senator with a reputation for supporting rural development projects. Underneath, he's been running one of the most sophisticated real estate fraud operations we've seen."
Liam studied the photos. Webb looked like any other politician—well-groomed, confident smile, the kind of person who was used to being the smartest person in the room.
"What kind of fraud?" Liam asked.
"He's been using hired visors to create artificial natural disasters," Quinn explained, pulling out the geological reports. "His people cause sinkholes, minor earthquakes, sometimes even contaminate water supplies in specific areas. This makes property values crash, and then Webb's shell companies swoop in and buy the land for practically nothing."
"That's pretty clever," Liam admitted, though his tone showed he didn't approve. "And then what, he fixes the problems and resells?"
"Exactly. Once he owns the land, the same visors who caused the problems mysteriously solve them. Suddenly the property values shoot back up, and Webb makes millions on each deal," Quinn said.
Liam flipped through more of the photographs, seeing images of damaged homes, cracked foundations, and families loading their belongings into moving trucks. "How long has this been going on?"
"We think at least two years, maybe longer. The FBI started investigating after they noticed unusual patterns in property sales and geological events, but they couldn't prove anything. That's when they called us in," Quinn explained.
"What changed? Why are we moving on him now?" Liam asked.
Quinn's expression became more serious. "Three weeks ago, the Martinez family in Kenosha refused to sell their farm even after Webb's people caused a sinkhole that destroyed their barn and contaminated their well. So Webb escalated."
She pulled out another file, this one containing hospital records and police reports. "The family started experiencing what they described as 'supernatural harassment.' Doors slamming by themselves, objects moving around their house, strange voices in the middle of the night. Their eight-year-old daughter was so terrified she stopped speaking."
Liam's jaw tightened. "He's using visors to terrorize children?"
"It gets worse. When the harassment didn't work, someone with telekinetic abilities threw rocks at their house every night for a week. Then their car brakes mysteriously failed while Mrs. Martinez was driving her daughter to school. They survived, but barely," Quinn said.
"Jesus," Liam muttered. "How many visors is he working with?"
"Our intelligence suggests at least six, possibly more. Most of them seem to be B-rank or low A-rank—strong enough to cause real damage but not powerful enough to attract too much attention from the authorities," Quinn replied.
"And Team A can't handle six visors on their own?" Liam asked.
Quinn shook her head. "Team A is skilled, but they're dealing with opponents who know the terrain, have been working together for years, and have had plenty of time to prepare defenses. Plus, some of these visors have very specialized abilities that make them hard to track and capture."
She opened another file showing surveillance photos of several individuals. "This is Marcus Crane, earth manipulation specialist—he's the one causing the sinkholes and earthquakes. This woman is Sarah Kim, she can phase through solid matter, which makes her perfect for breaking into homes and placing surveillance equipment."
Liam studied each photo as Quinn continued the briefing.
"Then there's David Petrov, telekinetic specialist—he's probably the one who's been throwing rocks and causing the 'supernatural harassment.' This man, James Wright, can turn invisible for short periods, making him ideal for reconnaissance and intimidation," Quinn explained.
"What about the other two?" Liam asked.
"We're not sure about their identities yet, but we know one of them has some kind of mental manipulation abilities—possibly emotion control or fear projection. The other seems to be a physical enhancement type, probably serving as muscle when direct confrontation is necessary," Quinn said.
Liam leaned back in his chair, processing all the information. "So the plan is to track them down and arrest them?"
"That's the goal, but it won't be simple. These people have been very careful about not leaving evidence, and they have multiple safe houses throughout the region. Team A has been conducting surveillance for the past week, but every time they get close, the visors seem to know they're coming," Quinn explained.
"Someone's tipping them off?" Liam asked.
"Possibly. Or one of them has some kind of precognitive ability we haven't identified yet," Quinn replied.
Liam nodded slowly. "What's our timeline?"
"We leave in about an hour. Team A is waiting for us in Milwaukee, and they've identified what they think is one of the safe houses. The plan is to hit multiple locations simultaneously before the visors can warn each other," Quinn said.
"Sounds straightforward enough," Liam said, though something in the back of his mind was still bothering him about the timing of this mission.
Quinn began gathering up the files. "There is one more thing, Liam. Senator Webb has a lot of political connections, some of them at the federal level. We need to be very careful about how we handle this. If we screw up the arrests or don't have solid evidence, he could use his influence to make problems for USOV."
"Understood," Liam said. "We do this by the book."
As they prepared to leave the conference room, Liam's phone buzzed with a news alert. The headline made him pause: "GRINNING DEAD FACTION LEADER PROMISES 'NEW CHAPTER' FOR MICHIGAN."
"Quinn," he said, showing her the phone. "Are you sure we shouldn't be here for whatever's happening with Dorian Graves?"
Quinn looked at the headline, and for just a moment, Liam thought he saw something flicker across her face—worry, maybe, or guilt.
"The Director has everything under control here, Liam. Our job is Wisconsin," she said firmly. "Besides, you know how these faction leaders are—lots of big talk, but most of the time it's just posturing for the media."
Liam wasn't entirely convinced, but he nodded anyway. "Alright, let's go help some families get their lives back."
## The Departure
An hour later, Liam and Quinn were walking toward the parking garage where a black SUV was waiting for them. As they loaded their equipment into the vehicle, Liam couldn't help but notice the unusual number of agents moving around the building with a sense of urgency that seemed to go beyond normal daily operations.
"You sure everything's okay here?" he asked Quinn as she started the engine.
"Everything's fine, Liam. The Director just wants to make sure we're prepared for any situation," Quinn replied, but there was something in her tone that suggested she wasn't telling him everything.
As they drove out of the USOV compound and toward the highway that would take them to Wisconsin, Liam looked back at the building one more time. He had a strange feeling that he was missing something important, but he couldn't put his finger on what it