"It's gonna wrap up nice and pretty in a bit." Harry looked quite satisfied.
Yes, the Lord's Portal was ominously huge and pouring out a full force of alien insectoids—but they had Ronan the Dragon, along with most of the top-ranking heroes on hand to fight back.
"That was really lucky," Laura said.
Furthermore, none of the other portals had released any spawn.
"There is luck on the battlefield," President Xel said. "And then there is luck so excessive it stops being luck."
She exhaled quietly.
"At that point, it's a trap."
Jennifer's stomach dropped immediately.
Her boyfriend was out there.
And also her ML Shuan. (Aerial, the black crow-like flying hero.) And Sebastien. (Tien… well, if he were really Sebastien anyway.)
But the point was—
Her boyfriend.
Who wasn't even her boyfriend yet, because when he asked her this afternoon, she said no.
Now he was out there fighting for his life.
And he wasn't even her boyfriend yet.
Wait.
Stop.
Jennifer slapped her cheeks lightly.
Why was she freaking out?
Wasn't she the author of these webnovels?
So yes—it was totally her fault the world was about to be overrun by violent, disgusting alien cockroaches, and her boyfriend was out there fighting for his life instead of baking cake.
But that also meant—
She could fix it.
Right?
…Okay, yes, that sounded exactly like something a crazy person would think, but Jennifer had already given up on her self-image by now.
Sorry, Rolly. The entire Pandora Corps is about to believe you're dating a lunatic. But hey—I didn't puke or go hysterical in the control room. That's already a win.
Okay.
What could a goddess do?
Perhaps she was a goddess because she wrote the webnovels. In a sense, she created these characters—including Lord Micah, the cosmic devourer.
There was no internet, so she couldn't access her novels.
But—
She took out her phone and opened a blank note.
The cursor blinked.
Waiting.
Jennifer straightened.
Right.
She was the goddess.
Let's see…
Ronan the Dragon was amazing—and possibly her boyfriend if they survived this—but he wasn't one of her characters. He was her childhood friend who got dragged into the Pandora Saga when her webnovel exploded into real life.
Quintin.
Quintin was supposed to be the main character of this webnovel.
Where the hell was Quintin?
Jennifer remembered that there were PAU cadets here on attachment.
Perfect.
While the rest of the control room scrambled—checking portals, rerouting communications, issuing commands—Jennifer quietly began to type:
PANDORA BOX UNLEASHED
CHAPTER ?: THE GREAT ESCAPE
QUINTIN'S POV
The bunker speakers crackled, then cut to static.
For a second, the entire PAU cadet shelter fell into a strange, suspended silence—like the world had taken a breath and forgotten to let it out.
Then everyone started talking at once.
"Did you see the size of that thing—"
"They said Perimeter 3—"
"Why are all the other portals quiet—?"
Quintin wasn't listening.
He was already looking at the exit.
Not the main one—the sealed blast doors guarded by instructors and security.
No.
The maintenance corridor, half-hidden behind the supply racks.
The one they weren't supposed to notice.
"…you're thinking it too, right?"
Bastien's voice came from his left, low and steady.
Quintin didn't turn. "Yeah."
"Absolutely not," Angus cut in immediately. "Whatever you're thinking of doing—we are not doing it. We were told to stay put."
"Hey, talk. What's the plan," Damien ordered.
Quintin finally looked at them.
Bastien had that look—calm, composed, already three steps ahead.
Damien looked tense, restless, like a coiled spring ready to snap.
Angus —
Angus looked like he was trying very hard to be the only sane person in the group.
"You all saw it," Quintin said quietly. "That wasn't normal."
"That's exactly why we don't go," Angus shot back. "Quintin, that thing is—what—S-class? Above S-class? And you want to run towards it with cadet clearance and half-regulation gear?"
"We're not going to the core," Bastien said. "Outer lines. Evac. Support."
"Support roles," Angus repeated flatly. "Like the last time when we went to support Bastien's gang."
"Organization." Bastien corrected mildly.
Damien ignored him. "You wanna sit here and wait?"
"Yes," Angus said immediately. "That is exactly what I want to do. Sit. Here. Wait. Do you know how much trouble I got from my uncle for that last stunt?"
Quintin glanced back at the screens.
The connection was intermittent, but the screens had resumed broadcast. Even through the static, the image burned into his mind—
The massive portal.
The endless swarm.
And cutting through it—
"They're all there," Quintin said. "Top ranks. Elite teams—"
"It's a trap," Bastien said quietly.
"—then that's exactly why they'll need backup," Quintin continued. "Not at the center. Everywhere else."
Angus stared at him.
"You're rationalizing," he said. "This is you wanting to be there."
Quintin didn't deny it.
"…yeah."
A beat.
Then Damien snorted. "Fine. Come on, princess. I'll protect you."
"Idiot!" Angus snapped. "You'll be the first to die."
Bastien shrugged lightly. "He won't die if you're there."
That shut Angus up for half a second.
"…I hate all of you," he said.
"Noted," Bastien replied.
"…Fine," Angus muttered.
Damien grinned. "Knew it."
"Don't," Angus snapped. "Do not make that face. I am coming purely to stop you idiots from dying."
"Of course," Quintin said.
He turned toward the maintenance corridor.
They slipped between the supply racks, one after another.
The bunker noise faded behind them.
The corridor was dim, narrow, lit by flickering strips of light.
No guards.
Of course there were no guards.
Because no one was supposed to be stupid enough to try this.
Quintin reached the service door and pressed his hand against the panel.
For a moment—nothing.
Then—
click.
Unlocked.
Damien blinked. "That was… easy."
"Too easy," Bastien said.
Quintin felt it then.
That same wrongness.
Everything aligning.
Doors unlocking. Paths clearing. Timing perfect.
As if something—
Someone—
Was arranging for them to be here.
But who?
The enemy—
Or—
"Relax," Damien said lightly. "Our Moon Goddess is clearly carrying us."
Quintin let out a quiet breath.
He wasn't a werewolf. He wasn't religious either.
But right now—
He'd take all the help he could get.
He pushed the door open.
Harsh light spilled in.
The distant roar of battle followed.
He stepped through first.
"Stay sharp."
Behind him, the others followed.
And somewhere far above—
Something vast screamed.