Antoine Smith leads Strategic Explorations (SE), a black-lab research and intelligence group tied to Hulong Transglobal. He survived exposure to lethal Dark XM during a pursuit of Hank Johnson into the San Saba mines, gaining the rare ability to control Dark XM and applying this power in his operations.

Under Antoine's command, Strategic Explorations conducted covert activities involving Exotic Matter (XM) and advanced technology. The group injected code into the Scanner to create an 'Ingress Store,' allowing Agents to convert currency into Chaotic Matter Units (CMU) for acquiring Dark XM constructs—showcasing Antoine's drive to weaponize unconventional energy.

Antoine allied with Jahan, leader of the Anti-MAGNUS faction, to pursue shared goals. At Jahan's order during the Aegis Nova anomalies, he interrogated Nigel Moyer to extract encrypted Aegis Nova artifact data, employing extreme methods that resulted in Nigel's death. Antoine continued advancing Jahan's agenda, targeting artifacts that manipulate inter-universe thresholds and counter Shaper influence.

His operations included hunting Prime Objects across anomalous zones—artifacts critical for channeling XM across universe-thresholds or locating specific thresholds. Antoine's survival of Dark XM exposure and his technological deployment of it solidified his role within covert networks shaping global XM conflicts.