Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 104: Miss Vivian

Chapter 104: Miss Vivian

The level-nine plant was extremely valuable, even to the Mendez family. From the moment it was brought back, they kept it in the underground vault of the Mendez family home.

Early in the morning, Alon went to retrieve it, but when he arrived at the vault, he found that it was missing!

Only four people knew the vault’s password.

His father was away, and his grandfather wouldn’t take the plants without saying something first, so that left only one person—Vivian.

He tried to contact Vivian immediately, but it showed she was out of network service. To avoid him, she had even smashed her opticomputer.

The anti-surveillance skills she learned in school were useful today, making it difficult for them to track her down quickly.

Alon wanted to stall his grandfather for a bit longer, but Lyra arrived earlier than expected and caught him.

"If I don’t see the level-nine plant, there’s no point in preparing anything, and there’s no need to look at the agreement either," Lyra said as she sat in a swivel chair. "Who took them? Vivian?"

Alon really wanted to ask if she had installed surveillance at the Mendez’s place. "How did you know?"

"Who else besides the eldest Mendez daughter would dare play around with the old man’s life?"

A spoiled child could be so reckless, but this might actually be an opportunity.

Just then, Lyra received a message from Morrison: The supervisor of the ’Core’ workshop reported that Mandy had called in sick today.

’Mandy called in sick?’ Lyra narrowed her eyes, thinking about having Morrison keep an eye on her, but then stopped.

Having Morrison take action at this time might seem suspicious to the Mendez family, even though she had nothing to do with this situation.

While the Mendez family was searching everywhere, Vivian was having breakfast in Mandy’s home.

She was holding a small black metal box in one hand, and a cup of coffee in the other. "Why is this instant coffee? Can’t you go to the market and buy beans?"

She took a sip and then set the cup aside, complaining that the Croissant Mandy bought were too greasy.

"I was afraid of being noticed if I went too far, because my family doesn’t drink coffee," Mandy replied, sitting across from her with some unease.

Although Mandy didn’t know what treasure Vivian had taken, Vivian had warned her the moment she stepped through the door: no matter who asked, she mustn’t reveal Vivian’s whereabouts. She also mentioned Lyra, which made Mandy feel uneasy.

"Vivian, you ran away like this, but what about your family...?"

"I know what I’m doing. You don’t need to worry about it!" Vivian snapped, tossing the Croissant aside. "I won’t let that witch get what she wants!"

Vivian knew that Lyra would do anything to get the level-nine plant, so it must be very important to her. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, so she stole it.

"I’m warning you, don’t forget that you still owe my family money and favors. If I find out that you revealed my whereabouts, I’ll make your family sell the cando to pay off the debt!"

Vivian’s other friends all lived in downtown, where it was too easy to be found; otherwise, she never would have come to this dump.

Mandy’s face turned pale at those words.

At that moment, Mandy’s mother couldn’t resist coming out of her room, taking Vivian’s hand in a fawning manner. "Miss Mendez, Mandy always listens to you. Don’t worry, we won’t say anything."

Vivian pulled her hand back ungraciously and wiped it with a tissue. "Good. Make sure you remember that."

Mandy held her mother’s hand tightly. "Mom, aren’t you supposed to be going to work? You’re going to be late."

As she sent her parents off, Mandy’s mother kept reminding her to behave and to repay Miss Mendez’s kindness properly, because they couldn’t afford to pay back the debt otherwise.

"Yeah, I know."

Once the house was empty, leaving just the two of them, Vivian yawned and casually asked, "Where’s your grandma?"

"She went out for a walk."

Vivian’s eyebrows shot up. "She can walk again?"

Mandy nodded. "Yes, last time we visited the hospital, the doctor said she was fully recovered." She hesitated, remembering that it was around then that Alon started snooping around, asking her all kinds of questions about this miraculous recovery.

Vivian’s hand tightened around the metal box she was holding. "So, she really can cure genetic diseases?"

"Yes, she can."

Vivian still wasn’t entirely convinced. Her grandfather’s condition was severe, and even the top doctors in the Alliance had deemed it untreatable.

Just then, Mandy’s mother, who had only left a few minutes earlier, called. Her voice was tense and low. "There are a lot of Mendez bodyguards in the neighborhood. They’re searching."

Alon had been tracking Vivian’s movements and, by now, had zeroed in on her location.

"Vivian, you should go back," Mandy urged, her voice trembling with fear.

"No way!" Vivian shot up, panic flashing across her face. "We’re leaving!"

Without wasting a second, she grabbed Mandy and bolted.

Vivian, with her sharp instincts, skillfully led them through the tight, winding streets of the neighborhood. Within minutes, they had lost their pursuers.

They kept running until they reached the river on the outskirts of the city. As Vivian was about to cross the bridge, Mandy tugged on her arm, trying to stop her. "We can’t go any further. The Forgotten Quarter is on the other side. It’s way too dangerous there!"

The Forgotten Quarter had once been the heart of Emerald Harbor, but that was hundreds of years ago. Back then, technology wasn’t what it is now, and the area was plagued with radiation pollution.

Most people had moved out when the new Emerald Harbor was built, leaving the quarter to become a slum and a dumping ground.

Because the land was dirt cheap, factories producing everyday goods popped up everywhere, drawing in a large population of ordinary folks.

These people didn’t have special abilities or advanced skills, so they had no choice but to sell their labor.

The infrastructure was a mess, and the lack of proper surveillance meant shady characters had made it their home, turning the place into a chaotic danger zone.

"Most of the people there are just regular folks. What are you so scared of? We’ll hide out for a bit and then make our move," Vivian insisted.

Without waiting for a reply, she dragged Mandy across the bridge.

The moment they crossed, it was like stepping into a different world.

The once-clear blue river marked the boundary. The area they entered was filthy, with scrawny, dirty children running around. Many of them couldn’t even afford to go to school.

A gray haze hung over everything.

A group of kids noticed the two clean, well-dressed ladies and quickly surrounded them, grinning. "Miss, please, we need food!"

In a nearby alley, some older boys took one look at them and bolted into a rundown house. "Bearface, there are two hot chicks at the bridge. One of them is even prettier than the one we did last night!"

The men inside, who had been playing cards, dropped everything when they heard this. "You better not be messing with us!"

"I’m not lying, they’re right by the bridge!" The boy nodded eagerly, knowing this could mean some easy cash.

The men cracked the window and peeked out. Their eyes widened in excitement. "Wow, he’s telling the truth!"

One of them tossed some astrocredits to the boy. "Keep this up, and you’ll be eating well this month."

The boy beamed, thrilled that his troubles were over for now.

The men, now grinning like wolves, walked out toward the girls. "Hey there, sunshine! Where are you headed? Want to have some fun with us?"

The kids who had been pestering Vivian and Mandy scattered, yelling that they were off to get candy.

Mandy turned pale, her hands clutching Vivian’s arm in fear. "Vivian, we need to go back."

Vivian sneered. "Look at you, scared out of your mind!" She pushed Mandy aside and flicked her wrist, summoning a whip made of water.

In just a few swift strikes, she took down the group of men, leaving them shocked and sprawled on the ground.

"Hmph," she scoffed, arrogantly flipping her hair as she pulled Mandy deeper into the slum.

Meanwhile, the Mendez bodyguards, who had been trailing them, stopped dead in their tracks. They couldn’t believe it—how had the young Mendez heiress ended up in this forsaken place.