Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 108: Plant Gone

Chapter 108: Plant Gone

"Don’t worry about how I know," Lyra said as she cast a quick glance at Jorathon, who had slumped back onto the bed, looking even frailer.

She flashed a smile at Alon and the others, then asked, "Do you still want me to save him or not?"

That smile wasn’t comforting—it was chilling.

The answer was obvious. After days of watching Jorathon’s condition worsen, and nearly losing him, they were desperate to save him.

Yet now, with her deception revealed, Alon felt trapped, as if Lyra had a knife pressed to his throat. The Mendez family had two level-seven Peculiars, but he knew they couldn’t use force against her.

Taking a deep breath, Alon wiped his face before asking, "What exactly do you want?"

Lyra slapped a contract down onto the machine beside the bed, leaning forward slightly. "I want a ship with official Wyrmtrace planet flight rights, and it better have at least 500,000 tons of cargo capacity. Whether you rent it or buy it, I want it for at least ten years."

The Wyrmtrace planet was still off-limits for most, with only a few major players, backed by official connections, currently extracting resources.

For someone like Lyra, getting flight rights was nearly impossible, and securing approval to build a commercial ship would take forever.

Even if she managed to get a ship, she’d still be missing the star maps needed for navigation, which were restricted to officially certified vessels.

Her plan hinged on Wyrmtrace opening up to the entire Alliance for immigration, but by then, her share of the profits would be small.

But now, with this deal, the Mendez family was giving her a golden ticket.

At that moment, Lyra wasn’t just the cold, calculating figure they’d known. Her dark eyes gleamed with ambition.

Alon, shocked by her audacity, could only stare in disbelief before letting out a bitter laugh. "You sure dream big."

"I can keep the old man alive for another fifty years without a relapse. That’s my only condition," Lyra said, ignoring his sarcasm. "I’m already upset about not getting the level-nine plants. This is your last chance to negotiate. The choice is yours."

Now, it was up to them to decide whether Jorathon’s life was worth more than a ship with official flight rights.

Her demand struck the Mendez family where it hurt.

They only had four ships with those rights, and with limited resources, losing even a bit of cargo capacity would cut into their profits.

If they loaded less, someone else would take more.

Alon glanced at Jorathon on the bed. The old man opened his eyes slightly and gave him a knowing wink.

"Deal!" Alon finally agreed.

Lyra was satisfied. She immediately tossed the old contract into the trash and signed the agreement for the ship transfer.

Of course, this was just an internal agreement. Officially transferring flight rights was impossible. When the ship was eventually used, it would still have to be under the Mendez name.

Then Lyra added another condition, "Mr. Mendez’s illness can’t be cured all at once. He’ll need treatments with superpower about every two years."

As Alon was about to sign, he hesitated. "Lyra, don’t push your luck!"

"It’s a genetic disease. I can’t rewrite a person’s DNA."

Even if she really could do that, there’d be a doubt if the person was himself anymore.

Lyra spread her hands, a smirk playing on her lips. "And just so you know, I remember exactly what your grandfather told me."

Jorathon had tried to stand up for his beloved granddaughter, but now both of their lives were in Lyra’s hands, and that knowledge made her feel completely secure.

This was exactly what Alon had feared. "But why should I trust you’ll keep your word? We have no way to control you."

The person standing before him had growing ambitions. What if one day she wanted something more and used his grandfather’s life as leverage?

Lyra shifted her gaze to the housekeeper nearby. "Sure, killing me might be easy for you, but that would only speed up Jorathon’s death."

She paused, letting the words sink in before continuing, "I’m someone who values mutual satisfaction and a win-win situation."

She wasn’t about to push her luck. Draining the Mendez family dry would only lead to an early demise.

"Mutual satisfaction? Hmph." Alon shot her a disdainful look, then quickly signed the document and slid it over to her.

Lyra skimmed through it, satisfied, and signed her name without hesitation.

Without waiting for a prompt, she walked over to the bed. This time, there were no theatrics—just an hour later, a bright green light flowed into Jorathon’s body, quickly revitalizing him.

Given the earlier deception, they insisted she stay for the doctor’s observation.

"So he doesn’t need the potion this time?" one of the doctors asked, puzzled.

Lyra didn’t even blink. "The effects are still active."

Those potions were just a concoction of ordinary plants from an unknown planet, a clever cover to mask her superpower.

Once it was confirmed that Jorathon wouldn’t relapse anytime soon, Alon finally allowed himself to relax. "You can go now," he said.

Lyra nodded and left without hesitation.

Alon stood by the window, watching her leave, a wave of helplessness washing over him.

At that moment, the housekeeper approached quietly and reported in a low voice, "Sir, Ryan said the person in the basement insists they saw nothing."

Alon straightened up, his expression hardening. "And what about the people searching the Forgotten Quarter?"

"They sealed off the trading channels immediately and conducted a thorough search, but found nothing."

"Vi claimed she lost it while fleeing in a panic. Those scumbags saw nothing, and the search came up empty..." Alon’s brow furrowed deeply. "Could the White Dots have just vanished?"

It wasn’t that he wanted to back out of the deal, but the item had truly gone missing.

Just then, Jorathon sat up in bed, looking much stronger, and he began dressing himself calmly. "Alon, there’s no need to search any further."

"But that thing could help you advance in the future."

"Don’t you understand?" The old man’s eyes sharpened as he looked at Alon, seeing through everything. "Only a few people knew Vivian stole the White Dots."

Alon froze, the realization hitting him like a ton of bricks. "I’ll go find her!"

"Let it go. My recovery is what matters most. No need to fight over a level-nine plant." The old man now resembled a lion waking from slumber. "I haven’t been well these past years. It’s time to deal with those who’ve been overstepping."

Meanwhile, Lyra had reached the gates of the Mendez estate.

The new driver, Crag, quickly opened the car door for her. "Boss, should we head back?"

"Yes."

As they drove, Crag kept sneaking glances at his young boss through the rearview mirror, only to be caught. He immediately flashed an embarrassed smile.

Lyra didn’t seem to mind and asked, "First day, huh? How do you feel?"

Crag straightened up quickly. "Much better than being a thug in the Forgotten Quarter. My sister and brother even got into college, thanks to you."

Lyra nodded slightly. "You earned it yourself."