Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 146: Old Calvin

Chapter 146: Old Calvin

Once the reporters focused on the game results and gathered enough material, they finally let the team go.

Back in the lounge, Anton quickly tore off his tie. "This thing is so uncomfortable."

Webber opened his mouth to advise against it, but he stopped short when he saw their chief instructor had already ditched his shirt, now in just a tank top.

He gulped down water and glanced at the excited students. "We return in two days. You can do your own thing, but no trouble."

The tense group cheered, eager to leave, but Webber called out, "We won, so we should celebrate."

He joked with Anton, "Doesn’t the chief instructor owe us a party?"

"Absolutely! I almost forgot!" Anton grabbed his superior as he tried to leave. "You can’t escape; I know a great restaurant nearby."

Lyra didn’t mind and tagged along.

The restaurant was packed, but upon hearing it was an NMA booking, they quickly set up a private room for the group.

Unfortunately, they ran into the EPMA crowd in the lobby.

With their headquarters nearby, unfamiliar faces joined them—probably friends.

The long-time first-place school had just lost to the perennial second, and now they encountered them celebrating.

Tension filled the air as glances were exchanged.

Elsie, the captain, nodded to their captain and led her team away. Thankfully, the lobby was spacious enough to prevent any disputes.

As they passed, a voice from the crowd sneered, "Pfft, without that old woman, could they even win?"

Lyra’s past of being frozen for seven years was no secret online, despite her biological age being twenty.

The jab was clear.

"Hey, that one," someone interjected, "the Alliance rules calculate age by biological physiology. You really don’t know that? Are you even a military student?"

Realizing Lyra’s identity, Elsie felt a pang of sympathy.

Being frozen was like living a false death, and during those years, Lyra had no one there for her. Elsie understood the feelings.

"Well, she’s old no matter what..."

SMACK!

A slap landed out of nowhere on the young man’s face.

Anton grinned slyly. "Talking nonsense in front of me, huh?"

The young man’s face swelled in disbelief. "You’re an instructor, and you hit a student?"

"Bah! You’re not even one of mine, you little brat. Who cares about being a role model? NMA doesn’t play that game!"

The EPMA crowd frowned, and Webber stepped in to mediate. "Alright, calm down. It’s just a kid; a little lesson is enough. Next time, take it up with his instructor."

That didn’t really help.

Andre’s gaze swept over them, his presence turning their anger into shame. "Otherwise, your chief instructor can come find me. I’m leaving."

Lyra, the provoked party, quietly walked behind, feeling detached.

"Lyra," Robin suddenly spoke up.

She turned, raising an eyebrow.

"Grandpa said you’re welcome to visit him anytime," he whispered.

Just then, Kail arrived with the EPMA group and noticed them whispering.

Robin called out to him.

Kail nodded and approached. "What are you guys doing here?"

Robin looked at Lyra, waiting for her reply.

Lyra’s gaze was icy as she warned, "Tell old Calvin to stay away from all my business."

Nothing mattered now, after he ignored her parents’ death.

Robin kept a serious expression and nodded. "I’ll tell Grandpa."

Then he walked away.

Kail felt uncomfortable being excluded and asked, "Sis, does Grandpa want you to go to Calvin’s?"

"What’s it to you?"

Her casual reply nearly crushed him.

Just then, her opticomputer buzzed urgently. It was Debbie.

"Boss, there’s been an incident!"

Lyra’s expression hardened as she rushed to the private room, pushing the door open. "Sir, I have personal business to attend to."

Anton was pouring wine for Andrei and when he looked up, only to find her gone.

Turning back, he saw his superior crush his glass, then quickly smiled. "Isn’t this our NMA style? Let’s drink."

Kail glared at his sister’s back, then gritted his teeth and followed her.

Surprisingly, Lyra didn’t stop him.

The driver sped off to the address she provided, arriving at a regular residential area on Elden Prime.

In confusion, Kail watched as they reached a small villa cordoned off by police, who were removing a body.

"Hello, we’re here to check for superpower residues," Lyra stated, pulling Kail inside.

The police almost asked for a search warrant but halted when they saw Kail’s Skywalkers uniform. Moreover, now they really needed to focus on maintaining order in the chaos.

Inside, there were no signs of a struggle; the blood was concentrated, indicating a clean kill.

Finding no useful clues, Lyra stepped outside and lifted the white sheet—she recognized the face, unaltered.

The doctor who implanted her Soul Spike had been silenced by the Shedd family.

"Who is this guy?" Kail asked, noticing her concern for the deceased.

But Lyra only glanced at him before leaving with Debbie, treating him like air.

Kail clenched his fists and returned to the police to learn about the victim. He had a feeling that the truth about that past might be uncovered here.

Lyra returned straight to the new office, her cold gaze reflecting the young assistant before her. "So, this is the result you gave me."

Debbie shivered, "I failed. I arrived too late; Dr. Brian is dead, and his wife and children are missing."

Compared to the icy pressure from Lyra, the gruesome murder scene had become less frightening.

"Debbie," Lyra called softly.

Debbie straightened up immediately. "Yes."

"Tell Morrison to return as quickly as possible, and then you go back to Planet Nagano," Lyra said, her eyes icy. "Come back to me only after you’ve handled this. You can leave."

This felt like being coldly dismissed, leaving Debbie deeply disappointed.

If she could have resolved the situation on Elden Prime, she might have gained equal power with Morrison, but now she had messed up.

Lyra had provided ample resources and warned her to be careful, yet someone else had acted first and silenced the target.