Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 150: Another Cooperation

Chapter 150: Another Cooperation

Lyra announced her intention to leave the team, emphasizing her need to manage her inheritance and return to Planet Nagano.

"If I were you, I wouldn’t choose to leave the team now," Andre advised, leaning back in his chair with a scrutinizing gaze. "Instead, use the school’s protection to leave Elden Prime."

Webber chimed in, crossing his arms. "He is right. No matter how skilled you are, you can’t take on the Shedd family alone. Stick with us, and you’ll benefit from the admiral’s influence."

"I’m fine. I know what I’m doing," she replied calmly, her determination unwavering.

She knew leaving the team could give Ansel an upper hand, but she had her own strategy—her Soul Spike, which would counter the curse and provide her with evidence.

Seeing her confidence, Andre nodded. "Then do what you think is best." He recognized her resilience.

Webber opened his mouth to argue further but was pulled aside by Anton. "Come on, she’s not your daughter. You don’t need to play the worried parent."

The next morning, Andre departed with a group of students while Lyra stayed at the factory, hiring staff and securing contracts. She had become a living advertisement for their healing devices, which were flying off the shelves.

However, trouble arrived swiftly.

"Boss, the business bureau said our paperwork is inadequate and is demanding we shut down the factory immediately," Debbie rushed into the office, her voice tinged with panic.

As a junior assistant, she felt powerless in the face of such news.

Lyra wasn’t surprised. The Shedd family had deep roots in the region, and many officials were loyal to them.

"You handle it for now," she said, grabbing her opticomputer to contact someone.

When Cohen saw her name on the screen, tension tightened in his scalp. "What now?"

"What else? I’m here to thank you," she replied coolly, her tone sharp.

Cohen picked up on the underlying malice. "Thank me for what?"

"Didn’t Ansel contact you after my live stream a few days ago?" Lyra leaned closer to the screen. "I appreciate you standing by my side, so I wanted to show my gratitude."

Cohen narrowed his eyes, sensing something was off. "What do you want in return?"

She offered a slight smile. "I’m acquiring land on Elden Prime to build a new factory, and I plan to put it in your name. I’ll handle the operations and funding, and you’ll collect 60% of the profits—40% for me."

"Sounds tempting," Cohen said, his smile lacking warmth as he tapped his pen against the desk. "But if it fails, you’ll drag me down with you. Nice job, Lyra. Other people know to switch sheep when they fleece them. Why do you keep targeting me?"

He had to restrain himself from shouting, a testament to how frustrated he was.

Lyra wasn’t fazed by his suspicions. "Who else would I go to? You’re the one with deep pockets and connections."

Cohen chuckled despite himself, perhaps realizing he had been used too often.

"Do you know how many eyes are on me on Elden Prime? I can’t agree to this," he replied, seriousness returning to his tone.

Though being the admiral’s son came with privileges, it also brought heavy responsibilities.

Planet Nagano was a no-go zone, belonging to the Whyte family, and no one dared cross them. But Elden Prime was a tangled web, and a single misstep could lead to dire consequences. With the Shedd family in the mix, he had to tread very carefully.

"Lyra," Cohen said firmly, "as long as we don’t cross any lines, I’m happy to cooperate for mutual benefit. But with your conflict against the Shedd family, I can’t get involved. This could jeopardize the stability of the military."

The Alliance was already deep in disputes with the Empire, and any misstep could lead to serious consequences. That’s why, when Ansel had asked Cohen to stop Lyra’s live stream, he had chosen to ignore it after confirming that no sensitive information was leaked.

He couldn’t shut it down for Ansel, and nor could he do this for Lyra, either.

The admiral’s faction couldn’t afford any misuse of public authority; it was like a tree that couldn’t be hollowed out. If it were, the whole thing would collapse.

Lyra studied his unwavering expression and sighed. "Could you at least get me an official power map of Elden Prime? The pressure is coming from the head of the business bureau there."

That person was beyond her reach, especially given her current standing, and she needed a way to navigate the intricate web of connections.

Cohen didn’t soften at her concession; instead, he scoffed. "You’re quite the negotiator."

She had asked for something he wouldn’t agree to, and when he refused, she pivoted to a request he could easily fulfill, or at least seemingly so. Lyra was skilled at this game.

"This should be simple for you," she pressed, narrowing her eyes.

Just then, a notification pinged on her opticomputer, revealing a document ready for review. She opened it and found the information she needed.

Before she could celebrate, Cohen added, "And just to remind you, the information includes details about Simon East, who suffers from a severe genetic disease."

With that, he ended the call.

Lyra skimmed the document, quickly grasping its significance. But figuring out how to leverage this connection would be another challenge.

After a moment of thought, she called Debbie to arrange a few things.

On Planet Nagano...

Jorathon Mendez, aiming to intimidate certain parties, had regained control of the board by leveraging the Wyrmtrace development.

The media was quick to notice. During an interview that day, the host asked, "A few years ago, we heard that you suffered from severe brain paralysis. Now, it seems you’ve recovered. What new medical technology did you use?"

Jorathon’s smile faltered momentarily. He had publicly stated that his condition was under control—partly due to a promise to Lyra to keep it confidential and partly because he didn’t want any additional trouble. But now, someone seemed to be prying into his affairs.

"Well, if there was new technology, it would have made big news for the Alliance. I’ve just been lucky; my condition has stabilized," he replied dismissively.

But this vague response didn’t stop the online chatter.

"Are you kidding? Brain paralysis has a 100% mortality rate. Do you think you’re the Chosen One? Just lucky?"

"This old man is hiding something. If there’s a treatment, he should just say it."

"Rumor has it that a healer cured Jorathon. That healer is quite special, but you can guess the rest."

This ’rumor’ skyrocketed to the top of trending topics.

Alon frowned as he monitored the discussions from Wyrmtrace and called Jorathon. "Something’s off. Someone is manipulating public opinion from behind the scenes."

Jorathon had caught on. "Who else knows about Lyra’s healing abilities besides us?"

The answer was clear: only Lyra herself knew.

Alon frowned. "What does she want?"

’What do I want?’ As Lyra looked at the invitation in front of her, a satisfied smile spread across her face.

She had a plan, and the pieces were falling into place.