Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 177: Lyra Out

Chapter 177: Lyra Out

"What do you mean, everyone but Lyra?" Zinnia shouted, clearly exasperated. ’Are they really plotting amidst this chaos?’

Lyra pushed her aside, "I need to stay and treat the injured. You all go first."

"Lyra..."

Thierry pulled her toward the entrance. "We need to save people too!"

The crowd was too thick, and their presence would only slow her down.

After quick thinking, Thierry quickly scooped up the old lady next to him in the mecha and sped toward the town.

The soldiers piloted uniform D-class white mechas, swiftly forming a defensive line.

Suddenly, several warships soared over the mountains, sending chills down everyone’s spines—space pirates!

Kail rushed over, opening the mecha’s cockpit. "Sis, get inside!"

"I wish I could," Lyra replied, pulling off her empty Space Button and tossing it aside, standing exposed among the mechas.

Kail seethed, "Baird? You did that? How dare you?"

"Not my problem!" Baird shot back, anxiety creeping into his voice as he stared at Lyra.

After decades in the military, he felt a sinking sensation—these pirates were after her. ’Did Vice Admiral Shedd know this when I assigned her to the mission?’

Just then, the opticomputer blared an update: evacuate residents, and reinforcements were on the way.

Baird sighed with relief; it looked like wasn’t sending them to accompany Lyra to her doom after all.

Numerous fighters and mechas launched from the small warships, racing toward them.

"Prepare for battle!" Baird commanded. The frontline mechas took to the sky, intercepting the enemies to buy precious time for the civilians to escape.

On the ground, Thierry and his group continued to assist the injured. Panic washed over them when they glanced back. "Why doesn’t Lyra have a mecha?"

Zinnia cursed, "F*ck ’em! I knew it! Sending her out like this spells trouble!"

"Clearly, Vice Admiral Shedd must have known the space pirates were coming—maybe even colluded with them," Helion’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

"That can’t be! Vice Admiral Shedd would never work with space pirates..." Thierry argued, but his words were cut short as a laser beam struck nearby, hitting a fleeing group.

In an instant, bodies were reduced to ash in the searing heat of particles.

Seeing such devastation again after Wyrmtrace rattled Thierry to the core.

"Damn it, I’m going to crush those bastards!" Zinnia yelled, tears brimming in her eyes. She was ready to charge toward the front lines.

Thierry quickly restrained her mecha, "First, save the people. We can’t afford to lose anyone else."

The numbers of the vanguard teams paled against the space pirates, and some enemies breached the defenses, hovering ominously over the marketplace.

Ruthless laser beams rained down.

Amid the chaos, a green energy shield expanded like stars lighting up the night sky, intercepting the attacks with deadly precision.

Someone clad in silver armor rushed toward them. "Why aren’t you moving?" she asked.

"Lyra, where’s your mecha?" Zinnia asked as they retreated further.

"I don’t have one. Ansel assigned me this mission out of the blue; running into the space pirates can’t be a coincidence," Lyra replied flatly, further sinking everyone’s spirits.

As they approached the entrance to Aegis Shield, the gravity of their situation hit them hard. The once-glorious image of the military shattered before their eyes.

Lyra casually tossed a healing orb to a wounded civilian, ready to leave, when Thierry called out, "Where are you going, Lyra?"

"An old friend of mine is here. I need to say hello," she replied, her gaze locked onto the unmistakable dragon claw insignia emblazoned on the mothership.

Thierry, grappling with the collapse of his beliefs, stammered, "Or... maybe they’re not here for you."

Just then, a booming voice echoed from above, cutting through the tension. "Sis Marv! Lyra! I know you’re here, come out!"

Blackheart stood in the transparent command chamber, a sinister grin spreading across his face as he clutched a microphone. "A measly level-4 Aegis Shield won’t stop me. If you know what’s good for you, come out now, or I’ll take everyone down with you!"

It felt like a slap in the face, raw and cruel. While the military training location wasn’t a secret, how could Blackheart pinpoint her presence with such accuracy?

What shocked Thierry and the others even more was Baird’s reaction: "Lyra, I order you to come out!"

The interns stared in disbelief, and even some of his own men were taken aback. "Sir, what are you talking about? We’re all still alive. Why should we hand over an intern to space pirates?"

"Exactly! We should fight back!" another intern shouted.

"And what about the townspeople?" Baird shot back, his voice firm. He scanned his team, weighing the consequences. "Are we really going to sacrifice everyone for one intern?"

At that moment, Blackheart’s voice boomed again from above, "Stop stalling! You won’t wait for reinforcements. You have three minutes. If Lyra isn’t handed over, I’ll flatten this town!"

Baird shoved Lyra toward the chaos. "Why aren’t you moving?"

Silence fell over the group.

Suddenly, a purple mecha charged forward, knocking Baird down, cockpit and all.

"Baird, are you in cahoots with the space pirates? How else would they know she is here?" Kail shouted, banging on his controls.

Baird pushed Kail’s mecha aside, fuming. "What nonsense are you spouting? The Blackheart Legion is everywhere; it’s only natural they crossed paths with us!"

Baird glared at the young man, his disdain evident. He looked down on Kail since the first day they met. He believed that if Kail hadn’t been Ansel’s grandson, he would never have ascended to a vanguard leader so quickly.

The once-bustling marketplace lay in ruins, vegetables and vehicles strewn haphazardly across the ground.

Countless people who had been haggling just moments ago were now unrecognizable, victims of the chaos.

"Lyra..." Zinnia was on the brink of tears. "What a mess!"

Lyra turned to her young comrades. "Once I get over there, watch for my signals and run toward me."

The four understood she had a plan.

Kail nodded eagerly, "I’ll go too."

Meanwhile, Baird thought he was following Ansel’s orders. As he envisioned a promotion, a smug smile creeping across his face.

With countless eyes on her, Lyra stepped into the devastated area. Once she reached a safe distance, she caught sight of the cannon protruding from the mothership and waved behind her.

Thierry and the others immediately piloted their mechas toward her.

In that split second, a high-caliber electromagnetic cannon blazed across the bright sky, striking the town behind them.

They froze in shock.

When they turned back, the town had vanished, obliterated in an instant.

Aegis Shield, the houses, the people, the soldiers—everything melted away in that massive surge of energy.

The acrid scent of smoke hung heavy in the blinding sunlight.

As they searched for Lyra, they found her eerily calm, as if she had seen this coming.

Suddenly, without warning, a tranquilizer dart struck her back. She slumped down, her body going limp as a battle mecha with metallic claws swooped down to seize her.

Panic surged through Thierry and the others, but it was too late; they could only stand in horror as their friend was taken away, swallowed by the chaos.