Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 227: Explosion

Chapter 227: Explosion

When Lyra returned to Unit T9, she found that things had already moved forward with the Macraite incident fallout.

Ryan had officially been promoted, gaining a rank boost to Commander.

Lyra’s achievements, meanwhile, were documented carefully in Hazel’s records, set aside for year-end commendations—but her position stayed the same.

As for the mysterious death of Wolf, the soldiers had come to a silent agreement with the story Ryan submitted: Wolf had faced the creature alone in a final, heroic stand, and though Lyra tried to save him, she could only avenge him in the end.

Ryan, seeing Lyra’s potential, briefly considered recommending her as his deputy. But Hazel intervened with a knowing smirk.

"She’s still young—don’t push her into the spotlight too fast," Hazel warned. "Besides, if she’s deputy, it won’t be long before she sets her sights on your position next."

Ryan froze at the idea, abandoning it instantly. The last thing he wanted was to end up like Wolf.

Lyra didn’t seem bothered by the missed promotion. In fact, she sought Ryan out shortly after to discuss something completely different.

They stood on the training grounds, and once she finished explaining, she looked at him expectantly.

Ryan raised an eyebrow, removing his sunglasses. "Hold on, did I hear that right? You want access to TOP-SECURITY files from the Alliance archives?"

"That’s right," she replied, unphased. "You’re submitting the Macraite report anyway. May as well grab a few extra files while you’re at it."

Ryan nearly choked. "Are you even listening to yourself? That’s the ALLIANCE’S TOP-SECURITY ARCHIVE, not the snack bar down the road! You can’t just ask for classified documents like you’re ordering a latte!"

The distant sounds of training drills filled the air, but Lyra’s attention stayed fixed on Ryan, her face calm, almost innocent. "I just assumed, sir, that you’d understand... given what happened with Wolf. Seems like we’re in the same boat now."

Ryan snapped to attention. "Enough!" His voice was so sharp that a few nearby trainees turned to look, and he hastily waved them off. "Nothing to see here!"

Exasperated, he sighed and glanced back at her, resigned. "Fine... I’ll look into it," he muttered, though his mind was already racing through the list of excuses he could offer.

This was no ordinary request. The Alliance’s top-security archives were buried under layer upon layer of defenses, from encrypted firewalls to biometric locks that only the highest-ranking officials could pass through.

Submitting his report was one thing—but accessing confidential files? Virtually impossible.

"Thank you, sir." Lyra’s tone was almost dismissive, her gratitude as casual as his reluctant promise. As he walked off, her lips curled into a faint, knowing smile.

...

The next day, Ryan made his way to the archive.

The Alliance’s top-security facility, hidden deep within the council building, was a vault of secrets protected by high-tech systems designed to prevent any data leaks.

After registering, verifying his identity, and passing through layers of security, Ryan entered the stark, minimalist report submission hall.

Inside, AI robots managed the archive’s sensitive documents—an added security measure to prevent human interference.

One of the sleek, white robots, standing just below Ryan’s chest, approached him and took the report.

It scanned the document with its optical sensors, emitting a cold, mechanical voice: "Submission complete. Please exit immediately."

Relieved that his task was nearly over, Ryan turned to leave, mentally preparing his "no-go" explanation for Lyra. She’d have to accept that the archives were simply too secure to mess with.

But as he stepped away, a tiny, pea-sized drone slipped from his hair and drifted, undetected, onto the robot’s head.

It passed unnoticed through the archive’s inner doors.

In a separate room, Koros, idly munching on bread, saw the signal flash across his monitor and snapped to attention.

He activated his superpower, and four extra arms and two additional eyes appeared, enhancing his focus and speed.

In seconds, he accessed the AI robot’s systems, temporarily overriding its primary functions and guiding it deeper into the restricted sections.

As the robot filed away Ryan’s report, Koros directed it toward the confidential files section.

The drone’s scanning mechanisms activated, capturing data on high-priority documents—including those on Tyro and Seren’s executions.

But the robot’s unusual behavior tripped security flags in the monitoring room. One technician quickly raised the alarm, calling out, "Sir, the primary archive robot, ’Administrator 035,’ is displaying unauthorized movements!"

The response was swift. "Initiate a halt command on ’035’—immediately!"

The remote shutdown command took effect, temporarily disconnecting the robot. However, a moment later, ’035’ reactivated autonomously, now fully independent of the control room.

The management team realized the gravity of the breach and submitted an emergency request to inspect the archive directly—a priority request requiring approval from an admiral.

Frederick received the alert instantly, his expression sharpening as he reviewed the situation.

He added a directive of his own. "Trace every file that robot accessed. And find out exactly who’s responsible for this breach. Use all resources necessary."

"Understood, sir!"

A team rushed toward the security archive’s inner sanctum, only to see thick, dark smoke spilling from 035’s station. A heavy sense of dread filled the air. ’Is it really on fire?’

The archive supervisor kept his composure, giving swift instructions. "Everyone, stay calm. The documents are fire-resistant. Focus on controlling the flames."

They were steps away from the entrance when a chilling warning crackled over their earpieces: "Do not enter! 035 just detected a massive energy surge!"

The director’s face went ashen. "RUN!" he shouted, panic breaking through his calm.

Barely seconds later, a deafening explosion shook the entire building.

The blast wave shattered thick glass doors, tore through reinforced walls, and sent searing paper scraps and clouds of dust scattering across the demolished archive.

As the team staggered to their feet, brushing off debris, they stared in stunned silence at the ruins.

The only sound was the dull echo of the explosion, reverberating through the now-decimated complex.

It was all gone. Absolutely obliterated.

Since the archive’s inception, countless attempts had been made to infiltrate it, but no one had ever succeeded.

The "Administrators" had been their ultimate safeguard, a fortress of impenetrable defense that had never been compromised—until now.

"How... how is this possible?" the supervisor whispered, his face pale. He was unable to grasp the ruin in front of him. "This place was built to withstand attacks from even Master Peculiars!"

Yet, the destruction was undeniable.

Turning sharply, he demanded, "Where were the patrol guards?!"

The Alliance’s most secure facility had just been annihilated in broad daylight, and there was nothing but silence to answer him.

Meanwhile, Ryan was just leaving the archive grounds when the explosion erupted behind him.

He stumbled as the earth shook beneath his feet, his eyes widening at the thick plume of smoke now billowing from the ruins.

A sinking feeling knotted his stomach as he fumbled for his opticomputer, dialing Lyra’s number with shaky fingers. "Where... where are you right now?"

Lyra’s voice on the other end was steady. "In my dorm."

In reality, Lyra was moving with silent precision through a shadowed tunnel beneath the city.

Glancing back at the squad of patrol guards tailing her, she shifted her voice to a low murmur.

"I’m busy. Catch you later." She ended the call, slipping deeper into the darkness.

Clad in a black jacket and mask, her appearance was completely altered, her voice and figure impossible to identify.

"Take her down—dead or alive!" barked the squad leader, his eyes flashing as he signaled his team to close in.

Lyra sighed under her breath. "Letting me go through the rift would’ve been smarter."

With barely a ripple of movement, she vanished from their sight.

The guards froze, blinking in shock. Then he realized that it was too late. Several of them were already falling, their heads twisted at unnatural angles.

In mere seconds, Lyra stood in a pool of blood, the task completed with brutal efficiency.

Mr. Frei stepped from a space rift beside her, his face a mixture of unease and reluctance. "These were innocent guards."

"If they’d survived, it’d be our blood on the ground instead," she replied calmly, stowing her weapons. "Let’s get back."

...

Once back in her dorm, Lyra quickly changed clothes, drying her hair.

An urgent pounding came from her door.

"Lyra!" Ryan’s voice was frantic, followed by the unmistakable thud of him preparing to kick the door down. But just as his foot lifted, she opened it.

"Right here." She leaned casually in the doorway, towel over her shoulder. "What’s the rush?"

Ryan’s face was pale with shock. "Did you hear? The security archive—it just blew up!"

Lyra arched an eyebrow, her voice smooth and steady. "Really? When did that happen?"

Ryan studied her face, searching for any sign of a reaction, but her expression remained unreadable, like stone.

Finally, he exhaled, shaking his head. "Get ready. Looks like we’ll be paying it a visit ourselves."