Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 25: Elastic Metal

Chapter 25: Elastic Metal

People were surprised by Lyra’s impressive psychokinesis, and they were curious about the type of elastic metal that could withstand the combined attacks of a level-7 Peculiar and a mecha.

While the military rounded up the criminals, they also sent out ships to rescue the hostages.

Once she handed over the Rymes siblings safely, Lyra boarded Snakehead’s ship.

"You really scared us this time, Lyra," said Todd.

"You guys were too late," Lyra replied, coughing twice. She drank a glass of water and grabbed an energy biscuit from Todd. While chewing half of it, she asked, "Did you bring the stuff?"

Snakehead’s face lit up with joy, and he patted his chest. "It just passed the tests, and there are already many orders lined up for the next two years!"

Snakehead then brought over a box more than a meter long. He handled it with great care, his face jiggling with excitement. "This is a specially developed high-end piece. You’re the first to use it, so be careful not to damage it."

Todd didn’t even bother to mock his stingy boss. A high-end item costing nearly seventy million credits was unlikely to break unless used against high-level beasts.

"It took down a level-7 on its debut, plenty for you to show off," said Snakehead.

Lyra donned her spacesuit and opened the box, revealing a slender superpower-enhanced gun.

She stepped onto the lift platform, rising to the launch pad above the cockpit. The floor below closed, providing magnetic support to counteract the weightlessness, and the glass canopy in front opened.

Activating the electronic visor in her spacesuit, she surveyed the distant battlefield.

Everything was ready.

She braced against the launch pad’s railing, aiming the gun. Green superpower particles rapidly gathered at the muzzle. It has been amplified by the gun’s device, which boosted its power by three levels.

In the vast universe, the battlefield was insignificant, but that flash of light was dazzling.

ZAP—

The slender green beam shot across the battlefield like a comet, targeting a rampaging mecha. It pierced the cockpit in an instant.

In the cramped space, Clive stared dumbfounded at the blood pouring from the hole in his chest.

Blood gushed out.

The mecha’s red lights flashed, and it exploded silently in the space.

Lyra lowered the gun, a slow smile spreading across her face. "I’m stingy. I won’t give you a second chance."

Back in the cockpit, she casually tossed the long gun, eyeing Snakehead’s murderous glare. "Nice piece. Name your price."

"Not for sale!" Snakehead snatched it back, hugging it to his chest. After a pause, he smirked and said, "But we could trade it for your elastic metal."

Lyra snorted. "Forget it. I’m afraid you’d make a scene when you found how little that metal was worth."

"Tsk, tsk. I doubt that would ever happen," said Snakehead. Everyone knew that Lyra’s elastic metal was top-notch; they just couldn’t risk an outright conflict to take it.

"By the way, where’s Sorren?" Snakehead asked, clearly annoyed. "What’s that fool up to? He was supposed to take care of you, but he got tricked by a competitor instead."

People from Voidstar No. 2 had been kidnapped by those from Snowfall—this would be a major embarrassment if words got out.

"I left him on Snowfall, as punishment," Lyra replied.

"What? You’re not taking him to Planet Nagano? Who’s going to look after you?" Snakehead was getting anxious. ’Without someone to monitor this young woman, what if she takes off?’

Lyra, pretending not to know his intentions, walked toward the ship’s equipment bay in her spacesuit. Snakehead continued trying to persuade her as she nimbly climbed into the beetle-shaped fighter jet and urged the pilot to take off.

"Wait, I’m talking to you!" Snakehead clung to the fighter jet, not letting it leave. "Are you really going alone? What if you go off the grid..."

His words were too blunt. Realizing he had given himself away, he stared at Lyra with a hint of assertiveness.

"What can he do even if Iet him come?" Lyra glanced at him. "The dog I kept for years is now wagging to someone else. How can I be sure that he wouldn’t bite me someday?"

’So, she knew everything?’ Snakehead was puzzled. Was Sorren really that useless?

Ignoring his dumbfounded look, Lyra threw the pilot out and flew the fighter jet into the isolation chamber, gracefully departing.

"Damn, my fighter jet!" Snakehead slapped Todd. "Send someone to bring that jet back."

Now that Lyra was aware of everything, there was nothing for Snakehead to worry about anymore. As long as they could make money, he’d be fine with it.

Snakehead was easygoing; however, Blackheart might not be.

"She ran off on her own?!" The one-eyed Blackheart snapped the armrest off his chair and paced a few steps, glaring at Snakehead on the screen. "Why the hell didn’t you just capture her?"

"Why don’t you do it?" Snakehead, puffing on a cigar, looked relaxed. "She’s on the warship right now."

This shut Blackheart up. He thought for a moment. "How about we go to Snowfall and bring her back?"

He always felt uneasy about letting this young woman out of their sight.

Snakehead looked at him with disdain. "Come on, with your attitude, there’s no way she’d stay!"

Blackheart tried to take Lyra under control when she was still weak. Now that she was starting to rise into power, everybody knew Blackheart would do everything he could to stop Lyra from fleeing him.

"You’re the type who wants everything for yourself and can’t stand to see others do well," said Snakehead.

"Pfft! Who would want to share good stuff?" Blackheart retorted, sitting back down with a dark expression. "Just wait, when Sis Marv gets big, she’ll make us all suffer!"

Snakehead snorted, cutting off the communication. He believed that letting Lyra rise could be beneficial, as working with someone who only cared about profits would be easy.

On the other side, Blackheart grew more furious. He turned to the woman next to him and ordered, "Liliana, pick a few skilled people and go to Snowfall. Make sure to bring Sis Marv back, tied up if necessary."

Liliana looked up in surprise. "Daddy, if we anger her, she might not cooperate with us..."

Before she could finish, a slap landed on her face. Blackheart grabbed her hair, taming her like a kitten. "Don’t let me hear you plead for her again. She doesn’t want to cooperate? That’s not up to her!"

"Yes..." Liliana replied, trembling, her lips quivering.

Blackheart threw her aside with a sneer. ’What’s wrong with wanting everything for myself? Stupid Snakehead...’

Meanwhile, Lyra received a warm welcome upon boarding the warship.

"Thank goodness for Miss Shedd. Without you, Zinnia and Zarek might not have made it," Rowie said, leading her to see the siblings.

The ship had advanced medical equipment, and the siblings had changed clothes. If not for their pale faces, no one would know they were in critical condition not long ago.

Zinnia lay in the treatment pod, complaining loudly. "If I hadn’t reacted quickly and used the last bit of my superpower, we wouldn’t have held on until Lyra came to rescue us."

"Your superpower is truly remarkable," Lyra said. She had no doubt that, given time, Zinnia could punch through a spaceship.

Outside, the chaotic battle was nearly over. The gang leader was dead, and the lieutenants were captured. For Zarek, this was undoubtedly a significant achievement.