Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 256: Saving Him Again

Chapter 256: Saving Him Again

Frank glanced around frantically, hoping to rally some support. "Vice Admiral Whyte, say something! You’ve got to talk some sense into Captain Whyte!"

Chuck cracked his eyes open just a sliver, muttering, "Wish I can."

Unlike the harried medics, he looked more like he was trying to catch up on a nap than worrying about his injuries. If Cohen, his nephew, wasn’t panicking, how should he?

Zarek, nearby, only grumbled, "Do as he says," and then, with a wince, he muttered, "And more painkillers... It’s killing me."

Kogar seized the moment, parting the medics and called out, "Sir, Miss Shedd is here!"

Lyra approached the makeshift triage area, unfazed by Frank’s sharp glare. She looked over the barely-conscious men sprawled on the beds, then nodded slightly. "Still breathing. You’re getting better at this."

But she quickly saw the real problem: the telltale traces of energy from the Stellar Devourer clung to their wounds, actively resisting any healing attempts.

"I’m done for...," Cohen rasped, his face ashen, his breathing labored.

"You were ’done for’ last time, too," Lyra shot back, her tone dry.

At this, Cohen managed a faint smile. The last time he’d been this close to death, she’d pulled him back from the edge.

Somehow, he trusted that she’d do the same today.

Inspecting the injuries up close, Lyra’s face grew grim.

Their bodies were torn apart, their legs held together by little more than frayed muscle fibers.

Cohen’s abdomen was ripped open, organs barely hanging on.

In any typical case, a high-level healer could stabilize them, but here, Frank looked utterly defeated.

Lyra raised her hand, summoning a dense sphere of healing energy.

However, Frank lunged forward, blocking her path. "Stop! Healing powers won’t work! And yours is... untested. If something goes wrong, who will answer for it?"

Lyra’s eyes narrowed. "If I’m the one healing them, then I’m responsible. Isn’t that clear?"

Frank’s face flushed angrily. "When Vice Admiral Oleg died, it was the medical corps who bore the blame!" His voice was strained with frustration. "You were the first there and misdiagnosed the situation. You misled everyone! You’ve got no right to treat anyone else!"

Everyone turned, watching the exchange in tense silence. But Lyra merely smirked, unbothered. "You’re right, I didn’t save Oleg," she replied calmly. In reality, she’d made a difficult call, one Frank could never understand.

"See?" Frank’s eyes gleamed with misplaced triumph, twisting her words. "She admits it! She’s unqualified!"

Lyra brushed past him as if he were a minor inconvenience. "If you’re finished, then move."

Frank tried to block her again, but she stood firm, her arm unmoving like solid iron.

Frustrated, he called out, "Someone stop her! She has no clue what she’s doing!"

But the other medics exchanged weary glances, some looking at Frank as if he’d lost touch with reality.

At last, Kogar, done with the charade, grabbed Frank’s collar, his tone deadly. "The truth about Oleg’s death? It was YOUR department’s miscalculation of the plant energy! And that’s what caused him to explode. You interfere with her again, you’ll have me to answer to." He shoved Frank aside.

Frank tried to scramble back up, still gripping his skewed sense of duty, but Lyra paid him no mind.

With calm precision, she activated a shimmering light shield over the wounded, creating a sterile zone.

After swiftly disinfecting the area, she carefully re-positioned Cohen’s organs before releasing a wave of concentrated healing energy over his injuries.

Under her command, cells multiplied at an astonishing rate, and in moments, Cohen’s shredded flesh began to knit together, transforming what had been a ghastly wound into healthy skin.

Frank’s jaw dropped, his face contorting in disbelief. "How... how is she..."

The medics who had been on the edge of despair moments ago now watched in awe. Some of them were on the verge of tears, witnessing Lyra’s mysterious healing powers restoring hope and life.

"It’s actually working!" Kogar exclaimed, eyes wide as he leaned closer to Cohen’s bed, astonished by the results.

As he inched forward, his severed arm accidentally brushed the edge of Lyra’s healing energy—and to everyone’s shock, the arm began to regenerate.

Grinning like a kid in a candy store, Kogar slid himself closer to soak up every ounce of the healing effect he could. "Even lost limbs are coming back!"

"Absolutely incredible," someone whispered, awe settling over the group.

Another medic, watching with renewed curiosity, added, "Maybe she could even cure genetic diseases with that kind of power."

Kogar, still in disbelief, glanced down at Cohen’s legs, which hadn’t regenerated despite the intense healing energy. "But... why haven’t the Captain’s legs healed?"

"They’re too far gone," Lyra said flatly, transforming Schedar into a serrated saw.

Looking down at Cohen, who instantly went pale, she added, "Brace yourself. This might hurt just a bit."

"Wait—hold on—AHHH!" Cohen’s scream echoed as Lyra methodically sawed through what remained of his legs, her efficiency unnervingly precise.

The sound of bone grinding against metal made the other people wince, and a few even averted their gaze, disturbed by the slight smile on Lyra’s face.

Cohen was dizzy with pain and barely clinging to consciousness. He felt as though he’d passed through the gates of hell.

As his new legs slowly began to regenerate, he managed a weak, breathless comment. "Against that many high-level Peculiars, there was no way we could’ve protected the star map. We were completely outmatched..."

For a second, he wondered if Lyra’s "treatment" was actually punishment for him letting the star map fall. But Lyra, wiping the blood from her hands, simply replied, "I find healing rather enjoyable."

Cohen’s scream, it seemed, had been a delightful bonus.

Lyra moved on to Chuck, who managed a tense, shaky smile despite his visible fear. "Look, maybe we could negotiate here? No saw, please? Your power or... a small knife could do the job," he said, attempting to sound casual while clearly terrified.

Chuck’s injuries were brutal—two broken legs, a shattered arm, and multiple fractured ribs from being slammed down by a level-nine earth Peculiar.

Lyra, however, only raised an eyebrow. "The only thing I’m quick with is killing," she said, positioning the saw with cold precision.

Chuck’s anguished scream echoed through the medical hall as Lyra went to work.

By the time she reached Zarek, he was trying his best to keep his voice steady. Thanks to his superpower-enhanced defense, his injuries weren’t as severe. "I...I don’t think I’ll need the saw, right?"

"No, not the big one." Lyra pulled out a smaller blade with a gleam of calm determination. "But I’ll need to scrape away the damaged tissue."

Zarek’s face turned pale as he braced himself.

Chuck, still sprawled out from his own "treatment," chuckled despite his own agony. "Come on, Zarek. Let’s both go out with dignity here."

Chuck was always like this, taking some twisted satisfaction in dragging others down into his misery with him.

Half an hour later, the three officers lay stretched out on their beds, utterly drained, looking as lifeless as beached fish.

Kogar, stepping forward, signaled a water Peculiar to rinse Lyra’s hands.

Lyra reclined in her chair, looking as satisfied as if she’d just savored a victory cigar.

After so long away from it, Lyra felt unexpectedly revitalized by the return to her healer roots. Grinning, she announced, "I think I’ll be visiting the medical division more often."

The wounded soldiers scattered throughout the hall exchanged panicked glances, a collective shudder running through them.

"I forbid it!" Frank shouted, leaping to his feet yet again.

Before he could go on, a shimmering golden hammer appeared above him and came down hard—a quick intervention by Zarek. He looked at Frank with disdain. "Just because you’re useless doesn’t mean everyone else is."

Chuck, deadpan as ever, turned to Cohen and said, "A guy like him, with a brain that weak, really isn’t fit to lead the medical corps."

"Agreed," Cohen replied.

And so, while Frank kept his rank as a senior medic, he was relieved of his leadership role and replaced by a more experienced veteran.

The new head medic, a cheerful older man, gave Lyra an approving smile. "Good work today, young lady. Stick around; I’ve got a feeling you’ll be seeing a lot more action here."