Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 27: Physical Test

Chapter 27: Physical Test

Right now, Zinnia and Lyra were riding the air rail to NMA.

NMA sat on an independent island in Emerald Harbor, the heart of Planet Nagano.

Access was only by sea, with a bridge carrying Lev vehicles on top and the air rail running below.

Majestic creatures leaped from the blue ocean, their splashes glistening like diamonds in the sunlight.

Overhead, seabirds soared. The view was nothing short of breathtaking.

Lyra stared out, deep in thought. After all the devastation and wastelands of Voidstar, she found herself liking this scenery. But beside her, Zinnia’s messages kept lighting up.

"I want to see who’s backing this healer."

"Don’t even bother. She’ll know her limits after all her efforts go in vain."

Zinnia was fuming, nearly smashing her tablet. "These snobs! I’m going to give them a piece of my mind!"

She wasn’t yet aware of what Lyra did on the human traffickers’ spaceship; she just had faith Arix could handle it.

Today, many were there for re-examination, making the air rail quite packed. Zinnia kept her signature loud voice, drawing a lot of stares.

Most of the applicants to NMA were proud, and they shot her unfriendly looks.

Zinnia fiercely stared back, while Lyra stayed expressionless as always.

As they neared the island, they heard loud shouts.

On the beach, students were jogging and training, all shirtless, their dark, glossy skin shining.

Even the girls in tank tops had physiques on par with Zinnia’s.

Seeing this, almost everyone on the air rail looked impressed. EPMA (Eden Prime Military Academy), with its rich students and well-rounded training, was like an elegant unicorn; yet NMA, with its sole focus on strength and rugged style, was a wild stallion.

Here, students were urged to fight, with the Department of Command and Strategy having the highest combat requirements. Their mockery towards Lyra stemmed from disdain for weakness.

Some of the personal attacks, however, were just about personal character, not school style.

Zinnia pressed her face against the glass, her fighting spirit ablaze. "No wonder Grandpa and the others suggested I apply to NMA. This place is perfect for me."

Lyra glanced at her, noting her physique that matched the senior students, and nodded. "Indeed."

Plus, her personality wasn’t suited for EPMA.

The island spanned nearly seventy thousand square kilometers, and all facilities were dedicated to NMA.

The air rail’s final stop was on the outer island, and after disembarking, they had to switch to the island’s subway or levitation buses.

This city was a blend of advanced tech and superpowers, with lush green belts featuring palm trees soaring twenty to thirty meters high.

Stone channels and fountains, drawing seawater, were scattered across the island, creating a strong tropical island vibe.

For many, it was their first—and possibly last—visit, and they were constantly in awe.

In the distance, Lyra saw the NMA emblem: a massive, majestic rock with "Nagano Military Academy" carved on it.

Next, they arrived at a sleek, modern entrance hall.

Here, everyone—students, or staff—underwent an identity check.

Everyone had a special ID card. The narrow, two-meter-long corridor verified identities, followed by another checkpoint requiring a card swipe.

Lyra and the other students had temporary ID cards. After lining up and swiping their cards at the entrance, they followed the signs to their respective examination spots.

Upon signing in, they lined up for assessments according to their numbers, which included tests for physical fitness, psychokinesis, and superpowers.

When they reached the front of the line, Zinnia realized Lyra was a top student.

"Each group of ten will complete an obstacle course, with no superpowers allowed. The time limit is thirty minutes."

The Department of Command and Strategy, the military school’s flagship, had the largest physical assessment area—the combat training field behind the school.

Spanning nearly 100,000 square meters, the area featured walls, jungles, and pools among its obstacles, with sand, mud, and rugged rocks on the ground. Many non-Peculiars couldn’t even manage a full lap.

Lyra, second in line, frowned deeply. Her petite frame barely reached the shoulders of the youths around her, and her slender thighs were thinner than some of their arms, making her seem out of place.

All the new students, old students, and even instructors focused their attention on her.

"Is she the one who tied for first in the written exam? The healer?"

"I’ve heard healers are pretty useless, but she looks too weak."

"She applied for the Department of Command and Strategy, with that slender body? She should quit daydreaming."

"But if it were a beauty contest, she’d probably win first place."

Nearby, someone muttered, "How did Cousin Cohen recommend someone like you? Did you cast a spell on him? Gosh, he must’ve fallen head over heels for you."

Lyra glanced at the speaker, noting the same amber eyes as Cohen’s. Unlike Cohen’s scholarly, upright demeanor, this youth had a bronze tan and an untamed, bold face.

"You heard I’m a healer, and your first thought should be ’She saved Cohen’s life’. That’s the right reaction from a functional brain. Why do you all overestimate my looks and underestimate Cohen’s ability to make the right judgment? "

It was a pure doctor-patient relationship, but people always twisted it into romantic gossip, which Lyra didn’t understand.

The young man, Thierry, suddenly realized, "Oh, it was you who saved him at Voidstar No.2." Then he grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. "Thanks for saving Cohen."

...

A signal gunshot shattered the awkward silence. The young man who had just been grinning and thanking Lyra was now only a dust cloud in the distance.

The others in the group sprinted ahead at lightning speed.

"Ugh, cough cough," Lyra muttered, pulling out a pre-approved filter mask before she began to run.

Meanwhile, the second group was already lining up behind her, and soon people from that group overtook her. Then came the third group...

Those eager to see a spectacle were now dumbfounded. They had imagined Lyra being weak, but this was beyond their wildest expectations.

"No way!"

"Has she ever trained before?"

"Why would she even think of applying to the Department of Command and Strategy?"

Nearby, the instructors wore grim expressions, huddled together and discussing as they scribbled in their record books.

"Her respiratory system seems compromised; she can’t handle high-intensity training."

"Webber, you came all the way to see her? What a letdown."

"Healers rarely score well in superpower evaluations, and with such poor physical fitness, she definitely won’t make it into our Department of Command and Strategy."

Webber nodded but had another perspective. "If she didn’t seriously want to get into our school, why would she put in the effort to ace the written exam? Let’s keep watching."

People outside the course were laughing; those inside the course who overtook Lyra during the exam had strange expressions. If it weren’t for the test, they might have stopped just to marvel at her slow pace.