Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 284: Perfect Scheme

Chapter 284: Perfect Scheme

As Lynn caught up, Ian suddenly felt his long-lost power coming back to him again.

Acting on instinct, he activated a portal.

Barrett’s eyes lit up with excitement. "I’ll go first!" he shouted, rushing forward.

But just as he reached the edge, the black hole snapped shut.

"You wish," Ian said with a cold sneer.

Barrett’s face twisted in rage. "What are you trying to pull?"

Before he could react, another black hole materialized—this time directly above his head.

In his final moments, Barrett’s expression froze in shock, his disbelief carved into his features as the void consumed him.

By the time Lynn arrived, all that remained was a headless corpse, blood still seeping into the ground.

...

Elsewhere, Ian stumbled out of an interdimensional passage, collapsing beside Skylight’s lifeless body. His knees buckled as he cradled his brother’s form, his voice thick with grief.

"Skylight... Time to go home."

The words felt hollow, and a pang of doubt pierced his chest. Home? But where was home now?

Before he could process the thought, a slender hand clamped around his throat, cutting off his breath. Another hand slipped into his pocket, retrieving the access pass.

Ian’s gaze shifted upward to meet the cold, unreadable eyes of the woman before him. In an instant, clarity struck him.

Of course. The sudden return of power had been no random stroke of luck; it had been calculated. Lyra had known their plan from the start and allowed them to proceed, just to remove Orson from the board.

The Empire and the Alliance—both sides had been expertly played, pawns in her hands.

Ian’s resistance faded as he closed his eyes. Oddly, a strange sense of peace washed over him.

*****

Flying through the sky, Lynn carried the lifeless body, his flight steady until a familiar figure appeared in his path. He halted abruptly, startled.

"Lyra? What are you doing here?"

Lyra’s expression was unreadable, her voice flat. "There’s a Stellar Devourer. I couldn’t risk him getting away."

Lynn’s expression hardened. "You’re too late. He’s already gone."

Even he couldn’t defeat a Stellar Devourer—a predator born to hunt Peculiars.

"How many survivors?" Lyra asked, her tone detached.

"Three. They’re being treated." Lynn’s face darkened as a realization struck. "Wait. If the Stellar Devourer escaped, those survivors might still be in danger!"

Without wasting another second, he grabbed Lyra and teleported them to the site.

When they arrived, they found the survivors encased in a glowing healing barrier. Inside, three frail military officers clung to life, their breathing faint but steady.

Lyra stepped into the barrier, her hands moving swiftly as she tended to their wounds.

Lynn scanned the area with sharp eyes. "Did the Stellar Devourer come through here?"

One of the officers weakly nodded. "He did... He took the body of its companion."

The officer’s voice quivered as he recalled the scene. The creature had only glanced at them before vanishing into an interdimensional portal, leaving behind a terrifying emptiness.

*****

On Voidstar No. 2, Ian emerged from the interdimensional portal, still supporting Skylight’s pale, lifeless form.

Scanning his surroundings with weary eyes, he made his way toward the tallest structure in the outpost.

"We’re looking for Snakehead," he muttered.

*****

On Wyrmtrace Planet, after the battlefield had been cleared, Lyra, Lynn, and the three surviving officers returned to base.

Though the Empire’s elaborate plan had been thwarted, the cost had been catastrophic.

As for the captured Stellar Devourer, he hadn’t even lasted long enough to be studied. He died in the lab before dissection could begin.

Frederick, grim-faced, summoned the biochemical division’s top expert to evaluate the situation.

"At least the body is intact," the expert said, his voice tinged with regret. "With the right tools, we can still examine it. But we won’t uncover anything about the spies from it now."

The spies had infiltrated deeply enough to learn the identities of the convoy’s driver and escorting officers.

Even more unsettling was the absence of any superpower traces at the scene. The meticulous nature of their actions suggested the spies were Peculiars intimately familiar with military protocol.

Frederick’s jaw clenched as he thought of the lives lost. His voice dropped to a steely growl.

"Bring Lyra in."

Lyra walked in, her face cool and calm.

Frederick’s eyes narrowed as he asked, "Lyra, why did you leave the prison transport?"

"Sir, I was acting under Vice Admiral Whyte’s direct orders to pursue the Stellar Devourer," she replied calmly.

The surveillance footage from the transport had already corroborated her story. No one could fault her; soldiers were bound by duty to follow orders.

In truth, Orson’s death was largely his own doing. But Frederick’s instincts nagged at him—there was something deliberate about Lyra’s involvement in Orson’s demise.

And then there were the two spies, who had gone to great lengths to conceal their identities. Suspicious, yes, but there was no evidence.

"Lieutenant Commander Shedd," Frederick called.

"Yes, sir," Lyra responded, lifting her gaze to meet his.

Frederick’s penetrating eyes seemed to strip away all pretense, searching for the truth beneath her stoic exterior.

"I trust you understand the importance of prioritizing the greater good at all times," he said.

Lyra nodded, her expression unwavering. "I will remember, sir."

But Frederick wasn’t convinced. Her words were precise, but they lacked conviction. Lyra was like a blade—sharp, cold, and without warmth.

"There’s one more thing. I need you to help test some machines."

Lyra raised a brow, intrigued.

When the towering black machines were revealed, her eyes flickered with a rare glimmer of surprise. "So, the Alliance finally managed to create it..."

"This is the Countervoid model," one of the technicians explained, pride evident in his tone. "It detects black hole energy. We’re planning to mass-produce it to pair with the Aegis Shield and city surveillance systems. This will significantly reduce the chances of Stellar Devourers and Empire infiltrators entering our territories."

The technician’s enthusiasm was palpable as he continued, "Lieutenant Commander Shedd, could you test its functionality?"

As expected, Lyra gave an affirmative evaluation after using her abilities to interact with the machine.

Standing before the five-meter-tall structure, she cast a glance at Frederick, who remained as impassive as ever.

’The test is real enough,’ she mused, ’but this is also a warning from him.’

The Alliance had developed technology to detect black holes and was already close to deploying countermeasures against Stellar Devourers. Frederick wanted to remind her—subtly—that the Alliance would no longer tolerate reckless actions, not even from her.

The news of Barrett’s death soon reached the Empire, igniting a surge of outrage.

Seizing the opportunity, the Empire’s higher-ups declared full-scale war on the Alliance.

Stellar Devourers joined forces with Empire Peculiars, launching coordinated attacks on Alliance settlements.

This blatant aggression shattered any pretense of adherence to humanity’s shared principle: avoiding war and slaughter targeting civilians. In the face of real war, principles gave way to survival.

But the Empire’s plans, seemingly unstoppable, met unexpected resistance.

The moment black holes opened near major Alliance cities, beams of light from the Aegis Shield locked onto them. Patrolling drones swarmed in, unleashing precise volleys of firepower.

In larger settlements, Master Peculiars lay in wait, dispatching Empire soldiers with ruthless efficiency.

The Stellar Devourers, as indifferent as ever, fulfilled their role of opening passages but refrained from fighting. Their attitude was clear: "We agreed to create the path, not to wage your war."

The Empire, desperate for their assistance, had no choice but to hold their frustration in check.

Still, the Empire wasn’t without its victories. In settlements with weaker defenses or where the attackers overwhelmed their targets, casualties mounted.

The resulting chaos sent shockwaves through the Alliance, straining its already stretched resources to the breaking point.

Late that night, Lyra received an unexpected call. She opened the screen to find Leona’s haggard face staring back at her, dark circles under her eyes and deep lines framing her mouth.

"You’ve been working too hard," Lyra greeted her, tone polite but distant.

Leona let out a dry laugh. "Thanks to the war, I’ve been sleeping in my office for a week straight."

She brushed back a stray lock of hair and continued, her voice tinged with both bitterness and sincerity. "Every bomb you throw, every high-energy beam you fire—it’s all burning through the Alliance’s budget. Of course, as a citizen, I deeply appreciate your sacrifices."

The contrast between her gritted teeth and genuine gratitude was striking.

Lyra tilted her head slightly, her tone calm. "If it’s financial trouble, I can’t help you. I’m wealthy, but not enough to fund a war of this scale."

Leona chuckled softly. "Not money, Lyra. Weapons."

Lyra’s expression hardened, the faintest glimmer of displeasure flickering in her eyes.