Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 40: Unlucky Jorath

Chapter 40: Unlucky Jorath

Under Lyra’s steady gaze, Mandy felt all her worries laid bare. Lyra was right; they were the weakest team.

Unlike teams led by Zinnia or Thierry, who could hold their own in a fight, Mandy and Lyra couldn’t afford any slip-ups.

Mandy wanted to praise Lyra’s for being touch in such circumstances, but she remembered Lyra’s earlier coughing and held back.

Mandy felt that the true weak link was herself. So, she decided to trust Lyra’s judgment, saying, "I’ll stick with you and try not to slow us down."

Lyra nodded. "Let’s get moving."

They packed up, grabbed sturdy sticks to use as walking poles, and then they started their trek through the jungle’s fallen leaves.

Planet Nagano, a newly developed world in the Alliance, had vast forests that were still mostly untouched. The towering trees reached nearly a hundred meters, with roots that twisted and intertwined like thick snakes.

They often had to crawl under the roots, occasionally touching slimy bugs that made Mandy shiver and squeal.

Every time, Lyra would turn around with a calm, questioning look, never getting annoyed, which helped Mandy feel a little more at ease.

Lyra didn’t expect Mandy to be perfect; she just needed her to follow along.

To keep up their pace during the day, they snacked on energy bars as they walked.

By 8 PM, the sun’s last light disappeared from the forest, leaving them in darkness.

Lyra pointed to a spot where the tree trunk split, "We’ll rest up there."

Sleeping on the rainforest floor at night wasn’t an ideal option. Mandy, with a dry throat, simply nodded and used the last of her superpower to climb up.

They cleared the area, laid down some palm leaves, and ate and drank while barely keeping their eyes open.

"Lyra, I’m going to sleep," Mandy murmured, falling asleep almost instantly.

"Good night," Lyra replied, stretching her neck.

The long hike was wearing on her, and the dull ache in her joints made her look pale.

Lyra stretched her neck, feeling a dull pain in her joints—likely from the long trek and the absence of her Soul Spike.

After resting for a couple of hours, she climbed up to the thick canopy of the tree. Sure enough, small, red lights flickered in the sky—surveillance robots. The military was keeping an eye on them, ensuring they didn’t become a snack for the local beasts.

But this surveillance wouldn’t interfere with her plans.

Using the cover of darkness and Schedar’s help, Lyra moved like a shadow through the forest, heading in a specific direction. She passed by several camps until she reached her target—Jorath’s camp.

As she got closer, she overheard Jorath griping to his teammate, "We could’ve made more progress today if you weren’t injured. Hurry up and fix that wound."

The girl, leaning against a tree with a gloomy expression, was struggling to bandage her leg.

Without a healing device, she’d be in serious trouble if they ran into enemies.

Jorath continued, "Just so you know, if we face enemies tomorrow, you’re on your own. Don’t blame me."

Even though their scores were tied to the weakest member’s performance, they could earn extra points by teaming up to destroy enemy bases.

The girl couldn’t stand him anymore and snapped, "If you hadn’t insisted on going through the Marshjaw’s nest, I wouldn’t have gotten hurt!"

"Well, you were so slow and alerted the Marshjaw! That crocodile monster would’ve shredded us both!"

Their argument was cut short by a beast’s roar that silenced them.

Suddenly, a clump of mud fell from above, snuffing out their fire.

The girl quickly grabbed her backpack and pressed herself against the tree, shouting, "Who’s there?!"

A moment later, the sound of punches and kicks rang out nearby.

As she wondered if it was an enemy, Jorath yelled in anger, "You again, you jerk!"

The girl was stunned; the skilled fighter who had beaten Jorath before was back.

This... was... just... EXACTLY WHAT SHE WANTED!

Finally, Jorath let out a scream and went silent. "You didn’t kill him, did you? Oh my God!"

The girl backed away, terrified she would be next. ’Surely the instructors wouldn’t just stand by... or will they?’

A soft green light appeared, and she quickly shut her eyes, bracing for pain. But instead, she felt a tingling sensation on her wound—it was healing. ’Wait, a healer? There’s only one healer on the island... That one... Ooops, look what I just found out!’

"Can you walk now?" came the slightly breathless voice of a young woman.

In the dim blue moonlight, the girl glimpsed her face and quickly looked away. "Yes... yes, I’m fine now." After a pause, she asked, "Why did you help me?"

Lyra replied casually, "Oh, I snapped his leg. He definitely can’t walk now."

Lyra knew that once the girl was healed, she’d definitely continue her trip, leaving Jorath behind in the dark forest; on the contrary, if she didn’t heal the girl, then both of them couldn’t move, they might still stick together.

The girl thought Lyra was just being kind, not wanting to leave her in trouble.

"Oh my gosh, thank you so much! I thought I was going to be eliminated because of my leg injury," she said, relieved. She couldn’t care less about Jorath, that jerk, because he was planning to ditch her anyway.

Now the tables had turned; Jorath ended up crying for her help.

"I’m Gillia," the girl introduced herself, shaking Lyra’s hand with excitement. "Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me." She quickly slung her backpack over her shoulder, adding, "I’d better get moving before he wakes up and tries to pin something on me."

Her decisiveness showed she was every bit a military academy student.

Lyra watched Gillia leave, then glanced up to see a surveillance robot hovering above. On this island, there were no real secrets. But Lyra didn’t mind; she simply turned and made her way back to her own camp.

In the command room, the head instructor slurped some nutritious drink and chuckled. "It’s not often you see a rookie with that kind of nerve."

On the monitor, Lyra’s face was clearly visible. Her cold eyes, deep as the night sky, seemed to draw people in.

"She’ll be a perfect fit for NMA," he remarked with a satisfied nod.