Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 41: Purpgecko

Chapter 41: Purpgecko

Mandy woke up early to find a small fire under a tree, with the aroma of roasting bird meat wafting through the air. Beside it, fresh fruits were laid out on big leaves on the ground.

"Come on, grab a bite now that you’re up," Lyra said, tearing off a piece of the bird and handing it to her on a clean leaf. "It might be a bit greasy for breakfast, but we need the energy."

Mandy ran her fingers through her messy hair, her freckled face flushing even redder. "I’m sorry for making you handle all this alone. Did you get enough rest?"

Lyra, sensing Mandy’s unease, looked away. "I’m fine. We’re a team; no need to feel bad."

Mandy, who had a knack for reading expressions, noticed that Lyra seemed genuinely fine, which eased her worries about being a burden.

The roasted meat, though not the most flavorful, did wonders for their weary bodies.

After a quick meal, they set off along their planned route. Not long into their journey, Lyra suddenly stopped and crouched down to inspect some footprints on the ground.

"What..." Mandy started to ask, lowering her voice. "Is something wrong?"

Lyra picked up a scale with purple patterns from the fallen leaves and frowned. "We might run into a group of Purpgeckos up ahead."

"But didn’t we plan to avoid the beasts?" Mandy asked. She then quickly adding a wave of her hand to show she wasn’t doubting Lyra’s judgment. "Just curious."

Lyra, not having time to worry about Mandy’s feelings, quietly explained, "Maybe something on the island has caused them to move."

Purpgeckos are low-level creatures that travel in groups, typically growing up to 1.2 meters, though some can reach 2 meters. Most are level one or two, with their leaders reaching level three, and in large groups, some might even reach level four.

"So, should we go around them?" Mandy suggested.

"We can’t," Lyra replied.

To the east, there was a group of hot springs likely occupied by level five beasts or higher; to the west, a poisonous fog and mountain range, possibly harboring enemy camps.

After all, they were being hunted, with the hunters searching for prey like them everywhere.

Lyra looked through the dense forest. "Let’s keep moving; we can’t afford to lose time."

"...Oh, okay," Mandy agreed.

As they walked, Mandy quietly observed Lyra, thinking how well she seemed to blend into the jungle, calm and composed like a tall tree reaching for sunlight.

The ground grew softer, thick with decaying leaves, making each step squish underfoot. Progress became harder as they moved further in.

Insects grew more numerous, filling the air with a grayish haze. As they noticed the intruders, the bugs swarmed; some of them were bloodsuckers, and their buzzing made Mandy’s skin crawl.

This posed a real threat to Lyra, whose hair had just started to grow back as short black strands.

Mandy frantically tried to swat them away.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning zipped through the insects. Mandy was startled; she instinctively launched an air blade to defend herself.

The crackling sounds were relentless, and insects dropped to the ground, electrocuted.

The smell of burnt bugs made Mandy nearly gag. Then, from all directions, came the sound of more electric buzzing, like distant thunder.

They were surrounded by Purpgeckos.

Just then, a green barrier made of hexagons appeared, blocking all the electric attacks.

"Mandy, blow these bugs away!" Lyra commanded calmly.

Mandy did as she was told, sending the dense swarm of insects flying into the air, where they gathered like a dark cloud. Then, Lyra grabbed her around the waist. "Don’t stop; we need to move."

Lyra launched a light band, and they swung through the forest. Mandy, facing backward, saw the purple lizards clinging to the trees like strange, elongated fruits. There were so many of them.

The leader, a massive one with a body length of nearly ten feet, had purple crystal horns. It was a level-four beast!

It hissed, and all the lizards rushed towards them like lightning.

"They’re catching up!" Mandy shouted.

Lyra didn’t look back. "Leave the back to you; I’m speeding up."

’Can I handle this?’ Mandy thought briefly but replied, "Okay!"

In moments of danger, there was no time for doubt.

Two more light bands from Lyra stretched out like agile arms, swinging them through the treetops, so close to the blue sky.

The sound of rushing wind and rustling leaves filled the air.

Mandy sent wind blades to knock down the long, slender tongues shooting at them. The view alternated between the blue sky and the green canopy, making her almost want to throw up the roasted meat from breakfast.

Gradually, they outpaced the ordinary Purpgeckos, but the level four one kept chasing, its four legs moving so fast they left afterimages among the trees.

"Why is it still chasing us?" Mandy asked, her face pale.

Lyra glanced at a clearing not far away and swung forcefully. "Because it eats meat."

The giant lizard leaped from a branch, opening its huge mouth and shooting out a tongue lined with sharp teeth.

Mandy’s eyes widened in horror.

As they fell rapidly, Lyra reached out and created a series of green shields like stairs for them to descend.

The moment they landed, she pushed Mandy aside, and several light bands sliced the pink tongue into pieces.

The severed tongue segments twitched among the ferns.

The level four Purpgecko finally realized that one of the humans was a level five Peculiar. It hissed, its eyes swiveling to find a way to escape. But it quickly discovered it had been tricked; the nearest tree was still ten meters away!

They stood off against each other.

In an instant, the purple beast bolted like lightning but crashed into the light shield and was bounced back. Eight light bands wrapped around it like a cocoon and slammed it to the ground.

Lightning flashed as it broke free, determined to fight the humans to the death.

The flash of lightning was visible from the treetops.

A man holding binoculars on the mountaintop immediately turned in their direction, smiling as he spotted the target.

In the clearing, Lyra moved quickly around the Purpgecko, using one hand to shield against its attacks.

They couldn’t afford to fight for long.

Just then, Mandy, regaining her composure, raised her hands, unleashing a flurry of air blades. Even though she was only level three, it was enough to distract the Purpgecko.

As it turned its head, a sharp light spike rose behind Lyra like a scorpion’s tail, aiming for the back of the monster’s neck.

But the spike missed its mark slightly.

HISSSS—

The Purpgecko unleashed a burst of lightning from its body. Lyra, holding up a light shield, charged straight into the crackling electricity. She leaped and drove a dagger deep into the creature’s head.

The giant lizard instantly went silent.

As Lyra dug out the Purpgecko’s beast core, Mandy snapped out of her intense focus.

"Lyra, we did it!"

Lyra handed her the blood-covered beast core. "Want it?"

Mandy quickly stepped back. "N-no, it’s okay. I didn’t really do much."

"You did great."

At least Mandy saved her a lot of time; otherwise, she might have been exhausted on the ground again.