Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 43: Going To The Base

Chapter 43: Going To The Base

Mandy’s reminder jolted Taryn’s memory; she realized that Lyra was the one with the strongest psychokinesis among all the fresh man this year.

Taryn felt a bit embarrassed, but she wasn’t ready to acknowledge Lyra’s healing powers. She snorted and looked away. ’What’s the use of being strong in psychokinesis if she can’t fight?’

At 1 PM on the last day, the area near the western mountains of the island got busy. A hundred teams spread across the whole island, making them hard to find.

During the first two days, less than twenty teams had been caught. Now, over eighty teams were gathering within a thirty-kilometer area, making them easier to spot.

As noon approached, more teams grew impatient and rushed towards the mountain where the finish line was. Their goal? To get their documents to the end safely. But they didn’t expect the school to play dirty.

"Sir, weren’t you supposed to be on the east side? Why are you here?" screamed a student.

A man with a green face mask punched the panicked student, then stepped on him and grabbed his documents. He sneered, "You little fool, I’m your enemy. Of course, I’m chasing the prey if he runs."

"You guys are cheating!"

The students walked on foot and almost starved, but these instructors were flying and still smelled like instant noodles.

The masked man hit the student again. He checked the document’s number, and reported to the examiner through his headset, "Class 3, Team 12, failed." Then, he complained to his partner, "If we were real enemies, how many of these kids would survive?"

"Some might make it. Stop talking. Anton from Class 2 has already caught six teams."

"That stingy guy, he’s just fast."

They left. Behind the bushes, four students hiding began to relax.

"Anton is the most dangerous opponent this time. He’s a level six Peculiar," Thierry whispered.

Taryn and Mandy gasped at the mention of level six.

"So, we need to hide the documents well. One encounter, and we could fail," Thierry added.

He glanced at the three girls on his team, thinking that if the single guys saw this, they’d be jealous.

"Don’t worry, the documents are well hidden," Mandy said, getting serious.

"Let’s move then."

Lyra and Thierry nodded and led their teammates in two directions. This way, they wouldn’t all get caught at once and could support each other with their trackers.

It was a solid plan, but Taryn wasn’t happy. She didn’t feel safe with Lyra.

With Thierry gone, Taryn didn’t hide her dislike. "Just so you know, if we meet enemies, I won’t help you."

"I don’t need it," Lyra replied without turning around, leading the way.

Taryn, even more annoyed, stopped and whispered, "Why are we going this way? It’s easier for the instructors to find us."

"First, let’s call them ’enemies’ for now," Lyra said, pausing to avoid separation. "Second, we agreed you’d follow my lead in front of Thierry. You didn’t object then, did you?"

Compared to Taryn, Mandy was way better at cooperation.

Taryn felt a pang of guilt but still didn’t want to admit it. "I’m just giving a suggestion. This path is easier to get spotted."

Lyra was about to say something when her gaze suddenly became sharp like a knife, causing Taryn to take a step back.

It was as if Lyra had transformed from a meek lamb into a fierce beast.

"She’s right. I could see the leaves shaking from a distance," came a voice that sent a chill down Taryn’s spine. ’An instructor... no! An enemy!’

As planned, Taryn turned to run toward Thierry’s direction, but she was caught by a vine around her leg, leaving her hanging upside down.

"Ah!" Taryn cried out in surprise. She reached for her dagger to cut the vine but thought better of it, deciding to act helpless instead. "Help me!" she yelled as her eyes turned to look at somewhere in the darkness.

There they were, Lyra and Mandy. As Taryn looked over, her eyes met Lyra’s, and suddenly, she felt like Lyra had seen her little trick through.

Several vines shot towards Lyra like snakes. She dropped her backpack and dodged with incredible speed. As she landed, she heard the wind behind her and bent to avoid a sweeping strike.

The "enemy" was surprised. "Quick reflexes."

Lyra used the momentum to kick backward, her leg meeting his block, but the force temporarily numbed his hand.

The man’s expression changed. He knew he had to take this seriously.

In the next moment, his punch came with a fierce wind, forcing Lyra to step back, her shoes scraping a long mark in the decayed soil.

Lyra redirected his arm downward. Then, she took advantage of his loss of balance; she pulled him in and kneed him hard.

Though he blocked with his hand, he was still pushed back a few steps.

"What strength!" he muttered, rubbing his chest. If Lyra had been a bit stronger, his ribs might have cracked.

Taryn, still hanging upside down, was completely stunned. ’Is this the same healer who always came last in running and scored a four in physical fitness?’

The enemy attacked again, and Lyra used her agility to dodge.

Vines shot from the ground trying to bind her legs. She flipped backward twice, grabbed a trekking pole next to her backpack, and hurled it in a direction with all her might.

It struck a piece of wood with a loud clang.

A woman who had been using her superpowers in secret stepped out and mocked her teammate, "You can’t even catch a student? How can you INSTRUCT them then?"

Her thicker arms transformed into numerous wooden vines, attacking Lyra relentlessly.

Lyra kept a serious expression and quickly retreated, but a thick arm swung in front of her. Instinctively, she raised her arm to block, but the impact sent her flying into a tree.

The strength was overwhelming!

At some point, the man had started using his superpower. His limbs became thick like a trunk, and his large body bounced lightly.

"Cough, cough, cough," Lyra climbed up, enduring the pain. Green light surrounded her body, and her injuries began to heal visibly.

"You’re the healer?" The woman didn’t give her a chance to catch her breath, sending a barrage of vines her way.

Just as Taryn hesitated about helping, swift wind blades shot at the enemy from behind.

"Who is that?" The woman asked as she turned her head.

Taking advantage of the window, Lyra grabbed one of the woman’s vines and used it to hurl her away.

In the next moment, the woman hit the ground heavily and sank into it like a stone.

"Power of gravity?" The two "enemies" quickly realized they were surrounded.

Thierry shot in like an arrow, kicking the men away and then grabbing his arm, pinning him face-down to the ground.

Mandy immediately rushed up and confiscated their communication devices. "Take... take us to your base!"

They actually captured and threatened the instructors.