Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 65: Vivian Gone

Chapter 65: Vivian Gone

Alon’s expression turned dark in an instant. He didn’t even hang up the call before commanding his assistant to scrub every photo and video off the internet.

But on the other end, Lyra was the picture of calm.

"No need to rush," she said with a cool, almost casual tone. "I’ve got plenty more where that came from." She ignored the fury twisting Alon’s features as she added, "How about I show you your sister’s dazzling performance next?"

Lyra always knew exactly where to hit to cause the most damage.

Alon’s gentlemanly mask slipped away. His face hardened. "Do you even understand what you’re playing with? You think just because you’re hiding out in the military academy, you’re untouchable?"

Lyra’s voice remained relaxed, as if they were chatting about something mundane. "I’m well acquainted with the power of the Mendez family," she said, her tone unshaken despite the weight of her words. "But all that footage? It’s already with the Voidstar pirates."

Not even the formidable Mendez family could reach those pirates, drifting aimlessly through the endless cosmos.

Getting that material had been no small feat.

Lyra leaned in a bit closer to the screen, as if sharing a secret. "By the way," she added, "Vivian hasn’t been looking so well lately. You might want to get her checked out?"

In that moment, only three words ran through Alon’s mind: ’I underestimated her.’

He had completely misjudged this woman.

That very night, Vivian was whisked away, her mind still spinning, oblivious to the chaos brewing online.

She was taken to a hospital for a battery of tests. The whirring machines made her even more irritable. "Alon, what’s with all the secrecy?" she snapped, annoyed.

Seeing her still in the dark, Alon rubbed his temples, the tension getting to him. "Just let them do the check for now."

When the results came back, they revealed a small spot on her heart, like a tiny seed.

"It’s an unusual superpower energy, rapidly accelerating her cell metabolism and aging," the doctor explained, not daring to meet Alon’s murderous glare.

"Can it be treated?" Alon’s voice was sharp, his concern clear.

The doctor hesitated. "It’s embedded in her heart. Surgery would be risky. If it detonates..."

As they spoke in hushed tones, Vivian suddenly sat up, pouting. "Alon, what are you whispering about— Ow!"

Her complaint was cut short as she clutched her chest, her face draining of color. "It hurts!" she screamed, before collapsing back onto the bed, stiff and unconscious.

"Vi!"

The doctor jumped into action, trying everything to save her. They even brought in the hospital’s chief, a level-8 Healing Peculiar, but nothing could touch that mysterious energy.

"This is supposed to be healing energy. How is it doing this?" the director muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "Who did this?"

Alon opened his mouth to answer but thought better of it. "Please, don’t ask."

Given the online storm that day, the old man held his tongue. Whoever had forced Alon into this corner was either incredibly reckless or frighteningly meticulous.

In the operating room, the doctor was closing Vivian’s chest, the wound from surgery still fresh.

Alon, however, stepped out and found an empty office, dialing that familiar number.

"How’s Vivian holding up?" Lyra asked, her voice light as she enjoyed the evening breeze by a window.

"She’ll be fine," Alon spat, his anger barely contained. "Lyra, are you really ready to start a war with us?"

"Didn’t you throw the first punch?" Lyra’s eyes stayed fixed on the screen. "It’s heartwarming to see a brother so protective of his unreasonable sister."

Her tone was icy, laced with sarcasm. After letting him stew for a bit, she finally offered, "So, can we call a truce now?"

Alon was so furious that he let out a bitter laugh. "You still think peace is an option after this?"

Lyra yawned, clearly unimpressed. "What else? You gonna put a bounty on me? Call the cops to drag me in? Or maybe keep trying to wreck my business? Whatever you pick, the first thing you’ll see is Vivian’s corpse."

Lyra’s eyes remained locked on the screen, her tone chilling. "Trust me, even if you bring in the top experts, you won’t be able to save her. All it takes is a single thought from me." She shot a sideways glance at the monitor. "And don’t think a healing pod will help either, because..."

Just then, in the next room, Vivian woke up to find a streak of white in her hair. She immediately burst into tears, crying uncontrollably.

As Lyra’s lips curled into a faint smile, Alon realized he was beaten.

"This is just temporary, Lyra," he said before cutting off the connection abruptly.

The truce was merely a pause. He knew that once he found a way to save Vivian, Lyra would have nowhere to hide.

Right now, Lyra and the Mendez family were like two sides of a finely balanced scale, each one adding weight to maintain a delicate equilibrium.

Sensing Alon’s attempt to sever the psychokinetic link between her and Vivian, Lyra’s fingers glowed with a soft green light.

Even from miles away, she could almost hear Vivian’s scream.

Alon immediately stopped his efforts.

Lyra chuckled. This game was turning out to be quite entertaining. She even considered using this method on others, like Sean. But after some thought, she decided against it. Controlling one person was already taxing enough, especially since Vivian’s psychokinetic abilities were far weaker than hers. It wasn’t worth the risk.

Still, she traced the scar on her chest, her expression darkening.

She wondered how the Shedd family was handling this revelation.

The Shedd family, as it turned out, was in complete disarray.

"Ansel, look at this. It’s definitely her!" Patrick was sweating nervously. "Why else would she target our family?"

On the desk in the study lay a report from Planet Nagano, with Lyra’s information and photo right on top.

No one in the Shedd family could mistake that face.

Ansel picked up the photo, examining it carefully. The girl in the picture was a dead ringer for the brilliant granddaughter he once knew, but her eyes... something was different. His granddaughter, though cold, had always had a spark of life in her, unlike the girl in the photo, whose eyes were as empty as a corpse’s.

"She’s from Voidstar No. 2, nineteen years old. The military academy’s bone age test doesn’t lie."

Patrick hurriedly flipped through another stack of documents. "Look, one of her dead subordinates was the trafficker who took that young woman out of the city all those years ago. And nowadays, there are so many ways to stunt a person’s growth!"

Ansel frowned, calling in the people who had hunted Lyra down years ago.

"Are you absolutely sure she died eleven years ago?"

"Positive," one of them replied, his voice steady.

’How could a dead person come back to life?’ Patrick looked anxiously at his brother, Ansel, who was lost in thought. Finally, Patrick suggested, "Why don’t we go to Voidstar and check?"

"At a time like this, you want me to go to Voidstar?" Ansel’s sharp gaze bore into Patrick, making his eyes well up with tears.

Overcome with grief, Patrick pleaded, "Are we really going to let her get away with killing Jorath? You saw him grow up from a sweet little kid, and now his life’s been cut short."

"What else do you suggest? Should I launch a warship and attack Voidstar No. 2?" Ansel slammed his fist on the table, pointing an accusing finger at Patrick. "This is all because of you!"

He then pressed the intercom on his desk. "Send Erin and Kail up here. I have something important to discuss with them."