Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 81: Internship

Chapter 81: Internship

This was something that even shocked Lyra herself—

When her healing power touched the old woman, she could actually feel the illness within her. The power spread throughout her body, like thousands of probing needles.

As her energy flowed through, those nerve fibers were filled with life again, and the illness disappeared.

As they left, it was close to curfew. Mandy, full of joy, took the Lev back to school with Lyra.

On the way, perhaps out of gratitude and relief, she kept talking to Lyra, saying, "My family worked so hard for me. They didn’t want to spend money on themselves, and my grandma always told me to repay them..."

"When I was little, I broke a window at school, and my mom was so mad. She said that she wished she hadn’t had me, and that way, life wouldn’t be so hard. That made me feel a lot of guilt and pressure all of a sudden."

It wasn’t until they got off the Lev and switched to the island’s Lev that Mandy realized she had talked too much.

Lyra only said one thing, "Your parents raising you is their responsibility, and it will be your responsibility to take care of them in the future. But even if you didn’t exist, they would still be busy trying to survive, and your grandma would still have no money for treatment."

In this world, you can fight back against physical violence, resist class oppression, and refuse things you dislike. But the kind of emotional blackmail done in the name of love is too hard for many people to get rid of.

Exam week was almost every college student’s nightmare, and it was even worse for military academy students.

They had all kinds of theory and practical exams, one subject in the morning and another in the afternoon, plus many elective exams.

Mandy, who had just relieved some financial pressure, was now back to feeling anxious.

By comparison, the laid-back Team "Whatever," who had finished their exams and were preparing for their planetary development internship, seemed almost too relaxed.

A week after the official start of the vacation, the three of them arrived outside the military zone at Emerald Harbor with their recommendation letters, waiting for someone to come and get them.

At the gate, Zinnia, carrying her backpack, looked particularly excited.

"Didn’t they say the people going have already been chosen? Why do we have to wait so long?"

"My brother said we’re waiting for someone from Elden Prime."

"Who could it be that we have to wait for?"

If it were someone from the military, they should have arrived already.

"Of course, they’re waiting for us." A cocky voice rang out.

Zinnia bristled immediately, "That voice, my fists are itching!"

She quickly turned around, glaring at the person getting off the Lev. Then she charged forward, waving her fists. "So it’s you, you jerk!"

Grains also dropped his bag and ran up.

The two started fighting as soon as they heard each other’s voice.

They exchanged a few punches until another guy from EPMA group pulled Grains away, ending the fight.

"Robin, why are you stopping me?" Grains struggled a bit, but he fell silent after Robin shot him a look.

Both groups stood at the gate of the military zone with tension, until Kail walked up to Lyra. With a slightly complicated expression, he greeted her, "Nice to see you again."

Lyra just nodded and didn’t say anything else.

"Kail, you actually know her?" Grains seemed unable to stop causing trouble, poking his head out to look at Lyra. "You really are short like a dwarf. How do you even get into bed? Do you have to jump?"

But this only earned him a cold stare.

He immediately got ready to fight. "Sure, your psychokinesis is strong, but in real life, with your small frame, I could knock you down with one punch... Ow! Kail, why did you hit me?"

Kail snorted, "If I don’t knock some sense into you now, should I wait until you’re a bloody mess?"

Caleb, feeling a headache coming on, gently pulled Grains back. "You need to chill out." He then turned to Lyra with a polite apology, "Sorry about that. He’s always like this."

Lyra just looked away, not engaging further.

Zinnia leaned over to whisper to Thierry, "He’s like one of those chihuahuas that just won’t stop barking."

Thierry nodded in agreement.

At that moment, two more Levs and a large levitation bus full of people pulled up.

Thierry quietly muttered, "The sponsors."

In the colossal task of planetary development, the military took on the dangerous job of clearing out beasts and harmful plants. But the heavy lifting—building bases, cities, and infrastructure—fell to merchants who won government contracts. These contractors gathered workers and materials in exchange for rights to the planet’s resources.

When the Lev stopped, a woman in a sleek suit opened the rear door, revealing a familiar face in sunglasses seated in the back.

"Vivian? What are you doing here?" Zinnia couldn’t help but ask, surprised.

The elegant girl didn’t even bother to step out of the Lev. She said, arms crossed. "For someone like me, getting a spot in a planetary development internship is a breeze."

——’No need for all that hassle and competition like you guys had to go through.’

Grains whistled playfully at her. "Hey, gorgeous! How about grabbing a cup of coffee on the warship with me..."

Before he could finish, he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Vivian sneered. "You think someone like you could have coffee with me?"

Lyra’s eyes flickered as she noticed the woman in the suit standing by the car—a Master Peculiar. But it was hard to gauge her exact level.

While Caleb was busy trying to revive Grains, the gate swung open, and a young man in uniform stepped out, head held high.

"Welcome, everyone. I’m Kogar, Lieutenant Commander Whyte’s adjutant."

Beside him stood a familiar face who quickly looked away when he saw Lyra’s expressionless gaze.

"This is Lieutenant Cuss, LCDR Whyte’s aide. He’ll be leading your team."

As Lyra and the others saluted, Cuss found the situation surreal. He rubbed the back of his neck in disbelief.

Kogar went off to arrange things for the technicians heading to the new star, while Cuss led the students to the military zone’s airbase.

As they walked, everyone listened carefully to Cuss as he explained the rules and protocols.

"The specific details will be sent to your opticomputer. Please make sure to follow them."

When it came time to assign rooms, the five boys were split into two, while the three girls were placed together in one room.

At this point, Vivian couldn’t keep up her usual aloofness and reluctantly joined them, clearly displeased with the arrangement.

After opening the door, Cuss introduced the room and then glanced at Lyra, who was listening attentively. He greeted her, "Miss Shedd, long time no see."

"Yes," Lyra replied simply.

The dynamic between them subtly shifted as they recalled their past on the Voidstar, where Cuss begged Lyra for help.

Zinnia’s eyes flicked between them, noting that the once stern Cuss seemed a bit nervous.

Even Vivian couldn’t resist sneaking a few curious glances.

"Um... I never got the chance to thank you for saving me back then. Anyway, for the next month or so, if you need anything, just let me know." Cuss smiled. "Ned is here with me this time too. He’ll be thrilled to see you."

Lyra’s brow furrowed slightly. "I think it’s best to avoid running into him. Lieutenant Ned and I didn’t exactly get along."

Recalling the tension between them, Cuss’s excitement dimmed a bit. "But he knows you’re here. You’ll probably bump into him at lunchtime on the warship."

What Lyra didn’t expect, though, was that meeting Ned at lunch would be just a minor ripple compared to the real surprise that awaited her.