Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 84: Trapped Again

Chapter 84: Trapped Again

Once everything had settled down, Cohen had a sudden realization. How could Lyra, who had been able to hold her own against him, be taken down with just one punch from Erin? It was the sight of her spitting blood that must have thrown him off balance.

As for the bigger questions, like why she did it, Cohen didn’t have the energy to dig into them anymore. He glanced at the military court’s verdict flashing on the opticomputer screen and sighed, rubbing his temples. Once again, she had outsmarted him.

When Lyra got back to her dorm, Zinnia rushed over and hugged her tightly. "I was so scared! I thought you were dead!"

Lyra stayed quiet for a moment, then gently patted Zinnia’s back. "You’re squeezing me too hard."

"Are you really okay?" Zinnia grabbed a tissue from Lyra and blew her nose loudly. "No lasting damage?"

"None."

A ruptured organ wasn’t a big deal with the advanced medical tech they had.

Vivian, brushing her hair at the mirror, rolled her eyes. She’d thought Lyra was tougher than that, but apparently, she couldn’t even handle a single punch.

"Erin got seriously reprimanded," Zinnia went on, filling Lyra in on what had happened while she was out cold. "If it hadn’t been during a mission, she might’ve been suspended. Even Lieutenant Commander Whyte got roped into it and got a warning for not keeping things under control."

Lyra sipped her water quietly. She got seriously injured, apparently, but she had no other option at that time.

Vivian shot her another side-eye glare.

Today was their last lunch on the battleship; the next meal would be on the new planet.

When they arrived at the cafeteria on time, Caleb greeted her first. "Is your injury healed?"

"All better."

"Glad to hear it."

Grains popped up from behind Robin, blurting out, "I knew you were weak! One punch, and you’re coughing up blood."

Lyra didn’t bother responding and went to grab her food.

After lunch, on her way back to her room, Kail intercepted her in a hallway corner.

His hair was disheveled, and he looked at her with an intense gaze. "I’m sorry."

Even though he knew she wasn’t his sister, seeing her collapse had stirred up guilt and worry.

"I have a question," Lyra said calmly, meeting his eyes. He expected her usual coldness, but instead, she asked, "You knew Erin had it out for your sister, yet you still came to NMA to test me. You didn’t even bother to warn me about her. How much do you hate your sister?"

Kail was caught off guard, fumbling for words. "That was Erin acting on her own. I only came to the academy because my grandfather ordered it..."

If he’d looked at her right then, he would’ve noticed the disappointment behind her steady gaze.

Despite his talent and growing strength, he was still immature. He’d been spoiled by his parents, and after they were gone, his sister had become his anchor. Now, with her gone, he was still tied down by his grandfather’s expectations, lacking any real resolve.

"But," Lyra paused, "you didn’t even try to avoid the monitors to find out where your sister was. I think if she were still alive, she’d be very disappointed."

As she walked away, Kail stood there, stunned, unable to process why her words had hit him so hard.

The newly discovered planet was named "Wyrmtrace," because its surface bore deep, winding trenches that looked like they had been carved by ancient dragons.

When satellite scans confirmed the planet’s potential, Vice Admiral Oleg Minster’s legion command, was the first to set up a base there. Their mission? To explore the planet for high-level beasts, rare plants, and valuable mineral veins.

After cataloging the resources, the legion handed them over to the authorities, who would then auction them off to merchants for large-scale development.

But not everything made it to the public listings. Rumor had it that Vice Admiral Oleg Minster might have kept a few valuable finds for himself. After all, it hardly seemed fair to risk lives exploring a new world only to hand over everything to shrewd merchants.

This routine had been in place for about a year, yet despite completing the initial exploration, Oleg showed no signs of leaving Wyrmtrace.

In the base’s conference room, the tall, muscular, brown-haired Oleg sat with a look of frustration. "Have those search teams still come up empty?" he barked.

"I’m afraid so," his adjutant replied. "We’ve used the most advanced equipment, even dug as deep as two hundred meters, but we haven’t found anything significant." He hesitated before adding, "We’ve already uncovered several level-seven plants and two level-eight plants. It’s possible we’ve exhausted Wyrmtrace’s resources."

And that didn’t even count the haul they’d already sent back.

"This is a medium-sized planet, packed with mineral veins, and not a single level-nine plant? That doesn’t add up," Oleg grumbled, clearly dissatisfied.

He had led a force of a hundred thousand troops for a year, and with so many lives lost, their findings didn’t seem nearly enough. It wasn’t worth the cost.

"The worst part," he continued, "is the officials hounding us. But when it comes time to pay up for compensation or military salaries, suddenly they’re in no rush. If they keep pushing, I might just decide to keep everything for myself!"

Frustrated and unwilling to leave empty-handed, Oleg devised a new plan. "The engineering team will be here soon. Get them started as soon as they arrive. If we can’t find any more plants, we’ll load up on raw minerals instead."

The tools they had on hand were more suited for exploratory drilling, not full-scale mining, but Oleg wasn’t about to leave with nothing.

The adjutant hesitated, glancing at his data pad. "But according to our orders, we’re supposed to leave as soon as the engineering team arrives."

Oleg dismissed the concern with a gruff wave. "What do you think that young officer is doing here if not because he’s a Whyte? We haven’t finished our mission, so we’re not going anywhere just yet!"

The adjutant silently noted, "But he’s already a level-seven, and he’s not even thirty."

Just then, a report came in: Cohen and Erin, who were escorting the engineering team, had arrived. They were asking if Oleg wanted to meet with them immediately.

"I’m not in the mood. I’ll talk to them at dinner. Just get them settled in for now," Oleg said, waving them off. He wasn’t interested in dealing with officers who had strong connections at the moment.

The base only had one large dining hall, so avoiding them completely wasn’t an option.

At dinner, Oleg had no choice but to put on a polite front, especially out of respect for their admiral.

When the young officer approached him, Oleg forced a smile, his white teeth gleaming. He grabbed Cohen’s hand, shaking it firmly. "My dear nephew, I’ve been waiting for you!"

Cohen coolly pulled his hand back and offered a formal salute. "Lieutenant Commander Cohen Whyte, reporting for duty. I’m here to ensure the engineers’ safety as they develop Wyrmtrace. Thank you for your efforts, Vice Admiral Minster."

"No trouble at all," Oleg muttered under his breath, irritated that Cohen wasn’t playing along with his friendly act. "By the way, there’s something you should know. We’ve run into a small problem here, so I’m not ready to leave just yet."

Cohen’s brow twitched slightly as he exchanged a look with Erin, who then spoke up. "But according to the transfer orders we brought, the deadline is tomorrow."

"Technically, my job is to clear out any dangers. If I leave now and you encounter trouble, the higher-ups will blame me," Oleg replied with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. His tone, however, was firm. "Staying a few extra days won’t hurt, especially since I suspect there’s a high-level beast hiding within those mineral veins."