Ch. 46..50: Interstellar_ Return of the Villain Chapter 46-50

Chapter 46: Gossip

Anton’s teleportation skill had them zipping through the battlefield. With surprise attacks and seamless teamwork, they wiped out three bases in just two hours.

By now, it was four in the afternoon.

"Time for the final outpost," Thierry said.

Lyra gave a quick nod.

The three of them hopped onto stolen hoverboards and zoomed towards their last target.

Anton and Alaria, left behind, were tied up but exchanging determined glances.

"Let’s head back and get ready for a lecture."

SHH...

The air buzzed as Anton snapped the ropes. He helped Alaria up. "Making it harder for us isn’t fair, but I gotta admit, this year’s pre-training was a blast. You seemed to loosen up a bit."

He winced, and Alaria chuckled. "Calling it fun might be a stretch. The students were brutal."

No one before had dared to break an instructor’s bones and drag them around.

They chatted on and off until the sun started to set. The sound of an approaching helicopter broke the quiet.

It was time for them to get ’recycled.’

Climbing the soft ladder, they were greeted by their equally battered colleagues.

These were the ’enemies’ whose outposts Lyra’s team had trashed.

"Anton, you sure had fun switching sides. Look at what they did to me."

"Those freshmen were vicious. They even knocked out my tooth with a punch! Which class are they from?"

In the corner, Webber tried to sneak off to the cockpit.

But Anton caught him by the neck. "Webber, isn’t that Whyte kid in your class?"

"Oh, no wonder he’s quiet. Feeling guilty, huh!"

"What have you taught to your students? They attacked us!"

They all laughed and roughed up Webber again, their voices carrying through the dusk, startling birds into flight.

Meanwhile, the three students made it to their destination just in time. From a distance, people mistook them for instructors because of the cool hoverboards.

Lyra pulled out two folded papers and handed them to the officer in charge. "Class 1, Group 1, and Class 1, Group 5."

The officer gave them a curious look before scanning the papers. "Class 1, Group 5 passed. Class 1, Group 1’s final score is invalid since their teammate got eliminated."

He pointed to a large tent. "Go rest. Final scores will be out tonight."

Mandy glanced at the tired Thierry. "So, Taryn got caught."

Thierry, rubbing his sore arm, didn’t seem too upset. "Yeah, figured."

Thierry glanced at Lyra, who was unreadable, and then he said, "She was probably caught around two o’clock. Her score should still be around ninety. That’s decent."

Then he grinned, back to his usual self. "But we’ve got high bonus points, which count towards our graduation credits."

NMA graduation needed a certain number of credits. Doing an elective course got them four credits, but smashing four outposts earned each of them at least ten credits. That meant fewer courses to take, which was pretty exciting.

As he spoke, he stopped and stared at Lyra.

Mandy was puzzled, looking at her two companions. "Did you let Taryn escape on purpose and then eliminate her?"

Thierry’s question caught Mandy off guard. She thought Taryn had run away on her own.

Lyra’s response was even more surprising. "If she hadn’t run, all four of us would have been eliminated. You didn’t stop her either, did you?"

Thierry scratched his head and grinned widely. "That’s true."

Their brief exchange revealed a lot. Mandy, trailing behind, mulled it over until the truth hit her.

Lyra had known from the start that their enemies were strong. She deliberately let Taryn go first to bear the brunt. When it became obvious they couldn’t win, Taryn naturally tried to escape.

Lyra’s shout, "Run as we planned! I’ll keep her busy," was meant to make the enemies think Taryn had the documents, splitting their firepower. Together, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

Thinking deeper, with Lyra’s psychokinesis, she likely sensed the enemies approaching and switched plans, using the opportunity to retaliate against Taryn and pull Thierry, a strong fighter, to her side. And Thierry, understanding the plan when Lyra shouted, had played along.

It turned out that both the seemingly straightforward Thierry and the aloof Lyra were far more cunning than Mandy had realized.

When Mandy entered the Class 1 tent, the air felt off. Despite Zinnia and Claude’s chatter, everyone’s eyes kept darting to Thierry and Lyra with curiosity, subtlety, and a hint of disdain, mostly aimed at Lyra.

’What’s going on?’ Mandy noticed the head student, surrounded by other boys, frowning and explaining something.

Meanwhile, Zinnia was fussing over Lyra, applying ointment to her head.

"You should wear a headscarf. Your hair is too short, and you’re covered in bug bites."

Lyra touched her forehead, thinking a headscarf would be too warm. "It’s okay, I can heal myself," she said, avoiding the pungent ointment.

Then there was Taryn, who seemed to be comforted by her dorm mates, glaring at Lyra with resentment.

Curious, Mandy approached Vivian. "What’s going on?"

"I was going to ask you about that. Lyra always looks cold and aloof. How did she manage to charm the head student?" Vivian said, cleaning dirt from under her nails and nudging Mandy.

Mandy took a moment to process this, then she gaped and pointed back and forth between Lyra and Thierry. "Are you saying Thierry and Lyra are together?"

"Didn’t they come back together? Taryn said it herself. Your two teams joined forces, and Thierry only cared about saving Lyra, ignoring Taryn."

Vivian watched Mandy’s reaction, seeing her go from speechless to angry.

"That’s not true!" Mandy fumed.

Vivian then felt she might be right; Taryn was probably lying.

Just then, one of Taryn’s roommates stood up and shouted at Lyra, "Lyra, you should apologize to Taryn!"

The buzzing conversations abruptly stopped, and everyone turned their gaze toward Lyra.

Finally, the moment had come.

Lyra, caught off guard, glanced at Taryn hiding behind her roommates. "Can you explain why I need to apologize to you?"

The strange atmosphere had been palpable when she entered, but no one had told her why. Now, it seemed something odd was going on.

Zinnia snickered and whispered a few words in Lyra’s ear, making her expression even more peculiar.

"This is really strange. How does normal pre-training turn into some kind of melodramatic romance scandal?" Lyra glanced at her classmates, who were eagerly soaking up the gossip, and tilted her head. "And you guys care more about this than your scores? Are military school students really this lame?"

 

Chapter 47: Poor Instructors

Even in a situation like this, Lyra’s face remained as cold as ice. She didn’t show a hint of anger or excitement, and her voice was calm as ever. Her eyes had a chill to them that made others look away.

She glanced at Taryn, who was glaring at her, and gave a knowing smile. "Looking poor and weak doesn’t make you right. If you keep bothering me, I’ll ask the instructor to show the pre-training surveillance video."

Taryn’s face went pale. She had only wanted to embarrass Lyra, not expose her own attempt to run away. So, she stayed silent.

Her roommate, however, felt the need to "stand up for justice." "Taryn, don’t be afraid, let them show it!"

"Yeah, how can she call you weak?"

Taryn, felt embarrassed and cornered, especially with the others involved right there. She tried to back down. "Forget it," she said. "It’s all over now."

She wanted to let it go, but Thierry wasn’t having it.

"How is it over?" he asked, turning on his opticomputer. His voice was filled with a disgust that felt almost cruel to Taryn. "Lyra might not care, but as someone else who was slandered, I don’t want to deal with strange looks from classmates in the future."

Lyra glanced at the screen he had opened but didn’t stop him. He was from the Whyte family; getting the surveillance footage was a breeze for him.

Taryn panicked, shaking her head, hoping he wouldn’t be so serious. "Thierry, I was just joking. Don’t show it!"

There were two videos. One showed Taryn hanging from a tree, shouting for help like she was having fun on a swing. The other showed her coolly running away.

To cover certain secrets, Thierry edited out Lyra’s part, which was why he hadn’t shown it immediately.

Everyone at the NMA was smart enough. In no time, the looks from the crowd turned to disdain, all aimed at Taryn.

Even her roommate, who wanted to defend her, was shocked and stared at her. "How could you do this to us?"

Faced with Taryn’s guilty expression, they snorted and walked toward Lyra. Sincerely, they said, "Lyra, we’re sorry. We were all deceived by her."

But Lyra just stared at them without expression. In the strange and subtle atmosphere, she finally spoke. "You were easily deceived and slandered me. Now you apologized without me asking for one. You know, I didn’t want to deal with you from the very beginning. Such trivial matters are really annoying."

Lyra sighed and continued, "Can’t people just be simpler with each other? Such a petty scheme, with no benefit and no real harm, was just a waste of time."

Ignoring their embarrassed faces, Lyra walked to the water dispenser and poured herself a cup of warm water.

After a while, the whistle for assembly sounded outside.

Each class quickly gathered in formation on the open ground.

The head instructor and the instructors stood in front. The students, knowing their pre-training results weren’t great, prepared for a scolding. But soon, their faces twisted in surprise—

"What happened to the instructors?"

Anton, the one they feared most before, his face was swollen like a pig’s and his body was covered in bandages.

Mandy covered her mouth to stifle a gasp. ’Oh no, oh no, are they going to hold us accountable for doing this to them?’

Zinnia, on the other hand, looked triumphant. "Wow, kudos, who did this? Anton nearly beat me and my teammates into a coma!"

After escaping, Zinnia and her teammates had captured a lone "enemy" and taken over an outpost.

Vivian noticed her friend’s unease. "Mandy, the pre-training is over. Are you still scared?"

"Not exactly..."

"Quiet!" Webber, who had also been beaten, stepped out from the instructors’ line. "The results of the field training have been calculated. Now, Head Instructor Andre will speak!"

A tall, nearly two-meter man with a fit build and sharp eyes walked out. His gaze was like a wolf’s, full of authority, bringing a strong sense of pressure.

Everyone held their breath.

"Thierry, Lyra, step forward!"

"Huh?"

Both of the two were well-known in the department, though in very different ways.

All the students were wondering, ’Why are they suddenly called out by the head instructor? Something special happening?’

Thierry and Lyra came to the front of the formation, letting Andre and staff scrutinize them.

Vivian asked Mandy what was going on.

"Well..." Mandy was hesitant. ’Should I tell her we’ve beaten up the instructors?’

Her hesitation made Vivian unhappy. "You’ve only known her a few days, and you’re keeping secrets from me already? Fine, if you don’t want to tell, then don’t. Who cares?"

"I care!" Zinnia’s wide eyes were full of curiosity, clearly wanting to know.

Just then, a burst of laughter erupted from the front.

"Hahaha, not bad. We haven’t had such interesting students in many years."

Andre first clapped Thierry on the shoulder. "You have your brother’s spirit. Strive to surpass him."

He was once Cohen’s coordinator.

Thierry scratched his head in embarrassment. "I still have a long way to go to catch up with him."

"Keep at it."

"Yes, sir!" Thierry stood straight and saluted.

Andre then moved to the slender young woman, clapping her on the shoulder, causing the unprepared Lyra to stagger.

"Cough, cough!"

’She’s so weak?’ In the awkward silence, Andre glanced at his large hand and switched to patting her head. He soon found that his hand covered her face down to her eyes. ’Wow, this young woman is so small?’

As a very big man, he felt a bit awkward.

Lyra sighed, removing his hand. "Sir, please give a warning next time you reward someone. Otherwise, a weak student may collapse."

She managed to break the air.

Andre laughed at her words about being weak and pointed at her, "You say that, but Anton and the others might cry."

The bruised Anton twitched their lips. ’Hey, isn’t this a bit too much?’

Lyra glanced at them. "Thanks to the instructors lowering the standards, or else no one could win." After all, they were retired military officers of level five and six. How could they be so easily defeated otherwise?

For example, when Anton went all out, even using only sixty percent of his strength, he could have taken her down with him if he was determined.

The only reason they won was because they gambled on the fact that the instructors wouldn’t truly harm the students.

Such clear understanding made Andre look at her twice, feeling a sense of regret.

"Return to your units!"

The two young people saluted and returned to their places.

Andre knew that if Lyra didn’t have physical limitations, she would be able to stand up to Cohen, Erin, or anyone else of their era. She was a promising talent.

"I announce that the first place in this field training exercise goes to Class 1, Team 5!"

Chapter 48: Jorath’s Revenge

The announcement of the competition results caused quite a buzz. Even the usually disciplined students couldn’t help but whisper amongst themselves.

"Who’s in Group 5, Class 1?"

"Group 5, Class 1? Oh, you mean the healer? That buzz-cut girl the head instructor just called up?"

"Yeah, I remember her. She got her head shaved on the first day of pre-training. She’s really pretty."

"Isn’t she a healer? How’d she snag first place?"

"More than ten teams finished the course, and some even wrecked enemy outposts. So why is there only one first place?"

"Maybe her teammate was super strong? But if that’s the case, why did the instructor only call her up?"

While everyone looked on in astonishment, Mandy twisted her fingers nervously. She had never been the center of attention before and felt like she was dreaming. It was hard to tell if she was more happy or terrified.

Vivian felt just as conflicted. Seeing her usually unnoticed friend suddenly in the spotlight was a shock.

"Mandy, I can’t believe you got first place. Is Thierry really that strong?"

Vivian knew Mandy’s skills well. She was decent but definitely not top-tier at NMA. Clearly, she had relied on someone else for this win.

Vivian deliberately left Lyra out of her comments.

Mandy caught the hint of sarcasm and jealousy, her face turning red as she softly replied, "It wasn’t just Thierry. Lyra was also very strong, and I... I helped too."

The last part came out a bit uncertain, but thinking back, she had done her best to follow Lyra’s strategy and contribute.

Vivian didn’t expect Mandy to speak up, but as her friend, she still offered her congratulations.

"Anyway, congrats on getting first place. Unlike me, my teammate Claude was too impulsive and got caught just before the finish line."

Mandy smiled genuinely, "Thanks!"

Yes, she had earned first place and the Purpgecko materials. Selling them could help her family financially. That was a relief.

The helicopter arrived to pick them up, its hum filling the air.

While not everyone was thrilled with their results, at least the field training was over. The students grouped up, chatting and laughing as they boarded the helicopter.

Except for Jorath. He was carried onto the helicopter.

After getting beaten up on the first night, his teammate Gillia abandoned him and joined another team, at least earning some credits.

Jorath wasn’t rescued until the third day, by which time he was delirious from fractures and bruises.

Feeling his fierce gaze, Lyra only glanced sideways before boarding the helicopter.

Toying with small fry like him was boring.

She leaned against the wall, watching those boys and girls, and couldn’t help touching her prickly head. If she hadn’t faked her death for those seven years, she wouldn’t be in such a passive position now.

But that was a pointless "what if," just like expecting mercy from the Shedd family.

The final scorecard and news of a one-day break were released, along with an announcement about a school competition after the break.

The group of young students was initially happy, but their joy turned to shock when they saw the scorecard.

"Whoa, four enemy outposts! Group 5 is that strong?"

"Does that mean Instructor Anton’s team was beaten by Group 5 and the head student?"

Four outposts might not seem like much, but not even ten teams managed to earn points for capturing outposts. Most groups only took one outpost, and even the second-place team from Group 1, Class 2 only captured two.

Group 5, Class 1’s results topped the chart, drawing a lot of attention.

Everyone looked at the two slender girls and came to the same conclusion. "It must be because they teamed up with the head student."

"Definitely."

Even though the mechanical hum of the helicopter wasn’t loud, everyone kept saying the same thing, making it impossible not to hear.

No one believed Thierry’s explanations. Everyone knew Lyra struggled even with a weighted run.

But Mandy felt uncomfortable with the way people looked at her, as if she was just taking advantage of Thierry. Though, in reality, that was true.

Sitting next to Lyra, Mandy asked sadly, "Lyra, how can I become as strong as you?"

This question troubled her even more after seeing Lyra’s strength. She wanted to become strong and give her family a better life, which was why she joined the military in the first place.

"It’s simple," Lyra said, turning her head slightly to gaze at the clouds outside the window. "Don’t compare yourself to others, recognize your own weaknesses, and never be satisfied with your current state."

For a moment, a dark glint flashed in her calm eyes, so fast that Mandy didn’t catch it. At that moment, she realized that Lyra wasn’t as indifferent as she seemed.

"I... I understand." Mandy nodded, taking the words to heart with the dedication of a good student.

After getting off the helicopter, Mandy tried to talk to Vivian, but Vivian shook her hand off. "You know I don’t get along with Lyra, so why are you talking to her?"

Vivian glared at her with a betrayed look.

Mandy felt wronged. "We got teamed up by drawing lots. I couldn’t do anything about it."

Though it was true, it didn’t calm Vivian’s anger. "Hmph, if I see you laughing and chatting with her again, we won’t be friends anymore!"

Vivian said this and walked away, heading home.

Mandy felt a mix of frustration and helplessness.

Just then, Lyra walked by, seemingly talking to Zinnia. Mandy suddenly felt nervous, wondering how much Lyra might have overheard.

But Lyra didn’t look at her at all.

...

The one-day break allowed the freshmen to relax. Those who lived nearby headed straight to the bus stop to go home.

Jorath was an exception. He was carried home by his butler and a medical team.

He was filled with thoughts of revenge against Lyra. As soon as he got in the car, he asked, "By the way, has Raymond from the guard team returned from his break?"

He didn’t tell the butler about this because he didn’t want his grandfather to find out.

The butler sat next to the stretcher with a complex expression. "He exposed his identity, got caught by someone on Voidstar, and they cut off his hands and feet."

"What?" Jorath jolted in shock. "I just asked him to get some information!"

"Sir, you don’t understand how these things work."

The butler clenched his fists on his knees, frustration evident. He wished he could open Jorath’s head to see what junk was inside. If Jorath had just asked him beforehand, Raymond wouldn’t have ended up like this.

"Anyway, when we get back, Rear Admiral Shedd needs to talk to you."

Jorath’s already aching bones seemed to hurt even more. "Grandpa knows already?"

The butler gave him a sidelong glance. "Voidstar’s Number Two, Snakehead, went directly to him. If it weren’t for your grandfather’s influence, they would have come after you directly."

Remembering what Lyra had told him, Jorath shivered, realizing the severity of his mistake.

Chapter 49: Good Aim

Jorath lay in the treatment pod, trying to get some sympathy from his grandfather during the video call.

Patrick Shedd didn’t waste any time. "How did you get hurt?" he asked.

Jorath, too embarrassed to admit he got beaten by some "weak" girl, mumbled, "I got injured during pre-training."

His recent field training didn’t go well, and he wanted to give his family a heads-up.

Patrick guessed as much and frowned. "How could you make such a rookie mistake? Did your cousin, Erin, teach you nothing during the training?"

"Don’t bring it up, Grandpa. You have no idea how brutal NMA is. If I were at EPMA, it wouldn’t be this bad."

Complaining to his caring grandfather, Jorath vented his frustrations. If he hadn’t come to this lousy school, he wouldn’t have crossed paths with that brat Lyra.

Patrick sighed, speaking earnestly, "First, you upset your Grandpa Ansel. Second, with your cousins shining at Elden Prime, how could you stand out?"

This hit a nerve. Jorath snapped, "How am I worse than Kail?"

The butler, observing quietly, thought, "You really don’t know?"

Jorath’s impatience tested Patrick’s patience. Patrick snorted, "You need to temper your attitude! Now, why did you send the guard to Voidstar No.2? They’ve asked me to have a serious talk with you!"

The confrontation Jorath dreaded had arrived. His arrogance melted away. "I just wanted him to gather information about someone."

"Who?"

"...A chick, named Lyra something."

Patrick’s voice suddenly rose, startling Jorath. "Who did you say?"

"Just a new student from Voidstar No.2. We don’t get along, so I wanted to check her background. Didn’t know they’d make a fuss."

Hearing it was a new student, Patrick relaxed a bit, though still uneasy. "How old is the girl you’re talking about? What does she look like?"

Patrick didn’t get why everyone in the Shedd family seemed to dread this name. Even after so many years, the name Lyra still unsettled them.

Annoyed, Jorath replied, "Just a young woman, nineteen or so. She doesn’t look anything like Kail’s sister Lyra. You yell the name Lyra on the street and I bet half of the girls will look back."

Of course, he made that last part up. All he remembered about Kail’ sister, Lyra, was fear, and he had no idea how that fearsome girl looked like.

Given the girl was just nineteen and from Voidstar, and since military school background checks wouldn’t be wrong, Patrick accepted it as a coincidence.

Seeing Patrick about to say more, Jorath quickly added, "Don’t worry, Grandpa. I can handle it."

Patrick snorted again, "If you could really handle it, would Voidstar have caught on? I’ll let it go this time, but don’t make me come over to deal with the same thing next time!"

He then barked at the butler, "Keep an eye on him!"

The butler, undeserving of this, bowed and replied, "Yes, sir."

If he knew he would have to deal with this troublemaker earlier, he would’ve requested for an early retirement long ago.

Afterwards, Jorath ignored the butler’s advice and went to see Raymond. The once tall man now seemed much shorter, covered in horrifying injuries.

Jorath couldn’t bear to look long. He simply said to fit him with good prosthetics and provide ample compensation.

"Mr. Shedd already ordered that," the butler said. In other words, ’your grandfather had already cleaned up your mess.’

Jorath had a rough start and was feeling pretty irritable, but when he returned to school the next day at noon, he heard some good news.

"Lyra was targeted by the student council," his roommate said, knowing Jorath disliked Lyra. He had saved this news to tell him in person.

Jorath’s eyes lit up. "How did she offend the student council?"

"Our classmate Taryn has a sister who’s the finance minister... Look, they’re talking about it in the group chat right now."

From his roommate’s mischievous grin, Jorath quickly understood the situation. Taryn’s sister was sticking up for her. This was an opportunity to add fuel to the fire.

Meanwhile, Lyra was in the combat arena, putting away the mats. She always left right at the last minute, so the administrator, tired of her persuasion and wanting to slack off, gave her a spare key to lock up.

She got caught by a sophomore council member during an inspection. They intentionally delayed her by two minutes, claiming she violated the rules, and punished her by making her clean the combat arena.

Lyra didn’t mind since she had agreed to help clean when she asked for the key. The council member, Irene thought she had succeeded and happily reported the incident over the comms.

Listening in, Lyra guessed a bit of what was happening. Irene, feeling secure in her position for the upcoming elections, was reporting their success.

Hearing thudding noises from behind, Irene turned around, annoyed, and she was shocked.

Lyra, a small-framed girl, was effortlessly tossing the large, heavy mats, each about 70 to 80 pounds, as if they were frisbees, neatly stacking them in the corner.

In less than ten minutes, she had organized the entire arena, which normally would take at least half an hour. She activated the vacuum and sterilization system and waited for the administrator coming back from lunch.

"Hey, wait!"

Lyra looked at the girl blocking her way. "What now?"

Irene panicked. Cleaning up so quickly wasn’t much of a punishment. "I... I haven’t checked it yet."

"Then do it now. I’m going to lunch."

Lyra had barely taken a few steps when the girl called out again, pointing at a pile of mats. "Your cleaning is not up to standard!"

Irene, who had just advanced to her second year, was insecure and trying her hardest to cause trouble. "The dust has already been vacuumed. Lay the mats out again."

"The administrator said to stack them. Why don’t you ask him?"

Irene thought Lyra was bluffing, but she called anyway. The administrator, busy enjoying his meal in the noisy cafeteria, only heard something about mats and said it was fine.

"Clean it up," Irene said smugly, folding her arms and nodding at Lyra.

"Alright."

Irene was delighted, thinking this freshman was easy to push around. Then she saw Lyra lock the combat arena door and flip a switch on the control panel at the entrance.

"You... what are you doing?"

Irene took two steps back, trying to remind herself that she was a sophomore and shouldn’t be scared of a freshman. She attempted to put on a stern face. "Don’t play tricks."

Lyra didn’t even look at her. She dragged a ladder towards the tall stack of mats, the ladder’s feet screeching against the floor, making Irene’s scalp tingle.

Lyra climbed high on the ladder and looked back at her. "I’m starting."

Irene impatiently waved her hand. "Hurry up!" As soon as she finished speaking, a large mat cast a shadow as it flew through the air, about to hit her!

"Ah—" Irene dodged clumsily, her face pale. "What are you doing? Are you blind?!"

"I have eyes, and my aim is very good."

Without another word, Lyra continued to toss the mats, each one flying through the air like a giant hand trying to squash a buzzing fly.

Irene panicked, finally realizing that Lyra wasn’t easy to handle.

Now the table had turned; Lyra was trying to teach her a lesson!

 

Chapter 50: The Chilla Sisters

In the big arena, sounds of loud banging, like rolling thunder, mixed with a girl’s screams and angry shouts. This cacophony made everyone stop and want to take a look.

When they knocked on the door, they found it locked from the inside. Someone, worried, quickly informed the student council.

No matter how much Irene shouted or begged, dozens of mats kept flying at her, swift and unrelenting. Sometimes, she was crushed under them, feeling like her insides would break.

Lyra waited for her to rise, only to throw another mat. She was thrown across the room, her vision spinning.

Even if she wanted to fight back, she couldn’t break through the barrage of flying mats.

In the end, she hid behind a wooden dummy, crying out, "I was wrong, stop hitting me, please!"

Finally, the mats stopped.

She peeked out, trembling, and saw that it wasn’t because her opponent felt sorry for her. The mats were just all used up.

A short, thin young woman walked over the scattered mats.

Irene’s anger flared again, "How dare you do this to me!"

She charged, her fists wrapped in flames, ready to make Lyra pay!

She threw a fiery punch, but Lyra dodged. She grabbed Irene’s fist, and threw her against the dummy.

Irene bounced off the dummy onto the mats, her fists burning holes in them before the flames went out.

She started crying in fear, realizing she couldn’t win. Her hair was yanked painfully, and she screamed, "Ah! It hurts, let go of me!"

She struggled but couldn’t escape the hand gripping her hair, forcing her to lift her upper body.

"Who told you to target me?" Lyra asked, breathing heavily, her voice rough.

Irene then realized that, Lyra didn’t seem as quiet as she looked; she was more like a violent maniac!

Irene sobbed, "I... ah—"

She knew that telling the truth would make her superiors dislike her, but Lyra’s strong presence didn’t allow her to hesitate.

"It was Kylie Chilla, the student council’s member from our college. She is your classmate Taryn Chilla’s sister!"

Having given in, Irene decided to spill everything to suffer less.

As expected, Lyra loosened her grip, "If you had told me earlier, you wouldn’t have suffered."

Not only that, she took a wet wipe from her Space Button and cleaned the blood off Irene’s face and body.

"Get up." Lyra smiled, "Fix your hair."

This gentle act didn’t relax Irene. Instead, it gave her goosebumps.

She didn’t dare resist and obediently did as she was told under Lyra’s gaze.

Then, a warm, fresh healing power washed over her.

Irene was shocked that Lyra had healing abilities and didn’t understand her sudden kindness.

Soon, there were loud knocks on the door.

Lyra looked at the now uninjured Irene and opened the door with a remote.

"We received a report of a private fight here!"

A group of people rushed in, all wearing armbands. The leader was a brown-haired young man, and a woman with a ponytail next to him immediately focused on Lyra.

"Was it you?" She stepped forward, pointing at Lyra, "We saw you turn off the cameras last!"

She was Taryn’s sister, Kylie.

Seeing someone she could rely on, Irene ran to the young man in the lead, crying, "Thal, she was the one who hit me just now!"

This man, Thal, was the vice leader of the student council. After getting the students’ report, he contacted the branch of the Department of Strategy and Commanding and hurried over.

Thal glanced around the messy arena and told the inspector beside him, "Deduct points."

Every afternoon and evening, the student council inspected the cleanliness of each department. If they didn’t meet the standards, points would be deducted, and this would be reported at the weekly meeting.

Before this, the branch’s task was to supervise and prevent point deductions.

Kylie was stunned. She had rushed over to keep things under wraps but didn’t expect Thal to stick to his principles.

"Thal, I think we should first address Irene being beaten. We can deal with the points later..."

"One thing at a time." Thal, always calm, replied, "The school’s equipment is scarce, and every time the budget prioritizes your Department of Strategy and Commanding. Yet, you don’t take care of the equipment."

After deducting the points in the system, he looked at the two involved, one crying, the other expressionless.

"What happened?"

When he asked, Irene immediately recounted her ordeal, trying to gain sympathy. "Look how she threw the mats everywhere. I’ve never seen such disrespect from a freshman, completely ignoring her seniors!"

Thal then looked at Lyra, "Your side of the story."

"She targeted me and falsely accused me, a freshman," Lyra said simply.

"You’re lying!" Irene shouted, and Kylie added, "We saw you turn off the cameras."

"Then you should also know from the footage that she deliberately made things difficult for me, right?" Lyra said, her big, dull eyes staring at them. "And turning off the cameras doesn’t prove I hit her. She needs to provide more concrete evidence, like an injury report."

At this, Irene suddenly glared at Lyra.

"Check her," Thal instructed the girl beside him, nodding toward Irene.

The results showed she was perfectly fine.

"She healed me, that’s why I have no injuries!" Irene screamed, finally understanding Lyra’s earlier actions.

Kylie angrily added, "That’s right, this freshman is a healer."

Thal’s indifferent expression turned mocking, "So, a second-year was beaten up by a freshman healer?"

Everyone there turned speechless.

Everyone knew healers had weak combat abilities. Other student council members couldn’t help laughing, finding it as funny as a cat being chased by a mouse.

Lyra then turned to Kylie, saying in a serious tone, "Kylie, as a member of the Department of Strategy and Commanding, you seem very eager for me to get punished. Could it be... that you instructed Irene to target me?"

Kylie’s angry face stiffened slightly.

The onlookers began to see the logic in Lyra’s words, and their gazes toward Kylie changed.

Abuse of power.

A big label seemed to be stamped on Kylie’s face.

Thal snorted, tossed a "Take care of yourself" to Kylie, and left.

Digging deeper would make things complicated, and he didn’t want to get involved in the Department of Strategy and Commanding’s mess.

The student council members left, leaving the three members of the Department of Strategy and Commanding behind. They all looked to Kylie for direction.

Kylie dropped her polite façade. "Lyra, you’re pretty bold."

"Not really," Lyra replied.

Kylie, no longer cautious like she was in front of Thal, crossed her arms and stepped closer, sneering, "You think you can go against me and come out unscathed?"

The student council had a lot of power. If Kylie found a few excuses, she could quickly deduct all of Lyra’s points and even give her an official reprimand.

"You’re just an orphan from Voidstar; what makes you think you can stand up against me?"