Ch. 66..70: Interstellar_ Return of the Villain Chapter 66-70

Chapter 66: Mandy Getting Bullied

Vivian had been missing from campus for days, but that didn’t stop her from being the center of gossip.

"Wow, I didn’t know she was that wild. Every picture has her with a different guy!" someone exclaimed.

"You guys are ridiculous, acting like she’s some kind of saint. She didn’t even repeat a single guy during that whole pre-training month," another girl laughed.

"Why doesn’t she like me? I’m better-looking and stronger than those guys in the videos," a boy whined.

"Please. Do you have the experience they do? She’s looking for someone who knows how to serve her right, definitely not just another campus boy to fool around with."

These days, people’s views on relationships weren’t as conservative as they were centuries ago. Women weren’t expected to be "pure" anymore, but because this involved a high-profile heiress, which was why it became a hot topic on campus.

Mandy found a seat and listened to the boys’ snickers and crude remarks. She glanced at Lyra sitting by the window. At this point, she didn’t know who was right or wrong.

With everything that had happened, Vivian’s dream of marrying the admiral’s son seemed like a distant fantasy now. Compared to the slap that night, Lyra’s actions had hit Vivian where it really hurt.

What Mandy didn’t see coming was that the mess surrounding Vivian would spill over onto her.

After a big lecture, as Mandy packed up her books, some boys from a nearby class suddenly blocked her way.

"Mandy, I heard you’re friends with Vivian. Is she as wild as they say? Are YOU?" one of them asked.

"Yeah, how about we grab a coffee tonight?" another added, grinning.

Mandy felt a mix of shame and anger rising inside her. Clutching her books, she said firmly, "Get out of my way. I’m not interested."

She tried to walk past them, but one of the boys blocked her path again. "Come on, don’t be so uptight. We’re better than those guys in the videos, aren’t we?"

"I’m not like that..." Mandy’s face flushed red, her discomfort only making her look more vulnerable.

"Not like what? Come on, explain it to us," one of them sneered.

Laughter from nearby made Mandy’s ears ring.

Just then, some students from her class, led by Thierry and Claude, decided enough was enough and stepped in to push the boys away.

"Back off! Stop harassing her," Thierry demanded.

"Harassing? We’re just asking her out. What if she’s just pretending to be all innocent but actually wants to say yes? Don’t ruin our chances," one of the boys shot back, smirking.

The tension was thick in the air. Mandy bit her lip, tears threatening to spill. ’Why is this happening to me?’

Suddenly, a book flew across the room.

Zinnia, who had been keeping her distance because of a past argument, couldn’t stand by and watch the bullying anymore.

"Stop being a pushover. Why don’t you just slap them? Like this!" Zinnia leaped over the desk and slapped one of the grinning boys hard across the face. "How about a fight? You up for it?"

Zinnia’s strength was well-known after the pre-training combat matches. The boy, now holding his stinging cheek, was torn between anger and the fear of being publicly humiliated by losing a fight.

At that tense moment, a young man stepped forward, pushing the other boy aside with ease. A grin spread across his face as he looked at Zinnia. "I want to challenge you. Is that alright?"

It was Helion from Class 2.

With a mischievous smile and narrow eyes that made him look like a fox, Helion had a dangerous edge to him.

The guy who had been slapped sighed in relief, his confidence restored by Helion’s presence.

Some girls from Class 2, however, covered their mouths in disdain, whispering, "That maniac’s looking for another fight."

Zinnia grinned back, not one to back down. "Then let’s go."

What should have been a quiet half-hour break turned into a full-on migration of students from the Department of Strategy and Commanding, all heading toward the combat arena.

Lyra had been trying to read, but the rising noise made it impossible to focus. She closed her book with a sigh and decided to see what all the fuss was about.

As they walked, Thierry leaned close to Zinnia, his voice low with concern. "Be careful. His superpower is special."

"I know," Zinnia replied calmly.

When they reached the combat arena, Zinnia quickly understood what Thierry had meant by "special."

Helion wasn’t just strong; he had dual superpowers. He could fly and transform into a wolf.

Even though his both powers were only ranked B-level, together they made him incredibly formidable.

The arena buzzed with energy, students from both Class 1 and Class 2 cheering for their champions.

On the stage, the sound of clashing blows filled the air.

Helion, true to his wild reputation, fought with unpredictable and unconventional moves. His flight made him fast and hard to track, while his beast transformation gave him brute strength.

Zinnia, clad in her golden armor, stood her ground, studying him closely. She knew better than to strike first, so she waited, ready to counter his move.

But Helion was like smoke—too fast, leaving only blurred afterimages in his wake.

It wasn’t long before Zinnia found herself on the defensive, struggling to keep up.

With a swift motion, one of Helion’s claws slashed across her, drawing blood. The crowd’s cheers fell into a shocked silence.

"Helion, take it easy!" someone from Class 2 shouted, sensing the fight had gone too far.

Helion paused, tapping his foot on the ground, still grinning. "Do you want to give up?" he taunted, eyes full of challenge.

Zinnia wiped the blood from her arm, her voice steady despite the pain. "We’re just getting started."

With a fierce shout, she launched herself at Helion like a cannonball, but he was relentless. Every attack she threw was met with his brutal counterattacks, leaving her body marked with bloody gashes.

Helion’s laughter echoed through the arena as he soared into the air, flipping before slamming down on her with force, pinning Zinnia to the ground.

His sharp teeth gleamed as he grabbed her arm, taking to the sky and swinging her around like she was weightless. At last, he hurled her toward the ground from a terrifying height.

The crowd gasped in unison, the air thick with shock and fear.

No one had expected Helion to be so ruthless. Thierry and the others tried desperately to react, their superpowers ready, but Helion’s speed made it impossible to intervene in time.

Just as Zinnia was about to crash into the mat, two green light bands shot out from the crowd, catching her just inches above the ground.

The impact still sent a powerful gust of wind through the arena, causing Zinnia to retch from the force. Anyone else might have suffered serious internal injuries.

Thierry exhaled in relief. They were lucky she was here. The crowd quickly began whispering among themselves.

"Whoa, green’s for healing energy, right? Can healing energy really do that?"

"Is that Lyra’s superpower?"

"Why didn’t she use it before?"

Thierry caught Claude’s mumbling and thought, ’Her previous opponents were us. We must have been too weak for her to really need it.’

With a quick motion, Lyra healed Zinnia’s wounds and helped her off the mat, ready to leave. But Helion’s voice rang out behind her, "You and Vivian share a dorm, right? I bet all of you are easy. How about you and I get a room tonight?"

His words were so crude that even his own classmates frowned. "Helion, that’s too much," someone muttered.

But Helion didn’t care. His eyes stayed locked on Lyra.

She paused, turning to face him. "You really seem to want a beating," she said coolly. Then, she glanced at the clock on the wall—ten minutes until the next class. Plenty of time.

Without another word, she walked back onto the mat.

 

Chapter 67: Meeting Kail Again

Helion flashed a mischievous grin before vanishing, only to reappear behind Lyra in the blink of an eye.

Lyra, almost like she had a sixth sense, smoothly dodged his clawed swipe.

Helion realized then that she wasn’t going to be easy prey. Just as he thought about retreating, something clamped around his ankle.

BANG!

The next thing he knew, he was slammed onto the mat, the impact leaving him momentarily dazed.

This was getting ridiculous. He slapped the mat in frustration and twisted, trying to kick out with his free leg, but Lyra was quicker. She grabbed him again, clenched her fist, and drove her elbow hard into his lower back.

The blow was so brutal that for a moment, he thought she might have snapped him in two. Then, with surprising ease, she tossed him to the ground.

"Had enough?" Lyra asked as Helion staggered back up, cracking his neck with a smirk.

"I haven’t even started," he retorted.

Suddenly, his body erupted with a series of bone-cracking sounds. His mouth elongated, fur sprouted all over, and in an instant, he transformed into a hulking werewolf!

His legs tensed, and in a burst of speed, he vanished from sight, moving so fast that the air around him whistled sharply.

Lyra’s eyes narrowed slightly before she suddenly sidestepped and reached out. In a heartbeat, she had grabbed onto a tail.

Helion’s shock was evident as a small but solid fist rocketed toward him. The impact of flesh meeting bone was so fierce that it made the onlookers flinch.

Thierry watched as a bloodied fang landed near his feet, and she took a step back. Claude leaned in and whispered, "Lucky you didn’t fight her last time."

This was... seriously intense.

As Lyra hurled Helion to the ground by his tail, everyone in the room had the same thought. She casually stepped off the mat, took a book from Mandy’s arms, and turned to leave.

The crowd parted quickly, only to spot a black-haired boy standing at the doorway.

Lyra gave him a brief, indifferent glance, as if he were just another obstacle in her way. Then she walked past.

As she brushed by, she heard him mutter, "Lyra? Sis?"

The young man seemed to freeze, his body stiffening as he whipped around to look at her again, but by then, she was already walking away.

"Who’s that? He’s pretty good-looking."

"His clothes... He’s not from NMA."

"Wait, that pentagram badge... he’s from EPMA!"

Excitement buzzed through the crowd at the mention of the elite military academy.

Claude squinted at him, trying to place his face. "He looks familiar, like I’ve seen him somewhere."

Thierry suddenly recognized him, "That’s Kail, a senior at EPMA. He’s been captain of their team for three years straight in the military academy league. He’s even on the homepage of their website. Why would someone like him show up here?"

They all watched as he quickly followed after Lyra, blocking her path.

The tall young man had short black hair and deep, puppy-like eyes that seemed to plead as they fixed on the girl before him. But when he opened his mouth to speak, the words seemed to get stuck in his throat.

So, he just stood there, staring at her—this was a face he could never forget.

Eleven years might have passed, but she still looked just as young and innocent.

"Do you need something?" Lyra asked, her gaze as cold as her tone, like she was speaking to a stranger.

Kail felt a chill wash over him, recalling his grandfather’s stern directive: ’Find out if she’s really your sister.’

"Uh... I’m Kail."

"Good for you," Lyra replied, utterly uninterested. "I don’t want to know you, don’t want to go on a date, and definitely don’t want to grab a drink. Now, move."

She assumed he was hitting on her and walked right past him.

Kail stood there, watching her retreating figure as she walked away.

The girl’s demeanor was uncannily like his sister’s. It had to be her, he was almost sure of it.

Feeling a mix of frustration and confusion, Kail left the NMA campus and headed back to the hotel where he was staying.

In the lobby, a middle-aged man in a military uniform was pacing back and forth, clearly anxious. When he saw Kail, he hurried over.

"Kail, did you see her?" the man asked urgently.

"I did," Kail replied, though he hesitated. "But she didn’t recognize me. If she really is my sister, how could she not know me?"

The truth about what happened back then had been kept from Kail. But Zorion, the man standing before him—a colonel and adjutant to Ansel—was one of the few who knew the whole story.

He was aware that Lyra couldn’t acknowledge her brother because of a curse. ’Yet now that she’s back, why is she still acting like a stranger? So she isn’t Lyra after all?’

"You didn’t ask her directly?" Zorion pressed.

Kail, feeling frustrated, rubbed his head and slumped onto a nearby couch. "She thought I was hitting on her."

Zorion resisted the urge to scold him. ’How can he not recognize his own sister, yet still complain about it?’

"Then we’ll have to test her," Zorion suggested.

So, when Lyra left the military academy for the weekend, Kail set up a ’coincidental’ meeting.

...

"Fancy running into you here," Kail said, trying to sound casual.

Lyra barely glanced at him, continuing to walk forward. "Do you need something?"

Lately, Lyra had been overwhelmed with work. The Mendez group had gone quiet, and the interstellar pirate incident that had rocked Planet Nagano had brought her factory a flood of new orders.

Morrison, although more reliable than Sorren, still needed her to oversee things. On top of that, Blackheart had been withholding her share of the profits for the past two months, and Snakehead’s venture was still yielding no returns. In other words, her funds were running low.

Kail quickly scrambled for an excuse. "I heard you have some healing abilities. I was hoping you could help with an injury."

Lyra stopped and looked at him with a smirk. "You came all the way from Elden Prime just to have someone you don’t know heal you? You must have a lot of time on your hands."

"I just heard you were really good at it," he replied, clearly struggling with the lie. "And I swear, I’m not trying to flirt."

"Well, I’m a bit busy today."

"I can wait."

Kail stuck close, relieved that she didn’t outright refuse him.

They took a Lev out of the city, heading into areas with fewer buildings, more trees, and open farmland.

Suddenly, two Levs appeared alongside them, and the occupants started shooting.

The driver swerved into a small forest, panicking.

"They’re after me!" Kail said nervously, watching for Lyra’s reaction.

Lyra thought to herself: Over the years, her brother might have grown in height and improved his combat skills, but his judgment still had room for improvement.

Without missing a beat, she opened the car door, kicked Kail out with a swift motion, and instructed the driver, "Forget him. Just drive."

The Lev sped away, leaving Kail sprawled on the damp forest floor, completely stunned.

A wave of sadness washed over him. Just like before, she had left him behind without a second thought.

Zorion stepped out of the Lev and walked over to Kail. "She really left you behind, huh? Get up."

Kail finally shook off his shock. "She doesn’t seem like my sister."

The sister he remembered might have been cold, but she would never abandon a stray dog, let alone her own brother.

Zorion, however, wasn’t convinced. "Did you get it?"

Kail nodded, pulling out two short strands of hair sealed in a plastic bag.

Zorion took the bag and said, "We’ll know the truth soon enough."

 

Chapter 68: She’s Back

"Sir, the DNA test results are in. They match Miss Lyra Kering’s almost perfectly," Zorion reported, standing straight in front of the screen. "I personally made sure the test was done right. There’s no mistake."

Ansel twisted the ring on his right hand, his mind racing. "So, my granddaughter is still alive?"

"Well, there are two possibilities: it’s either her or a clone."

By this time, cloning technology had advanced significantly. With the right permissions and consent, cloning could be done. However, there were still strong voices within the Alliance that opposed this, so it was mostly limited to animals.

Ansel’s face was tense, clearly unsatisfied with the results. Yet, one thing was certain: this ’Lyra’ was indeed his granddaughter by blood.

"Don’t make any further moves on your end," Ansel instructed.

He then contacted someone else. "How’s the investigation on Voidstar No.2 going?"

"Anything related to Lyra is top-secret. We couldn’t dig too deep, but we did find some records at the hospital..."

Ansel’s brow furrowed, then relaxed slightly, only to furrow again in deep thought.

He stayed in the study for a long while, eventually letting out a deep sigh. "When can I get rid of her completely?"

A knock on the study door pulled him from his thoughts.

"Grandpa, you called for me?" A tall, striking woman entered, bringing with her a slight chill. "Is this about Lyra?"

Ansel pushed a stack of reports toward her.

Erin picked them up, her hands trembling slightly as she read through them. Her knuckles turned white. "Whether she’s a clone or the original, I want to handle this myself."

"Do what you think is best. And find out who cloned her and what their goal is." He was leaning toward the clone theory, convinced that no one could survive eleven years with five Soul Spikes.

Besides, her superpower had even grown stronger.

"Understood... cough..."

Erin quickly covered her mouth, a thin white mist escaping as she coughed.

Ansel’s eyes narrowed. "What did your medical exam show?"

"Everything’s fine," she replied quickly, perhaps too quickly.

The old man nodded, waving her off.

Meanwhile, on Planet Nagano, evening had fallen, and Lyra received a complaint from Snakehead.

"What’s your deal, seriously? Why do people keep digging into your background every few days?" Snakehead squinted at her through the screen, trying to spot anything unusual. "And now you’ve even got the hospital to insert some forged clone record. Seriously, what the f*ck are you doing?"

"I’m just having a little fun," Lyra said with a sly smile. "Isn’t it amusing to watch the Shedd family panic?"

She got up and locked her office door, preparing to head back to school. "Besides, it’s normal for people to investigate me. I am pretty remarkable, after all."

Snakehead had nothing to say. He’d tried several times to dig into her background on Elden Prime, but it was like she didn’t exist.

Now that he thought about it, anyone who could erase their records so thoroughly wasn’t someone with a simple past.

Thinking back to the late Jorath, Snakehead almost choked on his smoke, a realization dawning on him. "You’re not planning to mess with us all until we’re dead, are you?"

"Of course not," Lyra replied with a smirk. "You’re not Blackheart, after all."

Lyra rarely smiled, but when she did, it sent a chill down Snakehead’s spine, even though they were separated by a screen.

If the gap between Elden Prime and Voidstar weren’t so wide, Lyra’s little games would’ve been exposed ages ago, and she’d be long gone. But fortune favored her when Sorren had whisked her away to safety just when she had nowhere else to turn. Passing the Shedd family’s search for her had been a breeze.

...

Before heading back to Elden Prime, Kail made a point to see Lyra.

With his big, innocent eyes, he muttered, "I’m leaving... so could you please..." His confusion was clear: Why was the person before him a clone? Was his sister really dead? What had happened back then? He was lost.

"Take care," Lyra replied, her voice cold and distant. Kail’s heart sank; his real sister would never speak to him like that.

As he walked away, shoulders slumped, Lyra let out a sigh, knowing that her dear brother had a long and difficult path ahead of him.

A week later, Vivian returned. The Mendez family’s influence could only keep her on leave for so long, especially with the freshman mecha tournament just around the corner.

Lyra had expected Vivian to storm in, full of rage, but instead, she walked in with a frosty expression. She ignored everyone, and headed straight to her room.

Mandy, who’d been chatting with Zinnia, felt the tension and quickly stood up. "Vivian, have you eaten since you got back?" she called out. But the door slammed shut before she could finish.

Moments later, Mandy’s opticomputer pinged with a new message: "Weren’t you having fun with them? Then stay away from me."

Not long after, Vivian’s father discovered what she and Alon had been up to, and he gave them a severe scolding.

"Do you have any idea who those Voidstar people might be? And you thought provoking them was a good idea?" he shouted.

Vivian’s mother was equally displeased. The engagement with the Whyte family was called off without any room for discussion. Mrs. Whyte made it clear they didn’t want a daughter-in-law with a reputation for "partying."

With their lives now dangling by a thread, the patriarch of the Mendez family was furious. He ordered his children to stay quiet while he handled the situation personally.

Knowing her father would take care of it, Vivian felt a sense of relief, though her actions had led to Alon being banished to some remote planet as punishment.

The tension between the two sides simmered down in a strange way, but Mandy, caught in the middle, was left miserable.

Vivian continued to ignore her and had thrown herself into dating other men.

Mandy wanted to apologize but couldn’t find the right moment. What hurt her most was losing her part-time job at the library.

"Why? Did I do something wrong?" she asked, her voice trembling as she cornered the manager in the library hall, not caring about the onlookers. Her eyes were red, filled with desperation. "I really need this job."

"You did fine," the manager replied, adjusting his glasses. "We just don’t need as many people anymore."

The excuse was flimsy. The library always needed hands on deck, and cutting one person wouldn’t make a difference.

Mandy knew this but didn’t have the courage to push further. Instead, she broke down, tears streaming down her face.

She knew this wasn’t the end of the world—she could find another job. But in that moment, it felt like everything was crumbling around her.

The manager, clearly uncomfortable, shot her a look and hurried through the crowd, leaving her standing there, shattered.

Just then, Zinnia emerged from the stacks, a book in hand. Spotting Mandy in tears, she didn’t hesitate. She walked over and gently guided her to a quiet corner where students often sat with coffee or snacks to recharge during study sessions.

"Why the tears?" Zinnia asked, offering Mandy a few tissues to dry her eyes.

Mandy shook her head, her voice trembling. "You don’t get it. I really needed this job. It at least helped me cover my food expenses every month. My parents... they’re even considering taking out a mortgage on the house."

Zinnia’s expression softened as she handed her a few more tissues. "It’s that rough, huh?" she said, pausing for a moment before adding, "Why not look for another part-time gig? There are plenty of openings at Lyra’s factory."

 

Chapter 69: Game On

When Zinnia finished her bold speech, she remembered the tension between Lyra and Vivian. Feeling a bit awkward, she rubbed her hands together and asked Lyra, "Um, do you have any?"

"Yes."

The cold voice made Mandy notice Lyra was here, too. "Lyra, sorry, I didn’t see you there."

Lyra had a book open in front of her. "If you’re not worried about what Vivian thinks anymore, you might consider going this weekend. It’s paid per task, and the wages are at least three times what you’d earn at the library."

Mandy hesitated again. Zinnia was already frustrated with her indecisiveness. "Come on, girl, your family’s worrying about bringing bread onto table, so why worry about your weak friendship with Vivian? Even if you try to be nice, that rich heiress might not even care."

Mandy felt a sudden jolt, as if someone had knocked sense into her. "Tomorrow’s the weekend. Can I go?"

Lyra wrote down an address and contact information for her. "Morrison will find a suitable job for you."

"Okay."

The atmosphere became a bit awkward, mostly due to Mandy’s discomfort. She had ignored them before, but now that she was desperate, she accepted the help they offered. It made her feel a bit selfish.

Little did she know, it was all in her head.

"Tomorrow is the mecha tournament registration and preliminary round. Aren’t you going to participate?" Zinnia asked curiously.

The tournament was a popular event. Though it carried the military academy’s name, it was originally an entertainment competition open to anyone under twenty across the Alliance.

However, military academy students always won, so the event adopted the academy’s title. The academy was happy to support it, and the event evolved into a semi-official competition with rewards for both the winners and the academy participants.

"I heard that the winning team and individuals can join a planetary development internship during the winter break. It’s a rare opportunity."

But Mandy only had money on her mind. She shook her head decisively. "I’d just be there for fun. I’ll pass."

"Alright then." Zinnia sighed, holding her face in her hands. "Lyra’s not going either. It’s going to be so boring."

The mood lightened, and Thierry, who had overheard their conversation, sat down next to them. "Are you joining the mecha tournament? Have you picked your teammates yet?"

"Not yet. Do you want to team up with us?" Zinnia asked, treating him like one of her buddies.

"Sure!" Thierry grinned. "I’ve been meaning to ask, but I thought you and your dorm mates would team up, so I wasn’t planning on joining the squad competition."

"What about your roommates?"

"They’ve already teamed up. They know I want to win and said they didn’t want to hold me back." He rubbed his hands together excitedly. "I heard from my brother that this time the competition will be on an energy mining planet. A lot of people are eyeing it."

With a snap, Lyra closed her book. "Do you need another member?"

"Yes!" Thierry and Zinnia answered in unison.

Mandy looked at the three of them and couldn’t help thinking, ’This might be the strongest team in the school.’

Nowadays, while opticomputers could meet most online needs, participating in the competition required a networked helmet that allowed access to the virtual world.

When you put on the helmet, it automatically generated a virtual character and connected you to the holographic online world made of data. In this advanced era, that world even served as a work platform for many people.

After entering the virtual world, players could either use their real appearance or an NPC face, but for the competition, facial recognition was mandatory, so only the real deal would do.

The three of them agreed to meet at the registration area in the login plaza. As soon as they stepped in, the noise hit them like a wall, and they were almost shoved back by the crowd.

Everywhere they looked, it was packed with young people.

"Good thing the officials built a big enough platform, or we might not have made it in," Zinnia said, squeezing through the crowd to reach them.

"Hey, watch it! You stepped on me!"

"Why are there so many people this year?"

To keep things realistic, the system adjusted sensory parameters to 100% after you registered. So if someone stepped on you in the network, it hurt just as much as it would in real life.

Thierry pulled Zinnia out of the crowd, guiding her to stand against the wall. "Don’t worry, once we’re done registering, we can enter the arena. It’s way more spacious. I’ve been here before with my brother."

They quickly filled out the information on the control panel in front of them, and once the registration was confirmed, they were immediately transported to another scene—a massive vortex-shaped arena, signaling where the competition would take place.

Each of them had a panel showing the competition order and how many people were still ahead. The live match feed was linked to their opticomputer, so they could log out and still keep track of their match time without worrying about missing it.

"Fixed team matches are on Sunday afternoon. Let’s form our team first."

But when it came time to choose a team name, Zinnia and Thierry almost started bickering.

"’Unstoppable’ sounds so powerful."

"Look how many teams already have that name. We should go with something original, like ’Crushing Titans.’ It sounds cool and isn’t taken!"

As the clock ticked down, they turned to their silent teammate. "You pick!"

Even in the virtual world, their eyes were full of expectation.

Lyra didn’t see the point in arguing. "It doesn’t matter."

Ding—

"Team name confirmed: ’It Doesn’t Matter.’ Wishing your team success. Goodbye."

The pleasant female voice faded, leaving Zinnia and Thierry staring at Lyra, dumbfounded.

She shrugged innocently. "I didn’t know it would turn out like this."

Zinnia groaned, holding her head in regret. "We should’ve just fought it out."

"Forget it, the name’s unique," Thierry said, quickly accepting it. "The name is just a label. What really matters is how we play."

"True."

In this data-driven world, things moved faster than in reality, with thousands of matches happening simultaneously. But with tens of thousands of participants, it wouldn’t be Lyra’s turn until the afternoon.

"I found the match location for those first-year EPMA guys. Want to watch?" Thierry shared a link.

Since they were now a team, it made sense to stick together, so Lyra agreed to check it out.

But as soon as they arrived, they witnessed a silver mecha in the arena obliterate its opponent with one shot. The match hadn’t even lasted forty seconds.

"That’s brutal—100% pain simulation," Zinnia said, rubbing her arms as if she had goosebumps. "I bet the opponent’s gonna be traumatized."

They watched a few more matches featuring EPMA’s top players. Each one ended swiftly, but none were as ruthless as that first fight.

After visiting several military academy arenas, they all reached the same conclusion: "The gap between military academy students and regular folks is just too obvious."

It was clear there was a divide.

This observation wasn’t entirely absolute, but it was a common takeaway from what they saw.

"I heard that after the third round, they’ll pick out the top contenders, and you can even place bets," Zinnia shared the scoop she’d gathered with her teammates. "Too bad we can’t bet on ourselves."

Her teammates exchanged subtle glances.

"You just can’t use your own ID to bet," Thierry explained when he noticed Zinnia hadn’t caught on. "But we can always ask someone else to place the bet for us."

Chapter 70: Business Opportunities

For the students, the military academy mecha tournament is all about competition. But for the business folks? It was a goldmine of opportunity.

Before Lyra even had a chance to reach out, Morrison was on the phone with her. "Boss, can I get an advance on my salary? I heard the mecha tournament just kicked off."

"You may not know this," Lyra replied with a hint of a smile, "but I’m actually competing this year." She could practically hear Morrison’s breath catch on the other end of the line. "Forget the salary advance. Instead, I’ll give you some funds to invest. You manage the operation, and I’ll cut you a ten percent commission afterward."

"Thanks for the trust, boss," Morrison said, clearly surprised. He was just getting used to working under this new boss, and now here she was, handing him a golden opportunity.

The moment he saw the amount she transferred, he realized his young boss was even more ambitious than he’d imagined.

"Lyra, Thierry and I are thinking of getting Mandy’s help with placing some bets. Want in?" Zinnia slung an arm over Lyra’s shoulder, grinning with confidence. "I’ve pooled together all my allowance to bet on our team and myself."

The sparkle in Zinnia’s eyes showed it wasn’t just about making money; she genuinely believed in herself.

"No thanks, I have my own plans," Lyra said after a pause. "But I’d recommend only betting on the team. Betting on yourself is a losing game."

"Why?" Zinnia asked, puzzled.

Lyra just gave her a knowing look.

Thierry sighed, stepping in to clarify. "Lyra’s saying that because she’s going to win the individual competition."

Zinnia and the head student exchanged a look, their excitement fading slightly. They quietly went to cancel their personal bets.

"Even Thierry isn’t confident?" one of them muttered.

"Doesn’t seem like it."

Mandy, overhearing, hesitated before offering a suggestion. "Maybe you should just bet on Lyra..."

Lyra’s match was first. She had five minutes to pick her mecha and weapons before entering the arena. Without hesitation, she chose the standard basic humanoid mecha, leaving all the equipment as is, and then clicked confirm.

The scene shifted to a D-Class mecha cockpit. The controls and visuals were so realistic, it was easy to see why this tournament had been running strong for nearly a century.

The match countdown began.

Her opponent, also in a humanoid mecha, had typed out a taunt on the match panel: "Which military academy are you from, little girl? Don’t cry when you lose."

As soon as the countdown hit zero, he gunned it, zigzagging toward her at top speed.

Lyra watched his moves closely on her screen and quickly entered commands. Her mecha smoothly switched from sword to shield, blocking his shots with pinpoint precision.

This guy clearly specialized in agility and long-range attacks—one arm equipped with a laser, the other with bullets, and a high-powered electromagnetic cannon strapped to his chest.

If that was his game, Lyra needed to close the distance.

Her fingers danced across the control panel, transforming her five-meter-tall mecha into a nimble, iron giant, darting around the battlefield with the shield held high.

The opponent was clearly wary of Lyra getting too close, constantly firing at her while keeping his distance. But despite his efforts to stay safe, each of his shots hit her shield squarely.

Then, with one perfectly timed shot from Lyra, his movement stumbled, throwing him off balance.

As he tried to recover, a massive sword appeared on his display, charging straight toward him. It sliced through the air with terrifying precision, stopping just five centimeters from his nose, right at the edge of his cockpit.

Though there was no real sound in the virtual world, the sight of that cold, gleaming blade up close made his heart race. His eyes went wide with shock.

In this tournament, if the cockpit sustained enough damage, the system would automatically declare a loss. Sure enough, the prompt to log out flashed before him. He removed his VR helmet, only to realize that his pants were embarrassingly wet.

Lyra secured her first victory, and her delicate looks paired with her petite frame quickly caught the crowd’s attention. She instantly became a rising star in the tournament.

"So, that’s the top scorer of NMA’s pre-training?" a lazy voice drawled from the spectator stands. "She looks like an underdeveloped dwarf."

"Grains, maybe you could be a bit more polite," replied a black-haired young man with glasses, his eyes scanning through a web page. "Nobody gave much thought to Lyra when she first joined, but she still managed to outperform Lieutenant Commander Whyte’s younger brother."

"Alright, maybe she’s got some skill, but luck had to play a part," Grains, the first speaker, replied lazily, draping himself over the railing like he had no bones.

"Grains, haven’t I told you not to judge people by appearances?" A tall, stern-looking young man finally spoke, his cold, commanding gaze forcing Grains to straighten up, albeit with reluctance.

"Yeah, Captain, you’re right."

As the three continued their conversation, they began to leave the stands. When they passed Thierry, the black-haired young man gave him a slight nod and a polite smile before moving on.

Only then did Thierry loosen his grip on Zinnia’s hand.

"Why didn’t you let me go after them?" Zinnia fumed, her anger evident. "Didn’t you hear how they insulted Lyra?"

"I heard," Thierry replied, his brow furrowed. "First off, it’s three against two, and we’d lose. Second, starting a fight could get us disqualified."

But the most important reason was that in the face of true strength, their taunts were nothing more than empty words.

Though she accepted Thierry’s reasoning, Zinnia’s anger simmered beneath the surface. As soon as Lyra returned, Zinnia eagerly recounted everything those guys had said.

Lyra’s response was a simple, "Oh."

"Huh? Lyra, why aren’t you mad?"

"It’s easy—if someone uses their hands, you cut them off. If they have a sharp tongue, you slap their faces."

Zinnia could only look at her in admiration, speechless.

Thierry, however, wasn’t surprised. Her response was perfectly in line with her attitude. He then offered Lyra some intel on those guys. "They’re probably the S-Class freshmen from EPMA. That captain, Robin Calvin, supposedly scored ninety-five on the entrance exam. Like you, he’s already at level five."

Thierry didn’t expect much of a reaction, but to his surprise, Lyra asked, "Is he from the Calvin family, the Marquis of Roses?"

"I heard he was raised on an alien planet and only brought back for college."

"I know who he is."

’Wait, wasn’t I just explaining it to you?’ Thierry sometimes struggled to keep up with how fast her mind worked.

In this elimination-style tournament, their team breezed through the rounds, dominating the squad matches with ease.

...

The tournament was held every weekend, and it quickly became one of the hottest topics across the Alliance.

After a month of intense competition, the third round wrapped up.

Zinnia came running up to Lyra and Thierry, her opticomputer in hand and a huge grin on her face. "We’re all top contenders in the individual rankings, and our team made it onto the leaderboard too!"

She was so excited that she started jumping up and down, dragging Thierry along with her in her enthusiasm.

Meanwhile, Lyra was more focused, her eyes scanning through the profiles of other contestants.

She noticed that the rankings were driven by a mix of audience votes and official performance metrics. The key factors included how quickly players finished their matches, their rankings within their respective military academies, and any notable achievements they had in online mecha tournaments.

"Based on my match data and my school ranking, I shouldn’t be ranked this high," Lyra said thoughtfully, trying to figure out what she was missing.

Zinnia and Thierry exchanged glances, then turned to stare at Lyra.

"Hm?" she asked, noticing their looks.

"Lyra, are you seriously not aware of how good-looking you are?" Thierry asked, half in disbelief.