Lyra found it very hard to get a good assistant, and finding one who always shared her ideas was even harder.
Although Lyra and Sorren's relationship had broken and rebuilt many times, full of betrayal, Lyra was sure Sorren would not cause more trouble in the future.
So, for now, she thought she had found a suitable assistant.
Lyra threw a ball of healing energy at Sorren, then knelt down to tie her shoe. When she stood up again, Sorren's wounds had healed. Only the blood on the ground showed something had happened.
"Are you two done?" The registration manager walked out lazily. He was calm and familiar with the scene, like a waiter telling a customer it's time to pay the bill. "If you're done, let's talk about compensation."
Lyra looked at the manager, then quickly raised her hands to show she didn't want to fight.
"Miss, don't try to intimidate me. I work for Snakehead. Since you are working on the frontier planet, you probably don't want to offend him, right?"
The manager had worked in the gray zone for many years, so he was good at judging the situation.
He knew this young woman was not to be messed with. So, he quickly mentioned the name of his boss, Snakehead. It was both a reminder and, a threat.
Everyone knew Snakehead was very stingy. Even if you scratched his wall, he would chase you to the ends of the universe.
Lyra smiled softly. "So this is Snakehead's territory. Sorry... How about this? You calculate the bill, and I'll pay you back when I have the money."
"You're making it difficult for me..." The manager's face turned red, and he hesitated.
Lyra replied, "How about this? You call Snakehead and ask if he agrees to let me pay later?"
It was Todd who answered the call. Knowing what had happened, he went to Snakehead to ask him.
When he entered the room, he saw bald Snakehead admiring his hand. He smiled as he looked at his newly regrown half-hand. On the desk in front of him was the mechanical hand he had just removed.
After hearing the report, Snakehead lifted his eyelids slightly. "Let her owe it, but she must pay within a year."
"Can I ask why you don't just waive the debt?"
Snakehead laughed. He touched his bald head with his half-right hand. "I already gave her an ID card for free. She owes me too much already."
He looked back at his new hand, finding it more and more adorable. After hesitating for a few seconds, he sighed and said, "Wait. Just waive the interest for her."
Only the highest level of healing power could make a severed limb regrow unconditionally.
Snakehead had known for a long time that, Lyra's healing power was very special. He thought that if he could win her over early with small favors, she might be very useful in the future.
Also, as Snakehead accumulated more and more wealth, he became more cautious with money. He wouldn't just give it off for free.
...
After hearing Snakehead's instructions, the manager looked at Lyra with admiration. "You can go," he said.
Lyra sighed in relief and dragged the exhausted Sorren away.
After realizing he couldn't beat Lyra, Sorren became much more obedient.
When Lyra told him to buy something, he walked into the store without hesitation. Even when Lyra told him to pay, he immediately handed over his account password.
Because of Snakehead's considerable influence, the news of Lyra's ability to regrow his hand spread quickly.
Soon, Lyra's clinic was crowded with people. Many even came from other planets, demanding Lyra to heal them at any cost.
The area they lived in was close to the frontier, so fighting was very common. Missing limbs were as common as freckles.
Lyra saved many people with her magical healing powers, becoming a legend in the streets. People called her "Sister Marvel."
One year... two years... three years... By the time Lyra realized it, she had been there for almost four years.
...
The Alliance was a vast interstellar republic with ten star systems as members.
These ten-star systems were centered around their planets and included nearly a hundred planets.
However, among these hundred planets, only seventeen had an atmosphere and water resources.
The atmosphere allowed organisms to breathe and maintained the planet's surface temperature, while water was necessary for the formation of carbon-based life.
Among these seventeen planets, five were particularly special. Some had corrosive gases in their atmosphere, making them unbreathable for oxygen-reliant workers; others had such dense life-supporting gases that species evolved to enormous sizes, making them very dangerous. There were also planets with a single geological composition, rendering them useless.
The Alliance used the two planets with a single geological composition as garbage dumps. As for the planet with dense life-supporting gases, one was a transit station for migrating interstellar beasts and was uninhabited.
Only Voidstar No.1 and Voidstar No.2 on the frontier had cities. The original builders of these cities were mostly exiles or outlaws. Therefore, these cities were essentially lawless zones.
The life-supporting gas on Voidstar No.2 was dense but, unfortunately, not oxygen. It was only suitable for the planet's native beasts and plants, most of which were aggressive.
On Voidstar No.2, the only human settlement was covered by a level-four protective bubble.
Inside this bubble were air modification systems and radiation and water filtration systems. To hunt outside, level one and two Peculiars had to wear special anti-radiation suits and oxygen equipment. Those willing to spend more money bought a basic mecha, which was sturdier and safer.
...
Stardate 3028, February 14th.
In the wilderness of Voidstar No.2, there had been no rain for a long time. The wind stirred up the dirt, and sandstorms were as thick as fog. The sky and earth were dyed the planet's unique dark red.
Swish—
In the dim sandstorm, a light streaked across the desolate land like a shooting star. It passed through rocky valleys and stopped at the edge of the huge protective bubble like a little ant.
It was a luxurious lev, but it was covered in dust. Contrasting its elegant body was a trailer piled high with beast prey.
"You are a level three Peculiar now. I don't think you need that," Sorren said as he drove, trying to make conversation. He glanced at the young woman in the passenger seat, who was wearing a basic mecha.
Four years ago, Lyra had finally opened her own clinic. The clinic did very well, so it didn't take long for Lyra to gather the equipment she needed to start venturing outside the city.
She often went far but not specifically to hunt. Sorren didn't know what she was doing.
"Cough, cough... I don't want to get sunburned."
Sorren's eyes shifted. "Are you getting weaker? Are you so weak you can't handle a little radiation?"
"If you really want to know, you can try breaking my radiation suit."
Lyra's amused voice made Sorren shiver, and his smile froze. In his mind, he quietly put away some bad thoughts. Although Lyra had worked him hard these past three years, he had also benefited greatly.
But Sorren wasn't entirely wrong. Because of the Soul Spikes, Lyra's body was on the verge of collapse.
Earlier, to survive, she had hidden inside the elastic metal egg. There, she spent seven years removing a spike from her chest. Just one removal caused irreversible damage to her lungs.
The Soul Spikes in her limbs couldn't be treated the same way without causing permanent damage. If she did that, the damage would prevent her from ever becoming a Master Peculiar.
She had spent ten years searching for a solution, but it seemed far away.
Lyra sighed. She looked up and saw the city sprawled across the wilderness, like a giant blister on Voidstar's surface.
At that moment, a thunderous roar echoed from the sky.
Large black shapes moved slowly, blocking out the sun and casting the ground into darkness as if night had fallen.
The black shadow descended and landed outside the city. Only then did the people on the ground see it clearly.
"F*ck! It's The Alliance's warship!" Sorren screamed, slamming on the brakes and clutching his head in fear. "I heard their admiral led the troops to wipe out the notorious Stellarcrab. Are we blocking his way home? Is he here to eliminate us, the Alliance's outcasts? What do we do now?"
Lyra raised an eyebrow. "You give yourself too much credit. The Alliance wouldn't bother wiping out the Voidstar; it's too much trouble. Let's go back and see."
Eliminating them would be a thankless task, so the bureaucrats in the military wouldn't want to do it.
But trouble arrived at her clinic before they could get there.
"Well, well, Lyra, you haven't aged a bit in all these years. Looks like life has treated you well; not a wrinkle in sight," Snakehead said, reaching out his hand.
Lyra avoided his sweaty hand. Snakehead's forehead was damp with sweat from nervousness. Seeing this, Lyra smirked, "I remember we settled everything between us."
Snakehead understood Lyra's implication—"We're strangers now."
'This damn woman is still so difficult!' Snakehead thought, gritting his teeth. He glanced at the Lev guarded by The Alliance soldiers behind him and forced a strained smile. "Forgive my unannounced visit, but I thought you wouldn't refuse such a big business opportunity."
"So it's business, you should have said so earlier." Lyra said, turning to open the door. "I thought you wanted to beg me for something. I just do some hard labor, picking up a few things from the dead for pocket money. I don't have anything extra to give you."
Lyra knew that the patient must be severely injured; otherwise, Snakehead wouldn't be negotiating so much before she even saw the patient.
Worried that the patient might have contracted some special virus from another planet, Lyra fully geared up in the preparation room. When she returned, wearing thick medical protective gear like a spacesuit, the patient was already on the operating table.
She looked and was surprised, not because of the severe injuries, but because the patient looked familiar.
"Well, well, isn't this the admiral's son?"