Lavaberry

Lyra's clinic stood out like a diamond in the rough against the grim backdrop of Voidstar's worn-down streets.

The moment Cohen's guards arrived, they switched into high alert. They surrounded the nutrition pod, weapons drawn, ready for anything.

Cohen was a mystery to the public eye, his identity a tightly held secret. Yet, on his first mission, a young woman from Voidstar instantly recognized him.

The situation screamed suspicion.

People gathered, murmurs and pointed fingers adding to the tension in the air.

Snakehead stepped up, trying to calm things down. "She used to live on Eden Prime. Maybe she saw your young master there."

Not only did Snakehead have to fork out money to save Cohen, but now he was dealing with trouble here too. It was enough to give anyone a headache.

"Snakehead, the admiral trusts you with the young master, but this woman is suspicious..."

"Suspicious how?" Snakehead's tone shifted from friendly to menacing. "Everyone knows 'Sister Marvel.' I'm helping out of respect for Admiral Sparks, not for you small fry. Understand?"

He spat in the guard's face. The guard, unaccustomed to such disrespect, turned pale and nearly pulled the trigger. Thankfully, a comrade held him back.

After all, they needed these Voidstar ruffians to save the young master first.

With a click, the healing pod opened.

The guards tensed. "Who allowed you to open the pod?"

Once opened, the pod was useless, and treatment had to be immediate. There wasn't time to replace the healing solution. If this woman couldn't help, Cohen was done for.

Lyra, preparing her tools, remarked, "With the healing solution left, you wouldn't have made it back to Eden Prime. That's why you came to this miser."

Cohen's injuries were severe. His right arm was missing from shoulder to ribs, with much of the surrounding skin and flesh torn away.

His legs were twisted, hardly looking human.

Broken ribs, exposed lungs, liver, and even his heart, all marked with savage claw scars.

Against high-level beasts, humans were fragile, no match for a single swipe.

Lyra frowned. "Weren't you hunting Stellarcrabs? Crabs don't have claws like these."

These were Dark Wolf claw marks.

An impulsive guard snapped, "If it weren't for that damn Lavaberry, we wouldn't have..."

"Ned!" Someone cut him off. "Shut your mouth for now."

Lavaberry was a rare, ninth-level plant, often used to improve individual's physical strength.

Bounty hunters on Voidstar were like hyenas, always sniffing out the scent of profit.

The admiral's situation was already a mess, and adding more people to the mix could only make things worse. Unfortunately, it was too late to stop that now.

Snakehead's eyes gleamed as he exchanged a glance with Todd, his secretary. Todd immediately went out to gather more help. The guards could only glare helplessly, but soon their faces lit up with joy.

"Look, he's recovering!"

A soft green light fell on Cohen, and his gruesome wounds began to heal. New skin, as delicate as that of a six or seven-month-old baby, formed over the injuries, looking fragile and tender.

Seeing the healing effect, the guards finally relaxed a bit. But, they insisted on staying by the door, discussing Lyra among themselves.

"I just checked her information. She's only a level-3 healer. Can she really save Cohen?" Ned, the most arrogant guard, still couldn't get over the shabbiness of this place.

"Her healing power seems a bit special," the team leader whispered.

A normal level-3 healer's power wouldn't have such a rapid recovery rate.

While they were talking, Todd had already left with his men. Such movements was surely to attract the eyes of the other forces on Voidstar.

A bearded man wearing an eyepatch, upon hearing the news, patted the woman in his arms. "Liliana, take some people and follow Todd. If he's personally involved, he must have found something good."

"Sure thing, Daddy." The red-haired woman wriggled out of his arms, her body covered in bruises, and started getting dressed.

It wasn't just the other two big factions; even some bold bounty hunters were on the move.

"The admiral's situation is already messy enough. Can you all just not add to the chaos?" The team leader, seeing these bounty hunters swarming like bees, couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

Snakehead chuckled and waved his hand. "You military guys handle your own business, we'll handle ours. None of us wants to mind your f-f-f-reaking business."

In reality, he was deliberately causing this commotion. The more people that gave the military trouble, the greater the chances to make a profit in troubled situation. As for the military's mission, it was none of their concern.

The air at the door was tense when Lyra, removing her mask, came out.

"How is he now?"

The guards didn't wait for her response. Instead, they rushed past to check on Cohen's condition and soon were furious.

"This is your treatment result? His wounds aren't fully healed!"

Lyra leaned against the door, breathing heavily, her pale face covered in sweat.

Sorren, noticing her state, quickly pulled out a white cloth to wipe her sweat. He cast a fearful glance at the angry guards and hoped he wouldn't suffer unjust punishment; he regretted not convincing Lyra to refuse this job from the start.

"Look, I'm only a level-3 healer. You should be thanking your lucky stars that I kept him alive," Lyra said, coughing. She could treat him further, but she saw no reason to risk her life for someone she didn't care about.

Only then did the guards realize Cohen's vital signs had stabilized. Fresh healing solution had been injected into the pod, buying them more time.

The panicked guards finally breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Ned was still dissatisfied and shouted, "If you knew you couldn't fully heal him, you shouldn't have promised! What do we do with him now?"

Lyra didn't care about his rude attitude; on Voidstar No.2, politeness was a rarity.

"You have two options. First, get him back to Eden Prime within ten days and find a Level 4 healer or install a bioprosthetic limb. Second, cough, cough..."

Her face flushed from coughing. "Find a Hemoplant to pair with my superpower, and I can restore him completely."

Everyone, including Snakehead, looked shocked.

Hemoplant, as the name suggests, could quickly enhance the body's blood production, but it was a level-4 companion plant of Lavaberry.

The team leader turned to Snakehead. "Does your association have any Hemoplant?"

Snakehead blinked and glanced at the expressionless young woman, spreading his hands. "Unfortunately, we're out of stock."

In matters of tricking the military and officials, Voidstar folks had an eerie sense of unity as long as there was no conflict of interest.

As for Lyra also eyeing the Lavaberry, Snakehead didn't really care. 'Seeing her in that loose white coat, looking like she might be blown over by a breeze, who can she outcompete?'

In the end, the guards took Lyra on a ship heading to Planet Bionysus, along with the now-conscious Cohen. Even the fastest military ship would take twenty days to return to Eden Prime, which was too long.

The massive spaceship stirred the thin clouds, broke through the atmosphere, and plunged into the vast, boundless universe.