One Spike Removed

Lyra stood up, grabbed some black tape from her backpack, and covered each camera in the room.

Watching the feed, Ned slammed the table in frustration. "She's awake! And Cohen still hasn't received treatment. Something's definitely off! Is she hiding something?"

Suddenly, Lyra's voice came through the surveillance.

"Hmph, an admiral's guard, spying on a woman while she bathes and changes. Either you're hiding something or just shameless!"

Her words halted Ned from knocking on her door.

"Captain, are we just going to let her walk all over us?" He paced like an angry gorilla trying to grab something.

On the desk in front of him lay plants with small, bright red fruits.

"Cohen said to wait until tonight, because if she hasn't fully recovered, it could harm him instead."

Meanwhile, Lyra sat naked on the bed, examining a cherry-sized red fruit in her hand.

The energy from the fruit's skin filled the room with warmth.

Finally, she had the first level-nine strength-enhancing plant!

Years of experimenting on countless injured bodies had shown her that, the more damaged bodies had a better chance to get rid of all its previous malfunctions after receiving her treatment.

Thus, she now needed this level-nine plant, which was powerful enough to make her body explode. It would break down every nerve and muscle of hers, then bring them to reassemble and heal.

Before the explosion happened, a mad glint flashed in her eyes as she swallowed the fruit whole.

Instantly, the erupting energy surged through her organs and spine, straight to her brain.

This energy was uncontrollable.

All Lyra could do was grit her teeth and endure.

Her pale skin cracked open. Blood seeped out, yet only to be healed rapidly by her superpower. That process repeated over and over again…

When the energy peaked, a cold gleam flashed in her eyes. A pitch-black mechanical spike shot out from her right arm.

A crisp sound echoed in the room.

After everything was over, Lyra swung her right arm and picked up the Soul Spike. "The second one, done."

She could only extract one at a time, she still smile gladly when feeling the surge of her superpower and the lighter body. After all, having a way out was better than dying.

She walked into the bathroom naked. The hot water washed away the sticky blood and sweat. Just as she was about to get dressed, the door opened from the outside.

Her silk-smooth, lean back was covered with thin muscles.

Ned's breath caught for a moment. He quickly turned around, cursing angrily, "You took two hours to shower? Got eaten by the tub?"

Lyra didn't show any embarrassment or panic. She calmly put on her clothes and taunted, "Big news: an admiral's guard barges into a young woman's room after being told she's taking a shower. That's at least a dismissal and two years of confinement, right?"

Ned focused on her movements and only turned around after she finished dressing. "If you hadn't been dragging your feet..."

Lyra moved like the wind, landing a hard punch to his gut.

"Ugh!" Ned was furious. Even if it was his fault, it should be up to the military court, not this young woman to insult him.

He roared and raised his fist.

But Lyra grabbed his arm and tried to throw him over her shoulder.

Ned, relying on his size, steadied himself, only to receive a fierce elbow strike.

Then, Lyra spun and kicked him in the side, sending him crashing into the wall.

Ned was stunned—he had actually lost to a woman much smaller than him. 'Such agility and strength—is her weakness just an act?'

While he was dazed, Lyra extended a green light strip from her hand, binding him like a mummy. Then she dragged him towards the medical room.

Realizing his situation, the prideful Ned wished he could bash his head against the wall.

"Damn it, let me go!"

"Shut up," Lyra snapped, glaring back at him. "You don't want me to tell everyone what you just did, do you?"

And so, with his face flushed red, Ned endured the greatest humiliation of his life, being dragged along like trash.

He saw nothing but the boots and shocked eyes of the ship's maintenance crew.

Cohen's healing pod had been moved, and he was discussing something with the team leader. They froze at the sight of Lyra and Ned.

The team leader quickly approached, helping the red-faced Ned up, and finally exploded, "Young miss, what did Ned do to deserve this humiliation?!"

"Nothing serious," Lyra replied without looking up from the Hemoplant on the table. "He barged into my room and spied on me in the shower."

The team leader's face stiffened, recalling Ned's angry steps earlier. Then Lyra delivered a knockout line, "You didn't stop him when he rushed into my room, did you?"

That casual question silenced the team leader completely.

Cohen, unaware of the situation, was furious and started coughing. "You all are too outrageous. What happened to respecting the law?"

If this got out, it would be a tremendous humiliation to the admiral's reputation.

Lyra glanced at him. "What's the point of hindsight? I've already dealt with it, so let's drop it."

Finishing with the Hemoplant, she leisurely approached Cohen. "Let's discuss my compensation first."

The handsome young man looked serious. "Just give me a number."

"No, I don't need money. I need an admission recommendation to the Eden Prime Military Academy."

A back-alley doctor from Voidstar and an admission recommendation to the Alliance's top military academy? That seemed worlds apart.

"Why EPMA?" Cohen asked calmly. "I thought people from Voidstar would want to stay far away from the military."

Lyra didn't flinch under their scrutiny. "I may live in Voidstar, but my background is clean. An admission recommendation to EPMA should be easy for a Lieutenant Commander."

This was her ultimate goal for agreeing to help, the first step in her plan.

"No way, I can't allow someone with an unknown background to enter the top academy."

Known as the "Military Headquarters Pre-school," EPMA was highly prestigious. To Cohen, Lyra seemed too mysterious and dangerous for such a position.

Cohen's refusal was absolute.

Lyra looked disappointed and clicked her tongue. "How about Nagano Military Academy then?"

Planet Nagano was the home base of the admiral's family. It was located at the edge of the Alliance's territory, near the border where conflicts with the Empire often occurred.

Moreover, Nagato was the second-largest habitable planet in the Alliance, rich in resources and with an environment similar to ancient Earth, making it very prosperous.

If Cohen was worried about her causing trouble, keeping her under his family's watchful eyes would surely ease his mind.

Seeing Cohen still hesitating, she sighed, "Despite how I look, my records clearly show I'm nineteen. It's normal to want a higher education."

She really was a teenager, not just youthful-looking.

Hearing the word "nineteen", even the team leader felt they'd been too harsh on her earlier and glared at Ned.

This statement seemed to strike a chord with Cohen. He relented, "Alright." Then, he added, "I'll give you the recommendation letter, but you have to pass the entrance exam on your own."

"Naturally."

Lyra smiled genuinely, her Bambi eyes gently curving, bringing rare liveliness to her usually grim face.

The guards, who had been tired of waiting, were shocked when the healing light appeared.

"She's level five now?!"