Rebirth: The Universe's Hidden Heiress-Chapter 136: The Old and the New

Many people felt enlightened after reading that comment. They thought to themselves, ’Right, the Alliance Army can’t be trusted now, but this newly established Stellar Corps seems promising.’

They originally wanted Yuka to become the General Fleet Admiral because she was neutral, without ties to any faction. She had a clean background and had quietly done a lot for the Alliance, protecting many.

They couldn’t help but wonder if Yuka already knew some insider information about the Alliance Army, which was why she didn’t join them and instead established the Stellar Corps. If they also joined the Stellar Corps and helped it grow, maybe it could replace the Alliance Army.

With this mindset, many quietly flocked to the Stellar Corps’ recruitment website. Seeing that the deadline was midnight tonight, they hurriedly applied, hoping to be chosen.

Behind the scenes on the Stellar Corps’ website, the number of troops was rapidly increasing.

The butler was excitedly scanning through applications, approving or rejecting them. The butler even saw some Alliance Army soldiers applying in secret. However, there was an agreement with Yuka and the old heads of the Alliance Army not to accept their soldiers, so they were all rejected.

Yuka opened the projection screen in her hotel room and picked a melodramatic TV drama to watch as her last relaxation before the battle.

After watching three heart-wrenching romance movies, Sunday night arrived, and the voting for the General Fleet Admiral was about to end.

Once Yuka announced her intention to form her own army, everyone knew she would not rejoin the Alliance Army. The votes for her started to decrease, and her tally wasn’t rising as quickly as before.

Kenji’s votes were steadily increasing. They had paused briefly when the Alliance Army’s scandals were exposed, but soon people started voting for him again. They had seen his dedication, experienced his protection, and trusted his character. They thought if Kenji led the new Alliance Army, things might change.

This was the Alliance people’s last trust in the Alliance Army.

That night, countless eyes were glued to the candidates’ voting website, anxiously waiting for the final result as Yuka and Kenji’s votes were almost equal.

As the clock struck midnight, the website’s voting portal and vote counting system closed simultaneously. Everyone held their breath as they clicked on the details page, only to see Yuka and Kenji’s votes—

[Tied!]

On the candidate website, Kenji and Yuka’s photos were placed side by side in the first position. At first glance, they looked like a wedding photo, harmonious and pleasing to the eye.

The butler rolled over on the bed and muttered to Yuka, "Master, what should we do now? Will the Alliance Army play dirty? With a tie, perhaps there’s another round of voting?"

"No, there won’t be," Yuka replied. "I’ve made it clear I won’t join the Alliance Army. The next General Fleet Admiral of the Alliance Army will definitely be Kenji."

As expected, a few minutes later, the Alliance Army officially announced that the current Admiral Kenji would take over as General Fleet Admiral. They also informed everyone that the change-of-command ceremony would take place tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. in Central Square.

Coincidentally, Yuka had also scheduled the Stellar Corps’ assembly for tomorrow morning at 10 a.m., at the same location, Central Square.

Yuka had no intention of competing with the Alliance Army, but they seemed intent on opposing her. She shrugged it off, pulled the blanket over herself, and slept soundly.

However, the next morning, it wasn’t the butler who woke her up, but a message from Kenji. Kenji had rushed back from the front lines overnight, rested for only a few hours, and got up early to prepare for today’s ceremony.

He messaged Yuka during his spare time, asking, "Do you want to have breakfast together?"

After receiving Kenji’s message, Yuka agreed to his invitation. She quickly got ready and went downstairs, where Kenji was waiting outside the hotel in his Lev.

Yuka chose her regular restaurant and turned to Kenji, asking, "Any updates from the space pirates’ side recently?"

Kenji replied, "No. After the first wave of bugs was eliminated, the space pirates seemed to plan a second wave attack, but for some reason, they withdrew this plan. Instead, they started releasing bugs in batches, as if intending to wage a war of attrition."

Yuka suddenly leaned in, touched Kenji’s face, and asked, "Are you hurt?"

Kenji’s cheek warmed where Yuka touched him. He gently held her wrist and softly answered, "No."

Reunited after a short separation, Yuka and Kenji entered a private dining room. They fed each other, exchanged sweet words, and extended what could have been a ten-minute breakfast into more than half an hour.

The air around them was thick with mushy sweetness, causing their subordinates waiting outside to involuntarily shiver.

After breakfast, Kenji dropped Yuka off at Central Square and went to join the Alliance Army, standing at a distance from Yuka.

The Alliance Army occupied the north side of the square, with flags representing the Alliance fluttering and a small podium set up.

Yuka stood on the south side, greeting the crowd. She recognized many familiar faces, including classmates from the five major academies. There were Ayoi and Alex waving at her, along with the smiling faces of Donny, Shawn, Lory, Philip, Ichiro, and other seniors and juniors.

Yuka couldn’t help but smile back, waving in response to Ayoi.

The leaders of the Alliance Army units sat around the podium, facing the south side of the square. Initially, they thought the growing crowd around Yuka were just spectators for the General Fleet Admiral’s change-of-command ceremony. However, they soon realized these were the soon-to-be soldiers of the Stellar Corps, and their faces turned all sour.

General Fleet Admiral stood among the Alliance Army troops, looking at the young faces surrounding Yuka. He saw in them his younger self and comrades when they first joined the Alliance Army. Young people are always full of passion and fearlessness, firmly believing in the world’s justice and kindness. Unencumbered by conflicts of interest, they bravely fight against injustice, even at the cost of their lives.

He realized they had grown old, losing their original intentions.

As the clock struck ten, General Fleet Admiral returned to reality. He walked up to the podium, looking at Kenji with a mix of pride and hesitation.

Yuka stood on the edge of a marble flowerbed, looking at the people about to join the Stellar Corps.

The former General Fleet Admiral picked up the shoulder badge symbolizing the General Fleet Admiral from a tray.

He and Kenji saluted each other, then slowly lowered his hand, solemnly affixing the badge to Kenji’s shoulder. He heavily patted Kenji’s shoulder, symbolically transferring the heavy responsibility of the General Fleet Admiral to him.

Yuka met the eyes of her audience and smiled slightly, then said, "Everyone here probably knows what we are about to face. Yes, our goal is to completely eliminate the insectoid Queen. In this process, there will be injuries, even deaths. If anyone wants to leave, now is your chance."

The Alliance citizens, standing on the periphery, watched the simultaneous transition: on one side, Kenji taking over as the Alliance Army General Fleet Admiral, and on the other, Yuka organizing the Stellar Corps. They felt a myriad of emotions but remained silent.

Contrary to expectations, not a single person left the Stellar Corps after hearing Yuka’s words.

Yuka continued, "If no one is leaving, then everyone can go back to pack your belongings. We’ll regroup here at three in the afternoon and head to the training planet to prepare better for facing the Queen."

After finishing her speech, Yuka looked up towards Kenji, who was coming down from the podium. Kenji was also looking at her. Across the divide of the Alliance Army and the Stellar Corps, they exchanged smiles.

Yuka lowered her head to address the members of the Stellar Corps who hadn’t left, "By the way, we will cooperate with Admiral Kuba... I mean, General Fleet Admiral Kuba’s Alliance Army. In the early stages, before the Queen appears, they will help us by holding off the front-line insectoid swarms, buying us enough time to prepare."

Kenji, addressing the Alliance Army, was also informing his subordinates to pass down the orders, "We will cooperate with the Stellar Corps. Their goal is to kill the Queen, and our job is to clear all obstacles for them before the Queen emerges."

While the crowd acknowledged the orders, they couldn’t help but wonder about the display of camaraderie between Yuka and Kenji.

After leaving Central Square, Kenji returned to the Alliance Army headquarters to reassign the forces of various corps. The other corps leaders, seeing their key subordinates and spearhead units being reassigned, wanted to confront Kenji about potential bias but held back their anger.

The situation was delicate. Kenji, unlike the previous General Fleet Admiral, was known for his impartiality. The corps leaders didn’t dare to make a scene in front of him, fearing it would worsen matters. They grudgingly accepted the situation, planning to redistribute power from Kenji after Yuka dealt with the Queen.

Meanwhile, Yuka had already taken her Stellar Corps to a training planet rented from the UUA. Accompanying them were several experienced veterans sent by Kenji to help with their training.

Yonda was also there, his expression complex upon seeing Yuka. He didn’t ask why she had previously hidden her true strength, as he had a vague idea of the reason.

Before the training began, Yuka looked at her troops seriously and said, "As you’ve seen in the agreement, joining the Stellar Corps has its standards. If you don’t meet them, you will be discharged. Anyone who can’t handle the training, keep up, or isn’t willing to shed blood and sweat can leave anytime."

Still, not a single person left. They looked at Yuka, their eyes filled with determination. They didn’t trust the Alliance Army; they trusted Yuka, who risked her own safety to save others and established her own army to kill the Queen.

They wanted to contribute to protecting the Alliance, not just sit back and wait for the Alliance Army’s rescue, putting all their hopes on them.

This time, they decided to rely on themselves. If they succeeded, they would make a name for themselves in history. If they failed, they would still be heroes of the Alliance.

Yuka then declared, "Alright, let the training begin!"