Rebirth: The Universe's Hidden Heiress-Chapter 138: Continuous Battle (2)

The battlefield descended into chaos as the Alliance Army struggled to distinguish friend from foe, leading to accidental friendly fire.

Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Kenji made a decisive call to retreat the Alliance Army to a secure line. From there, they used the entrenched firepower to deal with the insectoids and purge the space pirates infiltrating their ranks.

The disguised pirates, realizing they were losing the advantage, attempted to flee but were eventually eliminated by the pursuing Alliance forces. Although the insectoids were eventually defeated, this attack caused more damage than all previous encounters combined.

Kenji knew that having tasted success, the space pirates would likely employ this tactic again. Without a proper countermeasure, repeated attacks of this kind could eventually overwhelm the Alliance Army’s defenses at the front line.

News of the frontline situation spread back to the Alliance, causing panic among some.

Yuka learned of the incident through Kenji, and the people on the training planet were also informed via opticomputers.

Upon hearing the news, Toru immediately sought out Yuka, holding a spaceship detection alarm in his hands.

Excitedly, he said to Yuka, "Commander, do you remember this device?"

Yuka had chosen the title "Commander" for herself to avoid confusion with Kenji’s title, asking the Stellar Corps members to use it when addressing her.

Yuka glanced at the device in Toru’s hand and nodded, "Yes, I remember it. What about it?"

Toru, animated with excitement, explained, "The device I created can detect space pirate spaceships and trigger an alarm. Their ships don’t have Alliance identification numbers, or they use illegal ones. With a few modifications, we can use it to detect the space pirates’ mechas."

Yuka’s eyes sparkled with interest. After Toru bravely exposed Humphrey, Tanaka, the reinstated head of the Alliance Science Academy, had invited him back to the Academy.

This time, Tanaka offered him a position as a full-fledged research scientist, not just an intern. However, Toru, having joined Yuka’s army, declined the invitation.

With Yuka’s approval, Toru quickly contacted Tanaka and returned to Capital Octoxis to work at the Science Academy.

The scientists, debating whether to redesign the mechas or to add identification tags, were intrigued by Toru’s homemade detector.

Collaborating with many leading scientists, Toru began to develop a new type of detection alarm.

With the collective effort of these experts, the new detection alarm was created by the afternoon. Small as a button, it could be installed on the control panel inside a mecha.

It had all the legal Alliance mecha numbers programmed in, easily identifying space pirate mechas and triggering an alarm.

Additionally, it featured a positioning function, projecting a small red dot on detected pirate mechas, guiding the pilots for precise attacks, increasing identification accuracy, and reducing the chance of pirates blending in.

The information detection alarms were quickly produced and sent to the front lines.

That evening, the space pirates repeated their tactics, deploying flying insects for aerial drops and using eggs for attacks. They also sent more pirates to infiltrate the Alliance Army, aiming to induce infighting.

However, this time, the Alliance Army was well-prepared. With the new alarms, they minimized damage and won the battle, effectively countering the pirates’ strategy.

Everyone’s impression of Toru, initially seen as a mere nerdy bookworm, was rapidly transformed into that of a genius.

His newfound reputation spread, attracting the attention of many logistics students. Inspired by Toru’s achievements, these students, eager to contribute their expertise, eagerly applied to join the Stellar Corps.

Despite the official recruitment period having concluded, Yuka, recognizing the crucial importance of their skills in maintaining mechas and providing medical care for the wounded on the battlefield, made an exception. She agreed to their requests and promptly initiated a second recruitment phase. This strategic move significantly bolstered the Stellar Corps’ capabilities.

However, this resolution of one issue gave rise to another.

The Alliance Army, now adept at identifying space pirates, forced these adversaries into a tactical retreat. Rather than continue their direct assaults, the pirates cunningly deployed a more formidable type of insectoid – the soldier insectoid, known for its ability to emit devastating sound waves.

These waves, a unique capability of the adult form of these evolved soldier insectoids, proved to be a game-changer on the battlefield. Upon their deployment, the Alliance Army faced a grave challenge; their weapons, with the exception of those manufactured by Oniyon, succumbed to the insectoids’ sound waves, melting into liquid and thus rendered utterly useless.

This drastically reduced the army’s combat effectiveness.

The situation worsened when the Pneyon-type mechas, crucial to the Alliance Army’s strategy, began losing synchronization with their pilots under the relentless assault of the soldier insectoids’ sound waves, further crippling their fighting capacity.

The arrival of reinforcements, who managed to eliminate these soldier insectoids, came as a respite, but not without cost. The remaining members of the Alliance Army were left exhausted, with many injured.

Kenji, worn out from the intense battle, rubbed his temples in fatigue. After administering first aid to his arm wound, he accessed his opticomputer and promptly reported the dire situation to the Alliance Army headquarters.

He requested additional personnel support. Subsequently, he covered his wound and sent a reassuring message to Yuka about his safety.

Yuka, acutely aware of the heavy losses the Alliance Army had incurred in the battle, was filled with concern. As soon as Kenji’s call came through, she immediately asked, "How are things? Are you hurt?"

"We’re managing to keep things under control," Kenji replied, his voice betraying a hint of weariness. He paused briefly before adding, "I’m not hurt."

Noticing the bloodstain on Kenji’s collar, Yuka’s expression turned skeptical. She squinted and raised her tone, "Are you sure?"

Feeling a pang of guilt, Kenji found it difficult to meet Yuka’s gaze. He averted his eyes and muttered, "Yeah."

Yuka, direct as always, pressed further, "Your wound is not serious, right? You need to be honest. If you continue to hide it, I won’t hesitate to come there myself."

Kenji, realizing the gravity of his situation, quickly faced Yuka again and assured her earnestly, "It’s not serious, just a minor cut. I’ve already taken care of it with a bandage. It should heal soon. Please don’t come here; it’s far too dangerous."

"Very dangerous," Yuka repeated slowly, her voice laced with concern. As Kenji again looked away, guilt evident in his demeanor, she continued, "The number of soldier insectoids is large, isn’t it? When is the next space pirate attack expected?"

After a brief, tense silence, Kenji provided the answer they both feared, "By tomorrow night at the latest."frёeωebɳovel.com