Rebirth: The Universe's Hidden Heiress-Chapter 25: Major Incident

Yuka rose from her holographic pod, rubbing her arms as she exited the underground arena.

The usually silent butler suddenly asked, "Master, where are we heading now?"

Stretching languidly, Yuka replied, "Let’s go grab some food."

Though the underground arena hosted virtual matches, they drained psychic power significantly and took a toll on her physically.

Patting her stomach, Yuka stopped in front of a restaurant.

She requested a private room from the robotic waiter and swiftly ordered over ten dishes. The electronic eyes of the waiter blinked in surprise, interrupting her, "Excuse me, are you dining alone?"

Nodding, Yuka added a soup to her order, reassuring, "Don’t worry, I can finish it all, nothing will go to waste."

In the private room, an electronic screen provided entertainment during meals. Yuka instructed the butler to pick a comedy film, but the screen suddenly switched to an emergency broadcast.

Dropping her spoon, Yuka focused on the screen. On it, the distinguished but aging Fleet Admiral of the Alliance Army stood at a makeshift podium in Central Square, solemnly addressing the camera, "Good evening, everyone."

Kenji stood rigid and serious behind the Fleet Admiral.

"Tonight, I am here to discuss a matter of utmost importance concerning the safety of all citizens of the Alliance," declared the Fleet Admiral. At his nod, several Alliance Army officers brought a glass jar onto the stage. Yuka frowned.

Gasps echoed from the screen as the crowd recoiled at the sight of a mottled, black-legged bug in the jar, even though it was clearly deceased.

"As you can see," the Fleet Admiral surveyed the crowd and went on, "this creature is the deceased Queen Insectoid."

The audience erupted in noise. Someone shouted, "Please explain! Wasn’t the Queen killed a hundred years ago in the war?"

The Fleet Admiral raised his hand, silencing them instantly. "I am here to provide that explanation," he assured, "Please remain calm and await the presentation of all evidence."

Several more Alliance Army officers ascended the stage, this time accompanied by several disheveled men. Pointing to them, the Fleet Admiral explained, "See the glass jar beside the Queen? It contains a dead soldier insectoid, brought here by these space pirates, intending to release it in Central Square to harm the Alliance people. Fortunately, the Alliance Army discovered it in time, averting a tragedy."

The crowd below erupted in fury, hurling insults at the space pirates on stage. Some even threw objects, trying to attack them, but the Alliance Army quickly intervened to prevent any harm.

The Fleet Admiral’s voice boomed, "Through our interrogation, these space pirates have revealed everything about this conspiracy."

Yuka raised an eyebrow in surprise. ’Weren’t these pirates just telling me they knew nothing?’

The Fleet Admiral continued solemnly, "All this began after the war ended. The then Deputy Dean of the Alliance Science Academy stole some of the Queen Bug’s cell samples and fled the Alliance to join the space pirates, intending to resurrect the Queen."

The audience was in an uproar.

"After all these years, he still hasn’t given up. These two insectoids are the evidence of his crime!" he declared sternly. "But rest assured, the Alliance is safe, and insectoids will never rise again!"

"We have already located the criminal and will soon bring him back to the Alliance for trial!" he proclaimed. Then, with a knock on the podium, the Alliance Army poured fuel into a special isolation jar containing the insectoids and set it ablaze. The insectoids were quickly reduced to a small pile of ashes.

Behind each space pirate stood an Alliance Army soldier. The pirates, pale and despairing, closed their eyes as gunshots rang out and they fell, blood splattering. The crowd gasped but soon fell silent, their emotions mixed with relief and fear as they watched the dangerous creatures and men meet their end.

The Fleet Admiral, exuding righteousness, stepped down from the podium, stood at attention, and saluted the audience, saying solemnly, "Please trust the Alliance Army!" The crowd responded with a roaring applause after a brief silence.

Yuka, resting her chin in her hand, recalled how the soldier insectoids had melted the weapons the previous night, a detail the Alliance Army hadn’t mentioned. She looked at the remains of the insectoids, then at the publicly executed space pirates, and scoffed inwardly. With all evidence destroyed, the narrative was entirely in their hands.

Picking up her forks again, Yuka resumed eating her unfinished meal. As the Fleet Admiral left the stage, a thin man in a white shirt stepped up to the podium. freewёbnoνel.com

The current Dean of the Alliance Science Academy, adjusting his glasses, addressed the crowd, "Hello everyone, I am the current Dean of the Alliance Science Academy. Firstly, I want to confirm that what the Fleet Admiral said about the former Deputy Dean stealing the Queen’s cell samples decades ago is true."

"After discovering this, my teacher, the then Dean, immediately reported it to the Alliance Army and expelled the Deputy Dean from the Academy," he explained, his expression frustrated. "The stolen cell samples had lost all vitality; theoretically and practically, it was impossible to resurrect the Queen Insectoid with them."

"That’s why this incident wasn’t given much attention decades ago." The Dean sighed, "To this day, we don’t know how he managed to actually resurrect the Queen. But this indeed reflects a lapse on the part of the Academy, and we will fully cooperate with the Alliance Army to apprehend the criminal."

Yuka quickly calculated the timelines in her mind and realized that Nori was unlikely to be the madman attempting to resurrect the Queen, and she felt a sense of relief.

The mood of the audience grew more complex. The Academy, seemingly innocent in this matter, faced a dilemma due to the actions of a former member and had to publicly apologize.

As Yuka sipped her soup, she sensed there was more to the Academy’s announcement. A simple apology could have been made through a touching article on the interstellarnet, gaining sympathy and popularity with ease.

Indeed, the Dean’s face brightened as he continued, "Moreover, I want to use this opportunity to announce some good news on behalf of the Alliance Science Academy."

"Everyone knows the importance of Oniyon as a key material in mecha construction, but it requires a high psychic power." He pulled out a black metal piece from his pocket. "After years of effort, we have finally developed Pneyon."

"Pneyon is derived from Oniyon. Without Oniyon, there would be no Pneyon," he paused, "It can also be used to make mechas. Its price and performance are similar to Oniyon’s, but it demands significantly less psychic power."

The crowd erupted into a buzz of excitement, inching closer to the podium to get a better look at the Pneyon in his hand, bombarding the Dean with questions, eager for answers.

The Dean had to raise his voice to be heard over the commotion, "Please, everyone, calm down! While Pneyon reduces the psychic power requirement to a normal person’s C-grade, it significantly increases the physical demands to A-tier!"

The crowd paused briefly before erupting into even louder chaos. Some, recklessly pushing past the Alliance Army guards, lunged towards the Dean.

The Dean hurriedly added, "But higher psychic power is still better for smoother and more precise mecha control." Then he quickly exited the stage, protected by the Alliance Army, and left the scene in a Lev.

Yuka exhaled deeply, murmuring under her breath, "What a mess..."

She knew that the Alliance Army, at least Kenji, must have been aware of Pneyon. It made sense now why Kenji had merged the infantry and mecha specializations.

With Pneyon, people with lower psychic power could pilot mechas. Although mecha specialists still had an edge in psychic ability, they traditionally neglected physical training. Now, Pneyon forced them to enhance their physical strength, or risk being outperformed by the physically stronger infantry specialists.

Her opticomputer pinged with a message from Ayoi in their group chat.

Ayoi: "OMG, @Yuka, @Alex, did you see that?! Pneyon! Lower psychic power requirements! Is this why they made us merge specializations?!"

Ayoi: "We can’t slack off in physical training anymore, or we’ll be left far behind!"

Ayoi: "Why aren’t you guys responding?"

Yuka replied, "Saw it."

Alex added, "Saw it, shocked but not surprised."

Ayoi sent an encouraging emoji, saying, "Let’s work hard! If we don’t score at least 80, we might be switched to another major."

Ayoi: "Hey, Yuka, are you still set on switching to the history department?"

Yuka replied, "Yeah. I just need to pass. You guys go for it, I’m fine."

Alex: "History? Does that mean you won’t be joining us in the underground arena next year?"

"Of course, I will," Yuka replied. "Different majors don’t matter. We’re always friends. I’ll definitely team up with you guys next year."

Ayoi: "Aww, good."

Alex: "Great."

Yuka then checked the school forum, which was in an uproar. The mecha specialization’s previous advantage had diminished, and infantry specialists were boasting non-stop, mocking the mecha specialists’ perceived arrogance.

After watching these posts get deleted by administrators, Yuka was about to log off when she noticed the flashing "Announcement."

Yuka quickly opened the campus announcement. As she did so, the butler on her screen reluctantly withdrew his hand from his match-three game and returned to it.

She read through the announcement, which outlined significant changes:

Message from UUA – Special Announcement:

Hello, students!

We believe you’ve all seen the news about Pneyon. We’re excited to announce, in collaboration with four other institutions, our future development plans for the Combat Department!

Starting next semester, the infantry specialization will be merged into the mecha specialization. Admission criteria will be relaxed, and we will expand the number of enrollees. However, be warned: students scoring below 90 in each subject at the end of the semester will be eliminated!

Upon graduation, students from the mecha specialization can directly join forces with the Alliance Army.

Wishing everyone success in their studies!

Yuka was stunned. "Five universities involved?!" She had always thought there was only one university in the Alliance studying mecha.

The butler peeked out from his match three game, "Yes, while UUA is the best in the Alliance, the mecha specializations of other universities are also strong. In the quadrennial intercollegiate tournament, each university has claimed the championship at some point. They are equally matched..."

Yuka covered her ears in mock despair, "Stop, I don’t want to know anymore!" She was overwhelmed by the scale of the changes and the competitiveness it implied for her future studies and career.