Rebirth: The Universe's Hidden Heiress-Chapter 95: Falling Out (1)

Yuka was very surprised that people actually believed the royal family would save the world.

There were quite a few comments under the article, clamoring for the Alliance Army to step down.

"This is outrageous!" The commander of the Seventh Legion furiously smashed his cup, sending glass shards flying across the room.

But nobody tried to calm him down as usual because everyone in the meeting room was in a bad mood.

If it weren’t for General Fleet Admiral’s timely intervention, they would have rolled up their sleeves and gone to confront the royal family right then and there.

"What’s the use of keeping that idiot of Third Legion around? Just look at what he’s saying in this article, ’insider information’—all made up to slander us!" the commander of the Seventh Legion shouted. "The royal family is clearly picking a fight with us. We don’t need to give them any more respect. Let’s throw out the whole Third Legion right now!"

The Third Legion was a unit openly placed within the Alliance Army by the royal family. Although the Alliance Army hardly let the Third Legion in on any secrets, it still bore the name of the Alliance Army. Now, with the legion’s commander stirring public opinion and shaking people’s faith, many believed his words, thinking there were indeed problems within the Alliance Army.

"General, what should we do?" asked the commander of the Ninth Legion, looking at General Fleet Admiral.

After a moment of thought, General Fleet Admiral slowly said, "Isn’t it almost time for the Alliance Army’s election of a new General Fleet Admiral?"

"It is," replied the commander of the Sixth Legion. "But if you want to hold the election now... the public opinion is very unfavorable for us."

He gravely added, "If we can’t handle public opinion by then, you might not be able to continue as General Fleet Admiral."

"I’ve been considering retirement," General Fleet Admiral dropped this bombshell, then continued with a smile, "My designated successor, everyone probably knows him, right? It’s that young Kenji. I was worried he wasn’t mature enough, too young, so I wanted to give him more time. But now, it seems like a good opportunity."

There was a moment of silence.

The commander of the Eighth Legion looked around and then laughed, "We’re in no position to stop you from retiring. When do you want the election to get announced?"

"Let’s announce it today. Start the election next Monday, and give a week for the public to vote," said General Fleet Admiral.

"Wouldn’t that be too soon?" the commander of the Sixth Legion said. "Fleet Admiral, please think it over."

General Fleet Admiral’s private communicator chimed. He glanced at the opticomputer screen and signaled to the people around the table that he was about to take a call. Everyone instantly quieted down.

The caller was the UUA president, holding a white cat and looking serious. He asked General Fleet Admiral, "Can you handle the situation? Do you know how anxious the students are? They fear that you all are incompetent and are reluctant to join the Alliance Army now!"

In reality, the situation in the schools wasn’t as dire as he described. The students had their own judgment. Although some had raised doubts on forums, these were quickly rebutted by seniors who were either in the Alliance Army or had family in the military. The forum mediators also deleted the posts in time. Aside from a few extreme royalist zealots, most people didn’t react much.

General Fleet Admiral replied with a smile, "Don’t worry, my friend. The Academy Tournament will go on as scheduled. Since there’s a lack of confidence in the Alliance Army now, it’s even more important to showcase the vigor of these young students. Let them show how capable they are, to give the public hope and boost their confidence in the Alliance Army, right?"

The president inwardly cursed General Fleet Admiral for his cunning, using the Academy Tournament to divert attention from the Alliance Army. But there was still people listen to them, so he maintained calm and responded with a forced smile, "Of course, I believe these talented kids won’t disappoint the public."

"By the way, my old friend," General Fleet Admiral’s tone became more serious, "you’re aware of the recent attacks on the Alliance Prison and the Alliance Bank, right? The space pirates haven’t declared war on us, but it’s a clear provocation. Remember to enhance security during the tournament, just in case. If you need any help from the Alliance Army, just let us know."

These students were the future of the Alliance Army, and with space pirates having already tried twice to abduct UUA students, they had to be cautious.

The UUA president absorbed the information and then replied, "Got it, my friend. Thank you."

Half an hour after the call ended, the Alliance Army responded to the widely circulated article:

In light of the attacks on the Alliance Prison and the Alliance Bank, we have already taken the quickest measures. We accept responsibility for letting the public down and acknowledge our errors. Should such incidents recur, we assure you of a quicker and more efficient response.

However, the allegations in the article were slanderous, and the Alliance Army had never committed such acts. The Alliance Army had now dismissed the commander of the Third Legion, who provided the rumors to the author of the article, and filed a lawsuit against the author.

Since the royal family had decided to fully turn against the Alliance Army, there was no longer any need to show them any courtesy. Starting immediately, the Third Legion would be reabsorbed into the Alliance Army, and anyone biased towards the royal family would be removed.

The announcement from the Alliance Army sparked widespread discussion. Yuka also received messages in a small group chat.

Ayoi: "The Alliance Army is taking a tough stance, huh?"

Alex: "I think the Alliance Army’s response is very powerful. Now hardly anyone dares to continue criticizing them. Many of the reactionary comments posted online have also been deleted."

Ayoi: "That article got deleted too. Did the author chicken out?"

"Malicious slander always makes one feel guilty," Yuka replied. "Some cowards behave arrogantly behind their opticomputers, smearing and judging others. But as soon as they are confronted directly, they run away with their tails between their legs."

Ayoi and Alex both agreed, "Exactly!"

Just as they finished discussing this topic, the Alliance Army’s official account posted another notification:

[The election for the next General Fleet Admiral of the Alliance Army is about to begin, lasting one week, from midnight next Monday to midnight the following Sunday. Each Alliance Citizen has one vote. Please visit the official website of the Alliance Army to cast your vote.]

The trio quickly visited the Alliance Army’s website to check out the candidates. In addition to the current General Fleet Admiral, the candidates included commanders from the other twelve legions, as well as Admiral Kenji.

Ayoi in the group chat: "I’m voting for Admiral Kuba. What about you guys?"

Yuka: "I’m voting for him too."

Alex: "Same here."

The two consecutive messages from the Alliance Army had effectively quelled the previous voices of dissent.

The subsequent announcement of the Academy Tournament, co-hosted by the UUA, Atlantis Academy, the Gaia Institute, Heraclitus Academy, and Confucius Academy, completely shifted public attention.freeweɓnovel.cѳm