Rebirth: The Universe's Hidden Heiress-Chapter 41: Another Dangerous Situation

Kenji’s Lev slowly decelerated, revealing the charred wreckage of a spaceship outside the window. It was evident that a space vessel had exploded, and quite thoroughly at that.

In such a situation, survival for anyone on board was impossible.

Kenji circled the drifting debris, confirming it was the ship that had taken Yuka and two others.

With no place to dock his Lev, Kenji had no choice but to keep driving in circles while sending messages back to the Alliance Army, which was in an uproar.

"I’ve always said it, she’s an uncontrollable factor!" grumbled the leader of the Seventh Legion, furrowing his brow. "Just look at what she’s done before, each act more brazen than the last, and all without thought of the consequences, leaving us to clean up her messes!"

"That’s not fair," countered the former leader of the Tenth Legion, speaking slowly. "Lyu, don’t be angry. Young people are always a bit impulsive. By the way, have you chosen your successor yet? You’re not getting any younger. Why not retire and join us old folks for tea and games..."

These fourteen individuals were the signatories of the secrecy agreement, placing Yuka under the highest level of protection. Aside from the leader of the Seventh Legion and the highest-ranking Fleet Admiral, the other twelve had already retired.

"The Third Legion’s leader advised, "Lyu, don’t listen to him. Before retiring, make sure you keep control of the military power. Otherwise, you’ll end up like me, outsmarted by the royal family, losing all your power and tarnishing the Third Legion’s reputation."

General Fleet Admiral, holding his forehead, shouted, "Enough, stop arguing!" The meeting room instantly fell silent. Reading Kenji’s message, he sighed, "That ship’s a wreckage now. That girl must have blown up the ship."

"That’s not necessarily true," retorted the leader of the Seventh Legion sarcastically. "Maybe she blew up WITH the ship."

The leader of the Tenth Legion quickly interjected, "Alright, alright, let’s focus on what to do next."

Kenji’s message continued, "General Fleet Admiral, I believe the three of them are still alive. I request permission to continue the search."

The General Fleet Admiral shared Kenji’s thoughts with everyone. Their expressions varied, but eventually, they all agreed and left the meeting room.

As the leader of the Tenth Legion was leaving, he patted General Fleet Admiral’s shoulder, asking in a low, teasing voice, "Sir, when do you plan to retire and pass the baton to that youngster Kenji?"

General Fleet Admiral waved his hand dismissively, "Just leave. I haven’t decided anything yet; he’s still too green. We’ll talk about it later."

After everyone left his meeting room, the General Fleet Admiral snorted, "A bunch of cunning bustards." He picked up his opticomputer to message Kenji, "Make sure those three come back safely!"

He and Kenji shared the same belief that those three clever folks wouldn’t die that easily.

Upon receiving the General Fleet Admiral’s approval, Kenji immediately turned his Lev around and set off again. As he sped along, he thought to himself that Yuka and the others definitely wouldn’t head to Kata; they weren’t foolish enough to walk straight into an ambush. So, Kenji re-planned his route, heading towards a nameless, insignificant star on the boarder of the Alliance’s map.

---

Yuka piloted the Lev, landing it gently on the ground. This was a planet on boarder, filled with garbage.

The stench in the air almost penetrated their helmets. Yuka opened her space button, stored the Lev inside, and then pulled out some jackets, handing them to Ayoi and Alex and putting one on herself to cover her exposed arms.

"Are you new here?"

Hearing the voice, Yuka and her companions turned around in unison. A skinny boy emerged from behind a trash can, looking up at them, "Do you need a guide?"

Yuka exchanged a glance with the others. "Yes," she replied, smiling sweetly at the boy, "Could you tell me what you know about this place, please?"

The boy was impressed by Yuka’s beauty, yet he didn’t let it show and only stretched out his dirty hand.

Yuka held his gaze for a few seconds. Their opticomputer had been smashed by the space pirates, and apart from the Lev and some clothes, Yuka’s space button only contained sunscreen and face masks given by the butler.

After a brief moment of thought, Yuka asked, "Do you want a face mask? Or maybe sunscreen?"

The boy withdrew his hand expressionlessly, realizing that the three disheveled, blood-stained individuals in front of him were utterly penniless. He turned to leave.

"Hey, hey, hey," Yuka called out, placing a nutrient liquid she had brought from the pirate ship into his hand, "What about this? Do you want this?"

The boy turned back, snatched the nutrient liquid from Yuka’s hand, and hid it in his waistband. He looked up at them and asked, "Where do you want to go?"

"Do you know where we can buy an opticomputer?" Yuka inquired, "Or is there anyone who would lend us theirs for a bit?"

The boy looked at her as if she were out of her mind. Seeing Yuka’s serious expression, he paused for a moment before slowly responding, "No, there are no opticomputer for sale here."

The boy thought for a moment and then said, "If you’re willing to go to ’the Grand Coliseum,’ and if you win the championship, you can follow the owner and become one of his subordinates. His subordinates have opticomputers; I’ve seen them."

"The Grand Coliseum?" Yuka frowned. "What is that?"

"Aren’t you here to make a name for yourselves?" the boy looked at them curiously and sighed. "Never mind, it’s obvious you’re here because you’re in trouble."

"This planet is unnamed. Originally, it had a long vein of pure Oniyon, said to be incredibly valuable. Later, someone bought this planet and hired many people to mine it. But then, someone else came, the one currently in the Grand Coliseum."

An old voice took over the boy’s story, "He forced the miners into the Grand Coliseum to fight and kill each other. Those who lose continue mining endlessly, while the winners, especially those with high psychic power levels, get to live on a ship. At the end of the month, the most powerful few can leave this planet with the boss to go to a planet called Capital Octoxis."

The boy ran to the old man and offered him the nutrient liquid, but the old man did not take it. He continued, "There are no opticomputer here, nor any signals. To leave, you must fight your way onto a ship."

"The boss only wants useful people," the old man said, patting the boy’s head, "Those who can’t enter the Grand Coliseum can only fend for themselves outside, scavenging leftovers thrown out from there. Many desperate people come here to try their luck in the Coliseum, either to become one of the few who go to Capital Octoxis to enjoy their lives or to mine for a lifetime."

"How will you choose?"

Yuka fell silent. Without an opticomputer, she couldn’t message her father to assure him of her safety, nor could she contact the Alliance Army for help.

She sighed inwardly, feeling like they had escaped one danger to run into another one. She hoped her father and the Alliance Army would find them quickly; otherwise, they would have to survive on their own.

"How do we choose?" Yuka turned to ask.

Without much hesitation, Ayoi and Alex said, "Go to the Grand Coliseum."

"Alright." Yuka nodded at the old man, "We’ll go to the Grand Coliseum."

The old man sighed and then pointed to a towering black structure, telling Yuka and her companions, "See that building? That’s the Grand Coliseum. As a thanks for the nutrient liquid, I’ll tell you a bit more."

"After entering the Grand Coliseum, don’t rush to the arena," the old man advised. "Gather some information first and avoid the fierce man at all costs. Do not confront him. I’ve heard that the Grand Coliseum is like a small city, with everything including restaurants and taverns. Here, it’s survival of the fittest; everything depends on strength. If you’re strong enough, nothing will be a problem."

After saying this, he left with the boy, walking into an alleyway behind the trash cans.

The boy asked, "Grandpa, why did you tell them so much?"

"Because they are different," the old man replied, walking slowly. "In my youth, I saw people like them: always standing tall, determined eyes, knowing what they want and what they should do. And the girl who spoke to us, have you ever seen someone as beautiful? They might look weak, but did you notice? The blood on them isn’t their own."

"Indeed," the old man smiled, "Few who come here are simple."

The boy nodded, not fully understanding.

Meanwhile, Yuka watched the old man and boy leave, then nodded to Ayoi and Alex, "Let’s go."

They walked through the trash-filled streets towards the towering black structure. The towering building was more than just a tower; it resembled a cylindrical building with many large floors and a complex structure. Two big, burly men guarded the entrance, closely watching them.

Yuka approached the guards and said, "We want to enter the Grand Coliseum."

The guards stepped aside, "There’s a detection gate inside. Hand over anything you have."

Yuka walked through, followed closely by Ayoi and Alex.

[BEEP — Foreign object detected.]

Hearing the harsh machine sound and seeing the guard’s unfriendly face, Yuka silently handed over her space button.

As the guard reached to take it, Yuka asked, "Can I have it back when I leave?"

The guard sneered and sized her up, "That’s if you can leave."

Yuka placed the space button in the guard’s hand and continued forward.

[BEEP — Foreign object detected.]

The machine beeped again, and the guard frowned at Yuka, "What else are you carrying?"

She was also carrying the butler.

Yuka clenched the small orb in her hand, remaining silent.

Ayoi and Alex looked at her worriedly, contemplating the possibility of forcing their way in.

Caught in a tense moment, Yuka, Ayoi, and Alex were at a standoff with the guard. The guy was losing patience and about to forcefully take the object from Yuka’s hand. Just then, another voice interrupted, "Hey, what’s going on here?"

A man approached the guard, glanced at the people being held up, then froze upon recognizing Yuka. She smiled slowly at him.

It was Snakehead. He awkwardly retracted his hand from the guard’s shoulder, moved next to Yuka, and in a bid to appear close, said to the guard, "Ah, dude, this is my... friend. Let’s not make a fuss, I’ll take them inside."

Thanks to Snakehead’s intervention, Yuka smoothly entered the Grand Coliseum, managing to retrieve her space button from the guard in the process. Ayoi and Alex, carrying nothing suspicious, quickly caught up.

Once inside, Snakehead hastily stepped aside and then bowed deeply to Yuka, "Good to see you!" and rose quickly.

He nervously rubbed his hands, sweat evident on his palms, yet he maintained a flattering smile. "My lady, what brings you here? This isn’t exactly a friendly place, but I know it well. Whatever you need, just tell me, and I’ll take care of it!"

Yuka, slightly taken aback by his adept flattery, composed herself and asked, "Aren’t weapons prohibited here?" freeweɓnovel.cøm

Snakehead replied, "Officially, yes. But in reality, if you’re in with the guards, you’re fine. Here, going unarmed is like asking for trouble."

Yuka then asked, "How come you can leave and then come back?"

He explained, "As long as you don’t lose and get sent to the mines, you can come and go in the Grand Coliseum as you please. But you need to win matches to earn black coins for food, so most people choose to compete and stay for sustenance."

He then produced a black metal coin from his pocket, about the size of a regular coin, and handed it to Yuka, "This is a black coin."

Yuka took the coin, examining it. It was made of Oniyon. She was about to show it to Ayoi and Alex when she suddenly realized something. Turning around, she saw Ayoi and Alex staring at her and Snake, their expressions a mix of disbelief and a tinge of accusation.

Yuka paused, then said, "Let me explain— no, not justify, but explain."