MORIC - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: What Do You Do When You're Matched with Your Love Rival?

For the next few days, Chi Yueshan didn't run into Xi Zhoumeng much.

After all, the Omega division was huge. Even if first, second, and third-year classes were often mixed, it didn't mean Xi Zhoumeng was someone you could see every day.

Guyun Academy's credit system was very strict. Failing a course meant paying a hefty retake fee and facing a penalty.

The former was nothing, but the latter was enough to make even the natives of the Upper World suffer immensely.

Because they would be assigned by the school's main AI to do menial labor on a random planet.

The galaxy had countless low-grade planets, and it took seven or eight hours to get there by spaceship.

Because they were desolate, not many people were stationed there; it was mostly just civilians.

This punishment was either helping a farmer milk cows or planting rice seedlings. In an era where AI had replaced manual labor, this kind of physical punishment seemed refreshingly unique and was indeed a task that these natives looked down upon, even considering it a humiliation.

But the failure rate at Guyun Academy was always the bottom five percent of students.

This meant that at the end of every year, a large group of people would be packed up and sent off to do menial work.

Xi Zhoumeng was the dream Omega for many Alphas at the academy. Her grades weren't great, and last year she had been on the verge of failing.

Many people were on tenterhooks for her, afraid that this young miss wouldn't be able to endure the harsh climate of the penal planet and would meet a tragic end during her punishment period.

Chi Yueshan had been taking flower arrangement classes and felt like she was dying every day. The desk in her dorm was covered in bottles and vases.

Her precious mecha theory notes, her very lifeline, had been pushed to the side.

The new school year's tests were fast approaching.

Including the annual pheromone matching test.

The school forum was abuzz with polls about the matching test, which even included the results from the previous year.

【Place your bets, let's see if any new students this year can make it to the finals!】

【Didn't someone match with a certain admiral from the military last year?!!!】

【I want to see what kind of little O Senior Xi Shuang will match with!! Is it someone from our academy! Witnessing love】

【Why is the compatibility rate between Wen Xinghuo and Xi Zhoumeng less than seventy percent? I refuse to accept it!】

Chi Yueshan browsed the constantly refreshing forum and glanced at the number she had been assigned in her light-brain's message group.

She asked Xuan Ping, "What's your number?"

Xuan Ping was still looking at last year's matching data. "431."

Chi Yueshan said, "Oh. Then we can go together."

The academy conducted the matching in batches, with the location being the administrative hall.

Every year, the matching test was for new students. Because the database was enormous, it was possible to be matched with someone on another planet in the galaxy.

Last year, someone had matched with a military officer stationed on a planet, but since the compatibility rate wasn't optimal, nothing came of it.

According to Imperial regulations, an Alpha and Omega pair with a compatibility rate of eighty-five percent or higher would be given priority for marriage.

This was written in the procreation statutes, all for the sake of giving birth to the most outstanding Alpha and Omega offspring.

"Zhoumeng, the new students are matching today. Aren't you going to take a look?"

In the academy's greenhouse garden, Xi Zhoumeng was lying on a rocking chair.

The garden's perimeter was completely transparent. Sunlight spilled onto the glass and then onto the beauty among the flowers.

She wore an intricate dress with brocade patterns from the Empire's finest designer, which enveloped her delicate figure. A thin gauze barely concealed her chest, and a popular interstellar romance novel lay across Xi Zhoumeng's face; even the Omega model on the cover couldn't match her graceful form.

A butterfly, perhaps drawn by the rich fragrance, landed on the hem of her dress.

This area was located deep within the academy, a paradise for the nobility. People passing by dared not disturb her.

Some people even instinctively glanced that way after leaving the library.

Wen Xinghuo stood at the garden gate, brushing aside a hanging morning glory as she looked at the beauty on the lounge chair.

Xi Zhoumeng pulled herself from a hazy memory, lazily opening her eyes. Without getting up, her voice still drowsy but as soft and delicate as ever, she said, "What's there to see?"

She removed the romance magazine. Wen Xinghuo pretended not to see the steamy cover of an Alpha and Omega in an embrace. "My duty."

Xi Zhoumeng didn't even lift her eyelids. She covered her eyes with one hand, as if adjusting to the daylight. "Our Xinghuo is so clingy."

Her voice carried an obvious intimacy. Wen Xinghuo chuckled. "That's not it."

The butterfly finally flew away. Xi Zhoumeng got up. Her walk, at first glance, seemed to lack grace, swaying as she moved.

All the flowers and plants in this garden had been planted by Xi Zhoumeng. The Xi Family had plenty of money, so having a private garden at the school was no problem.

Holding a watering can, she asked nonchalantly, "Whose compatibility rate do you want to know?"

Wen Xinghuo was dressed in the second-year Alpha division uniform. "No one's."

Xi Zhoumeng turned her head, finally looking at her properly, and said with feigned anger, "Really? Are you seeing someone behind my back?"

Xi Shuang, who had just arrived, was startled to hear this.

Wen Xinghuo was very tall, her figure like a small mountain. When she spoke with Xi Zhoumeng, it always gave off a "beauty and the beast" vibe.

Most people would frown upon seeing it.

Xi Shuang felt as if she had stumbled upon something major and was about to sneak away again.

The captain and vice-captain of the school's Alpha patrol team were the ones who were truly inseparable, but two Alphas were less of a topic of gossip than an Alpha-Omega pair.

Wen Xinghuo shook her head helplessly. "Really, no one."

Xi Zhoumeng said, "Oh. Then I guess not."

"Xi Shuang, come here for a moment."

She lifted her head slightly. Xi Shuang, who had just lifted her leg to leave, spun around abruptly and squeezed through the gap between Wen Xinghuo and the doorframe, fawning, "What are your orders, my goddess?"

"Bring my hovercar over."

Xi Shuang was slightly stunned. "Zhoumeng, you're going to ride it there? Why not ride on me instead?"

She was also quite pretty, just glib-tongued, and had dated many Omegas.

Xi Zhoumeng said, "I like my Niuniu."

Xi Shuang let out a disappointed "oh," thinking to herself that who would name a sheep Niuniu? It was so disrespectful to the sheep.

After Xi Shuang left, Xi Zhoumeng asked again, "You really don't have an Omega you're interested in?"

Wen Xinghuo asked, "Are you very concerned about my marriage prospects?"

Xi Zhoumeng nodded. "Very concerned. After all, our compatibility rate is so low. To be honest, my older brother isn't happy about me being so close to you."

If Xi Shuang were here, she would think Xi Zhoumeng's words were far too heartless.

After all, she and Wen Xinghuo had known each other for so many years; there had to be some feelings between them. Family interests were one thing, but childhood friendship was another matter entirely.

Wen Xinghuo, however, was used to it. After all, Xi Zhoumeng had always been thorny.

In her early years, she had been Xi Zhoumeng's servant.

But when Xi Zhoumeng was twelve, she fell ill. After waking up, her difficult behavior reached a new level, but she wasn't as harsh to Wen Xinghuo anymore.

"Then do you hope for an Alpha with a compatibility rate of over eighty-five percent to appear?" Wen Xinghuo asked.

She was actually far from being as dull as she appeared on the outside. Her eyes would occasionally reveal a cunningness born from being abandoned, wandering, and struggling to survive. In a way, Xi Zhoumeng felt that little slob was the same type of person as Wen Xinghuo.

It was just that Wen Xinghuo was a dormant volcano, and that little slob was a hot spring.

A dormant volcano could also erupt, like when she would be unsheathed as the Empire's blade to wage war against the Zerg.

But Wen Xinghuo was still too green now.

Her upgrade wasn't complete yet; at least she hadn't obtained the legendary mecha belonging to the "War God."

Xi Zhoumeng shook her head. "What if it's some decrepit old man?"

She lowered her gaze, her small spray bottle watering the sunflowers. The sunlight was warm, her silhouette traced as if in a divine painting.

Wen Xinghuo knew clearly that Xi Zhoumeng had secrets.

Just as she had secrets of her own.

Their relationship would not be distant, but neither would it be intimate. There was always an insurmountable chasm between them.

Wen Xinghuo couldn't speak of it, and neither could Xi Zhoumeng.

They were at a stalemate, and then, by tacit agreement, they maintained their previous attitude.

Wen Xinghuo said, "It won't be. Your spiritual power is very high."

Xi Zhoumeng made a "shh" gesture. "It's just genetics."

Just then, a "baa baa" sound came from nearby. Xi Shuang had arrived.

Xi Zhoumeng put down the watering can, walked over to the little sheep affectionately, and gave it a hug.

Xi Shuang sighed. "An Alpha is truly no match for a sheep. I wonder what kind of Alpha can capture your heart?"

Xi Zhoumeng actually thought for a moment. "Someone like Xinghuo, I guess?"

Sigh, I still have to maintain my persona.

Xi Shuang let out an "oho" and gave Wen Xinghuo a suggestive look.

Wen Xinghuo didn't take it to heart at all. She smiled. "Let's go."

The hall was bustling with activity. The annual new student matching test always attracted a crowd of onlookers.

Even though it had nothing to do with the second and third years, many still came to watch the excitement.

After all, besides the compatibility rate, they also tested spiritual power.

Spiritual power was especially important for Alphas. For Omegas, it was just an additional condition, usually factored into the matching value.

The contribution of Omegas to society was still procreation.

The union of an Omega and an Alpha with a higher compatibility rate also had a high probability of producing outstanding Alphas.

Compared to the excitement of the Omegas in line ahead of her, Chi Yueshan was calm, even a bit sleepy.

She had been up half the night tinkering with mechanical parts. After entering the Upper World, returning her orders had become much more convenient. It was just that her schoolwork was too painful. As a result, she had only fallen asleep at dawn and wished she could finish the test quickly and go to sleep.

And they just had to hold the test on a Saturday, a complete waste of the students' legal holiday.

The thought of spending ten thousand Star Coins at the school infirmary for a certain delicate and pampered Omega made Chi Yueshan's mind uneasy.

After all, her current money, aside from her part-time job, came from her live-streaming savings.

They could have used cheaper medicine, but Xi Zhoumeng claimed she was allergic to the cheap stuff.

If Chi Yueshan's eyes hadn't turned red, she might have asked for something even more expensive.

Such a spendthrift Omega would be a burden to Senior Xinghuo, right!!!

Chi Yueshan took a deep breath and looked at the line ahead of her again.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted at the entrance.

【Ooh, it's Senior Xi!! A beauty really makes people...】

【This height difference is a perfect match. Is the unserious-looking Alpha next to Senior Wen the rumored Xi Shuang?】

【Ah, the super-rich one. She's just more humorous. I heard she likes fiery Omegas.】

【Senior Xi looked at me, sob sob sob.】

The testing was conducted for Alphas and Omegas together. Chi Yueshan watched as an Alpha in the next line nearly writhed into the shape of a maggot.

It was truly embarrassing.

She took a step back in disgust. The person in front of her had just finished their test.

"No match, huh. The highest was only seventy percent... Guess my true Alpha hasn't appeared yet."

"If you match at eighty percent, wouldn't you have to get married on the spot? What if the other person is over forty? A widowed Alpha or something."

"That's true..."

The Omega in front of her left, and Chi Yueshan placed her hand on the testing device.

A warm sensation spread from her palm. The electronic screen next to it displayed her spiritual power value, climbing from D all the way up until it became an A.

Chi Yueshan wasn't surprised, since the admission requirement was B-rank or higher, including B-rank.

The most important part was the red box next to it. Her profile picture was spinning in a circle, and the picture next to it was constantly changing.

The compatibility rate was based on a comparison of genes collected uniformly from everyone after their differentiation.

The terminal database was extremely vast, so it required some waiting time.

Chi Yueshan chanted in her heart: It's Wen Xinghuo, it's Wen Xinghuo, it's Wen Xinghuo...

She closed her eyes and said to Xuan Ping, "Pingping, help me see if it's my beloved Senior Wen, okay?"

Passing students looked at her with an expression that clearly said, "This toad wants to eat swan meat."

But this testing machine was taking far longer than the usual matching time.

A staff member called another person over.

Immediately after, the small, ten-million-Star-Coin testing machine emitted a sharp alarm.

The staff member was aghast. "Why did it force-activate the warning mode?"

The warning sound was incredibly loud, drawing the attention of Wen Xinghuo's group of three, who had just entered.

Everyone cleared a path for them.

Xi Zhoumeng saw Chi Yueshan's back, but before she could make a joke, a cold, mechanical female voice echoed through the entire hall—

"Specific individual has been matched!"

"Please note! Chi Yueshan and Xi Zhoumeng compatibility rate 90%!"

"Please note! Chi Yueshan and Xi Zhoumeng compatibility rate 95%!"

"Please note! Chi Yueshan and Xi Zhoumeng compatibility rate 100%!"

"Congratulations to you both. Please marry on the spot!"

Chi Yueshan was completely stunned.

Xi Zhoumeng's smile froze on her lips.

Wen Xinghuo stared at the machine in contemplation.

Xi Shuang asked in confusion, "Isn't Zhoumeng... an Omega?"

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