MORIC - Chapter 15
Chapter 15: A Near-Death Hallucination
The curriculum at Guyun Academy was packed. Even though many students slacked off in class, Chi Yueshan didn't dare to relax.
Mainly, the Omega courses were just too difficult to learn.
She occasionally regretted her decision, but only for a fleeting moment.
After all, the sunk cost was too high. In comparison, she loathed the sunless days of the Lower World and its unchanging life even more.
Besides, Wen Xinghuo was here.
She didn't expect to rank in the top three of her year this semester, but at least she couldn't fail!
This damn flower arranging! This damn tea ceremony! This damn drama class! What was all this stuff!
I'm just a useless, uncultured Omega!
It was another elective class. She woke up early and went to bed late for school every day, and still had to squeeze in time to continue specializing in her mecha theory.
Although mechanics and mecha shared a similar foundation, their directions were quite different.
The academy library was open to all students. While Omegas without the proper permissions weren't qualified to take mecha theory and modification classes, they could still read some introductory materials.
These introductory materials alone were enough to keep Chi Yueshan busy.
Back when she was an apprentice in the Lower World, she had repaired broken-down mecha with Zhou Fengqin.
However, those mecha came from the interstellar transit station, likely discards from the expeditionary forces, or perhaps the wrecked mecha of soldiers attacked by the Zerg.
After the storm of matching 100% with her love rival passed, Chi Yueshan had become a complete celebrity at school.
Whether she was alone or with Xuan Ping, she easily attracted curious gazes and whispers.
Fortunately, the weather was getting colder, so Xuan Ping could shrink into her scarf.
She was doing slightly better in her courses than Chi Yueshan, perhaps because while Chi Yueshan was out fighting for her life, she, at least under her parents' protection, could still be a normal Omega girl.
But Chi Yueshan felt too embarrassed to always ask Xuan Ping to teach her, and Xuan Ping wasn't much better at the tea ceremony anyway. These kinds of courses were too difficult for Omegas like them from the Lower World.
Not to mention, they were even tested on definitions of specialized terms in the final exams.
Chi Yueshan nearly studied until her soul left her body.
By the time the first autumn rain fell in the Upper World, Chi Yueshan still hadn't gotten Wen Xinghuo's contact number, but the Alpha division's annual Kendo Tournament had arrived.
The tickets sold out two weeks before the competition.
Chi Yueshan didn't even get a sniff of a ticket before the school's official website declared them sold out.
This was clearly a conspiracy against Omegas, because students from the Alpha division didn't need to buy tickets.
And this bunch of Omegas was more than willing to spend money on Alphas.
"Yueshan, are you going?"
After Chi Yueshan returned from the library, Xuan Ping came to her dorm to find her.
Chi Yueshan was still muttering specialized terms as she looked at Xuan Ping, her glasses nearly fogging up.
"Pingping, you have a ticket?"
Xuan Ping looked a little embarrassed. "An Alpha gave me one."
Chi Yueshan shot up. "What? You have an Alpha?"
She nearly knocked over the fishbowl on her desk.
Xuan Ping shushed her. "No, it's not like that. I met her at the school bakery. Her light-brain was broken."
Chi Yueshan yelled, "A rich person's light-brain doesn't just run out of power."
Her voice carried a very obvious anger. "A guy or a girl! They're definitely, definitely trying to hit on you!"
Xuan Ping's face turned red. Only then did Chi Yueshan notice that Xuan Ping had been dressing up much more beautifully lately.
She had many more accessories, and her bracelet looked quite valuable.
"N-no, it's not like that."
She reached out to take Chi Yueshan's hand. "Yueshan, you haven't seen Senior Wen in a long time, have you? Why don't you come with me?"
Chi Yueshan was swayed. "Didn't your Alpha… friend only give you one ticket?"
Xuan Ping pulled two tickets out of her bag. "Ta-da~ Aren't you surprised?"
She had just returned from outside, her hair still tousled by the wind. She said, "I asked her if she could give me another one. I didn't have much hope, but I really got it today."
Chi Yueshan took the ticket. Even the stub was beautifully designed. She could see the organizer was a student organization from the school.
"You still haven't told me if your friend is a male A or a female A."
Chi Yueshan took off her glasses, rubbed her eyes, and smiled at Xuan Ping.
Xuan Ping shook her head. "Guess?"
Chi Yueshan: "A male A?"
Xuan Ping giggled. "You guessed wrong!"
Chi Yueshan: "Definitely not in our year, right?"
Xuan Ping nodded. "She's a third-year, but she hasn't done her practical training yet."
Chi Yueshan: "That's great. You can have her take you for practical training later to finish your credits early."
Xuan Ping, who was usually very concerned about these things, paid no mind. She held the ticket and said, "So, Yueshan, will you come with me then? Our tickets are so high-class, they seem to be for the inner court."
Chi Yueshan had been dying of envy seeing everyone showing off their tickets on the forums, and she never thought she'd be able to get one herself.
She suddenly hugged Xuan Ping, nuzzling her shoulder and whining, "Thank you, Pingping! Even though you always pour cold water on my feelings for Senior Wen, I'm still so touched!"
Xuan Ping patted her hair and said with a smile, "After all, you're my only friend."
Her lipstick was new and suited her complexion. Perhaps her recent romance had made her happy, and her complexion had improved a lot.
Chi Yueshan was still a little worried. "Pingping, that Alpha senior, what's her name?"
Xuan Ping: "She's not competing. She'll be sitting next to me. You'll meet her then!"
Only then did Chi Yueshan realize that she had been so buried in the library lately that she hadn't paid much attention to Xuan Ping.
In such a short time, Xuan Ping, who always emphasized the importance of matching social status, had found an Alpha she liked.
Chi Yueshan didn't know whether to congratulate her or be wary.
Although she really liked Wen Xinghuo, she still felt that some of the nobles in the Alpha academy were second-rate.
Or those rich second-generation kids.
The usually quiet and gentle Omega was now much more lively, and Chi Yueshan was happy for her.
After Xuan Ping left, Chi Yueshan stared at the ticket for a long time before finally taking a picture and uploading it to her Star-T account.
Her Star-T account was registered many years ago, with a very dramatic, chuunibyou-esque ID—World's Number One Mecha Master - Chi Yueshan.
Unfortunately, she hadn't posted much. Some of the goods in the underground mechanical city were smuggled, so Chi Yueshan didn't dare to post them.
The photo she casually took also captured the small fishbowl, which Chi Yueshan had gotten by redeeming points from buying breakfast.
After posting, she searched for Wen Xinghuo's Star-T account again.
Wen Xinghuo's account was simply her real name, but this person didn't post anything either. It was completely empty.
The most famous graduate of Guyun Academy was Shen Yu. Entertainment video websites were filled with clips of her press conferences every other day. Such a military officer was also loved by countless citizens.
They hoped she could fend off the next Zerg wave.
Someone was playing the violin downstairs from the dormitory, the melody graceful and long. Chi Yueshan glanced down and saw a slender male Alpha. A moment later, a female Omega came out, and the two embraced tightly.
Chi Yueshan thought: Will they get married?
What is their compatibility rate?
If it's not over sixty percent but they're deeply in love, can they stay together for a lifetime without getting married?
Does the eternal bond of an AO marriage rely on the mark, the system, or love?
She picked up her light-brain watch; the golden button was already covered in scratches. Perhaps when her father first got it, it was because of a love-at-first-sight moment sparked by pheromones.
But the marks on this button could also be from her own years of wandering and displacement, getting scraped and scratched like this.
Who is my mother?
Is she some military officer from the Upper World?
Does she already have a legal Omega spouse, and my father was just her one-night stand?
If my father's heat hadn't come early that day, and he hadn't met my mother, would he not have gotten pregnant, and would I not exist?
Chi Yueshan had many questions.
Her large glasses hung from the V-neck collar of her oversized shirt, revealing a glimpse of the scenery beneath, as well as the tattoo on her chest.
During the livestream, she had covered this love-professing tattoo with another sticker.
Wen Xinghuo's name on it was still clear. She had designed the pattern herself and had a Beta at a tattoo shop in the Lower World ink it for her.
The shop owner repeatedly reminded her, "Little sister, getting a name tattooed is stupid. Don't come crying to me to get it removed when you find someone else."
The female Beta owner had a great figure, wearing only a sports bra in the sweltering summer heat, her long hair coiled at the back of her head, her arms covered in tattoos.
The newly presented Chi Yueshan's eyes shone brightly as she said with great conviction, "I won't find someone else."
She lay on the table, staring at the chandelier above. It was a high-quality item, probably a discard from the Upper World.
It had a retro feel, its halos of light circling one after another, just like her definition of Wen Xinghuo.
A near-death hallucination.
In a way, Wen Xinghuo had reshaped her.
"I will be in a relationship with her," Chi Yueshan said.
The owner let out a laugh, not bothering to burst the little sister's fantasy about love.
Love was too rare in this world, like a fragile bubble, and no one bothered to study it specifically.
And the old radio was broadcasting news from the Upper World—
"The Queen is feeling unwell and will be taking a full rest. The Zerg Tide has not yet arrived, so there is no need for concern…"
The owner hummed an off-key song and sighed, "I really don't know why those disgusting bugs are so obsessed with our star system… The generals of the M-system are much better fighters than our freeloading generals here…"
Chi Yueshan: "Mecha are so cool."
Owner: "Yeah, a high-end item people like us will never touch in our lifetime."
Chi Yueshan said "oh," then added, "You, not me."
The owner scoffed. "You've already presented as an O. Unless you marry an Alpha from above, how are you going to touch a mecha? Besides, not every Alpha from above has a mecha."
Chi Yueshan: "I'm going to get into Guyun Academy."
The owner went "oho." "Big talk. You got the money?"
Chi Yueshan gave an irrelevant answer: "She's there."
That year, next to the tattoo shop was a very vintage-style CD store, and the sound of a violin mingled with the crackling news from the radio.
At this moment, Chi Yueshan thought of her headstrong self from that year and felt grateful for that persistence.
She reached out and touched the tattoo on her chest, then put the ticket into her ticket holder.
She thought: I must get Senior Wen's contact number this time.
While many Omegas were busy dressing up to attend the Alpha Kendo Tournament, Xi Zhoumeng and Duan Daizhen were playing cards in the public lounge.
Light-brains were advanced now, with more virtual games than one could count, but Xi Zhoumeng preferred this traditional format.
The school's paid premium lounge was as luxurious as a hotel.
At the card table, besides Xi Zhoumeng's classmate Duan Daizhen, there were two Alphas.
The Omegas sitting beside them were also third-years.
Xi Shuang lost again. She threw her cards down, leaned back, and said with a laugh to the other person, "Senior, you're quite good at this."
That Alpha had long, curly chestnut hair, one side tucked behind her ear, and wore a simple diamond stud. However, anyone with a bit of knowledge would know that this diamond was extremely expensive.
The Omega beside Mu Lai fed her a cookie. She rubbed her neck and said with a smile, "You're too modest, little Xi. Isn't Junior Xi the best player here?"
Mu Lai was decent-looking, but in Xi Zhoumeng's eyes, she was a five at most. Of course, she could tell who had had plastic surgery and who hadn't.
Although current technology was almost like getting a new head and looked very natural, with technological advancements, people could also get it certified.
As a result, fewer people got surgery than before.
Xi Zhoumeng nodded. She had just dyed her hair black. It was unclear what the dye was made of, but the jet-black seemed to be flecked with glitter. Not to mention, she had red highlights on the left side of her bangs, which complemented her red lips, creating a completely different style from before.
She had transformed from a goddess into a fallen goddess.
"Senior is the one being modest."
Xi Zhoumeng glanced at Duan Daizhen, who immediately asked Mu Lai, "I heard you got a new girlfriend, Senior?"
The female Omega beside Mu Lai sat up a little straighter.
Mu Lai waved her hand. "Single, but I recently met a first-year junior. Very cute."
Xi Zhoumeng looked over with interest. Her fingernails were dotted with tiny pearls that shimmered, making the beauty in the giant oil painting behind her seem to lose her color.
"Junior Xi knows. I just asked you for tickets yesterday."
Xi Shuang said, "Oh! I almost forgot, the organizer and the ticket design are all our Zhoumeng's doing."
Xi Zhoumeng curled her lip. "Since Senior Mu asked, I thought one ticket wasn't enough, so I gave an extra one."
Xi Shuang: "Which first-year are you pursuing, Senior? Is she pretty?"
Mu Lai clicked her tongue. "A special admission student. You probably don't know her."
Xi Shuang: "A special admission student? Of course I know them! And…"
She glanced at Xi Zhoumeng and shut her mouth.
Xi Zhoumeng feigned surprise. "You're pursuing a special admission student?"
Mu Lai lit a cigarette. "Is there a problem?"
Xi Zhoumeng: "A girl?"
Mu Lai nodded.
Xi Zhoumeng exclaimed, "Aiya! That's terrible. I actually gave tickets to my love rival."
【System: Your acting is so fake.】
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