I Marked My Arch-Nemesis Omega - Chapter 31

When the instructor first arrived, he didn’t react immediately—he was a bit stunned. It was the first time in his life he’d encountered such a situation.

By the time he processed it, he was even more bewildered. How had a fight broken out so soon after arrival?

“Is this true?” Despite the turmoil in his heart, the instructor’s expression remained stern.

“Of course it’s true. There are so many people here, Instructor. How could I possibly slander him?” Sheng Yu said, her voice laced with shock and disbelief, as if the instructor had committed some unforgivable sin. “Instructor, don’t you believe me?”

The instructor: “…”

“You.” The instructor turned to Qi Liao.

Qi Liao’s face was expressionless. “I did say those things, but I—”

The instructor cut him off, uninterested in his explanation. “Fine. Forget twenty kilometers. After lunch, you’re running fifteen.”

“Yes, sir.” Qi Liao shot Sheng Yu a furious glare.

Sheng Yu pretended to be frightened, ducking behind Song Qing, her voice trembling. “Instructor! Can my personal safety be guaranteed here?”

“Of course it can.” The instructor gave Sheng Yu another look. This girl was clearly acting, her provocation blatant and barely concealed. But since her performance couldn’t be held against her, he could only note it mentally. In that brief moment, both Sheng Yu and Qi Liao had earned a spot in the instructor’s little black book.

“Alright, everyone, line up and head downstairs for lunch.”

The instructor walked ahead while the others made their way down.

Sheng Yu flashed Qi Liao a friendly smile. “See? Being quick with words has its uses.”

Qi Liao clenched his fists. “Just you wait.”

“I’ll be waiting,” Sheng Yu replied cheerfully.

“You can try something if you dare,” Song Qing said coldly, staring Qi Liao down. “Don’t push it too far.”

“Who’s pushing it? I’m the one running fifteen kilometers, not her!”

“You’re the one who said those words, not me. Loose lips sink ships—learn from this.” Sheng Yu rubbed her neck. “Let’s go eat. I’m starving. Wonder what they’re serving.”

Qi Liao wanted to say more, but Meng Yu walked up to Sheng Yu’s left and gave him a look—calm and unreadable, yet somehow unsettling.

Bai Ying trailed behind the three of them, keeping her head down and trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. She had been standing there, terrified, wanting to leave but feeling it would be inappropriate. She had thought there was no way she’d cross paths with an S-rank here.

Who knew that within three hours of arriving, Sheng Yu would already have provoked him?

Bai Ying was convinced their entire dorm would end up on Qi Liao’s grudge list. The guy clearly had a petty streak, and she felt like today was just her unlucky day.

Since Qi Liao had to run laps after lunch, no further conflicts arose. However, Sheng Yu had made a name for herself again. Though, with two A-rank Alphas by her side, no one dared approach her directly—just whispered and stared.

Most of the murmurs came from students of Haoyun Thirteenth High.

“What’s a Beta being so arrogant for?”

“I heard there’s a basic assessment this afternoon. With her tiny frame… she’ll probably rank last among all the schools here.”

“There’ll be sparring later too… Qi Liao could flatten her with one punch.”

…

“Calling others Betas, aren’t you Betas yourselves? I could flatten you with one punch too,” Jiang Di said loudly, swaggering past the group of murmuring individuals.

“Did this guy participate in the previous competition?”

“Nope.”

“Hmph.”

Jiang Di’s face darkened as he turned his head to memorize the speaker’s appearance.

The relationship between Haoyun No. 13 High and No. 13 High had always been tense. After Qi Liao provoked a bunch of people that morning, the solidarity within No. 13 High instantly strengthened. Many were ready to set aside past grievances to take down Haoyun No. 13 High first.

Sheng Yu’s popularity among the students soared even higher after making Qi Liao run 15 kilometers. Additionally, many noticed the undeniable coolness Song Qing exuded when shielding Sheng Yu, which significantly improved Song Qing’s reputation among the students.

Thanks to Haoyun No. 13 High, the atmosphere at No. 13 High had improved considerably.

Sheng Yu, however, had no idea what other dorms were discussing. She returned to her room and comfortably took a nap, quickly packing up and heading out as soon as she received the notification.

As her dormmates descended the stairs, they ran into Qi Liao, who had just come up. He seemed in decent shape but was drenched in sweat, his face still clouded with gloom—probably hadn’t fully recovered from hearing the notification.

The girls from Sheng Yu’s dorm collectively sidestepped him. Sheng Yu’s disdain was evident, Bai Ying kept her head tightly lowered, while Song Qing and Meng Yu walked past him expressionlessly. Meng Yu even gave Qi Liao a once-over, her gaze icy.

Qi Liao: “…”

For some reason, he felt insulted yet again.

After gathering at designated spots from their respective dorms, everyone headed to the testing area. The virtual scenario for this test was revealed, with challenges similar to those in school exams, albeit with increased difficulty.

All students would enter the virtual scenario in groups of 100, with 30 groups running simultaneously—once again showcasing the financial might of this base.

Once the test began, the system started the timer, which would stop upon crossing the finish line. After completion, results would automatically rank on the overall leaderboard across all five schools. Betas had a 40-minute cutoff, while Alphas had 20 minutes. Those failing to meet the standard would face additional training.

Like the competition, this test had no rules—only the clearance time mattered.

Although the standards differed for Betas and Alphas, the Betas still had major grievances. If an Alpha decided to trip them up, they’d have little means to fight back.

Many eyes turned to Sheng Yu, especially since she’d just crossed Qi Liao that morning.

“Nothing will go wrong, right?” Bai Ying whispered.

“We might not even be in the same group,” Sheng Yu replied. “And even if we are, there’s nothing to fear.”

“Hmph, in that case, if we’re in the same group, I’ll have to target you,” Qi Liao sneered.

Song Qing narrowed her eyes, giving Qi Liao a cold stare.

As luck would have it, the grouping wasn’t random—it was by dorm. Coincidentally, Sheng Yu’s dorm was assigned Group 4, Number 24, while Qi Liao was Group 4, Number 25. They were in the same group.

Bai Ying’s face instantly paled as she glanced at her three remaining roommates, each one looking calmer than the last.

Two Alphas were one thing, but why was Sheng Yu so confident?! At this moment, she deeply envied Sheng Yu’s mental fortitude. Even though Qi Liao hadn’t spared her a single glance, she still felt a little scared.

Others nearby also turned their gazes this way, regretting that they were in the same group as Sheng Yu’s team and couldn’t just sit back and enjoy the show.

When Fu Lian heard that his dorm was paired with Sheng Yu’s, he sighed, unsure whether it was a blessing or a curse. If Sheng Yu could stir up a storm of resentment, well, that would be quite satisfying.

The first thirty groups entered the simulation pods. Sheng Yu closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she found herself standing in the virtual scene with Song Qing beside her.

“Nothing bad will happen today, right?”

“It won’t,” Song Qing replied in a hushed voice.

In this scenario, pheromones were suppressed.

“You can stick with me.”

“It’s fine. You focus on your own run. I’m a Beta—my allotted time is different from yours. There’s no need to wait for me, and I’m not that weak,” Sheng Yu said.

Song Qing pressed her lips together and shot a glance at Qi Liao.

It wasn’t that she feared Qi Liao—she was just worried about Sheng Yu.

“If you’re so scared… how about this? If you shout ‘Dad’ three times, I won’t target you,” Qi Liao said with a smirk.

Sheng Yu couldn’t be bothered to respond.

Suddenly, a countdown appeared in the sky above the virtual scene, and everyone fell silent, preparing themselves.

When the timer hit zero, the Alphas surged forward first.

Qi Liao crossed his arms and looked at Sheng Yu. “Not planning to move?”

“If you exceed the time limit, you’ll be kicked out of the exam,” Sheng Yu said, eyeing Qi Liao. “I doubt you’d want to end up with no score in the very first basic assessment.”

“You plan to stay here for twenty minutes?”

The other Betas had already started moving.

“Not impossible,” Sheng Yu said, sitting down on the spot and flashing Qi Liao a smile. “You’re welcome to try.”

“You don’t actually think you can finish the test in twenty minutes, do you?” Qi Liao frowned.

“As long as there’s time, there’s a chance I can pass. But if you get booted out—well, then you’ll really have no score at all.” Sheng Yu grinned at him. “Let’s see who outlasts who.”

Song Qing was the first to clear the first obstacle, her movements fluid and flawless.

Qi Liao stood to the side, watching Sheng Yu. He still didn’t believe she’d actually sit there for twenty minutes—until Sheng Yu gave him a look and lay flat on the ground.

Qi Liao: “…”

Sheng Yu wasn’t in a hurry, but he certainly was.

These results would be sent back to the Qi family. If he ended up with no score, his father might actually kill him.

So, after five minutes had passed, Qi Liao finally set off.

Not long after he left, Sheng Yu did too.

Qi Liao turned back and saw her, grinding his teeth. Of course. He wanted to stop and wait for her, but he soon realized that every time he paused, Sheng Yu did too, always maintaining a safe distance between them.

He couldn’t afford to waste any more time on her. Qi Liao had originally planned to take first place in this test—who knew he’d run into Sheng Yu?

Once Qi Liao started going all out, he quickly disappeared from sight. He was indeed skilled—it didn’t take long for him to catch up with the main group of Alphas.

At nine minutes and seven seconds, the first line of text appeared on the leaderboard, which had seemed distant just moments before.

First place: Song Qing, nine minutes and seven seconds.

Sheng Yu looked at the rankings and smiled. Without realizing it, she had caught up with the main group. By the time she reached the middle of the pack, she began subtly slacking off again.