Omega Taming the Black Moonlight - Chapter 8

Compared to the other contestants in the arena, who were brimming with confidence and battle intent, Yan Liu was utterly unprepared. Her Spiritual Body had awakened on the spot, her Spiritual Power had never been cultivated, her combat skills were virtually nonexistent, and her practical experience was zero.

She had already resigned herself to Plan B in case she lost the competition, figuring she’d just continue her studies anyway.

But she never could have imagined that Ji Yilian would suddenly rush over, shove her Smart Brain into Yan Liu’s hands, and tell her to look at whatever she wanted.

???

What happened to the Scumbag A who treated people like bl00d bags, showed no affection for her childhood friend, and turned her back on them once she achieved fame and success?

Before this, Yan Liu’s impression of Ji Yilian had been far from favorable.

The so-called “Green Plum’s sincere devotion” didn’t necessarily require reciprocation. But… she felt it was unfair to the Original Host.

How many decades does one get in life?

During the most precious years of youth, instead of fighting for her own future and destiny, she had surrendered all her hopes to another.

Yan Liu refused to believe that this act of selflessness wasn’t rooted in genuine love.

Before Ji Yilian’s talent was discovered, no one knew she would one day become a genius admired by the masses.

In other words, the former S-Class Alpha had once been just like Yan Liu—an unknown orphan relying on Alliance subsidies.

Those who now witnessed Ji Yilian’s dazzling brilliance instinctively forgot her humble beginnings.

Humans seemed perpetually blind to past struggles, assuming geniuses were discovered from birth, like diamonds unearthed from the earth.

Only Yan Liu, who had once shared Ji Yilian’s hardships, understood that Ji Yilian had once been just like her—starving from insufficient nutrient solution and lack of fresh food, forced to drink water constantly, her body as frail as a bean sprout.

They had once huddled together as children, clinging to each other and wondering how they would survive the next day.

But Ji Yilian had grown up too quickly.

Her childhood seemed far shorter than most, and before she could truly panic, she had suddenly matured.

The Yan Liu of the past couldn’t keep up, still trapped in those difficult times when their lives depended on each other.

The Yan Liu standing before Ji Yilian was no longer the naive fool who would foolishly save resources and give them to Ji Yilian, the foolish bl00d bag.

So…

When Ji Yilian offered her the Smartwatch, Yan Liu’s reaction was silence.

She needed to clear her mind before she could make sense of the situation.

Why is she giving me this?

“Do you know what you’re doing?” Yan Liu asked, her delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly, unable to decipher Ji Yilian’s intentions.

Ji Yilian replied coldly, “Yes.”

Her answer was concise, offering no explanation.

She radiated an overwhelming aura, her phoenix eyes surging with turbulent emotions as she stared at Yan Liu, a stark contrast to her usual composed demeanor.

Bess, standing nearby, felt a chill run down her spine.

The atmosphere between the two was utterly incomprehensible to outsiders.

Though ostensibly rivals, their tension was palpable, like drawn swords.

Bess could see that Little Sweet O was bristling with defensiveness, like a hedgehog with its quills raised.

Meanwhile, the formidable Ji Yilian exuded a suffocatingly oppressive aura, yet she was offering to share her Spiritual Power cultivation methods.

Anyone unfamiliar with the situation might have mistaken this for a pre-match showdown.

What’s going on?

Ji Yilian’s gaze was too piercing, or perhaps her emotions were too out of control. When she stared at Yan Liu, even she realized something was wrong with herself.

She wanted Yan Liu to be like before, focusing all her attention on her.

To follow her like a little tail, wholeheartedly devoted to observing and pursuing her…

This was the pattern she was used to.

Safe, familiar, insignificant, yet stable.

But Yan Liu wasn’t acting that way anymore.

The way Yan Liu looked at her now occasionally flashed with a detached, mocking gaze, as if she were looking at a stranger.

Ji Yilian couldn’t understand.

She desperately wanted to say, Who are you more familiar with—me or Bess? Don’t you know the answer in your heart?

Why would you ask her for help first, instead of coming to me for Spiritual Power cultivation techniques?

These pent-up questions brewed into a massive rage. They coalesced into a roaring beast, thrashing against the walls of her chest.

Yan Liu felt inexplicably guilty under Ji Yilian’s intense stare, but she quickly straightened her posture.

“Hey, Ji Yilian.”

She no longer addressed her as “Yiyi,” as the Original Host had in her memories, but called her by her full name, Ji Yilian.

Ji Yilian’s heart sank again, that familiar feeling of something slipping beyond her control, of something being lost, resurfacing.

She quietly suppressed this inexplicable emotion, striving to maintain her usual detached demeanor as she asked, “What is it?”

Yan Liu watched her push the Smart Brain back across the table.

“It’s yours.”

To put it bluntly, Yan Liu had already resigned herself to losing against Ji Yilian. Whether she studied her Spiritual Power cultivation techniques or not made little difference.

Moreover… being offered such help by her opponent felt less like a kindness and more like an insult. It only reinforced the idea that Ji Yilian underestimated her, genuinely looked down on her.

The Smart Brain, which Yan Liu had handed over without hesitation, was now being returned without a moment’s hesitation. Just as Yan Liu had rejected her offer to team up earlier.

Ji Yilian’s eyelashes trembled slightly.

She remained silent, making no move to take the Smart Brain.

The two girls seemed frozen in place, making Bess anxious.

What’s going on here?!

Why is Little Sweet O being so stubborn? She’s even refusing something from Ji Yilian! No wonder she’s been giving me the cold shoulder lately.

Bess considered intervening, but Yan Liu and Ji Yilian both glanced up at her with a “stay out of this” look.

Hesitating, Bess shrugged and backed away.

Fine, let them keep their standoff. If they don’t fight now, they’ll just end up fighting in the Arena anyway.

Combat, Mecha, Spiritual Power—no matter the competition, Little Sweet O is at a disadvantage. She’s doomed to lose.

“Do you want to win?” Ji Yilian broke the tense silence.

Yan Liu nodded without hesitation, her round, almond-shaped eyes revealing a naive innocence about the brutality of the competition.

Looking at Yan Liu like this, Ji Yilian felt a pang of inexplicable bitterness, as if something were twisting in her chest.

“Then why are you refusing me?” She paused before finally asking the question.

Once was a coincidence. Twice was no longer.

Yan Liu had refused to team up with her and refused to use her Smart Brain…

Why?

Normally, she was the one who walked ahead, leaving others in her wake.

But now, their roles seemed to have reversed.

Yan Liu was the one striding ahead, the one who had suddenly changed.

Seeing Ji Yilian’s earnest question and the unwavering determination in her eyes—a refusal to leave without an answer—Yan Liu finally spoke slowly.

“You’ve always hated me. Why would I… use your things?”

After saying this, she averted her gaze, breaking eye contact with Ji Yilian.

Wasn’t it true?

The Original Host had been hopelessly devoted to Ji Yilian, yet had never received even the slightest reciprocation.

Even when Yan Liu had suggested finding a team earlier, Ji Yilian’s initial reaction had been one of resistance.

Yan Liu’s keen senses hadn’t missed the subtle shift in the S-class Alpha before her.

“Ji Yilian. When we were children, we had no choice.”

The petite Omega stepped forward, whispering in Ji Yilian’s ear, “Now that you’re grown, you have a choice. You can choose to distance yourself from me, ignore me, and let me fend for myself.”

When Yan Liu softened her voice, each word became gentle and melodious, like sweet nothings murmured in one’s ear. Yet Ji Yilian clearly saw that Yan Liu’s eyes held no trace of warmth.

She looked at Ji Yilian as if she were a stranger, her crimson lips still capable of uttering mocking words.

“You… you actively sought to team up with me, worried about me being expelled from the Academy, and even rushed to give me a Smart Brain and teach me how to use my Spiritual Power…”

The girl, whose eyes curved into crescent moons when she smiled, spoke softly, her lips curving into a delicate smile.

“Yiyi, could it be… you like me?”

Yan Liu’s finger gently poked Ji Yilian’s chest, tracing the shape of a heart.

Though she wasn’t conventionally seductive, her appearance leaning more toward pure and innocent, and her gaze equally devoid of coquettishness, something about her…

At the question, “Could it be that you like me?” Ji Yilian’s heart pounded heavily, her breath nearly catching in her throat.

She gripped Yan Liu’s slender wrist.

So thin, she thought. It feels like I could snap her arm with just a little pressure.

Realizing this, Ji Yilian instinctively loosened her grip slightly.

But Yan Liu still let out a soft groan. “It hurts. Ji Yilian, you’re hurting me.”

The S-class Alpha prodigy blushed crimson, unsure why.

As if shocked by an electric current, she released Yan Liu’s wrist and took a half-step back, her gaze shifting to one that seemed to warn, Don’t come any closer, you enchantress.

This enchantress had cast a spell on her, bewitching her with inexplicable reactions.

She was losing control again.