Rumor Has It, That Omega Rocked the Stage Again! - Chapter 14

Afterwards, the figures of Mu Li and her two teammates from the Green Team grew faint as they were transported out. When Mu Li exited, the five teams on the other side had yet to finish. Even after returning to the real world, Mu Li could only lean against the wall to rest due to excessive Mental Strength depletion.

Noticing Mu Li’s poor condition, Nina walked over and helped her to a nearby seat, saying as they went, “Are you okay? Do you need to visit the infirmary? Luckily, the other side’s challenge battle hasn’t ended yet.”

Mu Li forced a smile and replied, “I’m fine. I just overestimated my abilities. A short rest will do.”

“Your performance was impressive. You surprised even our strict club president and the high-standard teachers. Congratulations in advance on joining the Mecha Club.” Though an Alpha, Nina had a gentle personality and often looked after new club members, always radiating warmth.

Mu Li had just used her Mental Strength to withstand mecha attacks. Most teachers at the First Military Academy had frontline experience and rigorous training—how could they not recognize the extent of her Mental Strength? Worried about being questioned—since she hadn’t yet discussed with Ji Yu how to disclose her abilities—Mu Li was relieved when Nina didn’t bring it up.

By the time Mu Li had mostly recovered, the five teams from the other side also withdrew. Only two members from opposing teams remained on that side, indicating far fiercer combat.

“Thank you for participating. Scores are being calculated—please wait patiently,” Gu Chen’s deep voice announced, adding to the tension.

The screen that had displayed the rules earlier now showed a new page: the score rankings. First were the rankings of the five teams from Mu Li’s side. Since the Green Team had successfully defended their Stronghold while capturing one enemy Stronghold each, all three members tied for first place. Next were the Purple Team members who had seized the Red Team’s Stronghold. The rest, having failed to capture any, were excluded from the rankings.

On the other side’s winner list, only three names appeared. Mu Li spotted a familiar one, Kevin Albert. As she looked away, she noticed Kevin watching her, offering a smile.

The eliminated participants, led away by Nina, left with regret. Some had applied for the third time, always falling just short—perhaps this was their last chance.

Next came the individual matches.

“Due to time constraints, since mecha skills have already been demonstrated, the individual matches will be simple combat. Mental Strength is permitted, but don’t overuse it to avoid unnecessary harm,” a professor from the stands declared. “Only two need to be eliminated. Random pairings—one will get a bye in the first round. The three losers and the bye recipient will compete for the final two spots.”

Mu Li was matched against the Alpha from her earlier team who specialized in Mecha Repair. She recalled his name from the rankings, Xiao Yi.

Xiao Yi, eyeing Mu Li’s height—which only reached his chin—asked skeptically, “Are you a Beta or an Omega? I don’t fight Omegas.”

Hearing this, Allen watched Mu Li with interest, curious about her response.

Mu Li raised an eyebrow and said leisurely, “I’m an Omega, and also the Omega who just seized the Blue Stronghold when you failed to provide backup in time. Are you fighting or not? If not, you can just admit defeat.”

Gu Chen’s attention was drawn over, thinking the two had some conflict, and asked, “What’s going on? Is there something you need to argue about now?”

Mu Li glanced at Xiao Yi, signaling him to speak.

Although it was generally accepted that Omegas were physically weak and needed protection, this Omega before them clearly didn’t. Xiao Yi had just displayed an attitude of looking down on Omegas—how could he possibly voice that now? “It’s nothing, senior. We were just teammates earlier, exchanging a few words.”

Gu Chen looked suspiciously at the two, but seeing Mu Li didn’t refute, he left reassured.

The first match was between Mu Li and Xiao Yi. As they walked to the center, Xiao Yi proposed, “I’m an Alpha, so my Mental Strength should be stronger. To avoid bullying, how about we just spar without using it?”

Mu Li hesitated, wondering whether to use her Mental Strength later. After all, her Mental Strength was formidable—even if it wasn’t SSS-Rank, it certainly couldn’t be mistaken for B-Rank. Mu Li replied, “Sure.”

Mu Li’s combat skills had been personally taught by Ji Yu, so she was quite confident in herself—and rightfully so.

Xiao Yi had never taken Mu Li seriously from the start. As soon as the match began, he charged forward swiftly, leveraging the natural advantages of an Alpha to try and subdue Mu Li in one move. Mu Li sensed his intention the moment he rushed over. With a graceful sidestep, she dodged, then took advantage of Xiao Yi’s stumble to strike from behind, locking his neck with her arm.

Xiao Yi struggled to break free, but Mu Li kicked his knee, causing him to collapse without support. The entire exchange happened in mere moments, too fast to look away. Mu Li’s movements were crisp and efficient, devoid of any unnecessary flourishes, while Xiao Yi, perhaps due to specializing in Mecha manufacturing and neglecting practical combat, relied solely on brute force—and thus fell short.

This round went to Mu Li.

Xiao Yi was completely restrained by Mu Li, unable to resist. His face was a picture of disbelief—he had lost so quickly, in such an embarrassing manner, to someone he had initially looked down on. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately closed it without a word.

Next were the other two matches. The three losers and the one who had a bye earlier would face off in another round of one-on-one battles, while Mu Li and the other two winners sat aside to watch—they had already secured their spots. In the end, the two with the lowest scores were eliminated, Xiao Yi and another teammate from the opposing side.

Xiao Yi had initially consoled himself with the thought that his primary expertise was Mecha manufacturing, meaning he could focus on Mecha Repair within the team. But then he encountered Ailina Davis, who also specialized in Mecha manufacturing.

After his defeat, he could no longer deceive himself. How could the Mecha Club possibly recruit members solely for repairing Mecha? Just like in the earlier team battle, the Purple Team’s stationed members didn’t even know where the Mecha’s artillery was, easily losing their stronghold.

When everything concluded, it was already past eight in the evening. The final four winners were first-year Kevin Albert, second-year Ailina Davis who majored in Mecha manufacturing, and third-years Bai Jingli and Chen Xiyuan.

“Congratulations,” Gu Chen’s voice echoed through the microphone from the stands. “This year has been a pleasant surprise. The Mecha Club has never had an Omega participate before, and freshmen are rarely selected for competitions. Let’s call it a day here. How about we all go for dinner? My apologies for keeping everyone so late.”

Of course, no one could refuse the club president’s kindness. “Sure,” they replied in unison.

The six of them walked through the campus at night, the paths nearly empty. The dim streetlights stretched their shadows long across the ground. Even Mu Li, whose height was often criticized, appeared petite beside the five Alphas, all towering over 180 cm. As the only Omega, she naturally drew attention. Someone broke the silence, and soon the conversation took off.

“So you’re Mu Li, right? The Omega who got into the Command Department this year? The whole StarNet was buzzing about it. Even us third-years know you—everyone’s curious.”

“Yeah, I always thought people were exaggerating, but after seeing your skills today, I could hardly believe it. Especially after my team battle ended, I heard you took on the Blue Team’s stronghold solo—1v4! I wouldn’t dare try that.”

“Mu Li, does your family have a lot of military background? Did you train since childhood to be this good? Otherwise, how could you execute those moves so flawlessly?”

“Are her moves just for show? Didn’t you see how that Alpha couldn’t even fight back?” Ailina teased.

Seeing the conversation revolve around her, Mu Li replied modestly, “My family is in business. I just got lucky a few months before school started—met a really skilled teacher who taught me some techniques. Combined with my foundation, that’s all. I still have a lot to learn.”

Gu Chen, who hadn’t planned to join the discussion, spoke up meaningfully upon hearing about her mentor. “Then your teacher must be exceptional. You’re not the slightest bit inferior to those Alphas who’ve trained since childhood.”

Mu Li hesitated, not wanting to expose Ji Yu, and simply said, “I just enjoy trying new things.”

Kevin looked at her earnestly. “It’s because people are so entrenched in the idea that Omegas should be delicate and submissive for Alphas to control. But that’s just weak thinking. If I had an Omega, I’d want her to be free, to do what she wants—just like you.”

“What I can’t stand are those Omegas who flaunt their gender advantage, acting entitled just because they’re seen as weaker. My buddy lets his Omega boss him around, even tolerating abuse—it’s like he’s lost all dignity,” Bai Jingli added.

“Alright, enough with the gender debates,” Ailina cut in. “Let’s not talk about Omegas when Mu Li’s right here. Shouldn’t the real topic be celebrating the official formation of the Mecha Squad?” She deftly steered the conversation back on track.

“That’s right, congratulations on the official establishment of our Mecha Squad!”

After dinner, everyone went their separate ways. Since dormitories were divided by areas and both Kevin and Mu Li were freshmen, they walked together.

“You think it’s fate that we met in the Mecha Club, don’t you?” Kevin said casually.

Mu Li wasn’t sure how to respond. After a moment of thought, she said, “Just good luck, I guess.”

Seeing Mu Li wasn’t particularly interested, Kevin didn’t press further. Only when they were about to part ways did he hesitate and ask, “Mu Li, are you seeing anyone?”

Mu Li turned around, giving Kevin a puzzled look as if questioning why he suddenly brought this up.

Kevin quickly added, “I don’t mean anything by it. It’s just that the competition in three months is really important, and I think we shouldn’t let relationships affect our performance. What do you think?” His hands clenched tightly behind his back, afraid Mu Li might nod in confirmation.

Mu Li smiled. “Oh, that’s what you meant. Don’t worry, I’ll give it my all.”

Kevin took this to mean she was single, and his earlier gloom instantly lifted. “Alright, you can head up now. See you tomorrow.”