IMAO Chapter 121

Jiang Yuan carefully looked at “I’m So Cute.” Their character model was obviously designed with meticulous attention to detail, displaying typical features of a beautiful Omega.

If it weren’t for how they spoke so sweetly, calling Black Tiger “gege” at every turn, Jiang Yuan would’ve suspected “I’m So Cute” was an Alpha.

What the hell was with that “Jiang Jiang.”

…

The four entered the ranking queue, but due to their large rank differences, it took quite a while to match with teammates.

Team: Jiang Bu Xi Zhou, Jiang Xin, I’m So Cute, Black Tiger, Haitang Weimian.

“Hello everyone, I’m new here. Just finished the tutorial. I might drag the team down, please don’t hate me.”

It was ‘Haitang Weimian’ who spoke, politely greeting everyone as soon as they entered the game. Since Ji Rong’s account was also new, getting matched with another rookie made sense.

“No worries, I’m not great either~ But Black Tiger-gege is amazing, don’t worry, we’ll definitely win!”

I’m So Cute turned on their mic – their voice was quite pleasant.

“Black Tiger-gege, how should we play this?” I’m So Cute asked.

“Hold on, let me check the opponent’s stats.” Black Tiger’s face reddened slightly. When I’m So Cute typed “Black Tiger-gege,” he could handle it, but whenever they used voice chat, he felt overwhelmed.

The way they called him “Black Tiger-gege” with that little lilt at the end of their voice, sweet enough to make his heart flutter.

“…Damn, looks like we’re up against boosters. They’re on a ten-win streak in five-player ranked matches.”

Black Tiger could tell just by glancing at their stats. Like his team, the opponents had two newly registered accounts, but their battle records were impressive.

“I can’t believe we’re facing boosters in our first match.” Black Tiger wasn’t weak, but even he couldn’t fight four hands with two fists. Usually, he could handle 1v5, but 1v5 against boosters? Absolutely impossible!

Besides himself, only Jiang Yuan might stand a chance. He’d just checked Jiang Yuan’s battle record and found nothing there.

Star Wars kept individual records for up to a year, but Jiang Bu Xi Zhou’s account had zero records. This meant the account hadn’t been played for at least a year. With such a long break and a low previous rank, they’d be average at best.

This match was looking grim.

The opponent’s records clearly showed they were boosters, and anyone who could boost would definitely be skilled.

After thinking, Black Tiger sent a map message: “Boosters?”

The enemy team didn’t even try to hide it. They admitted it outright.

“Oh? You noticed? We were hoping to give you a surprise~”

Black Tiger was speechless. Surprise? More like a shock. But it wasn’t unexpected. The opponents were indeed all boosters, and all very skilled.

“Do you have smurfs too? If you need boosting services, feel free to add me. ‘Invitation Moon Boosting’ welcomes all clients. We handle all ranks, including 1v1, 3v3, 5v5, and even Harbor Battle maps.”

Black Tiger had just selected his best mecha when he saw the enemy’s message. He cursed under his breath, “Damn it.”

Everyone in the team heard him. Jiang Yuan turned to give Black Tiger a puzzled look.

“…You probably haven’t played Star Wars in a long time, so it’s normal you don’t know about Invitation Moon. This boosting team only appeared last year, but they’re incredibly strong. Two months ago, they even completed a hundred-win streak in King rank.” Black Tiger quickly explained to Jiang Yuan. He might have attempted a 1v5 against other boosters, but against Invitation Moon? This match was definitely lost.

“Ah, I’ve heard of them!” Haitang Weimian let out a small exclamation, clearly familiar with the team.

Jiang Yuan paused. He indeed didn’t know this team, not because he hadn’t played in a while, but because he’d never paid attention to such things.

Probably no one in their entire class cared about these things either. For them, playing Star Wars wasn’t just a game; it was more like practice outside of class.

Still, from Black Tiger’s introduction, Jiang Yuan could tell the opponents were no pushovers.

“Bad luck today, running into boosters on our first match. No worries, let’s just play casually for fun,” Black Tiger said casually.

I’m So Cute chirped, “Whatever Black Tiger-gege says!”

“That’s fine, just don’t hate me too much,” Haitang Weimian said with a laugh. Being a newbie, they didn’t expect to win their first match anyway, just worried about dragging the team down.

Jiang Yuan and Ji Rong exchanged glances but said nothing.

After a moment, the map finished loading, and the battle terrain was set.

Luofu Island, a naturally floating island formed by the earth’s magnetic field and surrounding stellar gravity.

As soon as the countdown ended, Black Tiger’s Lightning Warship flew out.

Jiang Yuan also launched in his mecha, moving at a moderate pace.

Ji Rong was about to pilot his mecha out of base to end this game quickly when I’m So Cute grabbed his mecha’s arm.

Ji Rong: “Hm?”

I’m So Cute: “Xiao Jiang Xin, let’s stick together, us three. After all, we weaklings better stay together.”

Haitang Weimian: “Right, we’re newbies, we’ll just get in their way if we follow them.”

Hearing Haitang Weimian’s words, I’m So Cute protested in their soft voice: “I’m not a newbie…”

Haitang Weimian: “Sorry, my mistake. We’re not three newbies, we’re three noobs!”

Ji Rong: “…” Who’s like you guys!

Jiang Yuan found it amusing and didn’t bother explaining for Ji Rong. After all, Ji Rong had been officially labeled as a cute Omega by I’m So Cute.

Leaving the base, Jiang Yuan wasn’t in a rush to find enemies, but after just a few minutes, the system suddenly announced that player ‘Black Tiger’ had been destroyed.

Black Tiger was actually quite skilled, but he couldn’t handle five boosters suddenly emerging and pummeling him. In just over a minute of engagement, he was gone, his entire mecha cabin pierced by a battle blade.

Black Tiger was really speechless. He’d hoped to ambush the boosters, but these people not only moved as a pack, they even set up ambushes in low-rank matches!

In Star Wars player terms: Sneaky bastards!

“Sorry, I got careless and walked into their trap,” Black Tiger said awkwardly.

By now, Jiang Yuan had confirmed the enemy team’s position based on his teammates’ locations.

“No worries, just bad luck running into boosters first match. I’ll carry you guys next game.”

Black Tiger explained sheepishly.

The opponents taunted, “Tsk, thought you’d be good with that high rank. Didn’t expect such a noob. Hey cutie on the other team, add us as friends. Since we’re destined to meet, become our customer and I’ll give you a 10% discount~”

Black Tiger was dumbfounded hearing this. Five of you jumped me at once and you’re calling me a noob? Have you no shame?

“BOOM—”

One of the enemy Hunter fighters suddenly exploded. The booster piloting it didn’t even know what hit them, must have been ambushed, they thought to themselves.

“Wait, this ‘Jiang Bu Xi Zhou’ is something else. Everyone be careful, don’t underestimate them.” As team captain, Lin Qi immediately realized they’d underestimated their opponent after losing a teammate.

“Damn, the one who ambushed us! Get them!”

Four mechas immediately surrounded Jiang Yuan.

As seconds ticked by, although they expected a quick kill, Lin Qi’s eyes nearly popped out. Just watching this assault, he could tell this unassuming Thunder Fighter pilot was definitely an expert!

A super expert!

He was gone after just one encounter!

As team captain, Lin Qi had noticed their teammate’s death and realized their opponent was strong, so he ordered a four-man siege. He’d planned to lead his team in pursuit, but after the ambush, their enemy didn’t retreat. Instead, they charged straight at him, and then he was finished!

Did it even take a second for them to kill him?

Lin Qi was completely stunned as the Thunder Fighter stormed like a tempest toward another of his teammates.

BOOM!

An explosion erupted with a burst of flames.

What kind of speed was this?

This…

Lin Qi felt like he could barely breathe.

Since he’d been destroyed, he could clearly see the opponent’s moves.

Sparks flew as the battle blade sliced diagonally through one mecha’s head!

Another mecha tried to attack from behind, but the Thunder Fighter’s pilot executed a sliding spin, using the rotation’s momentum while tilting halfway. Lin Qi watched as his companion’s energy core was sliced apart by the mechanical blade!

This Thunder Fighter seemed alive. It was no longer made of steel but transformed into a real person!

TRIPLE KILL!

QUADRA KILL!

PENTAKILL!

The system announcements left Lin Qi numb. Although his skills were quite good and he could fully grasp the opponent’s movements, that understanding only left him more stunned.

He was so shocked he didn’t even react to his teammates’ communications.

Godlike execution, perfect timing and awareness!

“Damn, they must be using cheats!”

“I was gone in one hit, this is insane! Never even heard of this player!”

“Someone this good should be famous. Is it a smurf account?”

“This is actually an old account…”

As the match ended, everyone except Ji Rong was dumbfounded.

I’m So Cute was first to recover, immediately messaging in map chat: “What lousy boosters. Good thing I didn’t hire you. I’d be worried about my stats going negative.”

The opponents, feeling mocked, retorted, “Tch, must be a cheater!”

I’m So Cute: “Calling someone a cheater just because you lost? Got hemorrhoids in your mouth? If you can’t talk properly, just shut up.”

The map chat suddenly went dead silent. The opponents were speechless because they didn’t know how to respond, while Jiang Yuan’s team hadn’t processed what just happened.

I’m So Cute: “…”

I’m So Cute sweetly said to Black Tiger, “Black Tiger-gege, wasn’t I amazing? I learned that line watching Moon God argue with the Thunder Team. See how I shut them up~”

“Ahem.” Black Tiger cleared his throat in the comm. “Impressive… but don’t learn stuff like that, it’s not good…”

“Oh, since Black Tiger-gege says so, okay, I won’t learn it anymore.” I’m So Cute’s voice was full of disappointment, as if sad about not being able to copy others’ speech.

Putting aside their disappointment, I’m So Cute immediately spoke to Jiang Yuan over comms, “You’re so amazing! I had no idea you were this good!”

Jiang Yuan said coolly, “I’m just average.”

Black Tiger’s mouth twitched. This was average?

If this was average, what did that make him…

“Boss, being too humble is just fake!” Black Tiger joked, not minding too much. Having another expert on the team was good.

Just then, I’m So Cute secretly sent Ji Rong a private message: “Hey, Xiao Jiang Xin, how did you manage to snag Jiang Jiang?”

Ji Rong was confused by the message: “Jiang Jiang?”

I’m So Cute: “Psh, typo. I meant Jiang-ge.”

“Heh, you sure have a lot of brothers.”

Seeing Ji Rong’s reply, I’m So Cute nearly choked. Was this little cute Omega really that guarded against them?

Did he look like someone who’d be a homewrecker?

Sure, ‘Jiang Bu Xi Zhou’ was impressive, but through a game, you couldn’t tell if someone was human or ghost. They weren’t some kid who’d latch onto anyone strong.

Besides, that wasn’t his intention at all. He just wanted to learn how to woo Alphas, damn it.

…

Jiang Yuan and Ji Rong left their gaming pods. After the match, they made excuses about entering a solo map to practice combat skills. They did not continue to play with Black Tiger and I’m So Cute. Meanwhile, Black Tiger dutifully helped I’m So Cute rank up.

Ji Rong quietly reflected on his solo map battle with Jiang Yuan, finding it unbelievable.

Jiang Yuan seemed to predict his every move, with accuracy like a prophet.

Although Jiang Yuan and Ji Rong had logged off, the Invitation Moon boosting team was in chaos. Those who’d initially accused Jiang Yuan of cheating watched the replay, and no explanation was needed. Viewing the match as spectators made everything clearer than being in the thick of it.

Details they had missed during the match were now glaringly obvious.

“So amazing, this person must be using an alt account. Someone this skilled couldn’t be unknown.”

Lin Qi glanced at his teammates, then turned off the video. The player who had accused Jiang Yuan of hacking hung his head like a defeated rooster.

It wasn’t cheating, the opponent was just too strong.

Their battle awareness was flawless, their predictions and deductions perfect. How fast was their reaction speed? Could a human brain really process that quickly?

Invitation Moon boosters getting pentakilled, probably no one would believe it.

…

“Faster, faster!”

Inside the testing room, a repetitive sound echoed continuously. Students were sprawled across the floor, some lying down, others sitting. They were all drenched in sweat and panting heavily. It was obvious they had just completed an intense training session.

Everyone sat on the floor, catching their breath.

Bai Ming’s mouth twitched as he pointed at the two people still on the equipment. “These two monsters are making life impossible for the rest of us. We could barely keep up during the endurance test, but this reaction test? I admit defeat.”

“I bet the instructor deliberately arranged for us to test in reverse order.”

“That must be it. Otherwise, with these two hogging the machines forever, the test time would drag on too long.”

Everyone joked around. Although they might have had different opinions at first, after spending so much time together, they’d come to fully accept that Jiang Yuan and Ji Rong were simply monsters when it came to ability.

“I’m crying! Jiang Yuan is just too OP. How can an Omega be this amazing? Just let us live!”

A wailing voice echoed in the testing room, clearly belonging to another poor soul crushed by Jiang Yuan’s prowess.

On the two machines still running, light points transformed into flowing lines, moving like serpents without any predictable pattern.

The difficulty of dodging these light beams increased exponentially. Compared to the first test, and drawing from the experience of the entrance exam, the test instructor had set the speed to maximum right from the start.

Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
Twenty minutes…

Time ticked by second by second.

“Alright, that’s enough.” The test instructor stopped the machines and looked at the two with a satisfied smile. “You’ve passed since your time exceeded the last test. You two freaks, if we kept testing, the next two classes would be waiting forever.”

“Go take a break.”

Jiang Yuan wiped away his sweat as he stepped down from the testing equipment. “Thank you, teacher.”

“The physical portion of the midterm tests is now complete. Everyone can go rest.”

People gradually got up from the floor and left the testing room in small groups.

Jiang Yuan let out a deep breath and turned to Ji Rong: “You go ahead. I still have two more exams to take.”

Ji Rong: “I’ll go with you.”

Jiang Yuan considered for a moment and didn’t refuse. Since the school’s midterms were held simultaneously, he had been spinning like a top these past two days, rushing from the Mecha Department exams straight to the Manufacturing Department tests.

A few days later—

[Scores are out! Your Jiang-ge, savage but silent, ranked first in both departments]

“This isn’t scientific! How does he even study? The training load in the Mecha Department alone is insane. Where does he find the time to study?”

“Can’t figure it out. Does Jiang-ge not sleep or what?”

…

“If I hadn’t sat next to Jiang-ge during the exam, I would’ve suspected him of cheating! Hmm, who would’ve thought he’d even finish early?”

“Finish early? No way! With the amount of content in our Manufacturing exam, I couldn’t even complete two major questions with the time given!”

…

“What the person above said is true. I was in the same exam room as Jiang-ge, he really did finish early, because God RONG was waiting for him outside ^_^”

“I bow down, he’s the most badass Omega I’ve ever seen!”

…

“I bow down, he’s the most badass Omega I’ve ever seen!”

“I bow down, he’s the most badass Omega I’ve ever seen!”

…

“Suddenly feeling worried for God RONG _(:з」∠*)_”

…

“Suddenly feeling worried for God RONG _(:з」∠*)_”

“Suddenly feeling worried for God RONG _(:з」∠*)_”

…

What’s there to worry about?

Jiang Yuan thought as he exited the forum. His communicator immediately popped up with a message from Ji Yang: “Badass Omega, share your thoughts about the forum posts!”

“Get lost.” Jiang Yuan replied to Ji Yang with amusement. This guy was getting more and more gossipy. If Ji Yang’s grades weren’t still in the top ten of their year, Jiang Yuan would have suspected he came to military school just to browse gossip on the forums.

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