CHAPTER 77: MISSING VIALS...

Yu Xi let Jian Ci’s wrist slip from his grasp, and Jian Ci’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. The silence between them was thick, broken only when Yu Xi said quietly, "I don’t need for him to see me. I am good."

Jian Ci frowned, clearly dissatisfied. "You bled from your eyes, Yu Xi, and you are telling me you are fine?" His voice carried both frustration and worry.

"I am really fine," Yu Xi insisted, his tone steady though his body still trembled. "I will just take some regulator and I will be fine."

Jian Ci, unaware that Yu Xi had never once used a regulator, exhaled and nodded reluctantly. "Okay. But I will be watching over you for the next couple of hours, just in case."

Yu Xi gave a faint smile, masking the truth. "Whatever makes you happy."

That was enough to make Jian Ci beam. He slipped an arm under Yu Xi’s shoulder, helping him up with gentle care. Together, the two of them left the simulator, deliberately avoiding Jian Wei’s lab.

From down the hall, Jian Wei’s furious voice echoed: "Who touched my stuff? Fuck—you two always touch my things and move them! I’ll ban you from my lab!"

But Jian Wei’s rage was understandable. A

couple of vials were missing. They were vials of TX506, known on the streets as Eclipsera.

The drug was infamous. In medical procedures, it was used to repress erratic Espers, stabilizing their volatile powers. But it carried another advantage whispered in hushed tones.

Since it temporarily lowered psychic resistance, the drug allowed two Espers to merge their auras without the usual backlash. Normally, such merging was dangerous. Defensive reflexes clashed, psychic channels recoiled, and the result was chaos.

But with this substance, the barriers softened. It created a false sense of harmony, amplifying emotional and physical intimacy, making aura blending smoother, almost intoxicating.

Yet the risks were severe. It was highly addictive; repeated use eroded natural aura boundaries, leaving Espers vulnerable. Long‑term instability followed—erratic surges, permanent dampening of power, and withdrawal that manifested as violent aura storms or emotional collapse. For low‑ranking Espers, the consequences were often fatal. That was why it had been outlawed for anything beyond medical procedures.

Jian Wei had kept the vials as a last resort. If Jian Ci ever became erratic, if his power spiraled beyond control, this drug was the failsafe. Other methods existed to restrain him, but this was the final measure, the one he prayed he would never have to use.

Now, the vials were gone.

"Did I dispose of them... tsk." Jian Wei muttered, rubbing the back of his head vigorously. His frustration mounted as he turned on his communicator, fingers flying across the interface. He sent a coded request to the old quack, his discreet supplier. "Supply me some more," he said grimly.

***

Stannis’s voice thundered across the training hall, echoing like a war drum. "Move faster, you useless sacks of meat! Do you think the enemy will wait for you to catch your breath?" His words cut like blades, and the recruits, drenched in sweat, pushed themselves harder. Their muscles screamed, but none dared complain. To falter under Stannis’s gaze was to invite humiliation.

Then, suddenly, his communicator buzzed. Stannis glanced at it, and to everyone’s shock, his scowl melted into a smile. A wide, almost manic grin spread across his face. The men standing at the edge of the room exchanged uneasy looks.

One whispered, "His wife again?"

The other frowned. "He doesn’t have a wife."

"But I heard him say once he was going to see his wife," the first insisted.

They turned back to Stannis, who was now smiling like a lunatic while typing furiously. Jian Rui’s message glowed on the screen: Where are you?

Stannis replied instantly: At the base. What, you miss me?

He waited and waited, but no reply came. His grin faltered, frustration boiling in his chest. He snapped his head up, eyes narrowing at the recruits who had slowed their pace.

"Pathetic! Faster! You think this is a game?" His roar was so intense even the instructors flinched. Fear surged through them, instincts kicking in. They nearly joined the recruits in their drills just to escape his wrath.

Then, mercifully, his communicator buzzed again. A message from his assistant: There’s someone here to see you.

Stannis’s eyes gleamed, the storm in him shifting direction.

He barked into his communicator, "Tell them to fuck off."

The assistant’s reply came almost instantly, hesitant but firm. They said if you don’t meet with them, they will give you trouble in the high court.

"Fuck!" Stannis roared, his voice echoing through the training hall. He turned on the recruits, his fury spilling over. "You better keep the same pace! If I find out you are slacking, there will be consequences!"

The trainees shuddered, sweat dripping down their faces as they pushed harder, terrified of his wrath. Stannis’s imposing steps carried him out of the hall, each stride heavy with menace. He was already imagining the confrontation ahead. Perfect timing. He needed someone to vent his frustrations on, and whoever dared threaten him through the high court was about to regret it.

As he approached his office, he growled to his assistant, "You are going to want to take a break unless you want to witness a horrific scene."

"Yes, Marshal," the assistant stammered before bolting down the corridor.

The door slid open with a hiss. Stannis squared his shoulders, ready to unleash hell. But then he froze.

It wasn’t a high court official. It was Jian Rui.

Everyone in the base knew who Jian Rui was. He made them all aware that he was a high-priority figure whose presence should be reported to him upon sight. For him to appear here without announcement meant only one thing: Jian Rui had deliberately altered his appearance to slip inside unnoticed.

He moved fast, hitting the door lock on the wall panel with a firm press before striding across the polished floor. "Why... why are you here?" he breathed, the words sounding almost like a prayer. "What a pleasant surprise."

Jian Rui stood just inside the doorway, a vision of calm intensity. His dark eyes tracked Stannis’s every movement, a slight, knowing curve to his lips.

"Would you like something to drink?" Stannis babbled, the words tumbling out. "