Obsessed with a High-Ranking Esper (BL)-Chapter 225: Inner circle

At first Jian Ci believed them. Believed Yu Xi when he said he was with their grandfather, believed Jian Rui when he brushed off his questions, believed Jian Wei when he claimed there was nothing to worry about. But over time, the cracks showed. The absences stretched too long, the silences too heavy, and the answers too rehearsed.

He could never ask outright. Every time he tried, the words stuck in his throat. Still, the feeling gnawed at him. It felt like he was being left out of something. It was like they were part of an inner circle and he was excluded.

He had tried to piece it together, watching, listening, searching for clues. But he found nothing.

Now, as the lab door slid shut in his face, he stood there like an idiot. His hand half-raised, his protest caught in his chest. The sound of the door locking echoed like a final verdict.

Jian Ci scoffed, masking the sting with bravado. He turned sharply on his heel. If they wouldn’t tell him, then he would find out another way. He would go straight to the source. Leane was the last person Yu Xi spoke to before his mood soured and whatever she had said had left him visibly shaken. Jian Ci intended to shake the truth out of her, one way or another.

Inside the lab, the atmosphere was suffocating. Jian Wei bent over the table, eyes narrowed at the empty bottles and the crude report Leane had compiled. The lab she used wasn’t the best, but it was equipped enough to identify traces of an illegal substance. The problem was which one. That was the question that mattered.

Jian Rui stood rigid, fists clenched at his sides, his jaw tight with fury. He had always been meticulous, always thorough, always the shield that protected their family.

But now he realized he had been played by that bastard Leung and his daughter.

He remembered the endless nights of interrogation. How they had tortured him and yet not once was this matter mentioned. He confessed to everything, gave up everyone else but not this.

Jian Rui had already planned to demolish his empire, to strip him of all his power and let him die with some dignity. But now? Now dignity was too good for him.

Jian Rui’s eyes burned with cold fire. "I will make sure he’s humiliated. Him and his entire family. They will suffer for this."

Jian Wei didn’t look up from the bottles. His voice was calm, clinical. "I will analyze it. We will know exactly what she used."

Yu Xi’s chest felt like it was splitting open, the storm inside him clawing to be unleashed. Every instinct screamed at him to hunt Alarna down, to ruin her face with his own hands. But he forced himself still. Why sully himself with filth? No—there would be greater satisfaction in watching her father’s empire collapse piece by piece, in seeing her dragged to the labour camps, condemned to years of backbreaking toil until she withered away. And when she was nothing but a husk, then he would end her himself.

Jian Rui’s voice cut through his thoughts, sharp and heavy. "Ah-Ci could have died from that stuff."

The words hit Yu Xi like a blade. His heart clenched painfully, his breath catching. The image of Jian Ci lying lifeless, aura extinguished, was unbearable. He didn’t even want to imagine it.

Suddenly Jian Wei cursed under his breath. "Shit!"

Yu Xi and Jian Rui turned immediately, worry etched across their faces. Jian Rui stepped closer asking, "What is it?"

Jian Wei’s eyes were locked on the analysis, his tone grim. "Nullveil. It’s a forbidden Esper destabilizer. A shimmering violet liquid that disrupts the natural resonance between aura and consciousness," replied Jian Wei.

Yu Xi’s stomach dropped. Jian Wei continued, voice clipped but steady:

"At lower doses, it causes confusion, disorientation, a desperate need for guidance. Ordinary methods are useless. Only sexual guidance can purge its effects. At higher doses, it drives Espers into violent, uncontrollable states, leaving them with no memory of their actions. Without guidance, victims face death. And if they survive, they are left permanently crippled, their aura channels scarred beyond repair with no cure."

Jian Rui’s fists clenched, his jaw tight.

Jian Wei pressed on saying, "Nullveil is feared across the realms. Outlawed not only in Virelia but throughout the entire Orion Drift. Its danger lies in its undetectable nature. Once guidance is achieved, all traces vanish. That’s why we found nothing in Jian Ci. It’s invisible after recovery."

Yu Xi’s breath came slow, deliberate, his fury sharpening into something colder.

Jian Wei’s voice dropped lower as he said, "It’s been used by rogue factions for years. A weapon of humiliation. To destabilize Espers, to break them, while leaving no evidence behind. Its existence is a reminder of how fragile aura truly is and how ruthless enemies can be when they want to exploit it."

His hands trembled as he stared at the report, his knuckles white against the table. Rage coursed through him, hot and unrelenting. Looking at Alarna’s face, one would never think she was capable of something so vile. She wore her sweetness like a mask, but beneath it was rot.

"She hadn’t even known Jian Ci was unwell that his condition made him more vulnerable than other Espers. And yet, the calculations showed she had given him double the dose. Fucking double. It was enough to push him past collapse, enough to kill him."

Yu Xi’s breath came sharp, his chest rising and falling like a storm barely contained. He turned abruptly, heading for the door.

Jian Rui caught his arm and asked, "Where are you going?" Yu Xi shrugged Jian Rui’s hand off with a violent motion "Deal with that piece of shit," he spat.

His eyes glowed a fierce emerald, aura surging around him like a warning. The message was clear: if you try to stop me, I will fight you.

Jian Rui froze, his own fury tempered by the weight of Yu Xi’s resolve. He didn’t move or dare speak.

He just watched as Yu Xi strode out, emerald light trailing in his wake like fire.

Jian Wei’s voice was tight, almost trembling. "Aren’t you going to go with him? He will kill him."

Jian Rui’s eyes hardened. "And I am not going to stop him."

He turned and walked out, his steps heavy with resolve. Moments later, the spacecraft roared to life and lifted off, its engines burning against the night sky.