Chapter 91: Wither Serum

A melodious tune drifted from beyond the heavy velvet curtains of the stage.

Backstage, Hazel glanced at Jax, grinding her teeth in visible frustration. If not for Julian—that persistent, sticky leech of a man—she wouldn’t have bothered inviting Jax to dinner at all. The entire evening had been a tactical maneuver to shake Julian off her trail.

Hazel set down a bag of dried fruit and shot a glare toward the entrance where Julian was lingering.

“If you don’t plan to go on stage,” she snapped, “then stay here and keep quiet.”

She turned to the vanity mirror, smoothing her eyebrows and plastering a sweet, professional smile onto her face. Watching her instant transformation, Jax couldn’t help but marvel internally.

The old sayings are true. A woman can change her face faster than flipping the page of a book.

As Hazel walked away, Julian seized his chance. He sauntered up to Jax, a heavy hand clamping down on Jax’s shoulder.

“Kid, you’ve got guts,” Julian sneered, his voice low and dripping with menace. “Just you wait. I’ll make you pay for this.”

He leaned in, his eyes flicking dismissively over the ID badge pinned to Jax’s chest.

“Jax, is it? Hmph. You’d better watch your back.”

With a final, threatening pat, Julian’s expression instantly shifted into a charming smile as he followed Hazel toward the stage area.

Jax stood there, baffled. “Is that guy brain-damaged? I don’t even know him, and he’s already declared war?”

“You’ve gotten yourself into big trouble,” a voice piped up from beside him.

Jax turned to see the makeup artist who had just finished prepping Hazel. She looked anxious.

“What do you mean?” Jax asked.

The girl scanned the room to ensure no one was listening, then leaned in close. “Everyone in the auction house knows Julian has been pursuing Hazel for a long time. By stepping in, you provoked him. He’s a petty, vindictive man. You really need to be careful.”

Jax chuckled, unconcerned. “Wow. So, what’s this Julian’s background? Who backs him?”

“The Fang Syndicate.”

“The Fang Syndicate? Are they powerful?”

The girl shook her head. “The Fang family itself isn’t a top-tier power, but their connections are terrifying.”

“Do tell.” Jax’s interest was piqued. He wasn’t afraid of retaliation—he planned to leave the city as soon as he found Elena—but intel was always useful.

The makeup artist lowered her voice to a whisper. “The Fang family has a partnership with the Helios Syndicate. Julian is close friends with their Eldest Scion, Slade!”

“Oh? The Helios Syndicate? The one from the Middle Sector?”

“Mhmm! Exactly!”

“Hah! Then there’s absolutely nothing to worry about.”

Jax relaxed completely. If Julian’s biggest card was a friendship with a scion of the Helios Syndicate, he was laughably outmatched. Jax didn’t know Slade, but he was practically business partners with Sawyer, a key figure in the same syndicate. Julian was a small fish in a very small pond.

Seeing Jax’s nonchalant reaction, the makeup artist sighed, shaking her head as she packed up her kit. Clearly, she thought he was a fool who didn’t understand the gravity of the situation.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted near the rear entrance of the venue.

“Miss, the auction has already begun! Entry is closed! Please return tomorrow!”

“Open your dog eyes and look clearly at who stands before you!” a sharp female voice retorted.

“Uh… I… I apologize! My mistake, Miss Lan! Please, come in!”

Jax smirked. “I didn’t expect the people here to be so accustomed to throwing their weight around.”

Curiosity getting the better of him, Jax stood up and walked to the edge of the curtain to peek. He caught a glimpse of a woman in a stunning black evening gown sweeping past the flustered guards.

He couldn’t see her face, only a seductive silhouette walking away, but a distinct scent drifted through the air.

Roses.

It was a heavy, intoxicating fragrance. And it was incredibly familiar.

Jax sniffed the air again, his brow furrowing as a specific figure materialized in his memory.

Could it be her?

He watched the woman’s back disappear into the VIP seating, his certainty growing. I never thought she would come to a place like this. It seems her identity is far more complex than I realized.

Jax decided not to overthink it for now. He checked the logistics for the auction items, confirmed everything was in order, and settled into a chair backstage to listen to the proceedings.

The early items were standard fare—luxury goods and minor artifacts—selling for inflated prices to minor noble families. Jax tuned it out until Hazel’s voice rang out clear and professional from the stage.

“Ladies and gentlemen, our next lot is something quite rare! This is a specialized biological agent. Please refer to your catalogs for the full specifications and the certification from the research laboratory.”

She gestured to a sealed vial displayed on a velvet cushion.

“This is the ‘Wither Serum.’ Developed by Redrock Bastion’s Lab One, it is a cutting-edge compound designed to forcefully amplify the abilities of Psionic Awakeners!”

A murmur went through the crowd.

“However,” Hazel continued, “transparency is our policy. This is a first-generation prototype. While its efficacy is tested, it comes with a cost. The serum functions by consuming the user’s physical Awakening energy—their vitality and constitution—and converting it directly into Psionic power.”

“The potency is undeniable, but the price is high—both in cost and consequence. We start the bidding at three hundred Tier 2 Energy Shards! The auction begins now!”

Bang! The gavel struck.

Jax frowned, looking at the manifest in his hand. Three hundred Tier 2 Shards? And it eats your physical stats?

“Hiss… something like this actually exists?” Jax muttered. “But Sawyer told me Psionic Awakeners are incredibly rare in Redrock Bastion. Why auction this here?”

“Oh, you seem to know a thing or two,” a voice interrupted. “That serum isn’t something just anyone can handle.”

Jax looked up. A flamboyant man with delicate features—one of the event coordinators—was leaning against a prop crate, filing his nails.

“Of course I know it’s not for ordinary people,” Jax replied.

“It seems you don’t know the whole story, though,” the man said, raising an eyebrow. “Do you know the specific usage requirements?”

Jax realized this gossip-loving staffer was dying to spill a secret. Playing along, Jax nodded. “No, I don’t. Do you?”

“Honey, there’s nothing about this club I don’t know.” The man raised a pinky finger to his chin in an affected, dramatic gesture.

Jax suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. “Then enlighten me. Tell us country bumpkins what the big deal is.”

He pulled over a spare chair, inviting the man to sit. The man didn’t stand on ceremony, crossing his legs elegantly as he sat.

“You should know, this comes from Lab One,” the man whispered conspiratorially. “They’ve tried making this for years. All previous test subjects died. Exploded, melted, went mad—couldn’t withstand the power.”

“But recently, they had a breakthrough. Hence, the Wither Serum. But the side effects are brutal. It requires the user to possess two Awakening abilities.”

“You mean a Dual Awakener?” Jax asked. “Someone with both Physical and Psionic Awakening?”

“Exactly! Think about it. How many people like that exist?”

Jax nodded slowly. The product was a paradox. Dual Awakeners were anomalies, incredibly rare.

Although the starting bid wasn’t astronomical, the cost of use—permanently sacrificing one’s physical cultivation to boost psionic power—was a heavy trade.

More importantly, Jax sensed a trap. Selling such a specific, dangerous item publicly? It felt less like a sale and more like bait thrown out by Lab One to flush out unregistered Dual Awakeners.

“It seems the audience isn’t stupid,” Jax noted. “Buying this is basically painting a target on your back for Lab One.”

On stage, silence stretched. Hazel kept her smile, but the lack of bids was awkward.

“It seems everyone is hesitant,” Hazel said smoothly. “Very well. Second call. If there are no bids by the third call, the Wither Serum will be passed.”

“Three hundred Tier 2 Shards.”

A cool, female voice cut through the silence.

Jax froze. “Holy crap. Someone actually bid?”

The flamboyant man gasped, clutching his chest. “So foolish! It’s a trap! Why would she buy it?”

He scurried to the curtain to peek. “I haven’t seen that woman before. Could she be a Dual Awakener?”

Jax stood up and moved to the viewing slit, looking down into the VIP seating area. The woman in the black dress had lowered her bidding paddle. She turned her head slightly, revealing her profile under the stage lights.

Jax’s eyes widened.

“Oh my god… It really is her!”