Chapter 206: A SCAPEGOAT.

Chapter 206: 206: A SCAPEGOAT.

"Let me through!" Syll insisted, his eyes fixed on the scene. "Let me have a closer look!"

He was about to take another step forward when Grey grabbed his hand and pulled him back.

"What are you doing? You can’t go any further in there! It’s dangerous..." he explained.

The Esper investigators also stepped in. "Yes, you can’t. We still don’t know what the scene holds. There might be some strange energies lingering around the area, so we don’t recommend going any closer."

But Syll didn’t seem to be paying attention to anything they were saying. His eyes remained fixed on the scene as he gasped, struggling to pull himself together.

"No..." Syll muttered, shaking his head as he struggled to break free and get past them. "I have to get there. I... I have to... see..." He continued struggling to make his way forward.

However, Grey grabbed him and pulled him back again. "No, you can’t go! It’s dangerous!" he insisted, holding him firmly while staring at Syll’s face.

Grey was confused by his expression. He couldn’t understand why Syll was so worked up, acting as though there was something at the scene he desperately needed to see.

Feeling guilty was one thing, but Syll seemed to be experiencing something else entirely, something Grey couldn’t quite understand.

"Are you okay...? Syll..."

Syll paused, his strength slowly giving way as he crumbled to his knees. Grey immediately crouched beside him, holding him firmly while staring at his face.

"Are you okay?" he asked again.

But Syll said nothing. He remained on his knees, panting softly as he stared into the empty space, as though it held the answers to questions he couldn’t bring himself to ask.

Without saying another word, he continued staring into the distance while Grey held him firmly. Grey didn’t press him with any more questions. Instead, he simply stayed beside him, holding him quietly as they remained there on their knees.

---

Rayder walked into the luxurious lobby reserved exclusively for the Elite 5 that morning. He strode in majestically, only to find four pairs of eyes immediately turning toward him.

The remaining four were already there, their arms folded as they stared at him with unreadable expressions.

"What?" Rayder demanded, scanning the room. "Why are you all staring at me like that? What did I do?"

Jason sat on the couch, his cold eyes resting on Rayder for a while without saying anything.

Karen, however, smiled as he folded his arms and rose to his feet, walking toward Rayder.

"You sure do know how to make a mess, don’t you?"

Rayder stared at him in confusion. "And what do you mean by that? What mess are you talking about?" He glanced at the others. "If you’re talking about that dead fool, didn’t I already handle it? I already had someone take the blame and get expelled. Everyone believes it, so it’s over, isn’t it?"

Evelyn folded her arms with a scoff. "That mess is one thing, and now you’ve cooked up another. Congratulations." She stared at him with clear irritation.

Rayder shot her a cold look. "What rubbish are you talking about? What makes you think you can talk down to me like that, huh?"

Karen scoffed again. "Sometimes, I don’t even know how stupid you can be..."

"What the fuck do you mean?" Rayder glared at him.

Karen didn’t back down. "Acting without thinking will implicate all of us. Don’t you know that? Making random decisions and killing someone like that... Don’t you understand the consequences of your actions?"

Rayder stared at him, growing irritated. "I handled it, didn’t I?"

Jason finally spoke up. "Now, how do you plan on handling the other mess you’ve made?"

Rayder paused, staring at him. "What are you talking about...?"

Jason scoffed as Evelyn handed him a tablet. Rayder took it and began scrolling through the trending topics and searches.

The moment he saw the news, he hesitated, mild shock flashing across his face.

"This is..."

"You made use of it, right?" Karen asked, staring at him. "You used it again without letting us know, didn’t you?"

Rayder remained silent, staring at the tablet for a while.

Jason’s expression darkened. "Now look at the mess you’ve made. This has caused more trouble than we expected, and now it’s all over the news. Everyone is talking about it. Are you happy now?"

Rayder hesitated before speaking. "How is that possible? I was sure of what I did. I handled it properly, just like always, so..."

Jason abruptly snapped at him. "You should know better than to go there without authorization! You can’t just do whatever you want because you feel like it. This isn’t something you can take for granted. And now look at what has happened! You weren’t even able to control the consequences!"

Rayder swallowed hard, staring at the news as fear flashed across his face. However, he forced himself to remain composed.

"I’ll handle it..." he insisted.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Evelyn demanded.

"I’ll ask my father to silence the media. I’m sure he can do something. He can have them cover it up..."

Jason scoffed. "This is blowing up bigger than you can imagine. The government is already getting involved because of Mr. Kevin’s situation. Everything is spiraling beyond our control, and your daddy isn’t going to be able to do anything about it now."

Rayder panicked, staring at the tablet in disbelief. "But I was careful... I’m sure of it. How... How is this possible?" he muttered.

Evelyn ran a hand through her hair, visibly pissed off. "This is so annoying. I always knew you’d do something stupid, but I never thought you’d go this far and risk getting us exposed."

She glared at Rayder before continuing, "If this can’t be handled, it’s over for us. We’ll all be going down, and it’ll be because of you!"

Rayder was clearly frightened as he looked toward Jason, who remained seated calmly on the couch. He was certain the others were panicking, too, even if they weren’t showing it.

Their secret was about to be exposed. A secret they’d been hiding within the academy for ages, one that would implicate them heavily if the world ever found out about it.

"You can help me..." Rayder pleaded, walking toward Jason and stopping in front of him. "You can do something. I’m sure of it, so help me this time. Get us out of this mess like you always have. I won’t do anything again. I promise I won’t use the base for a month... No, two months! Just help me this time, please!"

He begged, but Jason merely sat there, staring at him.

Rayder continued pleading, desperate to convince him to help. "I promise I won’t use it without authorization anymore. I... I won’t..." He hesitated before adding, "We’re in this together. If I go down, you all will go down, too. So... you should help me, shouldn’t you? You should do something as well..."

But Jason only scoffed.

"It’s almost as if you’re underestimating what I can do in a situation like this." He smiled coldly. "I can find a way to save myself from this mess. After that, you’ll have to find your own way out."

Rayder stared at him, shaking his head in disbelief. "No... You can’t do this to me. You... You can’t!" He forced a smile. "We’re in this together, too. You have to help me!"

Jason’s smile widened as he leaned closer.

"Someone like you isn’t worth keeping around. You’re far too unreliable. You’re like a time bomb waiting to destroy everything, and I won’t let you drag me down with you."

Rayder stared at him silently. He didn’t like where this was heading.

"What do you mean by that...?"

Jason casually rose to his feet, still smiling.

"We can’t keep someone like you around for much longer, especially with a scandal like this." He looked down at Rayder. "We have to save ourselves, and you’ll have to face this mess on your own when the blame eventually falls on you."

Rayder gasped. He knew exactly what they were capable of, and he was certain they were about to do precisely what he’d feared.

To save themselves, Jason was prepared to throw someone else under the bus. And Rayder was certain he would become the sacrificial lamb once the situation grew serious enough for them to become suspects.

The government was already moving quickly. Sooner or later, they would uncover clues pointing toward the academy, and eventually, toward them. Rayder understood that all too well. He was certain he would be the only one to fall while the others dumped all the blame on him.

"No..." he panicked, shaking his head.

He dropped to his knees and grabbed Jason by the legs. "Don’t do this to me... Don’t do this... Please, don’t abandon me like that! No!"

He looked up at Jason desperately, his voice trembling as he clung to him.

But Jason only scoffed as he stared down at him. Then, with a calm smile, he slowly bent down and grabbed Rayder by the chin, forcing him to look up into his quivering eyes.