165: Chapter 166 The Past of the Oracle

Jamie Matthew's confession was like a flood bursting through a dam; once it started, it could no longer be stopped. After experiencing true death and a bizarre resurrection, his desire for life overwhelmed everything, and his fear and awe of Lin Muyang had penetrated deep into his marrow. He knew this was his only, and final, chance.

He no longer held anything back, starting from the most core secret—his true identity.

"My true name is Jamie Matthew, a citizen of the American Empire, born into an unremarkable middle-class family. The talent I publicly declared is the SSS-rank [Boiling Battle Intent], but in reality, I awakened a Sub-God Rank Talent—[High-Spirited Battle Intent]."

At this point, he paused, seemingly reminiscing about the past. "This talent is powerful, but also very demanding. It requires my heart to be filled with 'high-spirited' fighting spirit and a conviction of certain victory to exert its maximum effect, which can reach a terrifying five-fold increase in basic attributes. But I... I am naturally cautious, even somewhat suspicious. It's hard for me to maintain that state of unstoppable, overflowing confidence throughout a battle. Most of the time, I can only exert twenty to thirty percent of the talent's effect, only occasionally exploding in desperate situations."

His tone carried a hint of self-mockery and deep helplessness. A talent with an extremely high ceiling but an unstable floor, placed on someone with his personality, was both a blessing and a torment. This meant that in the official evaluations of the American Empire, although he was recognized as an SSS-rank genius and enjoyed generous treatment, he never managed to join the ranks of the very top few, which had always left a seed of resentment buried deep in his heart.

"Eight years ago, when I was Level 133, I followed the American Empire's official exploration team into a newly discovered mythic grade Dungeon. That exploration was extremely dangerous, but the harvest was also beyond imagination. In that Dungeon, my luck exploded, and I obtained an extremely special skill book—a mythic grade skill, [We Are the Same Kind]."

Mentioning this skill, a hint of fanaticism flashed in his dull eyes. "This skill has no direct combat power, but it has an effect that can be called heaven-defying: it allows me to vaguely perceive where and when individuals with the same or similar talent levels as mine are born globally! That is, other Sub-God Rank Talent awakeners!"

Obtaining this skill completely ignited the ambition hidden deep within Jamie Matthew's heart and opened a door to another possibility for him.

"I realized that on my own, even if I pushed [High-Spirited Battle Intent] to its limit, I would still face the risk of falling when facing the state machine or sieges from other SSS-Rank Experts. My talent's characteristics also made it hard for me to reach the true peak." His voice lowered, carrying a long-planned chill, "But... what if I could find them? Find those sub-god rank geniuses who are like me, or who might have emerged even earlier than me, gather them together, and control them?"

A mad and bold plan was born that night.

"I wanted to create a god." A morbid light flickered in Jamie Matthew's eyes. "A void, supreme god. And I would act as this god's spokesperson in the mortal realm—the 'Gods Chosen One'. I would find those sub-god rank geniuses, guide them in the name of God, control them, and make them serve me. One day, when the organization is strong enough and has gathered enough top-tier power, our 'Oracle' will stand above all nations and rules! I will become the true controller behind the scenes!"

A secret organization built on lies, deception, and mental control—'Oracle'—was thus born. Relying on his cautious personality, excellent planning abilities, and the guidance of the heaven-defying skill [We Are the Same Kind], Jamie Matthew began eight years of secret management.

To the outside world, he remained that SSS-rank expert of the American Empire with decent but not top-tier talent. Internally, he played two roles: one was 'Eagle', responsible for specific affairs, contact, and issuing orders; the other was the mysterious, almost never-seen supreme existence that lived only in the members' imaginations—the 'Gods Chosen One'. He used the information perceived through his mythic grade skill, combined with his own intelligence network, to contact, screen, and find ways to 'recruit' those newly born sub-god rank geniuses, as well as some highly potential SSS-rank and SS-Rank Expert special class users.

"Developing until now, the core members of the 'Oracle' organization who are directly loyal to me—or rather, loyal to the identity of 'Gods Chosen One'—originally totaled twenty-three people, including Beatrice, who was already eliminated by you," Jamie Matthew explained in detail. "They were all hand-picked by me, with talents at least s-rank, and the vast majority have changed to special classes. Among them are three SSS-ranks, eleven SS-ranks, and seven s-ranks. They are distributed all over the world with diverse backgrounds. Under long-term psychological suggestion and resource control, their faith in 'God' and loyalty to the 'Gods Chosen One' are very high; they are the backbone of the organization."

"Besides them, there are the two true sub-god rank geniuses, who are also the future trump cards in my plan. One is Miss Chiba Ruri, and the other is a youth from the Xia Kingdom, code-named 'Dragon', whose real name is Jiang Chenyu."

Mentioning Jiang Chenyu, Jamie Matthew's tone became more complex. "His talent is the sub-god level [Trinity]. Its effect is that the three basic attributes of attack, defense, and speed can mutually augment each other, and the augmentation ratio can be adjusted. For example, when extreme speed is needed, part of the attack and defense attributes can be temporarily converted into a speed bonus, allowing speed to explode several times over in a short period. Conversely, the same applies when pursuing extreme attack."

"Purely in terms of talent potential and stability, [Trinity] might not be as good as a fully erupted [High-Spirited Battle Intent], but its strength lies in being comprehensive and controllable. Moreover, Jiang Chenyu is younger, his temperament seems purer, and his growth speed is extremely fast. With my secret support, it's easy for him to obtain resources, and his strength has improved rapidly. Currently, he is quite low-key within the Xia Kingdom and hasn't attracted much attention."

Jamie Matthew's original conception was to have Chiba Ruri and Jiang Chenyu serve as the left and right hands of the 'Gods Chosen One'. In the future, he even intended to assign some core members to their command. On one hand, this would enhance their actual power and sense of belonging; on the other hand, it was a way to further consolidate control over them and observe their loyalty.

"Unfortunately... plans can't keep up with changes," Jamie Matthew said bitterly, stealing a glance at the cold-faced Chiba Ruri beside him. "With your appearance and rise, Your Excellency Lin Muyang, everything changed."

He continued to disclose the operational details of the organization: "Communication between organization members does not rely on conventional electronic communication; that's too easy to track and monitor. We use a specially made magic communication device."

At this point, he tried to move his finger and looked at Lin Muyang with a gaze asking for permission. With a thought, Lin Muyang temporarily lifted the [Space Interruption] effect on the small area around him. Only then did Jamie Matthew struggle to take out a palm-sized, pitch-black 'phone' with a faint magical luster flowing on its surface from a simple-looking storage ring on his finger.

"This is it. It has a complex composite magic circle inscribed inside. Information transmission relies on magic resonance and encryption, which theoretically cannot be tracked or cracked by existing technological means. Every communication requires a specific mana frequency and decryption rune to receive and send." He offered the black phone with both hands, a faint spark of hope igniting in his eyes once more.

"Great God," he tried to make his voice sound more devout and earnest, "if you are willing to let me live and continue to serve you... I can use my experience and abilities to continue managing the 'Oracle' organization! I know the personalities, abilities, and weaknesses of all members like the back of my hand. I know how to mobilize them and how to keep them loyal! The entire 'Oracle' organization exists to serve the true God! Please believe me, I can definitely make it develop better and become the sharpest sword in your hand!"

He stared intently at Lin Muyang, hoping to see a hint of interest on his face. He firmly believed that the Oracle organization he controlled, with its twenty-two members who were at least s-rank talents, along with the potential resources and intelligence networks behind them, was an allure no ambitious person could refuse. This was his only and greatest bargaining chip at this moment! Wasn't this the reason Lin Muyang had resurrected him? He was willing to trade control of the organization for his true, long-term life!

Unfortunately, he had misjudged once again.

Lin Muyang looked at the light in his eyes—a mix of pleading, expectation, and a trace of subtle calculation—and merely gave a faint sigh.

"Magic decryption?" Lin Muyang took the black phone, weighing it casually in his hand as he felt the complex magical fluctuations within. "This thing presents no difficulty to me."

Jamie Matthew froze, not understanding the meaning of those words. This was something he had spent a fortune on, inviting several top alchemy and enchantment masters to collaborate on, employing multiple layers of dynamic magic encryption and soul-binding security! Even if it fell into someone else's hands, without the specific decryption method and his soul fluctuations, a forced breach would only trigger a self-destruct magic circle, completely annihilating all stored information! On what basis did Lin Muyang say it was 'no difficulty'?

Before he could figure it out, a glimmer unnoticeable to ordinary people flashed in Lin Muyang's eyes.

God-Tier Aura—Magic Decomposition, activate!

The effect of this Aura was simple yet overbearing: it drastically enhanced the caster's ability to perceive, analyze, and dismantle magical energy, structures, and circles. Under the perspective of Magic Decomposition, the vast majority of magical creations in the world—their internal energy flow paths, rune structures, and encryption logic—were as clear as if placed under a microscope, riddled with flaws.

Inside that black phone, the dozens of nested and interlocking miniature magic circles were now fully exposed to Lin Muyang's perception—their operating principles, energy nodes, and the generation and verification logic of the encryption keys. The so-called 'soul-binding' was merely a sophisticated soul frequency verification mechanism; the 'multiple dynamic encryption' was just a combination of variants of common encryption spells.

"I see. The core is a small directional soul resonance array, paired with illusion-type concealment runes and transmutation-type dynamic keys... The design is clever enough, but unfortunately, the base model is too old." Lin Muyang understood instantly. He extended his index finger, condensing a tiny wisp of mana that contained strange fluctuations, and lightly tapped a hidden, microscopic groove on the back of the phone that was nearly invisible to the naked eye.

Buzz—

A soft hum sounded. The magical luster on the surface of the black phone rippled like water. Then, the complex, interwoven light patterns receded and simplified like a ebbing tide, finally stabilizing into a sleek interface emitting a steady white light. On it, folder icons were clearly listed, labeled with terms like 'Member Profiles,' 'Mission Records,' 'Resource List,' 'Communication Logs,' and 'Encryption Protocols.'

"This... how is this possible?!" Jamie Matthew's eyes widened, and the color drained from his face instantly as if he had seen a ghost. The top-tier magic encryption he had spent countless efforts on and took pride in as being absolutely secure had been... broken just like that by a casual tap? No commotion, not even triggering any alarms or self-destruct mechanisms! Just how terrifyingly high was the other party's understanding of magic?

Lin Muyang ignored his shock, his mental strength sweeping across the phone interface to quickly browse the information. Just as Jamie Matthew had said, the data inside was horrifyingly detailed. The real names, codenames, nationalities, current levels, specific talents, profession details, personality analyses, family backgrounds, recruitment processes, completed missions, received resources, and recent psychological evaluation reports of the twenty-two core members... everything was recorded down to the smallest detail. There were even magical images and voice samples of every member.

The data regarding Chiba Ruri and Jiang Chenyu was also filed separately and in even greater detail, especially the analysis of their talents, skill combinations, equipment recommendations, and Jamie Matthew's long-term observation notes on their psychological states. It was clear that he both relied heavily on these two sub-god level geniuses and was filled with wariness and a desire to control them.

Through this phone, Lin Muyang could not only view all the information but also simulate the magical fluctuations of 'Gods Chosen One' or 'Eagle' to send commands to any member. Similarly, he could temporarily delegate authority to designated individuals.

"The organizational structure is clear, personnel information is complete, and contact methods are secured... In that case, this person truly is of no more use." Lin Muyang closed the phone interface and looked up at Jamie Matthew on the ground, whose eyes were now completely filled with despair and terror, and calmly announced his fate.

"No! Wait! God! I'm still useful! I can—" Jamie Matthew shrieked in terror, but his living state was merely an illusion maintained by Gui Wanwan's skill; he couldn't even manage to struggle.

Lin Muyang didn't even give him another look, simply nodding slightly to Gui Wanwan.

Gui Wanwan understood. The sweet smile on her face didn't change at all as she casually waved her fair little hand.

It was as if an invisible thread had been quietly snipped.

Jamie Matthew felt the strange power maintaining his consciousness and allowing him to think and perceive recede rapidly like a tide. Boundless cold and darkness surged in again from all directions, this time more swiftly and thoroughly. The last things he saw were Lin Muyang's indifferent eyes and the calm faces of the young ladies around him. Endless regret gnawed at his final consciousness like a venomous snake—if he had truly surrendered from the start... if he hadn't had those little schemes... would it be...

Unfortunately, there were no 'ifs.'

The last faint light in his eyes extinguished. The shell that had long since lost its vital signs twitched slightly, then stiffened completely, losing all signs of being 'alive' and turning back into a cold corpse.

Without even needing Lin Muyang's command, Feng Ling, who was standing to the side, elegantly raised her hand. A wisp of gold-red Phoenix True Fire flicked from her fingertip and landed on Jamie Matthew's corpse.

The flame seemed weak, but it contained extreme heat and purifying power. The moment the corpse touched the flame, it vaporized and dissipated silently like snow cast into a blazing sun, leaving no ash and producing no odor, not even harming a single blade of grass or tree nearby. In a blink, the ground was empty as if this person had never existed. Only a very faint lingering sense of scorching heat in the air proved that everything had just happened.

Lin Muyang toyed with the decrypted black magic phone in his hand, falling into brief thought.

The Oracle organization, with twenty-two backbone members of at least s-rank talent distributed globally and an inconspicuous structure, possessing a twisted faith in God... This was indeed a potential force that could not be underestimated. It would be perfectly suited for searching for resources, gathering intelligence, and handling trivial matters that were inconvenient to attend to personally.

But for him to manage this organization personally? To deal with those twenty-two 'geniuses' with their varied personalities and unpredictable thoughts? To handle the tedious personnel scheduling, mission assignments, resource distribution, and psychological counseling? Just thinking about it made Lin Muyang feel it was a hassle.

What he needed was the convenience brought by this force, not to be bound by the force itself.

"It seems I'll have to find a suitable steward." Lin Muyang had already made a decision in his heart. He needed a proxy—someone who could issue orders in place of the 'Gods Chosen One,' manage daily affairs, and be sufficiently loyal and reliable. This choice of candidate had to be made carefully.