Cyber Ascension Arc 4 | Volume 4 | Chapter 34 — "The Manipulations That Never End"
The city lights sprawled endlessly beneath him, a glittering web of civilization stretched thin across the void. Future Jin Yuan walked along the edge of the towering skyscraper, every step measured, fearless. The wind tugged at his coat, yet he didn't flinch. To him, the height, the drop, the chaos below—it was nothing. Every motion, every decision was calm, calculated.
"It's time," he murmured, voice low, almost indifferent, "to manipulate the world… even my friends… even the people I… care about."
The red sun was bleeding into the horizon, painting the buildings in a fiery hue that mirrored the fire in his mind. The thought of what he had done, what he had become, and what he must do next consumed him entirely.
His mind wandered, flicking back to the moment when the present Jin Yuan, his own past self, had read the Golden Fate Book. Every word etched into memory, every hidden truth, every cursed prophecy he now possessed.
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The Golden Fate Book
Present Jin Yuan had held the ancient tome delicately, unaware of the storm it contained. As he read, his brow furrowed, eyes scanning every line as if they were pulling him into the book itself.
"The Earth is a fabricated world," the book whispered silently to him. "Created by Hell to bind humans with Fate. To force suffering without knowing the real home… the true realm for humans is the Blue Realm, forged by three heavens. But war erupted. Three heavens defied Hell, snapping at the chains imposed on the human soul. Yet, Hell's might was greater. The King of Hell—Zingan Kuranku… the long black hair, the red eyes… terrifying in every sense—established a new decree: Any human seeking freedom must face Hell and break the cycle."
The words weighed on Present Jin Yuan, yet the full meaning had not yet registered.
And then… Future Jin Yuan's consciousness had merged with his past self in that fleeting, final moment. Every secret, every thread of fate, every piece of hidden knowledge flowed into him. The book's prophecy, once a whisper, was now a command.
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Future Jin Yuan's Cold Calculations
Future Jin Yuan's mind raced like a machine overclocked. Every decision precise, unflinching. Every moral line erased long ago.
"Villainy," he murmured, stepping away from the edge, "is the only path to freedom."
His voice carried no emotion—no hesitation, no regret. Yet beneath the mask, a single principle remained: Friends before self. Even in his darkest calculations, he would always prioritize their survival… though the world at large would burn to make it happen.
The city below went unnoticed. The noise, the chaos, the lives—it was all irrelevant.
He leapt down, landing softly on the rooftop of the lower building, and walked inside a room shrouded in dim red lights. Ancient scripts and tattered scrolls lined every wall, detailing the war between Heaven and Hell, the rise and fall of kings, the strength of warriors long dead, and the arcane secrets of universal power.
Future Jin Yuan circled a whiteboard in the center of the room, marker in hand, eyes scanning the notes. He repeated the facts to himself as if testing their weight against reality.
"Three Heavens are now enslaved under Hell," he murmured. "To gain freedom… I must declare war against the universe itself. And to survive…" He circled one word with meticulous precision: 'Phoenixs.'
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The Phoenix Threat
"Each citizen of the three heavens carries a Phoenix," he continued, voice low and deliberate. "Fifty meters of destructive energy. A single misstep on Earth could annihilate millions… no, billions. I cannot risk unnecessary conflict on this level. The battle must be calculated, surgical."
He paused, considering every eventuality. "Yet… power must be achieved to win the war. To secure freedom. The risk of death… irrelevant. The only measure is victory."
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A Memory of Innocence
His thoughts wandered to a softer memory—a fleeting ghost amidst the storm. Emily, curled against his side as she slept. Innocent. Warm. Unaware of the darkness he carried, the blood he would spill, the universe he would bend to his will.
A single tear slid down his cheek, unnoticed by anyone but himself. Cold calculation did not equate to absence of feeling. It was merely choice. He wiped the tear away instantly.
"No room for weakness," he whispered. "No room for attachment… yet they will survive, no matter what I must do."
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Mapping the Future
He turned back to the board, circling more names, tracing lines connecting warriors, threats, and allies. Everything was a network. Every movement of power a calculation. Every heartbeat of the universe a variable in his grand equation.
"Friends, enemies… all pieces to manipulate." He tapped a finger on a cluster of names marked in red. "Each must act according to the script… or they will be removed."
Every stroke of the marker, every line on the board, was deliberate. It was a chessboard, and he was both player and king.
He moved to another table covered in artifacts and texts. Ancient scripts detailed Hell's stratagems, Heaven's defenses, and the fragile balance between realms. His eyes scanned every word, every diagram, committing it to memory, understanding the physics, the metaphysics, the probabilities.
"To conquer the cycle… to achieve freedom… there can be no error," he said coldly.
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A Silent Resolve
Future Jin Yuan stopped by a tall window, gazing down at the city sprawling beneath him. Tiny human lives—futile, fleeting, unaware of the invisible hand guiding their fates.
He clenched his fists. Not in rage. Not in frustration. But in absolute clarity.
"Manipulation… control… strategy… sacrifice…" he whispered.
"Every action has a consequence. Every choice must serve the plan. No deviation. No mercy for weakness. No mercy for hesitation. No mercy… for myself."
His eyes lingered on the city for a moment longer, scanning, calculating. He did not see the lights as beautiful. He saw the network of lives, the nodes to influence, the systems to manipulate.
A ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips—not joy, not cruelty, but satisfaction in clarity.
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Preparing the Next Phase
He returned to the whiteboard, marker poised. He mapped out strategic zones: Earth, Blue Realm, the hidden pathways of Hell, and the location of each key player he would manipulate.
He paused at a single word, written in bold, unshakable letters: "Pheonixs."
"They are my next challenge," he said coldly, tapping the circle twice. "One by one, I will calculate their downfall, control their movements, and avoid unnecessary destruction… but not failure."
He walked back to the center of the room, marker in hand, eyes scanning the entire map. Every detail mattered. Every thread of fate would be rewoven.
The red lights flickered again, casting shadows that twisted like whispers along the walls. He did not flinch. Did not hesitate.
"This… is only the beginning," Future Jin Yuan said to himself. "Every move, every life, every friend… will be manipulated. Even if it costs me everything… I will see the path to freedom."
And as he stared down at the world below, a faint cold breeze brushed past him. It carried the scent of smoke, metal, and distant blood. A reminder that the game had already begun, and the pieces were moving exactly as he intended.
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Cold. Calculating. Relentless.
Future Jin Yuan was no longer just a man. He was an algorithm of destiny, bending friends, enemies, and the universe itself toward a single inescapable outcome.
And somewhere deep inside… a silent part of him still remembered Emily's warmth, Jin Yuan's laugh, and the fleeting innocence of his past self. But those memories… were already tools. Weapons. Fuel.
Because to control fate, he had to become fate itself.