29: Chapter 29 The Final Showdown, The Battle of Code

The blinding blue light nearly tore apart the purgatory-like landscape of the virtual world. The moment Lin Fan clenched the real-world coordinate data in his palm, a violent surge of energy swept through his limbs and bones. The blue code that had been flowing back into his body acted like an ignited fuse, instantly bursting into a dazzling radiance that caused his translucent body to flicker between light and shadow. Every inch of his skin screamed with the pain of dissolution, and his consciousness felt as if a precarious blade hung over it, ready to slice his soul into countless fragments at any moment.

Victor's figure, suspended in mid-air, shuddered violently, and the arrogant smile on his face froze instantly. He felt an unfamiliar power—a power that didn't belong to any segment of code in this virtual world. It carried the chilling sharpness of the real world, mingled with the warmth of Kate's fingertips and Michael's blood-stained entrustment, frantically battering against his consciousness barrier.

"What did you do?" For the first time, Victor's voice carried a trace of panic. He reached out, and countless strands of black code dove toward Lin Fan like venomous snakes. "Stop right now!"

The black code coiled around Lin Fan's body as if trying to crush him completely. But this time, the cold code failed to erode his consciousness; instead, it sizzled and burned against the blue light overflowing from his palm, dissipating into wisps of black smoke. Amidst the swirling smoke, Lin Fan could clearly see his wrists becoming transparent, the outlines of his bones turning into faint shadows. Yet, the strength with which he held the code was as heavy as if he intended to crush this illusory world.

Lin Fan slowly stood up. With every step he took, ripples of blue light appeared on the ground beneath him. Within those ripples, images flickered: Michael falling, Franklin roaring as he slammed his keyboard, and the resolute profile of Kate as she pressed the Enter key. He could feel his body becoming transparent at an even faster rate, as if he might dissipate into a stream of data at any second, but his eyes were startlingly bright, burning with a flame of resolve that even death could not extinguish.

He raised his hand, and the blue light in his palm condensed, manifesting into a long blade made of pure code. The blade shimmered with a cold luster, its edge flowing with the patterns of the real-world coordinates. Carved into those patterns was Kate's name and the warmth of the words "Stay Alive"—the only weapon capable of piercing the barrier between the virtual and the real.

"Victor," Lin Fan's voice was raspy yet firm. He gripped the hilt tightly, the tip of the blade pointing directly at the levitating Victor. "This game... it's time to end it."

Franklin and Trevor hid behind a remnant of a broken wall, watching Lin Fan's figure with eyes full of shock. They could see Lin Fan's body becoming transparent bit by bit; his shoulders had already begun to dissipate, as if he were about to merge into the chaotic data stream. However, the aura emanating from him was more powerful than ever, like a God of War about to burn himself out.

"That kid Lin Fan..." Franklin's voice choked up slightly. He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. "He has to win."

Trevor didn't speak. He just stared fixedly at Victor in the air, the flames of revenge burning in the depths of his eyes. He tightly gripped a scavenged dagger, looking as if he were ready to charge in and fight alongside Lin Fan until the very end.

Victor looked at the code blade in Lin Fan's hand, his expression becoming terrifyingly grim. He could feel that the blade contained enough power to destroy him—a power from the real world, far beyond his control. He waved his hand abruptly, and the black code behind him instantly condensed into a massive shield. The shield was covered in dense layers of defensive programs, shimmering with a ghostly cold light—the barrier he had spent his entire life weaving.

"Just you? A remnant soul about to dissipate, and you think you can stand against me?" Victor sneered, forcing down the panic in his voice. "This world is mine! No one can take it from me!"

As he spoke, Victor's form blurred, transforming into a bolt of black lightning as he dove toward Lin Fan. A spear, also made of code, condensed in his hand. Its sharp tip flickered with a dark light that seemed to devour everything, causing the air to twist and collapse wherever it passed.

Lin Fan did not dodge. His feet were planted firmly on the ground as he tightened his grip on the long blade. He could feel his consciousness blurring bit by bit, his body's transparency increasing until only his eyes remained clear. In his vision, Victor's distorted face grew closer, while his own arm was nearly gone.

"At the very least... I'm taking you down with me!"

Lin Fan let out a furious roar and charged at Victor. His voice carried the desperation of someone burning their bridges, a tribute to all those who had sacrificed themselves, and a raw longing for life.

The moment the blade and spear collided, a deafening hum erupted. Blue and black light exploded in mid-air, forming a massive energy shockwave that swept across the entire plaza. Surrounding debris from ruined buildings was sent flying by the shockwave, turning into powder. The air was thick with the acrid smell of annihilated code, like a grand funeral.

A surge of intense pain shot through Lin Fan's arm, and a crack appeared on the code-formed blade. His body became even more transparent, his shoulder having completely turned into a data stream, and even the strength in his grip was slowly draining away. But he did not retreat; instead, he poured all the power in his body into the hilt, violently thrusting the blade forward.

The power of the real-world coordinates surged along the blade and into Victor's shield. The blue light acted like a sharp sword, instantly piercing through the black defensive programs. Victor's pupils shrank. He could feel his code being frantically eroded. Those defensive programs he was so proud of were as fragile as a paper joke before the power of the real-world coordinates.

"Impossible!" Victor roared. He tried to pull back his spear, only to find it firmly locked in place by the blue light. "What kind of power is this?!"

"This is a power you will never understand," Lin Fan's voice held a hint of exhaustion, yet also a sense of relief. "It's Kate's courage, Michael's dignity, and the power of resistance from everyone you've manipulated!"

Meanwhile, in the real world.

Kate leaned against the wreckage of the control console. The wound on her shoulder bled continuously, droplets falling onto the shattered screen and blooming into startling red plum blossoms. She could hear the security guards' footsteps drawing closer and feel the shadow of death approaching step by step. A cold gun barrel was nearly pressed against her temple. Yet, her eyes remained fixed on the shattered screen, watching that faint blue light—the proof that Lin Fan was still alive.

The security guard's footsteps stopped in front of her, and the cold barrel was once again aimed at her forehead.

"Hand him over, and I can give you a quick end." The security captain's voice was as cold as ice, carrying unmasked cruelty.

Kate looked up at the security captain's hideous face, a resolute smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Her hand quietly reached for a red button beneath the console—the main power switch. It was a trump card she had hidden long ago, the final light she had left for Lin Fan.

As long as she pressed this button, the power to the entire virtual world would be cut, and Victor's conscious vessel would collapse. As for Lin Fan... she was gambling that he could seize that momentary opportunity, gambling that he could carry everyone's hopes back to reality.

"Lin Fan," Kate whispered softly, as if saying goodbye and offering a prayer. Warm tears slid down her cheeks, mixing with droplets of blood as they fell onto the back of her hand. "From here on... it's up to you."

Her finger pressed down hard on the red button.

*Zzt—*

The hum of electricity vanished instantly, and all the instruments in the lab stopped running. The server maintaining the virtual world completely lost its power supply. The shattered screen flickered a few times before going dark entirely. A small line of white text quietly appeared in the final moment before the darkness took over: [Connection Interrupted.]

Inside the virtual world.

Victor's body jolted violently. He could feel his connection to the real-world server weakening bit by bit, like threads being forcibly torn apart. His consciousness began to scramble, and the black code acted like wild horses out of control, rampaging through his body and tearing at every inch of his mind.

"No! My server!" Victor let out a desperate howl. He tried to break free from Lin Fan's restraint, only to find his body becoming transparent at a visible rate. "I cannot lose! I am the god of this world!"

Lin Fan watched Victor's panicked state, a faint smile touching his lips. He knew Kate had succeeded.

Using the last of his strength, he injected the virus code—which condensed the power of the real-world coordinates—violently into Victor's body. Hidden within that code was his longing for freedom, Kate's entrustment, and Michael's dignity.

"This is the gift I prepared for you." Lin Fan's voice was very soft, yet it sounded like a clap of thunder in Victor's ears. "Its name is... Destruction."

The virus code acted like a seed, frantically taking root and sprouting within Victor's body. Blue light instantly swept through him, and the black code was ravenously devoured and decomposed, turning into strands of useless junk data. Victor could feel his consciousness collapsing and his body dissipating piece by piece. All the lives he had once manipulated and the freedom he had plundered turned into blades of backlash, slicing him apart.

"Impossible!" Victor let out a shrill scream, his voice filled with despair and indignation. "I am Victor! I am a god! How could I possibly lose?!"

His voice grew smaller and smaller, and his body more transparent. Finally, his figure completely transformed into countless strands of black junk data, dissipating into the air. Only a cry of indignation remained, echoing across the empty plaza before being gradually scattered by the wind, leaving no trace behind.

The virus code did not stop. Like a blue tide, it swept across the entire virtual world. The collapsed buildings and the surging lava all began to return to their original states within the blue light. The cracked ground slowly healed, the shattered dome was pieced back together, and the crimson lava retreated underground. The sky gradually regained its clear blue color, and sunlight pierced through the clouds, spilling onto the earth, warm as if the apocalyptic collapse had never happened.

Everything was returning to normal, except for Lin Fan's body, which was still becoming more transparent.

He slowly lowered the long blade. The code-formed blade turned into wisps of blue light in his hand and dissipated. He raised his hand, looking at his nearly transparent fingertips, and could clearly feel his consciousness stripping away from this virtual world, as if a gentle force were pulling him in another direction.

It was the direction of reality.

The direction where Kate was.

Flashes of Kate's smile, her final whispered "Stay Alive," Michael's look of relief, and the roars of Franklin and Trevor crossed his mind. All those images turned into a warm light, enveloping his nearly dissolved consciousness.

He could feel his body becoming light, like a feather about to float toward the sky. In the depths of his consciousness, a faint passage was slowly opening. From the other end of the passage came a familiar heartbeat, the faint smell of disinfectant from the lab, and... Kate's breathing.

It was the scent of reality.

The scent of life.

The entire world suddenly went still.

There was no wind, no sound, and no fluctuations. The sky was a clear blue, the ground a solid gray, and the distant skyscrapers stood quietly as if they had never experienced that apocalyptic collapse. Sunlight fell on Lin Fan's body, warm and cozy, dispelling the coldness brought by the code.

Lin Fan stood in the center of the plaza, his body transparent to the extreme, with only his eyes still shimmering with clear light. He looked up at the clear sky and the slowly opening consciousness passage, a smile gradually spreading across his lips.

In that smile, there was exhaustion, relief, liberation, and a faint, almost imperceptible joy of victory.

He blinked gently as bits and pieces of the virtual world flashed before him—the figures of those who had fought by his side, the sacrifices, and the perseverance. Then, he turned his gaze toward the passage, toward the light on the other side.

"I won."

Lin Fan said softly. His voice was very light, yet it seemed to cross the barrier between the virtual and the real, reaching the far side.

As his voice fell, his body transformed into countless blue lights, slowly floating toward the sky like a grand firework blooming quietly under the clear blue heavens. Those lights eventually converged into a slender beam, entering the slowly opening consciousness passage and flying toward the direction of reality.

On the other end of the passage, Kate leaned against the control console. Hearing the footsteps drawing closer, she suddenly felt a faint warmth at her fingertips. She looked up at the dark screen, tears blurring her vision once more.

She knew he was back.

(End of Chapter)