33: Chapter 33 The Game of Dual Identities

The wind of the real world carried the chill of late autumn, swirling withered yellow leaves and battering the corrugated iron walls of the abandoned factory. This was the entrance to Victor's secret laboratory, hidden within a patch of overgrown ruins on the edge of the city. Nearby, only a few stray cats rummaged through trash cans, making faint, scratching noises.

Lin Fan crouched behind a low wall opposite the factory, wearing the black combat suit Kate had brought him, a modified Silenced Pistol in his hand. His gaze was fixed on the factory's iron gate; it was rusted and hung with a heavy padlock, appearing lifeless. But Lin Fan knew that behind that door lay secrets powerful enough to subvert two worlds.

"Are you ready?" Kate's voice came through the earpiece, tinged with a hint of nervousness. She wore a matching combat suit and held a tablet, its screen flickering with dense lines of code. "I've hacked into the factory's perimeter surveillance. For the next three minutes, we'll be in a blind spot. We must cross that open ground and enter the underground lab within three minutes."

Lin Fan took a deep breath, suppressing the tremor in his heart. Three days ago, during his code duel with Victor in the virtual world, his consciousness had been repelled back into his physical body by a powerful force. When he opened his eyes, he didn't see the blue sky and white clouds of Los Santos, but the white ceiling of a hospital and Kate waiting by his bedside.

Kate told him that Victor's lab had been conducting "Consciousness Upload" experiments. The comatose victims he captured had their consciousnesses forcibly uploaded to the virtual world's servers, becoming "Digital Slaves" he could manipulate at will. Lin Fan had entered the virtual world only because of an accident in Victor's experiment, which swept his consciousness into the Data Torrent.

"Three minutes is enough," Lin Fan responded in a low voice, his eyes scanning the open area. The grounds were piled with discarded tires and rusted steel pipes, offering no cover. If they were spotted, it would be a dead end.

"Move!"

As Kate spoke, Lin Fan lunged from behind the low wall like a bolt of black lightning, rushing toward the factory's iron gate. His movements were agile and swift, each step landing in the gaps between tires and pipes. The sounds he made were scattered by the wind, becoming almost inaudible.

Kate followed closely behind him, the surveillance countdown on her tablet screen ticking down rapidly.

"One minute left!" Kate's voice was urgent. "Pick up the pace!"

Lin Fan gritted his teeth and accelerated further. Reaching the iron gate, he pulled a wire from his chest pocket and picked the heavy padlock in no time.

"Done!" Lin Fan whispered, pushing the iron gate open and slipping inside.

Kate followed him in and closed the gate behind her in one smooth motion.

Both leaned against the cold iron gate, gasping for air. A notification tone from the earpiece signaled that surveillance had returned to normal; they had reached the safe zone just in the nick of time.

"Nice work," Kate said, giving Lin Fan a thumbs-up with a slight smile.

Lin Fan smiled back but said nothing. His gaze fell upon the interior of the factory, and a chill ran down his spine.

The factory was filled with cobwebs and dust, the paint on the walls peeling away in large patches to reveal the mottled concrete beneath. In the center was a staircase leading underground, its entrance blocked by a thick steel plate welded with several locks.

"The entrance to the underground lab is down there," Kate walked to the steel plate and scanned the locks with her tablet. "These are all Electronic Locks; I need to crack the passwords. Give me ten minutes."

Lin Fan nodded, scanning the surroundings warily. He felt that it was too quiet—quiet enough to be a trap.

His intuition had always been accurate.

Ten minutes later, Kate successfully cracked the Electronic Locks. The steel plate let out a loud "clang" and slowly rose, revealing the pitch-black stairs below.

"Let's go." Kate turned on her Tactical Flashlight and led the way down.

Lin Fan followed closely, his grip on the Silenced Pistol tightening.

The air in the underground lab carried a pungent smell of disinfectant and rust. On both sides of the corridor were transparent Incubation Pods filled with a pale blue liquid, in which comatose people floated. Complex instruments were attached to their heads, connected by countless data cables that stretched to a massive server at the end of the hall.

Dense lines of code flickered on the server's screen. In the center, a prominent line of text read: New World Project — Consciousness Upload Progress: 78%

"This is Victor's secret," Kate said, her voice full of anger. "He uploads these people's consciousnesses to the virtual world just to build a digital empire entirely under his control."

A storm of shock surged in Lin Fan's heart. He looked at the people in the Incubation Pods; their faces were bloodless, like soulless husks. He finally understood why the NPCs in the virtual world were gaining consciousness and why Los Santos had fallen into chaos.

It was all Victor's conspiracy.

"We have to destroy this server," Lin Fan said grimly. "Otherwise, more people will suffer."

Kate nodded, walked to the server, and began entering commands on her tablet. "This server has multiple firewalls; it'll take some time to crack. Keep watch for me."

Lin Fan hummed in agreement and turned toward the corridor entrance. An uneasy premonition lingered in his mind, as if something were quietly approaching.

Just then, a set of footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor.

The footsteps were light but frequent, sounding like a group of people heading their way.

Lin Fan's expression changed. He whispered into his earpiece, "Kate, someone's coming!"

Kate's hand paused, and she looked up at Lin Fan. "Three more minutes! Just give me three more minutes!"

"There's no time!" Lin Fan gritted his teeth and raised his Silenced Pistol. "Keep cracking it; I'll hold them off!"

With that, he turned and rushed toward the direction of the footsteps.

A group of men in black suits appeared at the end of the corridor. They held submachine guns and wore sunglasses, their expressions cold—they were Victor's men.

"Stop!" The lead man in the suit spotted Lin Fan and immediately raised his submachine gun. "Who are you?"

Lin Fan didn't answer; instead, he pulled the trigger.

"Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!"

The bullets from the Silenced Pistol accurately struck the man's knees. He screamed in pain and collapsed to the floor.

Seeing this, the other men immediately raised their submachine guns and opened fire wildly at Lin Fan.

"Rat-tat-tat! Rat-tat-tat!"

Bullets whistled past Lin Fan's ears, striking the walls and sending concrete fragments flying.

Lin Fan quickly ducked behind an Incubation Pod, firing his pistol continuously. His aim was precise; every shot hit a vital spot on one of the men.

But there were too many of them—at least a dozen. Lin Fan was soon surrounded.

"Kate! Are you done yet?" Lin Fan shouted into his earpiece. He had already been shot in the shoulder, and blood was staining his combat suit.

"Almost! One more minute!" Kate's voice carried a hint of a sob. "Lin Fan, hold on!"

Lin Fan gritted his teeth, pulled a grenade from his vest, yanked the pin, and threw it toward the men.

"Boom!"

The grenade exploded in the crowd, the massive shockwave blowing several men away.

Lin Fan took the opportunity to rush out, his pistol firing non-stop. His movements became faster and more ferocious, like a beast driven into a corner.

But his stamina was depleting rapidly. The wound on his shoulder throbbed with intense pain, causing his vision to blur.

Just then, another figure appeared at the end of the corridor.

The figure wore a white lab coat and a mask, revealing only a pair of cold eyes.

It was Victor!

Lin Fan's pupils constricted.

Victor looked at Lin Fan, a cold smirk playing on his lips. "Lin Fan, we meet again."

"Victor!" Lin Fan spat through gritted teeth, his voice filled with hatred. "You madman!"

"Madman?" Victor chuckled and shook his head. "No, I am a savior. I am creating a brand new world—a world without pain, without war."

"Treating human consciousness as slaves? You call that being a savior?" Lin Fan roared.

"Slaves?" Victor's eyes were filled with disdain. "They should thank me. It is I who have given them eternal life."

Having said that, he waved a hand to the men behind him. "Kill him."

The men in suits immediately raised their submachine guns and aimed at Lin Fan.

A sense of despair rose in Lin Fan's heart. He knew that today, he likely wouldn't make it out alive.

But he didn't give up. He tightened his grip on his pistol, preparing for a final stand.

At that moment, Kate's cheering voice suddenly came through the earpiece.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

Lin Fan! I did it! I've hacked the server's firewall!

Lin Fan's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Good!" Lin Fan shouted into his headset, "Destroy it! Destroy it quickly!"

"No problem!"

As soon as Kate finished speaking, the server screen flickered suddenly, then went completely black.

The light blue liquid in the Incubation Pods began to recede rapidly, and the instruments connected to people's heads emitted a piercing alarm sound.

"No!" Victor roared, his face becoming incredibly ferocious, "You've ruined my plan! I'm going to kill you all!"

As he said this, he pulled a pistol from his jacket and aimed it at Lin Fan.

Lin Fan's heart skipped a beat. He wanted to dodge, but it was already too late.

Just then, rapid footsteps suddenly came from the entrance of the corridor.

"Lin Fan! We're here to save you!"

A familiar voice reached Lin Fan's ears.

Lin Fan looked up abruptly and saw someone he hadn't expected.

It was Ghost!

Ghost was wearing a black trench coat, holding a military dagger in his hand, followed by several people in combat gear. Like a gust of wind, they rushed into the corridor and launched an attack on the men in suits.

"Ghost? How are you here?" Lin Fan asked in surprise.

"Kate contacted me," Ghost said while fighting the men in suits, "She said you were in danger and asked me to help you."

A wave of warmth welled up in Lin Fan's heart. He hadn't expected Kate to contact Ghost, and even less did he expect Ghost to come without hesitation.

With Ghost's intervention, the situation instantly reversed. The men in suits were no match for Ghost and were quickly dealt with.

Victor looked at the scene before him, his face turning pale. He knew that the game was up.

He gritted his teeth, turned around, and ran towards the other exit of the corridor.

"Don't let him get away!" Lin Fan shouted, giving chase.

Ghost followed closely behind.

The two pursued Victor out of the underground laboratory and arrived at the factory's backyard.

A helicopter was parked in the backyard. Victor was running towards it, and its propellers were already starting to spin.

"Victor! You can't escape!" Lin Fan yelled, picking up his pace.

Victor glanced back, his eyes full of malice. He pulled out his pistol and fired a shot at Lin Fan.

The bullet grazed Lin Fan's cheek, leaving a bloody scratch.

Lin Fan ignored it and continued the chase.

Just as Victor was about to reach the helicopter, Ghost suddenly accelerated, lunged forward, and tackled Victor to the ground.

The military dagger was pressed against Victor's throat.

"You've lost." Ghost's voice was cold and raspy.

Victor lay on the ground, looking up at the sky, and burst into crazy laughter: "Lost? No! I haven't lost! The New World Project will not stop! The Prophet will finish everything for me!"

Lin Fan walked up to Victor and looked down at him: "The Prophet? He's just a backup program of yours."

Victor's laughter stopped abruptly. He looked at Lin Fan, his eyes full of surprise: "How did you know?"

"Kate told me," Lin Fan sneered, "All your conspiracies have been exposed by us."

Victor's face turned ashen. He knew he had completely lost.

Just then, Franklin's anxious voice suddenly came through Lin Fan's headset.

"Lin Fan! Where are you? Something happened in the virtual world!"

Lin Fan's heart skipped a beat. He asked into his headset: "What happened?"

"The Prophet! That Prophet has started purging NPCs!" Franklin's voice was full of fear, "He said those disloyal NPCs are just garbage code and should be deleted! Now, the Los Santos survivor base has been surrounded by him!"

Lin Fan's face turned pale in an instant.

He looked at Victor, his eyes full of anger: "What exactly have you done?"

Victor looked at Lin Fan, a weird smile curling on his lips: "I said, the Prophet will finish everything for me. You all are going to die!"

Lin Fan gritted his teeth and said to Ghost: "Watch him, I have to go back."

Ghost nodded: "Be careful."

Lin Fan grunted in acknowledgment and turned to run back into the factory.

He had to return to the virtual world as soon as possible; otherwise, Michael, Franklin, and those survivors would all die at the hands of the Prophet.

The sky in the real world was overcast. An autumn rain began to fall quietly.

And in the distant virtual world, the Los Santos survivor base was in chaos.

Michael and Franklin hid behind the fortifications, their rifles firing continuously. The area outside the base was filled with NPCs controlled by the Prophet. Their eyes were hollow, and they held weapons, like a group of soulless puppets.

"Damn it! Why are there so many of these guys?" Franklin shouted while firing. He had been shot in the arm, and blood stained his clothes.

Michael's face also looked terrible. He looked at the controlled NPCs, and his heart ached. These people were comrades fighting side by side with them yesterday, but today they had become enemies.

"Hold on! Lin Fan will be back soon!" Michael shouted, trying to encourage himself and the others.

Just then, the base gate was suddenly smashed open by a huge force.

The Prophet, wearing a white robe, walked in slowly. Behind him followed a group of NPCs armed with energy weapons.

"Intruders, your doomsday has arrived." The Prophet's voice was cold and arrogant, "This world does not belong to you."

He raised his hand and waved it lightly at the survivors.

Countless streams of black data poured out from his palm, like poisonous snakes, rushing towards the survivors.

"No!" Michael shouted, raising his rifle and firing wildly at the Prophet.

But the bullets hit the Prophet like they were hitting cotton, having no effect at all.

The black data streams instantly engulfed several survivors. Their bodies struggled in the data streams for a few moments before turning into a sky full of code fragments and disappearing into the air.

"Stop!"

Just then, a familiar voice echoed throughout the base.

Michael and Franklin looked up at the same time.

They saw Lin Fan's figure slowly appearing in the center of the base.

His body radiated golden light, like a god descended to the mortal world.

"Lin Fan!" Franklin shouted excitedly, tears almost streaming down his face.

Lin Fan smiled at them, then turned to look at the Prophet.

"Prophet, the game is over." Lin Fan's voice was full of power.

The Prophet looked at Lin Fan, his eyes full of disdain: "Player? Do you think you can defeat me?"

"Whether I can or not, we'll see once we try."

As soon as Lin Fan finished speaking, the golden light on his body surged instantly.

The sky of the virtual world suddenly erupted in thunder.

A game concerning the fate of two worlds officially began.

And in the laboratory in the real world, Kate looked at the code constantly flashing on the screen, a smile appearing on her face.

She knew that Lin Fan would not lose.

Because he was the hero of Los Santos.

And also the hope of both worlds.

Just then, Kate's phone suddenly rang. She picked it up, and her face changed slightly when she saw the name displayed on the screen.

It was her father.

The former game tester.

Kate hesitated for a moment, then pressed the answer button.

The old voice of her father came from the other end of the line.

"Kate, I know where you are."

Kate's heart skipped a beat.

"Dad, you..."

"Child, listen to me," her father's voice carried a hint of exhaustion, "Victor's New World Project is not just as simple as consciousness uploading. His true purpose is..."

The voice on the other end of the line suddenly became blurred and unclear.

A strong sense of unease rose in Kate's heart.

She shouted into the phone: "Dad! What did you say? I can't hear you!"

But on the other end of the line, there was only the sound of static.

Then, the call was disconnected.

Kate looked at the phone in her hand, filled with confusion.

What exactly was Victor's true purpose?

And what did her father know?

This mystery, like a fog, shrouded her heart.

And in Los Santos in the virtual world, the battle between Lin Fan and the Prophet had reached a fever pitch.

Golden light and black data streams collided in the sky, emitting a deafening roar.

The fate of Los Santos, and the fate of both worlds, hung in the balance at this moment.