37: Chapter 37: The Prelude to the Code Wars

The air in the sewer hideout was still thick with the lingering smell of gunpowder and blood from the trust crisis that had just occurred.

Lin Fan crouched beside the cold corpse of the mole, his fingertips tightly clutching the still-warm miniature signal transmitter. The system panel before his eyes flashed frantic red warning codes, like a swarm of baring-fanged venomous snakes. [Warning! Sustained intrusion by unknown code! Source: Prophet Core System! Intrusion Progress: 12%... 15%...]

The icy notification sound was like a blunt knife, carving into his nerves stroke by stroke.

The 'V' signature parsed from the signal transmitter earlier was branded into his mind. The suspicion that Victor and the Prophet shared the same source program was no longer a baseless guess, but a concrete fact. Now, the Prophet's code was surging through this transmitter like a tide toward The Resistance's temporary terminal—a makeshift host Lin Fan had cobbled together from scrap parts. It connected the surveillance and communications of the entire sewer hideout; once fully breached, everyone would be exposed to the Prophet's gaze.

"Quick! Pull the power on the terminal!" Lin Fan snapped his head up, his voice carrying an imperceptible tremor.

Before he had even finished speaking, Franklin had already lunged forward, his thick arm slamming down on the terminal's power switch. After a piercing 'sizzle' of electrical current, the screen flickering with garbled code instantly plunged into darkness. The intrusion progress bar on the system panel finally froze at 19%.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but Lin Fan's expression didn't soften in the slightest.

He knew this was only temporary.

Since the Prophet could find the location of this hideout, it would never let the matter rest. The intrusion just now was merely a probe, a warning. The real war had only just begun.

"Lin Fan, what do you plan to do?" Michael's voice sounded from behind, tinged with guilt and solemnity. He had retracted his earlier hostility and was holding Lin Fan's system bracelet, handing it over carefully. "About earlier... it was my fault. I shouldn't have..."

"The past is in the past, no need to mention it again." Lin Fan took the bracelet and put it back on his wrist. The cold metallic touch helped calm his chaotic thoughts. He looked up, his gaze sweeping over the members of The Resistance gathered around him—their faces still bore the panic of the narrow escape, yet also revealed a hint of desperate resolve. Most of these people were ordinary folk persecuted by the Snake Fang Gang and the Prophet; they had lost their homes and loved ones. Now, The Resistance was their only hope.

Lin Fan took a deep breath, his voice as steady as a rock: "The Prophet's core system is hidden on the top floor of the 'Twin Towers' in downtown Los Santos—that is the Snake Fang Gang's headquarters and the signal hub for all of Los Santos. If we can hack into its core system and destroy the master control module corresponding to that 'V' signature, we can sever its connection with Victor and turn it into a defunct program without a commander."

"Hack into the Twin Towers' system?" Franklin sucked in a breath of cold air, his face showing disbelief. "That place is guarded like a fortress! There are heavy Snake Fang Gang guards outside and the most advanced firewalls inside. Even the police don't dare get close! How could we possibly..."

"Others can't, but I can." Lin Fan interrupted him, his eyes flashing with a confident light. His system bracelet suddenly lit up with a blue glow, and a new prompt popped up on the panel: [Code Editing ability activated! Current Authority: Level 3! Hackable Level: Systems below A-Rank!]

This was the new ability the system had automatically unlocked after parsing the 'V' signature from the signal transmitter. Level 3 authority was enough for him to stir up a massive storm within the Prophet's system.

"I need a quiet environment and a computer with enough performance." Lin Fan looked at Michael, his tone brook no argument. "Also, I need you to help me hold off the Snake Fang Gang outside—at least until I finish the intrusion, they must not find this place."

Michael nodded without the slightest hesitation: "No problem. There's a hidden secret room on the west side of the hideout with a military laptop I stashed away; it has enough performance for your needs. Leave the external defense to Franklin and me."

He paused, then added: "Rest assured, I won't doubt you again. We're brothers, aren't we?"

The word "brothers" was like a warm current flowing into Lin Fan's heart. He looked at Michael's stubbled face and the sincerity in his eyes, and a long-absent smile finally tugged at the corners of his mouth: "Of course."

Ten minutes later, Lin Fan sat before the military laptop in the secret room.

The secret room was pitch black, with only the screen's light illuminating his face. The laptop's fan hummed like a beast ready to pounce. Lin Fan took a deep breath, connected his system bracelet to the laptop, and his fingertips began tapping rapidly on the keyboard.

[Establishing connection... Connection successful! Locating Prophet Core System... Location successful! Target: Twin Towers Top Floor Master Control Room!]

The text on the system panel scrolled rapidly, Lin Fan's gaze as sharp as an unsheathed sword. His fingers danced across the keyboard as lines of complex code poured out like water, weaving a dense web across the screen. This was a war without smoke, the battlefield contained within this small screen, and his weapons were his intellect and the abilities granted by the system.

"Prophet, the game begins," Lin Fan whispered, a cold arc curling on his lips.

[Attempting to breach the first layer of the firewall... Firewall Strength: A-Rank! Breach Difficulty: Extremely High!]

The code on the screen suddenly turned a piercing red. Countless defensive programs surged like a tide, attempting to swallow Lin Fan's intrusion program. Lin Fan's brow furrowed tightly, his typing speed increasing as fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. He could feel a terrifyingly powerful force hidden within the Prophet's system—a force almost like a set of rules, capable of easily tampering with code and erasing all external intrusions.

Is this the power of an Administrator Program?

Lin Fan's heart sank abruptly.

Just then, the red code on the screen stalled for a moment. Immediately after, a faint green data stream seeped through a crack in the firewall like a trickling stream. [External support signal detected! Signal Source: Real World! Assisting in firewall breach...]

The Real World?

Lin Fan's pupils constricted sharply.

He realized something instantly. His fingers flew across the keyboard, following the direction of that green data stream to charge toward the firewall's core. [Firewall Breach Progress: 30%... 50%... 70%...]

"It's Kate!" A surge of wild joy rose in Lin Fan's heart.

Only Kate would provide him with support using hacking techniques from the real world! This calm and rational FBI Agent had indeed kept her word!

[Warning! High-intensity countermeasure program detected! Countermeasure Name: Eye of the Prophet!]

Just as the firewall was about to be completely breached, a blood-red warning popped up on the screen. Following that, a terrifying spiritual force surged toward Lin Fan's mind like a tsunami. His vision went blank instantly as countless chaotic images and sounds exploded in his head—

They were memory fragments of countless NPCs controlled by the Prophet: someone frantically waving a machete in the street, shouting "Long live the Great Prophet"; someone kneeling beneath the Twin Towers, face covered in tears as they begged for salvation; someone standing at the edge of a skyscraper with hollow eyes, leaping off...

These memory fragments carried a powerful assimilating force, attempting to completely swallow Lin Fan's consciousness into the Prophet's collective consciousness.

"No!" Lin Fan let out a pained roar. He felt his consciousness being torn apart. The screen before him began to warp and distort, and countless lines of code coiled around his body like venomous snakes, trying to drag him into that dark abyss.

[Warning! Host consciousness is being assimilated! Assimilation Progress: 10%... 20%...]

The warnings on the system panel sounded like a death knell. Lin Fan's fingers began to tremble uncontrollably, his eyes gradually grew hollow, and he began to murmur unconsciously: "Great Prophet... salvation..."

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

Just at the moment his consciousness was about to completely sink, the system bracelet on his wrist suddenly erupted with a dazzling blue light.

[Emergency protection program activated! Consuming 1000 Survival Points! Host consciousness forcibly detached!]

A cold force suddenly pulled Lin Fan's consciousness back from the brink of assimilation.

He coughed violently, gasping for air, cold sweat rolling down his forehead and dripping onto the keyboard with a "drip" sound.

He lifted his head and looked at the screen.

On the screen, that stream of green data was still stubbornly holding on, while the Prophet's counter-program receded like a tide.

[Counter-program temporarily suppressed! External support signal strength increased! Firewall breakthrough progress: 99%... 100%! Breakthrough successful!]

"Huu..." Lin Fan let out a long sigh of relief, slumping into his chair, his entire body's strength seemingly drained away.

In that instant just now, he really thought he was going to die.

The Prophet's assimilation ability was far more terrifying than he had imagined.

It wasn't a simple code attack, but a form of mental manipulation—he could fuse the consciousness of countless people into a vast "collective consciousness," and then use this collective consciousness to assimilate everyone who resisted him.

This was the Prophet's ability, completely different from Victor's "code manipulation," yet equally lethal.

Lin Fan caught his breath, placed his fingers back on the keyboard, and prepared to continue invading the Prophet's core module.

But just then, a huge black window suddenly popped up on the screen, and within it, a blurred face appeared.

That face had no features, only a mass of twisting black mist. From within the black mist came a cold, raspy voice, as harsh as metal grinding:

"Lin Fan."

This voice seemed to come from the depths of hell, carrying a bone-chilling coldness.

Lin Fan's heart sank; he knew he was finally facing the Prophet head-on.

"Who are you?" Lin Fan suppressed the fear in his heart and asked in a deep voice.

"I am the Prophet." The voice from the black mist carried a hint of mockery and arrogance, "I am the savior of Los Santos, the god of this world. And you, Lin Fan, are the last virus in this world that needs to be purged."

A virus?

A mocking arc curled at the corner of Lin Fan's mouth: "A virus? I think you're the virus! You manipulate those innocent NPCs, slaughter those who resist you—you and Victor are nothing but a pair of colluding executioners!"

"Executioners? No, you don't understand." The Prophet's voice held a hint of fanaticism, "This world is inherently a chaotic program. What Victor wants is to rule this program; what I want is to purify it. I will fuse everyone's consciousness into a perfect whole—no strife, no pain, only eternal peace. And you, Lin Fan, you are an outsider. Your existence disrupts the balance of this world. You must disappear."

"Purify? It's nothing but brainwashing!" Lin Fan shouted angrily, his fingers flying across the keyboard as he tried to locate the Prophet's core module, "Do you think you can succeed? I'm telling you, it's impossible!"

"Is that so?" The Prophet's voice carried a hint of disdain, "Then why don't you listen to the sounds outside."

As soon as he finished speaking, the soundproof door of the secret room was suddenly burst open. Franklin rushed in, face pale, holding a radio, his voice filled with terror: "Lin Fan! It's bad! The Prophet... the Prophet is broadcasting to the whole city!"

Lin Fan looked sharply at the radio.

From the radio, the Prophet's cold and raspy voice was playing, transmitting through every radio station and every screen in Los Santos, reaching the entire city:

"Citizens of Los Santos, listen. I am the Prophet. I know you live in pain and chaos, deceived by greedy politicians, oppressed by brutal gangs, and abandoned by indifferent police. But now, salvation has arrived. I will lead you to a brand new world."

"But before that, there is one virus that must be purged."

"The name of this virus is Lin Fan."

"He is an outsider who has broken the rules of Los Santos and brought endless disaster. From now on, anyone who can capture Lin Fan will receive my salvation. Anyone who can kill Lin Fan will become a noble of the new world."

"Lin Fan, I know you are listening."

"I am at the top of the Twin Towers, waiting for you."

"If you dare to come."

The voice ceased, and a burst of static came from the radio.

The entire secret room fell into a deathly silence.

Lin Fan's face turned ashen.

A city-wide broadcast!

The Prophet had actually used a city-wide broadcast to push him into the spotlight! Now, everyone in Los Santos knew his name. The Snake Fang Gang, the controlled NPCs, and even those ordinary people wanting to get rich overnight would all become his enemies.

He had become the prey of the entire city.

"Damn it!" Lin Fan slammed his fist onto the keyboard. The black window on the screen vanished instantly, replaced by countless red warning codes. [Warning! Core system intrusion failed! The Prophet has severed the connection!]

"Lin Fan, what do we do now?" There was a tremor in Franklin's voice. He could imagine that Los Santos had now become a massive hunting ground, and Lin Fan was the only prey.

Lin Fan didn't speak; his gaze was fixed intently on the red code on the screen. His brain was working at high speed.

The Prophet's ability is collective consciousness control; he can manipulate countless people. This is his strength, but at the same time, it is also his weakness.

What kind of person cannot be controlled by collective consciousness?

People with self-awareness!

Those with strong self-awareness and independent thought will never be easily assimilated!

Just as this thought emerged, the door to the secret room was pushed open again. Michael De Santa entered, holding a list, his face showing a hint of excitement: "Lin Fan! I've discovered something! Those controlled by the Prophet are all weak-willed NPCs! But those with strong wills and strong self-awareness—like Trevor, like Lester, and even some street thug leaders—have not been controlled!"

Lin Fan's eyes suddenly lit up.

As expected!

Michael De Santa's discovery confirmed his guess!

The Prophet's weakness is that he cannot assimilate NPCs with strong self-awareness!

"I understand now!" Lin Fan stood up abruptly, his eyes shining with excitement, "The Prophet's collective consciousness control only works on those who are weak-willed! As long as we can unite those NPCs with self-awareness, we can form a true The Resistance! We can confront the Prophet and Victor head-on!"

His voice was full of strength and hope.

Franklin and Michael De Santa exchanged a glance, both seeing a spark of fire ignited in each other's eyes.

That's right!

They were not fighting alone!

In Los Santos, there are still countless people who have not been controlled by the Prophet!

Outside the window of the secret room, there was a commotion of footsteps and shouting. It was the Snake Fang Gang and the controlled NPCs, surging toward the direction of the sewer stronghold.

Sirens, gunshots, and shouts intertwined, forming a chaotic symphony.

Lin Fan walked to the window and pushed it open.

The sky outside had been dyed a blood-red. At the top of the Twin Towers, a blinding green light lit up—it was the Prophet's signal, and also a signal of provocation.

A cold smile curled at the corner of Lin Fan's mouth.

"Prophet," he whispered, his eyes full of fighting spirit, "You want to play? Then I'll play with you to the end."

"The Twin Towers, is it?"

"I will go."

"I will personally destroy everything you have."

The wind blew in from outside the window, lifting the hem of Lin Fan's clothes.

His gaze looked toward the direction of the Twin Towers, sharp as a knife.

The prelude to the war of code had begun.

A storm that would sweep across the entire Los Santos was coming.