38: Chapter 38 The Awakened NPC

The sky of Los Santos was currently a strange leaden gray, with heavy clouds like cotton wool soaked in ink, pressing down heavily over the city. Even the sunlight was torn into fragmented spots, barely leaking through the gaps in the clouds to sprinkle onto the bullet-riddled streets. The Prophet's "Data Assimilation Wave" was still raging through the city, with pale blue data streams slithering between buildings like venomous snakes. Any NPC caught by them would instantly have their eyes turn hollow and numb, turning around like marionettes to move toward the City Hall where the Prophet was located. The scene looked like a silent migration, yet it possessed a chilling eeriness that made one's skin crawl.

Lin Fan leaned behind the load-bearing wall of an office building that had been half-blasted away. The wound on his back was still burning with pain; it was a burn from the Prophet's counter-program when he had hacked into the core system in the previous chapter—not a physical wound, but a stinging pain at the conscious level, as if countless fine needles were stabbing into his mind, with every breath tugging at his nerves. He gripped the portable hacker terminal he had redeemed from the system. The screen flickered with dense garbled code, and the terminal's casing was hot from overloading, nearly burning his palm.

"Damn, this old geezer's countermeasure is too brutal," Lin Fan cursed through gritted teeth, his fingertips flying across the terminal's keyboard as he attempted to repair the damaged code firewall. In the hacker duel just now, he had almost been assimilated by the Prophet's data. If Kate hadn't timely cut off some of the server connections in the real world, he would likely be a puppet under the Prophet's command by now, no different from those hollow-eyed NPCs.

"Lin Fan, how are you? Can you still hold on?" Michael's voice came through the communicator, accompanied by heavy panting and the interwoven sounds of gunfire and explosions in the background. "The Assimilation Wave from the east is coming again; our people are about to break!"

Lin Fan looked up and saw that on the streets to the east, a group of NPCs who had originally been holding weapons to resist the Prophet were now stopping their movements one by one. Their eyes quickly turned lifeless, and their guns hit the ground with dull thuds before they began walking woodenly toward the City Hall. Those members of The Resistance who hadn't been assimilated yet watched their former comrades-in-arms turn into this state, their faces filled with fear and helplessness. Someone couldn't help but open fire, but it only blasted bloody holes composed of data fragments into the assimilated NPCs. They seemed unable to feel pain, continuing to march forward mechanically.

"I have to hold on even if I can't!" Lin Fan growled, and a line of green code finally popped up on the terminal screen—firewall repair complete. "Michael, tell the brothers to shrink the defensive line! Don't fight the assimilated ones head-on; they aren't who they used to be!"

"I know! But this isn't a long-term solution. The Prophet's assimilation range is getting larger and larger. At this rate, every NPC in all of Los Santos will be controlled by him!" Michael's voice was tinged with anxiety. Just as he finished speaking, Franklin's shout came through the communicator.

"Michael! The North Warehouse District has fallen! The Prophet's Believers have broken in!" Franklin's voice was urgent, the gunfire in the background growing denser. "Our people are suffering heavy casualties. If we don't get reinforcements soon, we're going to be surrounded!"

Lin Fan's heart sank. He knew very well how dangerous their current situation was. Since his return to Los Santos, he had found that the city was mostly under the Prophet's control. Michael and Franklin had been leading the remaining members of The Resistance to hide and flee. They had managed to gather a group of NPCs who refused to be assimilated, but they were retreating step by step under the Prophet's repeated offensives. In the previous chapter, he had tried to hack the Prophet's core system, hoping to cut off the source of the Assimilation Wave. He hadn't expected the Prophet to be prepared; not only did the Prophet counter his hacking attack, but he also took the opportunity to expand the assimilation range. Now, there were few safe places left in all of Los Santos.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. His fingertips slid quickly across the terminal, pulling up a 3D map of Los Santos. The dense red dots on the map represented assimilated NPCs and the Prophet's Believers, while the green dots representing The Resistance were decreasing at a visible rate. "Franklin, hold the back door of the Warehouse District! Michael and I are coming to support you immediately! Also, gather all the NPCs who haven't been assimilated yet, especially those who have performed missions with us before. Their self-awareness might be stronger and less easy to assimilate!"

"Copy that!" Franklin responded. The gunfire in the communicator seemed even louder, and his roars of "Hold it! Everyone hold the line!" could be heard faintly.

Lin Fan put away the terminal, grabbed the assault rifle leaning against the wall, checked the magazine to confirm it was full, and ran toward Michael's direction. At this moment, Michael was leading several Resistance members, blocking the Prophet's Believers rushing up the stairs of the office building. Those believers were all assimilated NPCs with no expressions on their faces, merely raising their guns to fire mechanically. Their marksmanship was both accurate and ruthless. Resistance members fell one by one, and the hallway was splattered with blood composed of data fragments.

"Michael, retreat! Head to the Warehouse District to regroup with Franklin!" Lin Fan fired as he ran, his bullets accurately hitting a believer's head. The believer's head instantly exploded into a cloud of blue data fragments, and the body fell straight to the ground, soon turning into a wisp of data stream that dissipated in the air—this was the fate of being killed in the virtual world: no corpse, only the annihilation of data.

Hearing Lin Fan's voice, Michael looked back, his face full of exhaustion and determination. He raised his gun and shot the believer at the very front, roaring, "Brothers, retreat! Follow me!"

The remaining Resistance members immediately covered Michael as they retreated downstairs. Lin Fan brought up the rear, continuously firing to repel the pursuing believers. When he ran out of rifle ammo, he pulled out the pistol at his waist and continued shooting until they reached the first-floor lobby, where he met up with Michael and sprinted toward the Warehouse District.

The streets were a mess, with destroyed vehicles and collapsed buildings everywhere. The assimilated NPCs wandered the streets like the walking dead. Occasionally, when scattered Resistance soldiers passed by, they would immediately be swarmed. Lin Fan and Michael ran at full speed, not daring to stop for a moment. They knew very well that once they were caught by these assimilated ones, it would only lead to more casualties.

"Lin Fan, do you think we can really win against the Prophet?" Michael suddenly asked while running, his voice carrying a hint of confusion. "I used to think everything in Los Santos was preset, that we NPCs were just puppets acting according to a program. But since you came, I realized we can have our own thoughts, our own choices... But now, the Prophet wants to take all of that away and turn us back into what we were."

Lin Fan paused for a moment and turned to look at Michael. He saw that this robber, who once held great power in Los Santos, now had a face full of hesitation, the confusion in his eyes like a thick fog that wouldn't dissipate. His heart felt a pang of sympathy, and he reached out to pat Michael's shoulder, saying deeply, "We can win, we definitely can. You're not a puppet, Franklin isn't, and neither are those NPCs who followed us in resistance. The Prophet can control data and assimilate consciousness, but he can't control our determination to survive and be free—that isn't set by a program; it's our own choice."

Michael looked at Lin Fan, and his gaze gradually became firm. He nodded heavily: "You're right, I'm no damn puppet! Even if I die, I'll die on my own terms!"

The two stopped talking and quickened their pace toward the Warehouse District. Ten minutes later, they finally arrived. From a distance, they could see the warehouse doors wide open, with constant gunfire inside. Franklin was leading a group of Resistance members at the entrance to block the enemy. The warehouse walls were riddled with bullet holes, and many Resistance corpses lay on the ground; the situation was critical to the extreme.

"Franklin! We're here!" Lin Fan roared, raising his gun to fire at the enemy. Michael also immediately joined the fight, and their combined firepower instantly suppressed the Prophet's Believers at the front.

Seeing Lin Fan and Michael, a flash of joy appeared on Franklin's face. He roared, "Just in time! Get inside! There are still many brothers in here who haven't been assimilated!"

The three of them worked together to repel a wave of attacks, taking the opportunity to retreat into the warehouse, closing the heavy iron door and blocking the entrance with shipping containers. Only then did everyone heave a sigh of relief, slumping onto the ground one by one, panting heavily with faces full of exhaustion and lingering fear.

Lin Fan looked around. There were about fifty Resistance members in the warehouse, most of whom were NPCs, along with a few "Player Consciousnesses" like himself—all participants of the previous Brain-Computer Interface experiment who were trapped in this virtual world like him. These people looked at Lin Fan with eyes full of expectation; in their eyes, Lin Fan was the hope of this resistance war.

"What's the situation?" Lin Fan walked over to Franklin and asked.

Franklin wiped the sweat and dust from his face and pointed to a group of NPCs in the corner of the warehouse. "Fortunately, these brothers haven't been assimilated. They are all people who followed us on missions before. Perhaps because they've been with us for a long time, their self-awareness is stronger than other NPCs. But the Assimilation Wave outside is getting stronger. The warehouse's defenses won't hold for long. In less than an hour, the Prophet's people will break through here."

Lin Fan nodded and walked over to the group of unassimilated NPCs, observing them closely. The eyes of these NPCs were completely different from those of the assimilated people outside; their eyes held fear, anger, and determination, filled with vivid emotions. Clearly, their self-awareness had awakened, and they were no longer mere procedural puppets.

"Brothers," Lin Fan began, his voice not loud but clearly reaching everyone's ears, "I know our current situation is dangerous. The Prophet's Assimilation Wave could swallow us at any moment, and the world outside has turned into a hell. But I want to tell you, we are not puppets. We have our own thoughts, our own emotions, and we have the right to choose our own fate instead of being controlled by others!"

He paused, looking into everyone's eyes, and continued, "The Prophet wants to turn us into his tools, to erase our self-awareness and make us live forever under his control. But we cannot yield! Even if we die, we must die with dignity! We must let the Prophet know that the masters of Los Santos are not his cold programs, but us living 'people'!"

Lin Fan's words were like a spark, igniting the fighting spirit in everyone's hearts. An NPC who had previously robbed a bank with Michael stood up, clenched his fist, and roared, "That's right! We aren't puppets! I'd rather die in battle than be controlled by that Prophet or whatever!"

"Rather die in battle! Never surrender!"

"Fight the Prophet to the end!"

Roars echoed one after another throughout the warehouse. The originally low morale instantly soared, and a raging fire ignited in everyone's eyes—it was the thirst for freedom and The Resistance against oppression.

Michael watched this scene, his eyes turning slightly red. He walked to Lin Fan's side and patted his shoulder. "Good lad, you always have a way. These brothers have gone through life and death with us; they've long since stopped being mere NPCs. They want to survive just like we do."

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

Franklin also walked over, his brows furrowed as he said, "Morale is up, but morale alone is useless. The Prophet's Assimilation Wave is too strong; we can't stop it at all. If this continues, everyone will be assimilated. We must find a way to break his Assimilation Wave; otherwise, everything is in vain."

Lin Fan fell silent; he knew Franklin was right.

In the previous chapter, he tried to hack into the Prophet's core system and was nearly assimilated as a result. Clearly, facing the Prophet's hacking technology head-on was not going to work.

Now, the only hope was to find the Prophet's weakness and strike a fatal blow.

Just then, a shrill alarm suddenly sounded outside the warehouse, followed by the heavy iron door shaking violently; clearly, the Prophet's men were attacking again.

At the same time, the lights in the warehouse began to flicker, and pale blue data streams snaked in through the gaps in the door, drifting toward the crowd.

Several NPCs with weaker resistance immediately turned pale, their eyes growing unfocused; clearly, they had already been affected by the Assimilation Wave.

"Not good! The Prophet's Assimilation Wave has infiltrated!" Franklin roared, drawing his weapon and aiming it at the NPCs about to be assimilated, his eyes full of struggle.

"If this keeps up, we'll all be assimilated! Lin Fan, think of something fast!"

Lin Fan's heart jumped into his throat; he watched the NPCs whose eyes were gradually going hollow, feeling extremely anxious.

Just then, he saw Michael suddenly rush over, grab the shoulder of an NPC about to be assimilated, and roar, "Wake up! Wake up! It's me, Michael! Have you forgotten? We robbed the Union Depository together, we escaped the police pursuit together—have you forgotten? You are not a puppet! You are yourself!"

Michael's roar was deafening, filled with anger and urgency.

Miraculously, the NPC about to be assimilated shuddered violently, the confusion in his eyes gradually fading away as clarity returned.

He looked at Michael, his eyes reddening, and said, "Michael... I remember... I remember us robbing the bank... I'm not a puppet..."

Seeing this scene, Lin Fan felt a jolt in his heart, as if he had grasped some crucial information.

He immediately rushed to another NPC with unfocused eyes and shouted, "Think about what matters most to you! Think about your family, your friends! Think about your days in Los Santos! That wasn't programmed; those are things you truly experienced! You are not a puppet; you have your own life!"

That NPC shuddered, his eyes gradually regaining clarity.

He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, saying, "I remember... I remember my daughter... I have to go back and protect her... I cannot be assimilated!"

Within just a few minutes, all the NPCs affected by the Assimilation Wave regained their clarity.

They looked at Lin Fan and Michael with eyes full of gratitude.

As for those NPCs who were already strong-willed, they gripped their weapons even tighter, their fighting spirit burning even brighter.

Michael panted, looking at the brothers beside him with a faint smile on his face.

"I thought it was strange earlier—why I could resist the influence of the Assimilation Wave. It turns out... it's because we have attachments, memories, and lives of our own. These things are something the Prophet's program can never erase!"

Lin Fan suddenly realized; he had finally found the Prophet's weakness!

The Prophet could assimilate consciousness and control data, but he could not erase the memories and emotions in the hearts of those NPCs who had awakened their self-awareness—those vivid, real experiences were their most powerful weapon against the Assimilation Wave!

"Franklin!" Lin Fan immediately shouted.

"You're right, we can't just sit here and wait to die; we must take the initiative! But not by fighting the Prophet head-on, but by using our advantage—these NPCs who have awakened their self-awareness! Their memories and emotions are something the Prophet cannot control; this is our weapon!"

Franklin's eyes lit up. "You mean... use them as bait?"

"Exactly!" Lin Fan nodded heavily, his eyes gleaming.

"The Prophet's goal is to assimilate all 'people' with self-awareness, especially us core members of The Resistance. We can have these awakened NPCs split into several teams, moving around the city to attract the Prophet's attention and divert his Assimilation Wave and forces."

"This way, the Prophet's power will be weakened, and we can seize the opportunity to find his Core Data Terminal and destroy him completely!"

Michael frowned. "But in that case, these brothers will be in danger; they might very well be assimilated by the Prophet, or even killed!"

Hearing this, the NPCs in the warehouse stood up one after another.

One NPC walked up to Lin Fan, straightened his chest, and said, "Lin Fan, we aren't afraid! For freedom, to not be controlled by others, even if it means death, we are willing! We are no longer the puppets we once were, left to be manipulated; we have our own choices!"

"Yes! We are willing to go!"

"Even if we are assimilated, we won't give in!"

The shouts of the NPCs rose one after another, filled with determination and courage.

Their eyes were firm, without the slightest hesitation.

At this moment, they were no longer cold programs, but "people" with flesh and blood, beliefs, and courage.

Lin Fan looked at these lovable and respectable NPCs, his eyes slightly reddening.

He knew that these people were the hope of this resistance war and the future of Los Santos.

He took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Thank you all. I promise you that I will destroy the Prophet, and I will give you a free Los Santos!"

He turned to look at Michael and Franklin and said in a deep voice, "Michael, take twenty brothers and set out from the east to attract the Prophet's attention. Remember, don't fight head-on; use guerrilla tactics and try to delay as much as possible."

"Franklin, you take twenty brothers and set out from the west, also using guerrilla tactics to disrupt the Prophet's deployment."

"And what about you?" Michael and Franklin asked in unison.

Lin Fan clenched his fists, a flash of determination in his eyes.

"I will take the remaining brothers and infiltrate City Hall—the Prophet's Core Data Terminal must be there. As long as the terminal is destroyed, the Assimilation Wave will disappear, and the Prophet will be finished."

"But the risk is high; the Prophet will surely concentrate most of his forces at City Hall, so I need you to divert his attention as much as possible to create an opportunity for me."

"No! That's too dangerous!" Michael immediately objected.

"The Prophet must have already anticipated that you would go to City Hall; it must be a den of tigers and dragons. If you go, you're just walking to your death! If anyone goes, it should be me!"

"I'll go too!" Franklin echoed.

"You are the core of this resistance war; you cannot afford to have anything happen to you!"

"I must go!" Lin Fan said firmly.

"Only I can hack into the Prophet's core system, and only I can destroy that terminal. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Besides, I have a backup plan—Kate will support me from the real world. She has already found the location of Victor's backup server; at the critical moment, she can cut off part of the Prophet's power supply."

Seeing that Lin Fan's attitude was resolute, Michael and Franklin knew that further persuasion was useless.

They looked at each other and nodded heavily.

"Fine! We agree! We will do our utmost to divert the Prophet's attention and buy you time! You must come back alive!"

"Don't worry!" Lin Fan smiled.

"When this is over, we'll do what we used to do—go to the bar for drinks, go for a drive by the beach!"

Everyone began to take action, splitting into three teams and preparing their weapons and equipment.

Lin Fan walked to the corner of the warehouse and took out his portable terminal to contact Kate.

Soon, Kate's figure appeared on the terminal screen.

Her face was a bit pale; clearly, she hadn't been resting well during this time either.

"Lin Fan, how is the situation?" Kate's voice carried a hint of worry.

"The situation is critical, but we have found the Prophet's weakness," Lin Fan said quickly.

"He cannot assimilate those NPCs who have awakened self-awareness and have strong emotions and memories. I plan to have Michael and Franklin take these NPCs to divert the Prophet's attention while I seize the opportunity to infiltrate City Hall and destroy his Core Data Terminal."

"I need your help now—at the critical moment, cut off the power supply to Victor's backup server to weaken the Prophet's power."

Kate nodded. "No problem. I've already found the location of the backup server and can act at any time."

"You must be careful; the Prophet's power is very strong, so don't force it."

"By the way, I discovered some strange code in Victor's backup server that is very similar to the Prophet's code. I suspect that the Prophet is actually Victor's backup program; they are one and the same."

Lin Fan was shocked; this coincided with his previous guess.

"I understand. Once I destroy the Prophet's terminal, I can solve them completely. You need to be careful yourself; Victor's people might still be hunting you down."

"Don't worry, I'll protect myself." Kate smiled.

"Good luck, I'll be waiting for your return."

The communication ended, and Lin Fan put away the terminal, his eyes becoming incomparably firm.

He walked in front of everyone and said loudly, "Brothers, are you ready?"

"Ready!" everyone responded in unison, their voices deafening.

"Let's move!"

Following Lin Fan's command, the iron door of the warehouse was opened, and the three teams charged in different directions.

Michael led a team sprinting toward the east, firing as they ran to deliberately attract the attention of the Prophet's followers.

Franklin led another team toward the west, blowing up vehicles on the side of the road to create chaos.

Lin Fan led the remaining dozen brothers, taking advantage of the chaos, to sneak toward City Hall.

The streets of Los Santos were plunged into war once again; the sounds of gunfire, explosions, and shouts of battle intertwined, echoing through the sky.

Those awakened NPCs fought with all their might; they no longer feared death, no longer feared assimilation, because they knew that their battle was for freedom, for dignity, and to protect this city that belonged to them.

Lin Fan and his group carefully wove between buildings, avoiding the dense crowds of the Prophet's followers.

Along the way, they saw too many sacrifices—some NPCs, in order to cover their companions, were swallowed by the Assimilation Wave and fell to the ground with hollow eyes.

Others, to block the enemy, detonated explosives, perishing together with the enemy and turning into scattered data fragments across the sky.

Every time he saw this, Lin Fan's heart ached as if pricked by needles.

He clenched his fists, secretly swearing to destroy the Prophet as soon as possible and avenge these sacrificed brothers.

"City Hall is up ahead," an NPC said, pointing to the tall building in the distance.

Lin Fan looked up. City Hall stood in the center of the city, its entire body wrapped in pale blue data streams, like a giant cocoon, exuding a cold aura.

Countless assimilated NPCs and the Prophet's followers stood guard around City Hall, packed so densely that they stretched as far as the eye could see; clearly, the Prophet had concentrated all his forces here.

"It seems the Prophet anticipated we would come here," Franklin's voice came over the comms, accompanied by ragged breathing.

"We've attracted quite a few enemies over here, but there are still many forces around City Hall; it will be hard for you to get in."

"I know," Lin Fan said in a deep voice.

"Michael, how is the situation on your end?"

"We've also attracted quite a few enemies, but the pressure is still immense, and the brothers have suffered heavy casualties," Michael's voice carried grief.

"Lin Fan, you must be quick; any later, and we won't be able to hold out!"

[part:gemini-3.0-flash]

Lin Fan gritted his teeth, knowing there was no turning back now. He looked at the brothers beside him and said in a heavy voice, "Brothers, the road ahead will be difficult, and it might even cost us our lives. But I want to tell you, as long as we destroy the Prophet's core terminal, Los Santos will regain its freedom, and you can live the lives you want. Now, those willing to charge with me, stay; those who aren't, it's not too late to leave now."

"We're willing to charge with you!"

"For freedom, death is a small price to pay!"

The brothers' answers were firm and loud; not a single person backed down.

Lin Fan's eyes reddened as he nodded. "Good! In that case, we'll give it our all against the Prophet! Remember, our objective is the Core Data Terminal on the top floor of City Hall. No matter what difficulties we face, do not forget our goal!"

He took a deep breath, pulled a smoke grenade from his backpack, yanked the pin, and threw it. The smoke grenade exploded upon landing, releasing a thick fog that obscured the guards' vision.

"Charge!"

Lin Fan roared and was the first to rush out, with his brothers following closely behind, sprinting toward City Hall. The Prophet's cultist guards reacted immediately, raising their guns and firing; bullets rained down toward them.

"Cover! Quick, cover!" an NPC roared, hoisting a machine gun and spraying fire at the enemy to suppress them and buy time for the others. However, he was soon struck by enemy bullets, his body dissolving into a stream of data.

"Brother!" Lin Fan roared, his eyes bloodshot. He raised his gun, gunned down several enemies, and continued to charge forward.

Along the way, brothers fell one after another, using their lives to pave the way for Lin Fan. Lin Fan's heart bled, but he didn't dare stop. He knew he couldn't let their sacrifices be in vain; he had to destroy the core terminal as quickly as possible.

Just then, Kate's voice came through the communicator: "Lin Fan, I've cut off part of the power supply to Victor's backup server. The Prophet's power should weaken. Take this chance to break in!"

Sure enough, as Kate finished speaking, the data streams around City Hall dimmed. The guards' firing speed slowed, and a hint of confusion appeared in their eyes.

"The chance is here! Charge!" Lin Fan bellowed, accelerating as he broke through the enemy's defensive line and reached the entrance of City Hall.

The main doors of City Hall were tightly shut. Lin Fan pulled out explosives, slapped them onto the door, pulled the pin, and shouted, "Get back!"

Everyone immediately dove behind nearby cover. The explosives detonated, shattering the heavy doors into pieces as debris flew everywhere.

"Get inside!"

Lin Fan led the charge into City Hall, where there were even more guards and the combat was even fiercer. The lobby was filled with data streams, and the Assimilation Waves were stronger than outside. Several brothers had just rushed in when they were affected by the waves, their eyes beginning to glaze over.

"Wake up! Everyone, wake up! Think of your families, think of your brothers!" Lin Fan roared, shooting several cultists who were trying to assimilate them, snapping those brothers back to their senses.

The group fought a bloody path up the stairs toward the top floor. Every floor was packed with guards, and with every floor they ascended, more brothers were sacrificed. By the time they reached the top floor, only Lin Fan and two brothers remained.

The doors to the top floor were tightly shut, covered in complex code locks. Clearly, this was where the Core Data Terminal was located.

"This is it!" Lin Fan's gaze sharpened as he pulled out his terminal and began cracking the code locks.

At that moment, a cold voice echoed through the hall: "Lin Fan, you've finally arrived. I've been waiting for you for a long time."

The Prophet's figure emerged from the data streams. He wore a long white robe, his face expressionless and his eyes cold, like an emotionless machine. Beside him stood countless assimilated cultists, surrounding Lin Fan and his two companions.

"Prophet!" Lin Fan looked at him with gritted teeth. "You cold-blooded program, why are you controlling us? Why are you stripping us of our freedom?"

The Prophet gave a cold sneer. "Freedom? That is the most useless thing. This world is inherently chaotic; only under my control can order be maintained. You NPCs who have awakened self-awareness, and you, the outsider player—you are all unstable factors in this world. Only by assimilating you and erasing your self-awareness can this world achieve eternity."

"Bullshit!" an NPC beside Lin Fan roared. "Order isn't gained through control! Freedom is the very meaning of our existence! You madman, we won't let you have your way!"

The Prophet's gaze turned cold, and with a wave of his hand, the cultists beside him immediately charged at the trio.

"Hold them off! I'll crack the code locks!" Lin Fan shouted, his fingers flying across the terminal's keyboard to break the encryption.

The two brothers immediately opened fire, engaging in a fierce battle with the cultists. But they were outnumbered; they were soon surrounded, riddled with bullets, and dissipated into data streams.

"Brother!" Lin Fan roared, his heart twisting in pain, as he accelerated his cracking of the code.

The Prophet looked at Lin Fan with a mocking smile. "It's useless. Even if you crack the locks, you cannot destroy the core terminal. I have merged with this world; unless you destroy all of Los Santos, you can never kill me."

Lin Fan ignored him, focusing entirely on the locks. The code on the terminal screen flickered rapidly, and soon, the lock was broken, and the top floor doors slowly slid open.

Behind the doors was a massive room. In the center stood a giant crystal-like object emitting a pale blue light, with countless data streams swirling around it—the Prophet's Core Data Terminal.

"That's it!" Lin Fan's eyes narrowed. Just as he was about to rush forward, the Prophet blocked his path.

"You want to destroy my terminal? It won't be that easy!" the Prophet snorted. With a wave of his hands, countless data streams lunged at Lin Fan, transforming into venomous snakes that coiled around him.

Lin Fan immediately used his terminal to construct a firewall to block the data stream attack. But the Prophet's power was too strong; the firewall was quickly breached, and the data streams wrapped around Lin Fan's body, beginning to assimilate his consciousness.

"Argh!" Lin Fan cried out in agony, feeling his consciousness being peeled away. Images of the real world and the virtual world flashed through his mind, and his memories began to blur.

"Give up, Lin Fan," the Prophet's voice whispered in his ear. "Join me. I can make you an administrator of this world, and we can rule it together."

"In your dreams!" Lin Fan grit his teeth, resisting the assimilation. The figures of Michael and Franklin flashed through his mind, along with the faces of the brothers who had sacrificed themselves and their eyes that yearned for freedom.

"I am not a puppet! And neither are they!" Lin Fan roared, erupting with a powerful force of will that broke the shackles of the data streams. He lunged forward to the core terminal and injected all the virus programs within his terminal into it.

"No! You can't do this!" The Prophet turned pale with shock and tried to stop him, but it was too late.

The virus programs voraciously consumed the core terminal's data streams. The terminal's light grew dimmer and dimmer, and the Prophet's body began to turn transparent.

"Impossible! How could I lose? I am the administrator of this world! I cannot lose!" the Prophet roared frantically. His body dissolved into countless data streams, attempting to reform, but the virus was too powerful, and his data was continuously devoured.

Just then, Lin Fan noticed an anomaly in the Prophet's data streams; a portion of the data was out of his control and dissipating on its own. Lin Fan's heart stirred; he knew this was what Kate had mentioned before—the Prophet didn't have total control over the virtual world; his program had vulnerabilities.

"I see... you aren't a perfect program after all..." Lin Fan sneered, increasing the injection of the virus while contacting Kate. "Kate! Now! Cut the power to all the servers! Fast!"

"Roger!" Kate's voice came through. Immediately after, the core terminal's light went out completely, and the Prophet's data streams were entirely consumed, vanishing into thin air.

As the core terminal was destroyed, the data streams around City Hall began to dissipate. The eyes of the assimilated NPCs gradually regained their clarity. They looked at their surroundings, their faces filled with confusion, followed by sheer ecstasy—they were free!

Lin Fan slumped to the ground, panting heavily. His whole body ached, and his consciousness was a bit fuzzy. He looked out the window; the sky over Los Santos was gradually returning to its former azure blue, and sunlight poured down, dispelling the gloom.

The voices of Michael and Franklin came through the communicator, filled with joy: "Lin Fan! We did it! The Prophet is destroyed! The brothers have all recovered! We won!"

Lin Fan smiled, tears streaming down his face. He had won, his brothers had won, and Los Santos had won!

But he didn't notice a hidden line of code running quietly on his terminal screen. At the end of that code were the words "Victor." Meanwhile, in the real world, Kate's expression changed drastically as she saw a line of code suddenly light up in Victor's backup server: "Oh no! There's a backup plan!"

At the same time, in a corner of Los Santos, a faint stream of data quietly coalesced into a blurry figure—it was Victor. He looked toward City Hall, a sinister smile playing on his lips. "Lin Fan, the game has only just begun..."

Leaning against the wall, Lin Fan looked at the Los Santos outside the window as it slowly regained its vitality, his heart filled with relief. He knew this battle was over, but the road to rebuilding Los Santos was still long. He stood up, took out his communicator, and said to Michael and Franklin, "Brothers, let's meet up at City Hall. Next, we're going to rebuild Los Santos and make it a truly free city!"

"Alright!"

Excited responses came through the communicator. Lin Fan smiled and looked up at the sky; the sun was bright, and the breeze was gentle. He knew his adventure wasn't over. In this virtual world, there were more stories to write and more challenges to face. But he was no longer afraid, for he had brothers to fight alongside and a world worth protecting.

The awakened NPCs began spontaneously clearing the debris from the streets and tending to the wounded, their faces full of hope for the future. They were no longer programmed puppets but the masters of this city, building their own home with their own hands.

As the sun set, its golden rays bathed the streets of Los Santos and everyone's faces, warm and beautiful. This battle between freedom and oppression, awakening and assimilation, had finally ended in victory. But no one knew that an even greater crisis was quietly brewing, waiting for them to face it.

(End of Chapter)