59: Chapter 59 The Counterattack of Reality

The glass curtain wall of New Era Technology's headquarters glinted with a cold, metallic luster in the Los Santos night, resembling a steel behemoth lying in wait in the city center. Embedded smart lights outlined the hundred-meter-tall building's silhouette. Countless security cameras were hidden behind every window, and the third basement level's armory was stocked with enough mechanical soldiers to arm a small squad—this was the ultimate fortress Victor had built in the real world, relying on Elizabeth's virtual code technology. It was also the final line of defense that the Resistance Organization, led by Agent Kate, was prepared to risk everything to breach at this very moment.

At the perimeter of the headquarters, within the shadows of an alleyway, Agent Kate leaned against a cold wall. Her fingertips tapped rapidly on the miniature communicator on her wrist, where dense green code flickered across the screen. This was the underlying program of the New Era security system that AKai had cracked overnight after breaking out of the virtual world. She wore a black tactical suit with sleeves rolled up to reveal her sleek forearms, and her face was smeared with light black camouflage. Only her deep blue eyes shone startlingly bright in the night, harboring a desperate determination as well as a trace of imperceptible worry—she hadn't received word from Lin Fan for forty-eight hours. Whether the decisive battle in the virtual space was a victory or a defeat, and whether that man—who always carried a bit of a rogue air yet always managed to create miracles in desperate situations—was still alive, remained unknown.

“Sister Kate, it's confirmed. New Era's security system is divided into three layers: the outer layer is infrared sensors, the middle layer consists of Mechanical Patrol Soldiers, and the inner layer is dual verification with iris and code. The core laboratory is on the top floor, the fifty-eighth floor. That old geezer Victor should be there, guarding his Digital Transmitter—that's the thing that converts code energy from the virtual world into reality.” AKai's slightly hurried voice came through the communicator, carrying a hint of youthful greenness yet permeated with the certainty typical of a tech geek. “I've already hacked into their main server and am just waiting for your command to directly paralyze the outer security. However, I can't handle the mechanical soldiers in the middle layer for now; those guys have independent power supplies and aren't controlled by the main server.”

Agent Kate raised her hand to check her tactical watch; the time pointed to 3:07 AM. This was the gap during New Era's security shift change, and the moment the entire building's defenses were at their weakest. She took a deep breath and said into the communicator in a low voice, “AKai, follow the plan. After the outer security is paralyzed, don't worry about the mechanical soldiers. Immediately hack into the control systems of all the elevators. Remember, every single elevator.”

“All the elevators?” AKai paused for a moment, then reacted, a mischievous grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Understood, Sister Kate. I guarantee those bastards will be dumbstruck.”

“Action.” Agent Kate uttered two words and raised her hand to pat the shoulders of the two resistance members beside her. The three of them rose simultaneously, like three black shadows, quickly flitting across the deserted street toward the side entrance of the New Era Technology headquarters.

At the same time, in the main server room in the basement of New Era Technology's headquarters, AKai was curled up in a ventilation duct, his fingers flying across his laptop as green code scrolled like flowing water on the screen. He was the technical genius Lin Fan had brought out of the virtual world, originally just a small-time hacker on the streets of Los Santos who had been captured by Victor's people to crack code. Later, he joined the resistance during the chaos and became the team's technical lead. Fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, but his gaze was incredibly focused. His fingertip hit the final Enter key as he muttered under his breath, “Done!”

The next second, all the infrared sensor cameras on the outer layer of New Era Technology's headquarters instantly went dark, and the security alarms that had been glowing red fell silent, like toys with their batteries pulled. Meanwhile, the screens of all fifty-six elevators in the building, regardless of which floor they were on, switched instantly. The original floor displays vanished, replaced by a familiar cartoon—after the MGM lion roared, the cheerful opening theme of *Tom and Jerry* began to play. The classic scene of Tom the cat chasing Jerry the mouse appeared on every elevator screen, and even the elevator broadcast systems simultaneously played the upbeat background music.

“What the hell? What's going on?” Two security guards patrolling by the elevators on the thirteenth floor stared at the cartoons playing in the open elevator doors, stunned on the spot. They subconsciously rubbed their eyes, thinking they were having hallucinations from staying up late.

“Damn it, has the headquarters' system been hit by a hacker? Report it quickly!” The other guard reacted and scrambled to pull out his walkie-talkie. But just as he touched it, a swift elbow strike slammed into the back of his neck, and he slumped to the ground instantly without making a sound.

Agent Kate's figure emerged from the shadows of the fire escape next to the elevators, her movements clean and efficient. She made a silencing gesture to the two team members behind her, and the three of them quickly slipped into an elevator still playing *Tom and Jerry*. Agent Kate pressed the button for the fifty-eighth floor. The elevator rose slowly; on the screen, Tom was being tormented by Jerry and letting out comical screams of agony, creating a bizarre contrast with the tense atmosphere inside the elevator.

“AKai, beautiful job,” Agent Kate whispered into the communicator, her gaze fixed on the floor numbers next to the elevator door. With every floor they ascended, her nerves tightened another notch.

“Of course, look who you're talking to.” AKai's voice carried a hint of pride, but then it turned serious. “But Sister Kate, I've discovered a hidden code program in the main server that's been transmitting energy to the virtual space. It seems Victor is trying to reconnect with Elizabeth's consciousness. Be careful; there might be an ambush on the top floor.”

Agent Kate's heart sank, and her fingers instinctively tightened around the pistol at her waist. “Received. Continue monitoring and report immediately if anything happens.”

The elevator door opened with a ding. The corridor on the fifty-eighth floor was deserted, with only wall lamps casting a dim yellow light. The floor was paved with polished marble that clearly reflected one's shadow. At the end of the corridor was a heavy alloy door embedded with an iris scanner and a code input device—that was the entrance to the core laboratory.

Agent Kate signaled her team members to stay on alert by the elevator while she hugged the wall, slowly moving toward the alloy door. She pulled a small USB drive from her tactical suit pocket and plugged it into the interface of the code input device—this was an authorized USB drive AKai had cracked in advance; once inserted, it would temporarily bypass the iris verification.

The sound of sizzling current rang out, and the screen of the code input device turned from red to green. The alloy door made a heavy mechanical sound and slowly slid open to both sides. Agent Kate lowered her stance and darted into the laboratory, only to be stunned by the scene before her eyes.

The laboratory was as large as half a football field, with countless display screens embedded in the surrounding walls, all showing flickering 0s and 1s of code. In the center was a massive circular platform, upon which stood a silver instrument as tall as a person. Purple light flickered at the top of the instrument—that was the Digital Transmitter AKai had mentioned. Victor stood by the instrument with his back to Agent Kate, wearing a custom black suit with his hair combed meticulously. He held a metal remote control in his hand, a sinister smile hanging on the corner of his mouth.

Standing around the platform were twenty silver-white mechanical soldiers. These soldiers were two meters tall with thick limbs, laser cannons mounted on their arms, and red sensor lights for eyes. They were currently in standby mode; as long as Victor pressed the remote, they would initiate an attack immediately.

“Agent Kate, long time no see.” Victor turned around slowly, a confident smile on his face as if he had long expected her arrival. “I thought you would be a bit later. After all, you still had to wait for that little lover of yours to crawl out of the virtual world.”

Agent Kate's pistol was instantly aimed at Victor's forehead, her finger on the trigger, her deep blue eyes full of coldness. “Victor, surrender. Your plan has already failed. Elizabeth was defeated by Lin Fan in the virtual world; you're at a dead end now.”

“Failed?” Victor laughed loudly as if he had heard the world's biggest joke. His laughter echoed through the empty laboratory, carrying an indescribable madness. “Agent Kate, you are too naive. Elizabeth was merely a tool I created with my own hands; her life or death is completely irrelevant to me. I had her stall Lin Fan in the virtual world just to buy time to complete my ultimate plan—look.”

He pressed a button on the remote control. The purple light at the top of the central Digital Transmitter became even more dazzling. On the surrounding display screens, Lin Fan's figure suddenly appeared. He was trapped in a distorted space of code, his body bound by countless black code chains, looking incredibly wretched.

“Lin Fan!” Agent Kate's pupils constricted, and her heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand. She instinctively moved to pull the trigger, only to hear Victor's cold voice. “Don't be impulsive, Agent Kate. If you dare to fire, I will immediately have these code chains crush his consciousness, leaving him trapped in the virtual world forever as a soulless walking corpse.”

Agent Kate's finger froze on the trigger, a flash of struggle in her eyes. Seeing Lin Fan's pained appearance on the screen felt like a knife to her heart. She had known Lin Fan for so long—from initially suspecting him of being an FBI mole, to teaming up with him to investigate the Snake Fang Gang, to being unknowingly drawn to his courage and rogue charm—she had long since placed this man in her heart. She couldn't stand by and watch him die.

“What exactly do you want?” Agent Kate gritted her teeth, her voice trembling slightly.

“It's simple.” Victor walked slowly toward Agent Kate, the remote control spinning between his fingers. “Hand over the Resistance Organization's membership list and help me activate the Digital Transmitter's ultimate mode so I can completely control the passage between the virtual and real worlds. I'll release Lin Fan and even let you continue being an FBI agent. I can even give you endless wealth and power. How about it? This trade is quite a bargain.”

“In your dreams!” Agent Kate refused without a second thought, fury reigniting in her eyes. “Do you think I would betray my faith and all the members of the resistance for Lin Fan? Victor, you underestimate me, and you underestimate Lin Fan. If he knew I did something like this to save him, he would never forgive me.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Victor's smile became even more sinister. He pressed another button, and Lin Fan on the screen let out a pained groan as the code chains tightened further. Black code even began to erode his consciousness. “I'll give you ten more seconds to consider. Ten, nine, eight...”

The numbers dropped one by one like a death knell. Fine sweat seeped from Agent Kate's forehead as her gaze shifted back and forth between Lin Fan on the screen and Victor, the internal struggle growing more intense. She wanted to rush forward and perish along with Victor, but she knew she was no match for those mechanical soldiers. Once she acted, not only would she die, but Lin Fan would also perish instantly, and all the resistance's efforts would be for naught.

Just then, a violent surge of energy erupted outside the laboratory window. The originally pitch-black night sky was suddenly torn apart by a brilliant golden light. Like a meteor, the light smashed toward the top floor of the New Era Technology headquarters at extreme speed, carrying an aura that could destroy heaven and earth.

“Boom—!”

With a loud crash, the laboratory's glass curtain wall was instantly shattered. Shards of glass scattered like raindrops as a golden figure burst from the light and landed steadily on the circular platform. It was Lin Fan!

His appearance now was worlds apart from the wretched state on the screen. Although his black tactical suit was somewhat damaged, he still stood tall, surrounded by a faint golden code glow that flowed around his body like a living thing. His hair was slightly blown back by the energy, but the most striking part was his eyes—his originally black pupils had turned into data streams, with countless 0s and 1s dancing rapidly within them like two small digital starfields, exuding a cold technological feel and a heart-palpitating power.

The moment he burst out, those black code chains that had been binding his consciousness had already been burned to ashes by the golden light.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

"Lin Fan!" The struggle in Kate's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by sheer ecstasy; she hadn't expected Lin Fan to break out of the virtual world at this moment, and to have become so powerful.

Victor's face instantly went deathly pale; he stumbled back a few steps, staring at Lin Fan in disbelief, the remote in his hand nearly slipping to the floor: "This is impossible! How could you defeat Elizabeth? How could you escape from the virtual world? And possess such power?"

To trap Lin Fan, he had specifically set up a code barrier within the Digital Transmitter; even if Lin Fan had defeated Elizabeth, he should have been trapped in the virtual world forever, impossible to return to reality, let alone possess such immense energy—that was the power belonging to the master of the Core Code, the power he had spent over a decade of painstaking effort trying to wrest from Elizabeth, yet Lin Fan had mastered it so easily.

Lin Fan ignored Victor's shock; he slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the twenty mechanical soldiers surrounding the platform, a cold trace of disdain flashing in his data-stream-like pupils.

He had just emerged from the virtual world, and in his hand, he still held Elizabeth's Core Code, the primordial power capable of controlling all digital creations; these soldiers, built upon code and machinery, were nothing more than a pile of fragile scrap metal before him.

"Victor, for all your calculations, you still missed one thing." Lin Fan's voice carried a faint metallic texture; unlike his previous roguish demeanor, he now exuded an air of absolute authority: "You thought Elizabeth was your tool, but you didn't know that her Core Code had long been parsed by me; the rules of the virtual world are now under my control; you tried to trap me with a code barrier, not realizing that, in my eyes, that barrier is nothing more than a thin sheet of paper waiting to be pierced."

Before the words even faded, Lin Fan abruptly raised his hand, his palm facing the mechanical soldiers; the golden code light surrounding his body instantly surged, transforming into a massive energy wave that spread outwards; the energy wave was not physical, but it contained immensely powerful code energy; wherever it passed, the air hissed, and space itself seemed to distort.

"Hum—!"

The moment the energy wave struck the mechanical soldiers, those seemingly indestructible silver-white bodies began to disintegrate instantly; first, the red sensor lights burst, followed by the mechanical joints in their limbs being shattered; finally, even their torsos turned into countless metal fragments and flickering code, scattering onto the ground with a clattering sound; in just one second, all twenty mechanical soldiers were pulverized by the energy wave, leaving not a trace behind; on the laboratory floor, only a pile of scattered metal debris and flickering points of code remained.

The entire laboratory instantly fell into a deathly silence, with only the purple light atop the Digital Transmitter still flickering faintly, appearing incredibly glaring.

Victor's face was as pale as paper; he looked at the golden light swirling in Lin Fan's palm, then at the metal debris on the ground, his eyes filled with fear—a fear that welled up from the depths of his soul; he knew that this time, he was truly done for, defeated by this young man who had crossed over from the real world.

"No... impossible..." Victor shook his head, retreating repeatedly until his back hit the Digital Transmitter and he could retreat no further, "I am the chairman of New Era Technology; I control the digital world of Los Santos; how could I lose to an outsider like you? Impossible!"

Like a madman, he slammed all the buttons on the remote, trying to activate the Digital Transmitter's self-destruct sequence to take Lin Fan down with him; but after pressing the buttons, the Digital Transmitter showed no reaction; even the purple light at its top dimmed slightly.

"Don't waste your effort." Lin Fan walked slowly toward Victor, his data-stream-like pupils devoid of any warmth, "The moment I entered, I used the Core Code to block all functions of this device; now, it's just a useless pile of scrap."

Victor watched Lin Fan approach step by step, feeling the powerful pressure radiating from him, and finally completely collapsed; he slumped to the floor, the remote in his hand dropping to the side; his eyes were hollow, and he muttered to himself: "Lost... I've lost..."

Kate walked over to Lin Fan, looked at the slumped Victor, and breathed a sigh of relief; she raised her hand to pat Lin Fan's shoulder, a smile curling at the corner of her lips: "I'm glad you're okay; I thought..."

Before she could finish, she noticed Lin Fan's eyes; the data-stream-like pupils made her pause, and she asked subconsciously: "Your eyes... how did they become like this?"

Lin Fan raised his hand to rub his eyes, then looked down at the golden Core Code light swirling in his palm, a complex look flashing in his eyes: "After defeating Elizabeth in the virtual world, I absorbed her Core Code; now, my consciousness has merged with the code of the virtual world; these eyes must be the mark of a master of the code."

He didn't know if this change in his eyes was good or bad, only that from the moment he absorbed the Core Code, he could clearly sense all the digital signals around him; he could easily control all creations made of code and could even faintly hear the consciousness fluctuations of every NPC in Los Santos—this was a powerful strength, but it also carried a trace of unknown danger, as if something was slowly affecting his consciousness from the depths of the code.

This was a hidden foreshadowing, a potential danger that even Lin Fan himself hadn't realized.

Just then, AKai's voice came through the communicator, with a hurried tone: "Sister Kate, Brother Fan, this is bad! There's another batch of mechanical soldiers from New Era Technology's underground armory heading to the top floor; there are about fifty of them, and they are all controlled by independent smart chips, unaffected by code; you need to retreat immediately!"

Kate's expression changed; just as she was about to speak, she heard heavy footsteps and the hissing sound of machinery coming from the laboratory entrance—the mechanical soldiers had arrived.

Lin Fan looked up toward the laboratory entrance, a cold light flashing in his data-stream-like pupils; he raised his hand to stop Kate, who wanted to step forward, and said in a deep voice: "Take Victor and leave first; leave this to me."

"No, it's too dangerous!" Kate immediately refused, "Those mechanical soldiers aren't affected by code; your energy wave won't work on them; we'll retreat together; the Resistance Organization is already waiting downstairs."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Lin Fan looked back at Kate, a familiar roguish smile curling his lips, which diluted the authority surrounding him, "Don't forget, I am Lin Fan, the man who fought his way from a five-star wanted level to become the Guardian of Los Santos; fifty mechanical soldiers are nothing; they won't stop me."

The golden code light around him flowed once more, and a golden beam sword formed of code condensed in his palm—the very same one he had used when defeating Elizabeth in the virtual world; the blade of the light sword shimmered with a cold light.

"Take Victor and go; hand him over to the FBI and make him pay for everything he's done." Lin Fan's voice turned firm, "I'll follow shortly; Los Santos still needs us, the Resistance Organization still needs us; our battle isn't over yet."

Kate looked into Lin Fan's determined eyes, knowing she couldn't sway him; she nodded, bent down to pick up the remote from the floor, and then handcuffed the slumped Victor, saying in a low voice: "Be careful; I'll wait for you downstairs; don't you dare get hurt."

"Rest assured." Lin Fan waved his hand, his gaze locking back onto the laboratory entrance.

Kate retreated quickly toward the outside of the laboratory with Victor; just as they reached the door, they saw over a dozen mechanical soldiers rushing in; their red sensor lights swept across the room, and the laser cannons on their arms lit up instantly, firing red laser beams at Lin Fan.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The lasers hit the ground in front of Lin Fan, blasting out huge craters, sending debris flying and filling the air with dust; but after the dust settled, Lin Fan's figure had vanished, leaving only a streak of golden light darting rapidly through the laboratory.

"Fast enough, but unfortunately, still too slow." Lin Fan's voice came from behind one of the mechanical soldiers, and the golden light sword in his hand slashed down fiercely.

"Crack!"

The light sword struck the mechanical soldier's torso, instantly cleaving it in two; sparks erupted from the internal circuits and chips, turning it into a pile of scrap metal; Lin Fan didn't stop; using the momentum of the slash, he charged at another mechanical soldier; the golden light sword traced dazzling arcs through the laboratory, and with every slash, another mechanical soldier was shattered.

His movements were fast to the extreme; his data-stream-like pupils could clearly capture the attack trajectory of every mechanical soldier, predicting their next move; combined with the code power contained in the golden light sword, even though these mechanical soldiers were not controlled by code, they still couldn't withstand the sword's strikes—a power capable of severing all metal and code.

Inside the laboratory, the loud crashing of breaking machinery, the hissing of laser fire, and Lin Fan's low shouts erupted instantly; the golden streak of light wove through the silver-white mechanical soldiers like a tiger entering a flock of sheep; with every flash, blood and sparks (the machine oil and chips of the mechanical soldiers) intertwined.

Fifty mechanical soldiers, seemingly numerous, were fragile and defenseless before Lin Fan.

Downstairs at the New Era Technology headquarters, Kate got into the Resistance Organization's off-road vehicle with Victor; as the car slowly drove away, Kate looked back at the top-floor windows enveloped in golden light, her eyes full of worry, yet also full of trust; she knew that Lin Fan would definitely make it out, would definitely reunite with them, because he was Lin Fan, the Lin Fan who would never be defeated.

In the off-road vehicle's rearview mirror, the golden light at the top of the New Era Technology headquarters grew increasingly dazzling, like a small sun, radiating a light of hope into the night of Los Santos.

Back in the laboratory, the golden light sword in Lin Fan's hand slashed at the last mechanical soldier.

"Crack!" The last mechanical soldier was cleaved in two, crashing heavily onto the floor, completely still.

Lin Fan slowly sheathed the light sword, the golden code light around him gradually fading, leaving only the data streams in his pupils still flickering faintly; he looked down at his hands, feeling the code power surging within him, then looked up at the night view of Los Santos outside the laboratory window, a flash of determination in his eyes.

Victor had been captured, Elizabeth had been defeated, and the New Era Technology headquarters had been breached; it seemed like everything was over, but in Lin Fan's heart, there was a faint, uneasy feeling.

He could feel that deep within the virtual world, a hidden code consciousness was slowly awakening; he could feel that the gateway between the real world and the virtual world was becoming increasingly stable, and something was slowly approaching from the other side of the gateway; he could even feel the data streams in his pupils slowly spreading toward the depths of his consciousness, as if something were trying to take control of his mind.

All of this felt like hidden foreshadowing, quietly brewing.

The night in Los Santos remained deep, and beneath the seemingly calm surface, undercurrents were surging.

The counterattack in reality seemed to have achieved victory, but the true danger had only just begun.

Lin Fan raised his hand to brush the dust off himself and turned to walk out of the laboratory, his steps firm, his figure straight.

No matter what awaited him in the future, no matter how terrifying those hidden dangers might be, he would face them bravely.

Because he was Lin Fan, the Guardian of Los Santos, the man who had walked out of the virtual world and mastered the power of code.

His battle had never ended.

And the story of Los Santos had only just begun.