64: Chapter 64 Countdown and the Traitor

The red alarm at the Los Santos Satellite Launch Base pierced the air like a red-hot steel needle. The shrill buzzing, mixed with the mechanical announcements of the base's defense system, echoed repeatedly through the massive concrete structure, aching everyone's eardrums and stretching everyone's nerves like a string on the verge of snapping.

There was only one hour and seventeen minutes left until the satellite launch.

In the open area outside the base, Kate wore a black tactical suit with dark green camouflage paint on her face. Her assault rifle was pressed against her shoulder, and the cold sensation of the metal helped calm her chaotic thoughts. Behind her, hundreds of members of the resistance organization fanned out, their eyes burning with resolute fire. The sights of their weapons were all aimed at the thick alloy gate of the base—behind that door lay Elizabeth's ambition, countless imprisoned consciousnesses, and a life-or-death hurdle they had to overcome.

"All units, listen up. In three minutes, we storm the main gate!" Kate's voice came through the comms, calm and devoid of emotion, yet carrying an unquestionable authority. "The objective is to draw all defensive fire and buy time for Lin Fan and Night Owl to infiltrate. Do you understand?"

"Understood!" Hundreds of voices responded in unison, causing a burst of static in the comms. Their dauntless spirit seemed almost capable of breaking through the base's layers of defense.

Kate raised her wrist to check her tactical watch; the red numbers flickering on the screen were devouring the remaining time second by second. She tapped her fingertip on the screen to pull up the locations of Lin Fan and Night Owl—two flashing green dots moving rapidly along the base's underground ventilation ducts toward the underground server room.

"Lin Fan, Night Owl, what's your status?" Kate asked in a low voice over the comms.

Inside the ventilation duct, the narrow space forced the two to hunch over as they moved forward, the smell of dust and rust filling their nostrils. Lin Fan walked in front, the blue code patterns beneath his skin still faintly flickering—a lingering side effect from forcibly hacking the satellite system in the previous chapter. With every step, he could feel a faint stinging sensation from deep within his meridians, as if countless tiny currents were coursing through his body. Night Owl followed behind him, his black trench coat rumpled in the cramped duct. A black mask covered most of his face, revealing only eyes as sharp as a hawk's. He gripped his silenced pistol tightly, ready to handle any sudden situation.

"Everything is going smoothly. I've temporarily disabled the defense robots with code. We'll reach the underground server room in three minutes." Lin Fan's voice came through the comms, carrying a hint of imperceptible hoarseness. Because of his excessive use of abilities earlier, his right arm had begun to pixelate slightly, the flesh beneath his skin seeming to be drained away, revealing tiny blue specks of code. "AKai, how is the progress on cracking the launch program?"

On the other end of the comms, there was a flurry of rapid keyboard clacking, mixed with AKai's furious roar: "Damn it, this crappy program is harder than the last math problem on my college entrance exam! Is that old woman Elizabeth doing this on purpose, making the decryption interface into Tetris? My head is full of horizontal and vertical bars now, my eyes are going blurry!"

Lin Fan and Night Owl exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of helpless amusement in each other's eyes. That kid AKai, even in a life-or-death situation, couldn't shake off his erratic personality.

"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up," Lin Fan said impatiently. "Kate and the others are about to storm the main gate. You have to crack the launch program within twenty minutes, or else everything is over."

"I know, I know, why are you rushing me? Who do you think you're talking to? I'm AKai, the number one hacker in Los Santos! This little problem won't stop me!" AKai's voice remained arrogant, but the speed of his keyboard clacking increased. "But then again, Lin Fan, you'd better be careful. I have a feeling that this isn't as simple as it seems. Elizabeth wouldn't let us get this close to the satellite so easily."

AKai's words made Lin Fan's heart sink. He had the same feeling. From the moment he infiltrated the base, he felt everything around him was too smooth—too smooth, like a carefully laid trap. Elizabeth was meticulous and ruthless; it was impossible for her not to have a backup plan.

"I know. Don't worry," Lin Fan said in a low voice. He turned off the comms and quickened his pace.

Three minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

The moment the numbers on Kate's tactical watch turned to zero, she pulled the trigger. Bullets rained down on the base's alloy gate, creating a deafening "clang, clang, clang" and spraying countless sparks.

"Charge!" At Kate's command, the members of the resistance organization surged forward like a tidal wave. Their weapons spewed fire as they launched a fierce assault on the base's main gate.

The base's defense system was instantly activated. The machine gun array above the alloy gate began firing wildly, tongues of fire tearing ghastly holes in the open ground. A few resistance members who were charging in the front couldn't dodge in time; they were hit by bullets and fell in pools of blood. But no one retreated. Those behind stepped over their fallen comrades and continued to charge forward. They had only one goal in their eyes—to break through the gate and enter the base.

Intense gunfire, explosions, and shouts of battle intertwined, composing a tragic song of war.

Inside the base, in the monitoring room, Gray Fox stood before a massive surveillance screen, watching the intense battle footage. A cold, sinister smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He was the adjutant of the resistance organization and one of the people Kate trusted most. No one knew that hidden on his arm was a black brand that only core members of New Era Technology possessed—it was the mark Elizabeth had given him, and the proof of his betrayal.

"Kate, oh Kate, you are just too naive after all," Gray Fox murmured, tapping his finger on the surveillance screen to bring up the control interface for the base's power system. "Lady Elizabeth was right. All of you are just expendable materials for her to achieve her ambitions."

His finger slowly pressed toward the red button on the screen.

At the entrance to the underground server room, Lin Fan and Night Owl finally escaped the confines of the ventilation duct and leaped onto the cold concrete floor. The two quickly adjusted their gear. Night Owl raised his hand to check the custom watch on his wrist, which displayed the power distribution inside the base.

"The power system is normal. The launch server room is fifty meters ahead," Night Owl said in a low voice. He pushed open the iron door at the entrance to the server room, and a thick smell of engine oil and metal rushed toward them.

Lin Fan followed behind Night Owl into the server room. The massive room was filled with all kinds of servers and consoles, countless data cables intertwined like a spider web, flickering with blue light. Complex code and data jumped on the console screens, and the countdown numbers for the satellite launch were prominently displayed in the center of the screen.

"AKai, start the hack," Lin Fan said into the comms, while walking to the console. He swiped his fingers rapidly across the screen, beginning to use code energy to interfere with the launch program's operation, buying time for AKai to crack it.

"Received!" AKai's voice came through. Immediately after, a familiar interface suddenly popped up on the console screen—colorful Tetris blocks were constantly falling on the screen.

AKai's roar came again: "Damn it, this crappy game has upgraded again! It even has an item bar. Is that old woman Elizabeth playing dirty?"

Lin Fan looked at the Tetris on the screen, his mouth twitching. He held back his laughter and continued to interfere with the launch program. He could feel the code energy inside his body rapidly depleting. The pixelation on his right arm was becoming more severe, spreading to his elbow. Blue code specks were flickering wildly beneath his skin, as if they were about to erupt at any moment.

Just then, the lights in the base suddenly dimmed sharply, and immediately after, all the lights went out instantly. The entire base was plunged into pitch-black darkness.

The roaring sound of the servers stopped abruptly. The console screens went black instantly, and the satellite launch countdown numbers disappeared. All the equipment in the server room stopped running at this moment.

"What's going on?!" Lin Fan was startled and shouted into the comms, "Kate, AKai, what's wrong on your end?"

A burst of piercing static came from the comms, mixed with Kate's anxious voice: "The base's power system was suddenly shut down. I'm trapped in the elevator, and there are defense robots everywhere outside. The situation is very bad!"

"The power system was shut down?" Night Owl's expression turned grave instantly. He quickly walked to the power control box in the server room, opened it, and looked at the blown fuses inside. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. "Someone intentionally cut off the base's power. It's a traitor!"

A traitor?

Lin Fan's heart gave a violent jolt, and a name instantly surfaced in his mind—Gray Fox.

Except for Gray Fox, no one could easily cut off the base's power system without being detected. He was the adjutant of the resistance organization, familiar with all the base's defensive layouts, and possessed the highest level of clearance.

"It really was him." Lin Fan's eyes turned icy, and a towering rage surged from the bottom of his heart. He never imagined that one of the people he trusted most would actually be Elizabeth's mole.

"Kate, stay in the elevator and don't move! I'll restart the power system immediately!" Lin Fan shouted into the comms while turning to walk toward the main power console of the server room.

The Main Power Console is the core of the entire base's power system; to restart the power, one must input the highest-level authorization code through the console, while simultaneously using Code Energy to activate the core circuitry.

However, this requires consuming a massive amount of Code Energy, which, in Lin Fan's current state, is simply impossible to withstand.

"Lin Fan, no!" Night Owl grabbed Lin Fan's arm and said in a deep voice, "Your current physical condition simply does not allow you to overuse your abilities.

Your right arm has already begun to permanently digitize; if you force the use of Code Energy again, your entire right arm will completely turn into data and will never be able to return to flesh and blood!"

"So what?" Lin Fan jerked his hand away from Night Owl, looking at him with determined eyes.

"Kate is trapped in the elevator, and outside is full of defense robots; any later, and she will die!

AKai's hacking also needs power; without power, we cannot stop the satellite launch at all!

Countless consciousnesses are still imprisoned in the satellite; we cannot give up!"

"But your body..."

"I know my own body!" Lin Fan interrupted Night Owl, his fingers already pressed onto the screen of the Main Power Console.

"Now, there is no time to hesitate!"

As he spoke, Lin Fan took a deep breath and mobilized all the Code Energy within his body.

A massive wave of blue energy erupted from him, like a rushing river, surging toward the Main Power Console.

The blue code patterns under his skin flickered frantically, as if trying to break free from the constraints of his skin.

The pixelation of his right arm spread at a speed visible to the naked eye, extending from his elbow all the way to his shoulder.

His original flesh and blood were being rapidly replaced by blue code; a cold, mechanical sensation emanated from his right arm, like countless steel needles pricking it, causing unbearable pain.

Lin Fan gritted his teeth, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

Beads of sweat as large as peas slid down his cheeks, dripping onto the console with a "tap-tap" sound.

His vision began to blur, and a buzzing sound filled his ears; the Code Energy within him was being consumed rapidly, as if it were being constantly devoured by a bottomless pit.

But he did not stop; his fingers swept quickly across the screen, inputting the complex highest-level authorization code.

The blue Code Energy, like a swimming dragon, darted rapidly through the console's circuitry, repairing burnt-out fuses and activating the dormant power core.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

At this moment, time seemed to become incredibly slow.

Finally, the moment Lin Fan input the last code, the screen of the Main Power Console suddenly lit up.

A dazzling blue light erupted from the console, rapidly spreading along the base's wiring throughout the entire facility.

"Hum—"

A slight humming sound rang out, and the lights in the base instantly came back on.

The servers and consoles began to operate again, and the countdown numbers for the satellite launch reappeared on the screen, still ticking away mercilessly.

Power system, reboot successful!

"Kate, the power is restored, come out quickly!" Lin Fan shouted weakly into the communicator.

His body went limp, and he nearly collapsed to the ground, but Night Owl hurriedly stepped forward to support him.

Leaning against Night Owl, Lin Fan raised his right arm and looked at the arm that had completely turned into blue code.

There was not a shred of flesh left, only cold pixelated light points flickering; he could feel that his right arm had completely lost human sensation and had become a pure data construct, never to recover.

This was the price of overusing Code Energy.

But he did not regret it.

As long as he could save Kate, as long as he could stop the satellite launch, as long as he could rescue those imprisoned consciousnesses, what did losing an arm matter?

"Lin Fan, are you okay?" Kate's anxious voice came through the communicator.

"I heard your voice sounded off."

"I'm fine, just a small injury." Lin Fan forced himself to stand, smiling at the communicator.

"Hurry and take your people to the underground server room; Gray Fox is the mole, he is one of Elizabeth's people; be careful."

"What? Gray Fox is the mole?" Kate's voice was filled with shock and disbelief.

She could never have imagined that the lieutenant she had personally promoted would betray her.

"That's right, it's him; he cut off the base's power, wanting to put us to death."

Lin Fan said in a deep voice, "By now, he must have gone to the satellite core chamber to assist Elizabeth in initiating the satellite launch sequence; we must hurry over there and stop him."

"Good, I'm bringing people over immediately!" Kate's voice instantly turned cold.

She hung up the communicator and shouted to the resistance members beside her, "Everyone listen up, Gray Fox is a mole who has betrayed the organization.

Now, follow me to the underground server room, capture Gray Fox alive, and stop the satellite launch!"

"Yes!"

In the base's corridor, the sound of rhythmic footsteps rang out as Kate led the resistance members, rushing toward the underground server room.

Meanwhile, in the underground server room, AKai's hacking finally made progress.

On the console screen, the Tetris interface suddenly disappeared, replaced by complex launch program code.

AKai's fingers tapped rapidly on the keyboard, and an excited smile appeared on his face.

"Lin Fan, Night Owl, I've done it!"

"I've cracked part of the launch program, and I've paused the satellite launch countdown; but to completely terminate the launch, we still need to enter the satellite core chamber and input the final termination code!"

AKai's voice came through the communicator, carrying a hint of exhaustion but also filled with excitement.

"Good, we're heading to the satellite core chamber immediately." Lin Fan nodded, pushed away Night Owl's hand, forced himself to stand straight, and said to Night Owl, "Let's go, to the satellite core chamber, to meet Gray Fox and Elizabeth."

Night Owl looked at Lin Fan's completely digitized right arm, a flash of admiration in his eyes.

He nodded and gripped the suppressed pistol in his hand: "Let's go!"

The two of them, one after the other, walked out of the underground server room and headed in the direction of the satellite core chamber.

The base's corridor was filled with the traces of battle; the walls were covered in bullet holes, the remains of defense robots lay on the floor, and the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder and blood.

They were one hundred meters away from the satellite core chamber.

Inside the satellite core chamber, Gray Fox was standing before Elizabeth, head bowed, saying respectfully, "Lady Elizabeth, as you ordered, I have cut off the base's power and trapped Kate.

In order to restart the power, Lin Fan has overused his Code Energy; his right arm is completely digitized, and he has lost half of his combat effectiveness.

Now, they are rushing toward the satellite core chamber; your plan is about to succeed."

Elizabeth sat on the main control chair of the satellite core chamber, wearing a long white dress.

An elegant smile graced her face, but her eyes were filled with cold murderous intent.

Behind her, the satellite's core device was slowly rotating, with countless blue light points flickering within it.

Those imprisoned consciousnesses, like countless balls of light, floated around the core device, emitting a faint glow.

"Well done, Gray Fox." Elizabeth's voice was soft, yet carried an unquestionable majesty.

"Lin Fan, Kate, and those reckless resistance organizations—they are ultimately too young; they think that with their meager strength, they can stop me? How laughable."

She looked up at the door of the satellite core chamber, a cold, sinister smile curling the corners of her lips.

"Since they are so impatient to come and die, I will grant their wish."

"Men, set up a dragnet and wait for them to walk right into it."

"Yes!"

Outside the door of the satellite core chamber, countless defense robots began to assemble, their dark, gaping gun barrels aimed in unison at the direction of the door.

A new, bloody battle was about to begin.

Lin Fan and Night Owl walked firmly toward the satellite core chamber.

Ahead of them lay countless enemies, Elizabeth's layers of traps, and the impending test of life and death.

But behind them were Kate and the members of the resistance, AKai's remote support, and the hope of countless imprisoned consciousnesses.

They had no retreat, and they would not back down.

Either they would stop the satellite launch, rescue all the consciousnesses, and end Elizabeth's ambition.

Or they would die in the satellite core chamber, turning into mere dust in Los Santos.

There was no third option.

They were fifty meters away from the door of the satellite core chamber.

Lin Fan clenched his digitized right arm, blue code light points gathering in his palm to form a sharp blade of code.

His eyes became incredibly determined.

"Elizabeth, Gray Fox, we are coming."

"This time, we will not let you get your way again."

The red alarm sounded again in the base, like a death knell from the Grim Reaper.

But Lin Fan and Night Owl's steps did not pause for even a second.

Their shadows, cast under the corridor lights, stretched long and thin, like two swords about to be unsheathed, rushing toward the satellite core chamber with unwavering resolve.

Meanwhile, in the distant Los Santos, AKai sat in front of his computer, watching the positions of Lin Fan and Night Owl on the screen, his fingers typing rapidly on the keyboard, a determined expression on his face.

"Lin Fan, Night Owl, Kate, you must hold on."

"The number one hacker in Los Santos will always be your strongest support."

On his screen, besides the satellite launch program code, there was a line of striking text:

"For Los Santos, for those imprisoned souls, fight until the last moment."

This war over data, over consciousness, and over humanity had reached its most critical moment.

Win, and live.

Lose, and die.

The countdown was still continuing.

And the battle belonging to Lin Fan and the others had only just begun.