99: Chapter 99 The War of Carriers

The star shuddered violently at the edge of the dimensional barrier, its entire metal hull letting out a death-like wail under the crushing weight of cosmic-level energy. AKai gripped the control lever of the emotion stabilizer tightly; the red values leaping on the dashboard had long since exceeded the instrument's capacity. Franklin's newly condensed physical body flickered with data turbulence, and his arms, composed of metal sand, crumbled inch by inch under the wash of void energy, only to be forcibly reorganized.

"Lin Fan! Do you really want to go in? This is the inherent domain of the light orb prototype, where time, space, and causality are all defined by it. Once inside, we won't even be able to lock onto your coordinates!" AKai's roar was shredded by the ship's alarm as he looked at the pure white domain outside the cockpit that swallowed all light, his heart feeling a fear that transcended physical laws for the first time.

That was not a dimension, nor a space, but the container of rules itself.

Lin Fan did not look back.

He stood at the bridge exit of the star, his body entwined with faint golden cosmic energy. His eyes, which had become pale and cold due to surrendering the emotion code, were now filled with an almost obsessive heat. His fingertips lightly brushed over the lingering traces of Kate's voice AI on the cabin wall—the only thing left in the ship that still held her warmth.

"I have no choice." Lin Fan's voice was very soft, yet carried an unquestionable firmness. "From the moment I sensed her data fragments, from the moment I saw her smiling at me in the illusion, I have had no path of retreat."

Franklin stabilized his form, a trace of complex light flashing in his digitized eyes: "Lin Fan, you must understand that the light orb prototype wanting Kate as a Vessel is not a seizure, but a fusion. Once successful, Kate will become part of the cosmic rules; she will exist, but she will no longer be herself. No memory, no emotion, no love for you—just a cold tool to maintain cosmic balance."

"I know." Lin Fan raised his hand, and cosmic energy condensed into a light blade in his palm. Upon the blade flowed the stardust and laws of the entire multiverse. "That is why I have come—not to accept the rules, but to rewrite them."

The moment his words fell, Lin Fan leaped out of the star.

There was no airflow, no gravity, no sound.

The instant he broke into the light orb prototype's domain, the whole world went still.

It wasn't that time had stopped, but that time had lost its meaning.

Floating around him were frozen nebulae, static black holes, photons suspended in mid-air, and a supernova explosion frozen billions of light-years away. There was no past here, no future, only an eternal "now"—an absolute domain completely controlled by the light orb prototype.

Beneath his feet was an infinite pure white ground, and above was an endless pure white sky. As far as the eye could see, there were no impurities, no colors—only a kind of absolute sacred and absolute indifferent order that reigned over all life.

This was the Battlefield of the Gods.

And also Kate's cage.

Lin Fan walked slowly, cosmic energy spreading a golden trail beneath his feet. With every step, he tore a tiny crack in this absolute pure white domain. He could clearly sense that Kate's consciousness was at the deepest part of this domain—weak, shattered, yet never extinguished, like the only spark in the dark that refused to bow.

Just as he reached the center of the domain, a figure slowly emerged from the pure white light.

Her long hair fell like moonlight, her features were the ones carved into his soul, and her skin was white to the point of being nearly transparent. Her body was entwined with faint golden light orb energy—it was Kate, yet it wasn't Kate.

She had Kate's appearance and Kate's form, but she lacked Kate's warmth, Kate's smile, and the starlight in her eyes when she looked at him. In those eyes, there was only the vastness of the universe, the coldness of rules, and an indifference that looked down upon all living beings.

White-haired Kate—the incarnation of the light orb prototype.

"Lin Fan, you have come after all."

White-haired Kate spoke, her voice not Kate's crisp and lively tone, but a distant, ethereal divine voice that resonated with countless universes. Every word that fell caused this static domain to tremble slightly.

Lin Fan clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the force. Looking at this face that was both familiar and strange, his heart felt as if it were being gripped hard by an invisible hand, hurting so much he could barely breathe.

"Give Kate back to me." His voice was raspy, carrying emotions suppressed to the extreme.

White-haired Kate lightly raised her hand, pure white energy flowing at her fingertips. She did not answer, but slowly said: "You have seen the truth of this universe. entropy silence is devouring everything; all dimensions, all civilizations, all life will eventually return to nothingness. I split off the Sower originally to devour disordered civilizations and extend the life of the universe, but it lost control."

"Now, the only way for me to re-fuse with the Sower and stop entropy silence is a perfect vessel that carries both emotion and rules."

"Kate is an emotional experimental subject I created. Her soul is composed of data and light orb energy, and her heart holds the purest human emotions. She is the only vessel that meets the criteria."

White-haired Kate walked toward Lin Fan step by step, pure white energy brushing over him, attempting to soothe his restless cosmic energy: "Accept it, Lin Fan. This is the inevitability of the universe, the destination of all life. By Kate becoming the Vessel, she will save countless universes and countless civilizations. She will become an eternal god. This is not sacrifice; it is glory."

"Glory?" Lin Fan suddenly laughed, his laughter filled with endless desolation and anger. "Turning the person I love into a tool of rules with no self, no memory, and no emotion—you call that glory?"

"light orb prototype, you don't understand emotion at all, and you don't understand Kate at all!"

The cosmic energy around him suddenly exploded, golden light breaking through the suppression of the pure white domain. The static time was torn open by a massive gap, the frozen nebulae began to rotate, the fixed photons began to flow, and this Battlefield of the Gods was shaken by the will of life for the first time.

For the first time, a flicker of fluctuation passed through White-haired Kate's eyes: "Emotion is the most useless burden in the universe, the root cause that leads to civilizations losing control and the Sower's rebellion. Lin Fan, you possess cosmic-level power. You should have transcended emotion and become a Guardian of the rules, rather than being bound by the feelings of a mere mortal."

"Mortal?" Lin Fan looked up, fire burning in his golden eyes. "In my eyes, Kate was never a mortal. She is the light that illuminates my entire world, the person I will protect even if I have to give my all. You can define the rules of the universe, and you can control the life and death of the multiverse, but you have no right to strip away her self, and no right to make choices for her!"

At the moment of their confrontation, a reversal came suddenly.

White-haired Kate's body suddenly trembled violently, and from those cold, indifferent eyes, a vivid light belonging to Kate suddenly burst forth!

Her expression was no longer calm or sacred, but filled with pain and struggle. Beneath the white hair, her originally golden eyes gradually turned back to the deep blue Lin Fan was familiar with.

"Lin Fan..."

A weak but clear call came from White-haired Kate's mouth.

It was Kate!

It was the real Kate!

Under the suppression of the light orb prototype, her consciousness had forcibly seized back control of the body!

Kate's body swayed, the pure white light orb energy fighting frantically against her own consciousness. Faint golden energy blood overflowed from the corner of her mouth, yet she still put forth all her strength to reach out toward Lin Fan. Her eyes were filled with tears, carrying endless grievance and longing as she said word by word:

"Lin Fan... take me home..."

Just those four words caused all of Lin Fan's strength to collapse instantly.

He rushed forward recklessly, wanting to grab the hand reaching out to him, but at the very moment their fingertips were about to touch, the light orb prototype's power suppressed Kate's consciousness once more. White-haired Kate's eyes returned to a cold, pure white, and with a wave of her hand, an unrivaled force knocked Lin Fan back violently.

Lin Fan slammed heavily onto the pure white ground, his golden cosmic energy instantly shattering as blood overflowed from his mouth.

But he did not fall.

Supporting himself on the ground, he stood up bit by bit, his gaze fixed on the figure ahead, his eyes showing not the slightest hint of retreat.

The confrontation on the Battlefield of the Gods was completely ignited at this point.

The incarnation of the light orb prototype looked at Lin Fan as he struggled to stand, and a trace of genuine anger finally surfaced in her pure white eyes: "Stubborn human! Emotion makes you blind, makes you foolish, and prevents you from seeing the truth of the universe! Since you refuse to accept it, then I will let you see the price of refusing the rules!"

As the words fell, the pure white domain began to collapse violently.

The frozen time became completely chaotic, the past and future intertwining before Lin Fan's eyes. He saw the endings of countless parallel universes: some completely perished due to entropy silence, some were devoured by the Sower, and some fell into eternal chaos because Kate did not become the Vessel... all the images pointed to one ending—without Kate as the Vessel, the universe would ultimately be destroyed.

"Do you see?" The light orb prototype's voice echoed throughout the domain. "This is the consequence of your obsession with emotion. You save Kate, but you destroy countless universes and countless lives just like yours. You will become the sinner of the universe, living forever in regret."

At the same time, a massive Light Gate opened above the domain. Behind the gate was the expanding darkness of entropy silence, the hideous phantom of the Sower, and the apocalyptic scenes of countless dimensions collapsing.

The ultimate choice was placed before Lin Fan.

The first path: Accept the light orb prototype's arrangement and let Kate become the fusion Vessel. Kate will disappear, but it will stop entropy silence and save the entire multiverse, allowing all civilizations to continue and the universe to return to order.

The second path: Forcibly take Kate away and oppose the light orb prototype. He can save his beloved, but he will let the multiverse fall into destruction, and all life, all civilizations, and everything he has ever protected will turn into nothingness.

The weight of the rules was like billions of stars, smashing down heavily upon Lin Fan.

His cosmic energy began to destabilize, and his body gradually blurred under the crushing weight of the rules. He could feel his consciousness being assimilated bit by bit by the cosmic rules, as if in the next second he would become a cold existence just like the light orb prototype.

AKai and Franklin waited anxiously outside the domain. The star's dashboard had completely shattered; they could feel the world-destroying energy fluctuations inside the domain, yet they couldn't help in the slightest.

"Lin Fan has to hold on..." AKai gritted his teeth hard, the emotion stabilizer being squeezed out of shape in his hand.

Franklin's data body flickered constantly as he did his best to analyze the rules within the domain, only to shake his head helplessly: "It's too strong... that is the power of the cosmic source; we simply cannot intervene. Now, everything can only depend on Lin Fan himself."

Inside the domain, Lin Fan knelt on the ground, gasping for breath. Blood slid down his cheeks and dripped onto the pure white ground, blooming into golden flowers.

He looked at the apocalyptic scenes behind the Light Gate and at Kate, who was controlled by the light orb prototype. Countless images flashed through his mind: meeting Kate for the first time in the virtual world as she smiled and waved at him; Kate blocking the Sower's attack to save him; sensing her data fragments in the void and deciding to embark on the path to find her; her telling him in the illusion not to follow because it was a trap...

All the memories, all the emotions, and all the love and longing converged at this moment into a power that could not be suppressed by the rules.

He raised his head, the confusion and pain gone from his golden eyes, leaving only an unprecedented determination.

"I will not choose."

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

Lin Fan slowly stood up. The cosmicization energy that had dissipated around him re-condensed, becoming stronger and more intense than ever before.

It was a cosmic power infused with all human emotions—it was love, longing, protection, and an unyielding will.

"I will save the universe, and I will also bring Kate back."

"The rules say I can only choose one, so I will break the rules."

The avatar of the light orb prototype showed a look of shock for the first time: "Arrogant! You are just a human with cosmic power; how could you possibly break the origin rules!"

"Because I have emotions." Lin Fan took a step forward, walking toward Kate. Every step made the divine battlefield tremble violently. "You say emotions are a burden, but you don't know that emotions are the most powerful force in the universe. They can make weak life forms strong, turn cold rules warm, and make the impossible possible."

"You created Kate, but you never truly understood her. She is not your test subject, not your vessel; she is Kate, the one and only Kate, the Kate I will protect with all my might!"

Just as Lin Fan was about to reach Kate, her consciousness briefly awakened again.

She looked at Lin Fan, who was covered in wounds yet still walking toward her, tears in her eyes, but she offered the gentle smile Lin Fan knew best.

That smile was exactly the same as when they first met in the virtual world—clean, warm, and illuminating the entire world.

"Fool..." Kate's voice was very soft, yet it reached Lin Fan's ears clearly. "Don't come any closer..."

"Becoming a vessel was my own choice. From the moment I was created by the light orb prototype, I knew my mission. I don't want to see you in a difficult position, and I don't want to see you become a sinner of the universe because of me..."

"Lin Fan, this time let me teach you..."

"Let go."

As the last two words fell, Kate closed her eyes, voluntarily giving up resistance in her consciousness, allowing the power of the light orb prototype to completely take control of her body.

The White-haired Kate's eyes turned pure white again. She raised her hand, and pure white energy condensed into a sword of rules, pointing at Lin Fan: "One last chance. Accept, or be destroyed."

The emotional climax reached its peak at this moment.

Lin Fan stopped. Looking at Kate, who had voluntarily given up resistance, his heart felt like it was being torn apart, and the pain made it impossible for him to breathe.

He understood what she meant.

She was afraid he would be in a difficult position, afraid he would bear the crime of destroying the universe, and afraid he would lose everything because of her.

So she chose to let go, choosing to sacrifice herself to save the entire universe.

But how could Lin Fan let go?

In this life, the only thing he would never let go of was her.

"Kate, you have taught me many things." Lin Fan looked at her, his eyes devoid of tears, filled only with an unbreakable tenderness and determination. "You taught me how to smile, how to protect, and how to love."

"But this time, I cannot listen to you."

"I will not let go, never."

While Lin Fan was facing the ultimate choice in the domain of the light orb prototype, a revolution concerning the future of the Light Sphere Race and humanity was quietly unfolding in the virtual world on Earth.

Little Kate stood on the edge of the Well of Oblivion, her small figure appearing exceptionally frail before the massive well opening.

The Well of Oblivion was the cosmic memory bank left behind by the light orb prototype and a forbidden zone that could erase all memories of NPCs. Beneath the well's opening flowed pale blue memory energy, which held the origins of the Sower, the past of the Light Sphere Race, and all the forgotten secrets of the universe.

In previous side quests, the Light Sphere Race had split into the Return Faction and the Evolution Faction: the Return Faction wanted to return to being NPCs in the virtual world and live a peaceful life; the Evolution Faction pursued physical form, wanting to possess true life and freedom. The two factions were in constant conflict, nearly triggering a full-scale clash with humanity.

At this moment, Little Kate was tightly clutching the Sower contract she had brought out from the cosmic memory bank.

The contract recorded the symbiosis and division between the light orb prototype and the Sower, noting that the Light Sphere Race were originally data life forms of the virtual world and should never have been forced to become physical, and it also recorded the only way to resolve the conflict between the two factions—Purification.

"Everyone, stop arguing."

Little Kate raised her head, her youthful voice spreading throughout the entire virtual world and reaching the ears of every member of the Light Sphere Race and every human.

The Light Sphere Race of the Return Faction and the Evolution Faction stopped their dispute, and the human Guardians also halted, their gazes falling in unison upon the little girl who was formed by the unconscious aggregation of Kate's data fragments.

Although she was just a data aggregate, she possessed the purest kindness, Kate's gentleness, and the power to connect the two factions.

Little Kate raised the Sower contract, and a pale golden light radiated from it, illuminating the entire virtual world: "At the bottom of the Well of Oblivion, I saw the whole truth. We, the Light Sphere Race, are data life forms originally created by the light orb prototype; the virtual world is our true home."

"To everyone in the Evolution Faction, I understand your desire for physical form and true life. But forcing a physical form will only lead to us being polluted by the energy of the Sower, causing us to lose control and eventually harm both humanity and ourselves."

"To everyone in the Return Faction, I understand your desire to return to a stable life. But we cannot keep running away; we must protect our home, protect humanity, and protect the world we have lived in for so long."

She turned to look at the Well of Oblivion: "This well can not only erase memories but also purify the Sower pollution within us, allowing us to possess true consciousness, true emotions, and a true home in the virtual world."

"I know everyone is confused and afraid. But from today on, I will stay here and activate the Purification Procedure of the Well of Oblivion."

"We, the Light Sphere Race, are no longer two divided factions; we are one family. We and humanity are no longer enemies; we are friends."

As her voice faded, Little Kate leaped into the Well of Oblivion.

The pale blue memory energy instantly enveloped her body, and her small figure blossomed with dazzling light within the well. The Purification Procedure of the Well of Oblivion was completely activated.

The well water flowed, spreading throughout the entire virtual world, purifying the polluted energy within every member of the Light Sphere Race and soothing the restlessness and conflict in their hearts.

The Light Sphere Race of the Evolution Faction ceased their obsession with physical form, and the Return Faction let go of their fixation on the past; the two factions embraced tightly, reconciling.

Seeing the peaceful scene before them, the humans also put down their weapons one by one, revealing smiles of relief.

Under the purification of the Well of Oblivion, the Light Sphere Race and humanity finally reached a temporary reconciliation.

The sky of the virtual world turned clear blue and bright again, with sunlight shining on every life, warm and beautiful.

Little Kate's figure gradually became clear in the light of the Well of Oblivion. She became the joint Guardian of the Light Sphere Race and humanity, staying by the Well of Oblivion, watching over this peaceful world, and watching over Lin Fan, who was fighting in the distance for his beloved.

Inside the domain of the light orb prototype, the sword of rules was already pressed against Lin Fan's brow, and the pure white rule energy was about to consume everything he had.

The White-haired Kate looked at him coldly: "Since you insist on destruction, then I will grant your wish."

Just at the moment the blade was about to pierce Lin Fan's brow.

Lin Fan suddenly smiled.

It was a smile of relief, gentleness, and strength.

He did not dodge or resist, but gathered all his cosmicization energy into his palm and, without hesitation, pressed it toward Kate's chest.

"light orb prototype, watch closely."

"This is the power of emotions."

The golden cosmic energy, like a rushing galaxy, poured continuously from Lin Fan's palm into Kate's body.

It was not an attack, nor was it a confrontation; it was a substitution.

Lin Fan was going to use his own body to replace Kate and become the temporary vessel for the fusion of the light orb prototype and the Sower!

"You are insane!" The avatar of the light orb prototype let out a roar of shock. "You are just a human; your body cannot withstand the fusion of the origin rules. You will have your soul scattered and disappear completely from the multiverse!"

"I know." Lin Fan's smile remained gentle. He looked at Kate's tightly closed eyes and said softly, "But as long as it allows her to live, as long as it allows her to be herself again, I am willing."

"Kate, I said I would take you home."

"This time, I will definitely succeed."

The golden cosmic energy and the pure white light orb rule energy collided frantically inside Kate's body. Lin Fan's body began to fade inch by inch, and his consciousness gradually blurred under the crushing weight of the rules, but his gaze toward Kate remained as gentle as ever.

He was paying with his life to completely strip Kate from the fate of being a vessel.

Just at the moment when Lin Fan's body was about to completely dissipate.

Kate's eyes snapped open!

Not the pure white of the light orb prototype, nor the temporary azure of her brief awakening, but her own clear and determined azure blue.

She broke free from all the control of the light orb prototype and reclaimed her complete self!

"Lin Fan!"

Kate let out a heart-rending cry. She raised her hand, hugging the dissipating Lin Fan tightly, and poured all of her consciousness, all of her emotions, and all of her power back into Lin Fan's body.

Emotion and rules, humanity and the universe, beloved and protection.

At this moment, they completely merged.

Lin Fan's cosmic energy, Kate's emotional consciousness, and the light orb prototype's rule power intertwined to form a force unprecedented and transcending the origin of the universe.

This force instantly broke through the domain of the light orb prototype, broke through the constraints of time, and broke through the limitations of the rules!

The static divine battlefield completely collapsed, the darkness of entropy silence was forcibly dispelled, the phantom of the Sower was instantly purified, and the chaotic multiverse returned to order.

The avatar of the light orb prototype stared blankly at Lin Fan and Kate, who were embracing. For the first time, human emotions—shock, admiration, and a trace of relief—surged in its pure white eyes.

It remained silent for a very long time before finally speaking slowly, its voice no longer cold but carrying a hint of gentleness:

"So that's how it is..."

"Emotions... can actually rewrite the rules of the universe."

"I have guarded the universe for billions of years, but in the end, I lost to two insignificant lives."

As the words fell, the figure of the White-haired Kate gradually turned into pure white light filling the sky, merging into the rules of the universe.

The light orb prototype abandoned the idea of making Kate a vessel and returned to the origin of the universe, silently guarding this universe rewritten by emotions.

Time began to flow again, space stabilized, and the divine battlefield disappeared completely.

Lin Fan and Kate were tightly embracing in the void.

He had not had his soul scattered, and she had not become a vessel.

They both survived.

Lin Fan looked at Kate, who was unharmed in his arms, and at the familiar starlight in her eyes; all his exhaustion, all his pain, and all his suffering vanished at this moment.

"Kate," he lowered his head, resting his forehead against hers, his voice choked with emotion, "Welcome home."

Kate hugged him, tears streaming down her face, but she nodded with a smile: "Yes, I'm home."

Outside the void, AKai and Franklin on the star watched the domain collapse and the energy subside. Seeing the two figures embracing, they finally breathed a sigh of relief and revealed smiles of relief.

The Battle of the Vessel ended here.

And new crises, new journeys, were just beginning.