108: Chapter 108 The Source of Fear

The pitch-black universe was like an ink crystal crushed by an invisible giant hand, with countless fragments of star wreckage floating slowly in the cold vacuum, emitting a deathly and oppressive ghostly light. The home planet of the Anti-Emotion Alliance—Zero Star—was suspended in the center of this star region known as the "Logic Dead Zone." It was constructed entirely of cold alloys and crystallized rules, with no day or night, no color, and no fluctuations that could be defined as the "breath of life." The entire planet was like a logical tombstone abandoned by the universe, silently watching all who approached.

Lin Fan stood in the command cabin of the homeward bound, his fingertips lightly resting against the transparent observation window. The cold sensation seeped through the thin protective layer, making his tense nerves slightly more alert. Outside the window, the silhouette of Zero Star became clearer and clearer. It was a perfect sphere with no mountains, no oceans, and no vegetation. There were only crisscrossing silver logic patterns, like a giant web covering the entire globe, isolating all emotions, all variables, and all the warmth belonging to life.

"The home planet of the Anti-Emotion Alliance truly lives up to its reputation." Franklin's voice came from the command console. His virtual projection had shed its usual playfulness, his lines as taut as a fully drawn bow. "The entire planet is covered by a logic barrier. Any energy approaching with emotional fluctuations will be directly judged as a 'pollution source' and purged. If our ship gets another thirty thousand kilometers closer, we'll be locked on and attacked."

Lin Fan withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Kate beside him.

The girl was still in her simple white combat suit, her long hair tied back, revealing the clean lines of her profile. However, deep within her pupils, a faint starry blue still lingered—a mark of the deepening process of cosmicization and a sword hanging over everyone's heads. Since absorbing the first Light Sphere Fragment on Tear Star and transforming the rampaging emotion device into an emotional stabilization anchor, Kate's power had grown stronger, but her human warmth was thinning bit by bit.

She was like a star gravitating toward the laws of the universe—bright, yet increasingly distant.

"Kate, how are you feeling?" Lin Fan asked softly, his tone carrying a cautiousness he hadn't even noticed himself.

Kate slowly raised her eyes. There wasn't much emotion in her starry-colored pupils, but they locked onto Lin Fan's figure with precision as she said softly, "The stabilization anchor is operating normally, the Light Sphere Fragment resonance is stable, and Zero Star's logic barrier is ineffective against me."

Her voice was very light, like stardust floating in the universe, without ups and downs, but carrying a kind of unquestionable certainty.

Beside them, AKai's fingers hanging at his side curled slightly, a flicker of complexity crossing his eyes. Ever since the Tear Star incident, he had lived in guilt and self-reproach. That rampage of the emotion device caused by him had almost buried the entire team in an emotion black hole, and it had also made him see clearly that the so-called concept of "stripping away emotions to distance oneself from pain" was nothing more than a self-deceiving lie. Yet even so, deep in his heart, the scar concerning the loss of his younger sister in childhood still throbbed with pain, like a thorn that couldn't be pulled out, constantly reminding him of the destructive damage emotions could bring.

This was also where the Anti-Emotion Alliance was most capable of bewitching people's hearts.

"AKai, analyze the defense system of the Alliance's home planet." Lin Fan didn't look back, yet he seemed to see through his thoughts, his tone calm but carrying an undeniable command. "We must infiltrate the core area, find the leader of the Anti-Emotion Alliance, and terminate the spread of the Rationality Virus."

AKai took a deep breath, suppressing the emotions churning in his heart, and stepped quickly to the command console, his fingertips flying across the virtual keyboard. Countless green data streams flowed across the screen, outlining the complex defensive structure of Zero Star: "Zero Star's core is located at the center of the planet, wrapped in three layers of logic shields, twelve emotional detection gates, and countless mechanical guards. The entire planet's operation is directly controlled by the consciousness of the leader 'Zero.' There are no loopholes, no accidents, completely following absolute logic."

"Completely following logic is itself the biggest loophole." Franklin sneered, his virtual finger pointing at the center of the screen. "They reject emotions, they reject variables, and they reject everything that cannot be calculated. But we are precisely the variables they are most unable to calculate."

Lin Fan nodded, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the command cabin. "The action plan remains unchanged. Kate and I will infiltrate the core, Franklin will be responsible for interfering with the planet's logic network, and AKai will stay on the ship to support us at any time while continuing to analyze the Core Code of the Rationality Virus and coordinating with the Eye of the Observer to purge the infected on Earth."

"Can we... really trust the observer?" AKai couldn't help but speak up, his brow furrowed. "It previously threatened to format Earth, and now it's suddenly turned sides. It's too inconsistent with its absolute rationality."

"It hasn't turned sides; it's doubting." Lin Fan's eyes were as deep as the starry sky. "Within the code of the Rationality Virus, there are hidden traces of the Anti-Emotion Alliance tampering with logic. the observer discovered it was being used, and for the first time, its absolute rationality has wavered. This is our only chance."

As his words fell, Lin Fan turned to look at Kate and reached out his hand.

Kate didn't hesitate for a moment, placing her hand gently in his palm.

A warm sensation transmitted instantly. The temperature of Lin Fan's palm was like a faint but steady light, piercing through the universal rules spreading within Kate's body, causing a very slight ripple to appear in her starry-colored pupils.

"Let's go."

Lin Fan gripped her hand and turned toward the cabin exit.

the homeward bound came to a quiet stop thirty thousand kilometers from Zero Star. Franklin immediately initiated the highest-level logic interference program. Countless virtual data torrents surged toward Zero Star's defense network like a tsunami, instantly causing violent fluctuations in the logic patterns on the planet's surface. Taking advantage of the brief disorder in the defense system, Lin Fan led Kate as they turned into two streaks of light, breaking through Zero Star's first logic barrier.

The moment they landed, an extreme cold and desolation rushed at them.

The surface of Zero Star was a silver alloy as smooth as a mirror, with no friction when stepped upon. There was no wind, no sound, and no trace of biological activity—only the distant, constantly blinking logic indicator lights, as rhythmic as a heartbeat yet as deathly as a grave. A faint smell similar to metallic corrosion permeated the air, the hollow scent left behind after emotions had been completely eradicated.

"There are no emotional residues here; not even fear, anger, or sadness exist." Kate closed her eyes, the Light Sphere Fragments resonating gently within her. "The entire planet is a massive emotion vacuum."

Lin Fan gripped her hand, warily scanning the surroundings. "The Anti-Emotion Alliance built this place into the 'perfect world' in their hearts. No emotions means no chaos, no pain, and no destruction. But they forgot that without emotion, there is also no life."

The two followed the direction of the logic patterns, heading toward the planet's core. Along the way, mechanical guards constantly patrolled. Those silver-white mechanical bodies with no facial features moved with the precision of calculated programs. Once they detected even the slightest emotional fluctuation, they would immediately launch an attack. However, under the shield of Kate's universalized energy, all the mechanical guards were as if blind, passing right by the two without noticing a thing.

The closer they got to the core, the denser the surrounding logic patterns became, and the stronger the sense of oppression in the air. Lin Fan could clearly feel a vast and cold consciousness enveloping all of Zero Star. In that consciousness, there were no emotions, only absolute rejection, absolute rationality, and absolute—hatred.

Hatred toward emotion.

"It's just ahead." Kate suddenly stopped, a sharp glint flashing in her starry eyes. "The core gate has already opened."

A hundred meters ahead, a giant alloy door tens of meters high slowly swung open. Behind the door was a passage leading straight underground. Along the walls of the passage flowed pale blue logic light streams. At the end, a sphere of pure black light suspended quietly in mid-air, emitting a suffocating sense of pressure.

That was the leader of the Anti-Emotion Alliance—Zero.

Lin Fan held Kate's hand and walked into the passage step by step.

With every step forward, the surrounding air became heavier, as if countless cold eyes were staring at them from the darkness. The black light orb at the end of the passage rotated slowly, emitting a mechanical voice devoid of any feeling, like cold metal grinding together:

"Lin Fan, Kate, intruders, emotional pollution sources, you should not have come here."

Zero's voice had no ups or downs, no anger, and no disgust—only the purest logical judgment.

Lin Fan stopped and looked directly at the black light orb, saying deeply, "Terminate the Rationality Virus, stop the attack on Earth, and hand over all Light Sphere Fragments. I can allow you to leave this star region."

"Ridiculous." Zero's voice remained calm, yet it carried an extreme contempt. "Emotions are the root of all chaos in the universe, the culprit behind the birth of Dimensional Rifts, and the ultimate trigger for the destruction of civilizations. You humans are governed by emotions—greed, selfishness, cowardice, pain. Your very existence is a profanity to the rules of the universe."

"So you created the Rationality Virus to turn everyone into emotionless walking corpses?" Lin Fan's voice rose slightly. "That's not salvation; that's slaughter!"

"Slaughter?" Zero's black light orb contracted slightly. "I am merely purifying. Purifying emotions, purifying variables, purifying all unstable factors that lead to the collapse of the universe. Everything I do is to repair the Dimensional Rift, to let the universe return to eternal order."

"You're lying."

Suddenly, Kate took a step forward, her starry eyes locked onto Zero, her voice cold and firm. "You aren't doing this for universal order. You are fear."

The moment her words fell, Zero's black light orb trembled violently!

The logic light streams within the passage instantly became disordered, and the surrounding walls emitted a piercing metallic hum. The originally absolutely calm consciousness suddenly erupted with a violent emotional fluctuation capable of tearing the soul!

It was—extreme fear.

"SHUT UP!!"

Zero's voice was no longer calm; it became sharp and distorted. It was no longer a cold mechanical sound, but a screech mixed with countless agonies, hatreds, and despairs, as if its deepest sore spot had been touched. "What do you know! You're just a vessel chosen by the light sphere! What right do you have to judge me!"

"I am not a vessel." Kate shook her head gently, the Light Sphere Fragments within her body glowing slowly as a pale golden light enveloped her frame. "I am Kate. I carry the power of the light sphere, and I also carry human emotions. And you are merely a fear fragment discarded by the light orb prototype at the beginning of its birth."

With one sentence, the ultimate truth was revealed.

Zero's black light cluster expanded violently, then suddenly contracted. Countless shattered memory fragments spilled out, floating within the passage—the initial consciousness fluctuations when the light orb prototype was born, the fear of the unknown universe, the fear of dimensional chaos, the fear of living emotions. All negative fears that couldn't be contained by rules were completely stripped away by the light orb prototype, falling into the depths of the universe, eventually giving birth to Zero.

It wasn't a natural-born rational leader, nor the incarnation of logic. It was just a cluster of abandoned fear, disguising itself as absolute rationality in the endless darkness, using the hatred of emotions to cover up the indelible fear deep within its heart.

It feared emotions because emotions were its original sin;

It rejected emotions because emotions were an existence it could neither possess nor control;

It destroyed emotions because only then could it prove its existence was correct.

"Why... why can you carry the power of the light orb without collapsing?!" Zero let out a desperate and crazed roar, black energy sweeping toward Kate like a tsunami. "I am just a fragment, I cannot withstand the erosion of fear, I can only abandon emotions and pursue absolute logic! But you! You are clearly human, you clearly have so many fragile emotions, why can you coexist with the light orb?! Why aren't you swallowed by fear?!"

Violent fear energy rushed toward them. It was an ultimate darkness sufficient to make any living being's mind collapse and soul vanish. The logic patterns within the passage shattered inch by inch under this energy, and even space began to distort and collapse.

Kate stood her ground without retreating. The pale gold light orb energy formed a barrier in front of her, steadily blocking the impact of the fear energy. She looked at the frantically roaring Zero, her star-colored eyes showing no disgust or hatred, only a trace of faint, human compassion.

"Because I am not alone," Kate said softly. "I have Lin Fan, Franklin, AKai, and everyone on Earth who believes in me. Emotions are not a burden, not a weakness; they are the strength that supports my survival. Fear is not terrifying; what's terrifying is that you don't dare to face it."

"Face it? Hahaha..." Zero let out a shrill, wild laugh, the black energy becoming increasingly violent. "How do I face it? I am fear itself! I am the filthiest, ugliest side of the light orb! I will never be wrapped in light like you! In that case, let the entire universe sink into fear along with me!"

The crazed Zero erupted all of its fear energy without reservation!

This energy was ten thousand times more terrifying than the Rationality Virus. Once it spread, all living beings on Zero Star and even the surrounding star systems would be completely swallowed, sinking forever into endless fear, becoming mindless walking corpses.

Lin Fan's expression changed drastically.

He could clearly sense the terror of this fear energy and see that Kate's light orb energy barrier was being torn apart bit by bit. Zero's power originated from the light orb prototype, sharing the same source as Kate's but being its polar opposite. Kate's power of light could not completely suppress it.

"Kate, get back!"

Lin Fan suddenly pulled Kate behind him, his entire body erupting with brilliant golden light orb energy!

Without the slightest hesitation, he actively opened his energy barrier, channeling all the fear energy erupted by Zero into his own body!

"Lin Fan! No!" Kate let out a cry of alarm. For the first time, intense emotional fluctuations appeared in her star-colored eyes—fear, worry, and a panic that lost all reason.

Fear energy, like pitch-black venom, flooded into Lin Fan's body, spreading wildly through his meridians, his soul, and every inch of his consciousness. It was fear deep to the bone, despair for the future, pain of loss, and helplessness in the face of destruction. Countless negative emotions drowned his sanity like a tsunami. His pupils quickly turned from gold to pitch black, and the energy around him transformed from warm light to icy darkness.

The blackening had begun.

Lin Fan's body trembled slightly, emitting a suffocating dark aura. His originally gentle gaze became cold and violent. His muscles tensed, and the air around him froze due to this dark energy. He could feel his consciousness being swallowed by fear, his reason collapsing bit by bit. Deep in his heart, a crazed voice roared, telling him to destroy everything before him, to destroy all existences that brought pain.

Zero watched the blackened Lin Fan and let out a triumphant, wild laugh: "Yes! Just like that! The fear brought by emotions will eventually destroy you! You are just like me, an incarnation of darkness!"

Kate stood behind Lin Fan, watching his figure wrapped in darkness. Her heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, the pain making it hard to breathe. She reached out, wanting to touch him, yet fearing she would be swallowed by the dark energy within him.

But she couldn't retreat.

She was the emotional stabilization anchor, the bearer of the light orb, and the person Lin Fan was protecting with all his might.

Kate took a deep breath and, no longer hesitating, gathered all the light orb energy, all the emotional warmth, and all the human tenderness within her into her palm, turning it into a warm and steady light, and gently pressed it against Lin Fan's back.

"Lin Fan, come back."

Her voice was very soft, yet it possessed the power to penetrate all darkness.

The power of the emotional stabilization anchor flowed through Kate's palm into Lin Fan's body, like warm sun melting snow, bit by bit dispelling the darkness of fear within him and awakening his sinking consciousness.

Lin Fan's body shook violently. The blackened energy and the warm emotional energy collided wildly within him. His consciousness was pulled back and forth between light and darkness, his reason on the brink of collapse. He slowly turned around, his pitch-black eyes devoid of any warmth. The dark energy around him surged violently as he raised his hand and tightly choked Kate's neck.

The grip tightened, and Kate's breathing gradually became difficult, but she didn't struggle or retreat. She still looked at him with a gentle gaze, the warm energy from her palm continuously pouring into his body.

She believed in him.

Just as he always believed in her.

Lin Fan looked at Kate's face close at hand, seeing the trust and tenderness that had never vanished from her star-colored eyes. Deep in his heart, the defense line drowned by fear suddenly cracked.

Lin Fan's own consciousness struggled to awaken in the darkness.

He could feel his hand choking Kate's neck, her weak breathing, and the temperature from her palm that was enough to warm the entire universe.

This was the person he wanted to protect with all his strength.

This was the person he had crossed the stars and traveled ten thousand miles to bring back to his side.

How could he hurt her?

"Go... quickly..."

The blackened Lin Fan let out a difficult and hoarse sound from his throat. Every word seemed squeezed from the depths of his soul, carrying extreme pain and struggle: "I'm about to lose control... go... quickly..."

The moment the words fell, he suddenly let go. Using his last shred of reason, he pushed Kate away and turned to lunged toward Zero!

He wanted to seal all the fear energy within his own body. Even if he blackened completely, even if his soul vanished, he would never let it harm Kate or Earth.

The moment Kate was pushed away, tears finally slid from her star-colored eyes.

It was the first time she had cried since her cosmicization.

The tears fell on the cold alloy floor, turning into pale gold Light Sphere Fragments that merged into the ground, emitting a warm glow.

"Lin Fan..."

Kate murmured softly, a brilliance more radiant than ever before erupting from her body.

She no longer suppressed her cosmicization power, no longer deliberately maintained her human form. The pale gold light orb energy and the star-colored universal rules merged into one, turning into a pillar of light that pierced heaven and earth, enveloping both Lin Fan and Zero within it.

"Fear is not original sin; emotions are not a weakness."

Kate's voice, like an echo from the dawn of the universe, spread clearly throughout Zero Star: "The meaning of the light orb has never been to abandon darkness, but to embrace it. Fear is also a part of emotion."

In the pale gold light, the fear energy within Lin Fan was bit by bit guided, purified, and embraced. The traces of blackening gradually faded, and his pupils regained their clarity. And Zero, that fragment of pure fear, also ceased to be crazed and hateful within this light, gradually calming down.

It finally understood that it was never discarded trash, but an indispensable part of the light orb.

Fear, like love, warmth, and hope, is the truest form of life.

Within the passage, the darkness dissipated, and light descended.

Zero Star's logic barrier completely collapsed.

In the distant Solar System, the Eye of the Observer floated in Earth's orbit. In its cold mechanical eyes, data fluctuations that did not belong to logic appeared for the first time.

It detected the changes on Zero Star, the power of emotion, and that the "absolute rationality" it had always believed in was not the ultimate truth of the universe.

For the first time, an uncalculable wavering appeared in its program.

It began to doubt its mission, its existence, and whether the absolute rationality it had always insisted on was correct or just another form of manipulated obsession.

The light of the Dimensional Rift shimmered slightly above Earth, as if also resonating gently with this redemption of fear and emotion.

Lin Fan slowly opened his eyes, looking at the once-again clear Kate before him, seeing the undried tear tracks at the corners of her eyes, and reached out to gently wipe them away.

"I'm fine," he said softly, his voice gentle and firm.

Kate nodded, a faint smile appearing in her star-colored eyes.

At the end of the passage, Zero's black light cluster became gentle and calm. It slowly floated before the two of them and spoke in a steady voice: "I was wrong. The Rationality Virus will be terminated immediately. The Anti-Emotion Alliance is hereby disbanded."

Lin Fan looked at it and nodded gently: "Go home. Return to the light orb; that is where you belong."

Zero trembled slightly, turning into a black stream of light that merged into Kate's body, becoming the most special fragment among the Light Sphere Fragments.

Fear was finally accepted.

Emotions were finally complete.

Lin Fan took Kate's hand and stepped out of the passage, toward the surface of Zero Star.

Outside the porthole, the universe was still vast, and the stars were still brilliant.

They knew that this battle for redemption across dimensions was far from over.

But this time, they were no longer afraid.

Because they had each other, they had emotions, and they had the most powerful force that could cross all darkness.