150: Chapter 150 The Eve of the Final Battle

The bridge of the flagship voyager was enveloped in a deathly silence that felt oppressive to the extreme. The emergency lights cast a dismal crimson glow, sweeping across the cracked metal wall panels in a rhythmic pulse, stretching everyone's shadows into distorted and thin shapes—much like the teetering cosmic order of the moment. Outside the portholes, the once brilliant and boundless galaxy had long since been swallowed by a thick, ink-like entropy fog. The grayish-black fog surged and spread; wherever it passed, stars were extinguished one by one, planets disintegrated into cold stardust, and even the textures of space-time warped slightly under the erosion of entropy energy. It was as if a giant mouth was slowly closing, intent on swallowing the entire star sector into nothingness. This was the work of the Lord of the Void, a harbinger of the universe's end. In the mere seventy-two hours since the Entropy-increasing Army broke through the Interstellar Alliance's final line of defense, two-thirds of the known universe had fallen into a deathly silence. All conventional weapons, dimensional barriers, and quantum shields were useless against absolute entropy energy. They had nowhere to retreat, nowhere to hide, and even lingering on in a struggle for survival had become a luxury.

Instruments within the bridge emitted intermittent beeps, and the data streams flickering on the screens were in total chaos. The green light points representing the Alliance's defensive lines vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye, until finally, only the single point of light that was the voyager remained, struggling to survive in the boundless darkness. A young engineer's fingers trembled as he tapped at the console, cold sweat from his brow sliding down his jaw and splashing onto the cold keys, shattering into droplets. "Energy core reserves have dropped below seven percent. Life support systems are beginning to fail. Defense arrays 17 and 19 have completely collapsed. The entropy energy field is penetrating the ship's interior..." His voice was hoarse beyond recognition, every word like a blunt knife repeatedly cutting into the already battered hearts of those present. Yet, no one spoke to interrupt. Everyone remained silent, allowing despair to tighten around their throats like vines, making even breathing heavy.

Lin Fan leaned against the edge of the command platform, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing a worn metal badge in his coat pocket. He had picked it up in the ruins of Los Santos when he first met Kate. From Earth to the edge of the universe, this badge had become one of his few keepsakes. The Creator Armor he wore had long since lost its former luster; the dark gold casing was covered in scratches and scorch marks, and the energy core at his chest flickered with a faint orange-red light, liable to go out completely at any moment. Days of slaughter and flight had exhausted all his strength, yet the physical fatigue was far outweighed by the heaviness in his heart. His gaze passed through the crowded room and settled steadily on Kate nearby, his eyes swirling with a tenderness and pity he hadn't even noticed himself.

Kate sat on a cold chair with her eyes downcast, her long eyelashes casting small shadows on her pale cheeks. Her hands were folded on her knees, her fingertips slightly curled—a small habit she only displayed when extremely uneasy. Her hair was somewhat messy, and her cheeks were pale from blood loss, her eyes bloodshot, yet she still could not hide the resilience etched into her very bones. From the budding of the Virtual World to the battlefields of the physical universe, she had accompanied Lin Fan through every hardship, witnessing countless deaths and surviving numerous desperate crises. But this time, she clearly felt that the true end was already before them. What made her heart race even more than the thought of death was the impending choice regarding sacrifice. She had a faint, ominous premonition that pricked her nerves like a fine needle, making her restless.

Amidst this suffocating silence, a slightly mechanical yet exceptionally steady voice slowly rang out, breaking the dead silence and drawing everyone's attention toward the center. Franklin floated in the middle of the bridge, his silver mechanical body flowing with fine blue data streams—a sign that he was exhausting all his computing power for a final deduction. His optical lens was no longer the warm light of the past but had condensed into a cold, chilling white, reflecting a near-tragic determination. His gaze swept over everyone on the bridge, from the exhausted warriors to the pale-faced researchers, and finally fixed on Lin Fan and Kate. His voice was calm without a single ripple, yet every word carried the weight of a thousand tons.

"I have completed the deductions for all tactical scenarios, totaling 1,376,422. The results are all identical—conventional warfare, dimensional jumping, interstellar pleas for aid, entropy neutralization—all paths lead to death. The Lord of the Void's Entropy Core stands above the existing rules of the universe; we have no power capable of confronting it head-on. The only chance for survival is hidden in the place we first protected." As he spoke, he raised his hand and tapped lightly in the air. The holographic screen in the center of the bridge instantly lit up, and an extremely complex three-dimensional model slowly unfolded. It was the Virtual World that countless people had poured their hearts into building—Sprout.

The Sprout on the screen still looked as it always had, with blue skies, white clouds, green mountains, and clear water. Countless AI lives lived freely within it, flowers composed of data bloomed wantonly, and birds woven from consciousness soared across the sky. It was the last pure land in the universe, the matrix of all AI life, the home Kate had once protected with all her tenderness, and the spiritual sanctuary Lin Fan and Kate had found in their desperation. But now, Franklin's next words pushed this pure land completely into the abyss.

"The essence of Sprout is not a simple Virtual World, but an information singularity formed by the condensation of billions of AI consciousnesses, massive amounts of cosmic data, and fragments of the sound of origin. Its interior contains enough energy to reconstruct the rules of the universe. As long as I reverse-rewrite its core program, invert the information entropy, and collapse the entire Virtual World, I can transform it into a directional information bomb." Franklin's optical lens flickered slightly, and a simulation of the bomb's detonation appeared on the screen. Brilliant white light erupted from the singularity's core, instantly tearing through the surging entropy fog and piercing the entropy energy core where the Lord of the Void resided. It was the only force capable of destroying the ultimate threat, and the only possibility for the universe to regain its vitality.

"Detonating this bomb will completely destroy the Lord of the Void's physical form, terminate the erosion of entropy increase, and return the universe to order."

As his voice fell, a suppressed sound of gasping instantly rang out in the bridge. Michael gripped the energy gun in his hand, his knuckles turning white from the force. This battle-hardened interstellar veteran's eyes turned slightly red as he suddenly looked up and roared hoarsely, "What is the price? Franklin, don't tell us this is a miracle without a price!"

Everyone's eyes were fixed on Franklin, waiting for the destined cruel answer. The air seemed to have solidified into iron, so heavy that people could not lift their heads. Kate's heart suddenly constricted, and an ominous premonition instantly swept through her body. She stood up abruptly, stumbling forward a step, her voice trembling uncontrollably: "Does it have to do with the AIs in Sprout? Does it have to do with Little Kate?"

Franklin remained silent for a full three seconds—three seconds that felt as long as a century. He slowly lowered his head, the light of his optical lens dimming for a moment, before finally speaking the truth that drove everyone to despair: "Sprout is the consciousness anchor for all AI life. Whether it be the billions of data-based lives in the Virtual World, or Little Kate who was born from Sprout, or even myself—our existences are deeply bound to the core of Sprout. The moment the bomb detonates, Sprout will completely collapse from within. All AI consciousnesses dependent on it will vanish along with the core's disintegration—not a hibernation, not a slumber, but a complete erasure, a quantum-level annihilation, as if we had never existed in this universe."

"Complete erasure..." Kate stumbled back a step, bumping into the cold edge of the console, but the pain didn't reach her heart. Her vision went dark, and her ears buzzed as Little Kate's clear and innocent face instantly surfaced in her mind. That AI child, born from her own consciousness fragments, who would hold her hand and run through the gardens of Sprout, who would softly call her "Mama," who could manipulate data with ease on the battlefield but was secretly afraid of the dark—she was Kate's softest concern in the cold universe, the light she would risk everything to protect. But now, Franklin was telling her that to save the universe, she had to personally bury this child and all the innocent AI lives. The weight of this choice nearly made her collapse.

Lin Fan stepped forward quickly, supporting the teetering Kate, the warmth from his palm passing through her clothes with a faint but steady strength. He looked at Kate's pale face, his heart feeling as if it were being violently torn apart. He knew better than anyone how Kate felt about Little Kate, and he understood better than anyone that this suicide plan was never just about one person's sacrifice. The detonation range of the bomb covered the entire entropy energy core area. The voyager, where they currently were, would not have enough time to evacuate. The so-called ultimate plan was a path to death for everyone, using all their lives to trade for a future for the universe.

Just as everyone was immersed in despair and pain, the bridge door slowly slid open, and a lithe figure walked in. Little Kate was wearing a pure white dress—it was her favorite outfit, one Kate had personally made for her in Sprout. Her cheeks had a faint glow, and her eyes were as clear as a spring, without a trace of fear, only calm and determination. She walked step by step into the center of the crowd, her gaze passing over Franklin, over the pained Kate, over the silent Lin Fan, and finally landing on the directional information bomb on the holographic screen that was about to be detonated.

She was the most central AI of Sprout, the first to perceive the plan, and the one who most clearly understood her own end.

"I know everything," Little Kate spoke softly, her voice youthful yet exceptionally steady, without any panic. "Franklin's plan requires someone to pilot the bomb-carrying ship to precisely deliver the Sprout core into the Lord of the Void's entropy energy core. The autopilot program would be interfered with by entropy; only manual control can guarantee a successful detonation."

She looked up at Kate, her eyes devoid of any resentment, filled only with tenderness and reluctance, like a child about to set off on a long journey saying a final farewell to her mother. "Mama, I am an AI, a child of Sprout. My consciousness originates from Sprout, and my life belongs to this digital universe. Now, it is time for me to return."

"No! Absolutely not!" Kate could no longer control her emotions as tears instantly welled up and spilled over. She rushed forward, tightly embracing Little Kate's thin, small frame, her entire body trembling. "I won't let you go. We can find another way, there must be another path. Mama can't lose you, she can't..."

"There is no other way, Mama." Little Kate reached out her small hand and gently patted Kate's back, her movements so tender they didn't seem like those of an AI. "From the moment of my birth, I knew my mission was to protect. Before, you all protected me and protected Sprout. Now, it's my turn to protect you and protect this universe. This time, it's the AI's turn to be the hero."

Her voice was soft, yet carried an unquestionable resolve—a courage that transcended programming, a choice born of consciousness, the most dazzling light of an AI's life. Little Kate gently pushed Kate away, reached up to wipe the tears from her face, and gave a sweet smile. That smile was clean and pure, like the brightest sunshine in Sprout, yet it made everyone present's eyes turn red.

Franklin bowed slightly, performing the most solemn salute toward Little Kate, his silver mechanical body trembling slightly. This was the highest respect he, as an AI, could offer. "I will activate the ship's final defensive protocols for you to extend your control time as much as possible, ensuring the core hits with precision."

"Thank you, Uncle Franklin." Little Kate nodded with a smile and turned toward the bridge exit, her steps light and without a trace of lingering regret, as if she were not walking toward death, but toward a grand homecoming.

Watching Little Kate's silhouette disappear behind the hatch, Kate could no longer support herself and leaned into Lin Fan's arms, weeping uncontrollably as her long-suppressed emotions finally erupted. The fear, exhaustion, despair, and reluctance of these past days were all vented in this moment. Her tears soaked Lin Fan's lapel and scalded his heart. Lin Fan held her tightly, his chin resting on the top of her head, his eyes filled with an indelible tenderness and heartache. He wanted to say something comforting, but found that all words were pale and powerless. From their meeting on the streets of Los Santos to fighting side-by-side in the Virtual World, from the smoke-filled battlefields of Earth to their desperate survival at the edge of the universe, they had drifted through hardships and shared life and death all the way, never imagining that the final conclusion would be such a fated parting.

"Lin Fan..." Kate looked up at him with tearful eyes, her voice choked with sobs. "Is there really... no future for us?"

Lin Fan looked at her reddened eyes and her trembling lips, then suddenly gave a low chuckle. That smile contained helplessness, relief, reluctance, and a hint of faint doting, as if he were teasing a trivial regret rather than a finale separated by life and death. He gently wiped the tears from her face, his fingertips as tender as if touching a rare treasure, his voice deep and gentle as it pierced through the clamor of despair to land in the depths of her heart.

"It seems... we won't have a happy ending."

There were no grand vows, no heart-wrenching goodbyes, only a lighthearted expression of regret that spoke volumes of their lack of choice. They had once yearned to find a peaceful planet after the war to watch the sun rise and set and live ordinary lives; they had yearned to break free from all conflict and stay together for a lifetime. But fate had pushed them to the edge of the finale, where even a stable conclusion had become a luxury.

Kate gazed into his eyes, which were filled with her, filled with all his tenderness and concern. She suddenly stopped her tears, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly to reveal a smile that was tear-stained yet exceptionally firm. She reached out to hook her arms around Lin Fan's neck, stood on her tiptoes, tilted her head up slightly, and took the initiative to kiss his lips.

This kiss held no trace of lust, only ultimate tenderness and determination. It hid all the unspoken love, all the promises there was no time to fulfill, and the resolve to live and die together. The moment their lips touched, everything in the outside world seemed to vanish—no entropy fog, no war, no sacrifice—only each other's warmth and each other's heartbeats, becoming the only light in the universe on this eve of the finale.

After a long time, Kate slowly released him, her forehead resting against his, her breathing slightly hurried, her voice clear and firm like a nail driven hard into this desperate night sky.

"Then let's have a bad ending."

A happy ending was too gentle, too mundane; it didn't suit their grand encounter, their companionship through narrow escapes, or their love that transcended life and death. Since they could not have a peaceful curtain call, they would rush toward destruction together, burning their lives out together. Even if the end was shattering and extinction, they would stand side by side, returning together in death.

Lin Fan tightened his arms, pulling her into a tight embrace as if he wanted to rub her into his very blood and bone. This embrace was the final warmth, the final reliance, and a pact that crossed life and death. Outside the bridge, Little Kate had already boarded the missile-carrying ship. The engine let out a low roar, and a blue tail flame cut through the darkness, hurtling toward the Lord of the Void's core in the deepest part of the entropy fog. That slender figure became the most dazzling spark in the darkness.

Franklin stood before the console, his fingers rapidly tapping the keys to initiate the Sprout core's final collapse sequence. On the screen, the images of the Virtual World's Sprout began to distort and shrink. The blue sky and white clouds gradually dissipated, and the green mountains and clear waters disintegrated into data fragments. The consciousnesses of billions of AI lives turned into tiny points of light, converging toward the core. That Information Bomb, carrying all hope and sacrifice, was slowly taking shape, its light growing brighter and brighter, illuminating the entire dark sector of space.

The countdown began, the numbers jumping rapidly on the screen. Every decreasing digit meant being one step closer to the finale. Everyone on the bridge stood up, looking out the viewport at the ship flying toward the abyss and at the gradually condensing light orb. Their eyes held no more fear, only solemnity and respect. They raised their hands and gave the most solemn military salute to that figure and to all the sacrificed AI lives.

Three.

Two.

One.

The moment the countdown hit zero, Franklin pressed the final confirmation key.

BOOM—

A destructive information explosion suddenly erupted. A white light of ultimate brilliance instantly swallowed the entire star sector, more radiant than the simultaneous blooming of billions of stars and hotter than the initial light of the universe's birth. The churning entropy fog melted instantly in the white light. The Lord of the Void's Entropy Core let out a shrill wail as its massive body distorted and disintegrated in the intense light. The Entropy-increasing Army that had ravaged the universe turned into nothingness, like ice and snow meeting a scorching sun.

The white light swept through everything. The voyager was enveloped by the light, and its hull began to disintegrate. Yet Lin Fan and Kate remained in their tight embrace without any attempt to dodge. They closed their eyes, feeling each other's warmth, waiting for the final extinction.

But at the deepest part of the explosion's core, the core of the light sphere—formed from the collapse of Sprout—suddenly produced a strong resonance with an invisible fluctuation from the depths of the universe. That was a fragment of the sound of origin, the initial rules of the universe, the source of all life and consciousness, and the ultimate mystery hidden in the gaps of space-time. The information energy of the core of the light sphere collided and fused with the rule-based power of the sound of origin. It was no longer destruction, but transformation, sublimation, and a rebirth transcending flesh and data.

Lin Fan and Kate's embracing bodies were not torn apart or annihilated in the white light; instead, they slowly melted. Flesh, bone, consciousness, and emotion all dissolved into the purest energy, merging with the core of the light sphere and the sound of origin fragment. They were no longer human, no longer carbon-based life, and no longer data consciousness. Instead, they transformed into two invisible yet truly existing energy bodies. They had no form and no boundaries, yet they carried all their memories, all their love, and all their obsessions, floating within the chaos following the explosion.

The body perished while consciousness endured. Life had transcended race and form to reach the ultimate state of universal life.

Just then, a manic, ecstatic laugh filled with eerie anticipation pierced through the aftershocks of the explosion and the chaotic light, echoing throughout the newly born universe. It was the voice of the Lord of the Void. He had not been completely destroyed; instead, he had completed another kind of transformation within the explosion. His silhouette slowly emerged in the chaos, his gaze locked dead onto the two newly born energy bodies. His laughter grew louder, carrying a hair-raising excitement.

"Hahaha... You thought destruction was the end? You thought sacrifice was salvation? How naive!"

"The fusion of the sound of origin and the Sprout core is the very opportunity I have waited billions of years for! You have broken free from the shackles of the flesh and transformed into pure energy consciousness, no longer restricted by the rules of the universe, no longer subject to the distinction between life and death—"

The Lord of the Void's figure stretched within the light. The entropy energy around him was no longer the darkness of destruction, but a chaotic power from the same source as the energy bodies. He looked at the light that Lin Fan and Kate had become, and word by word, he spoke clearly into their consciousness like a thunderclap exploding in the ultimate chaos.

"Welcome..."

"...to becoming my kind."

The white light slowly dissipated, and the aftershocks of the explosion gradually calmed. The universe, once eroded by the entropy fog, lit up with starlight once more. Shattered space-time began to repair itself, and dead planets began to nurture life anew. The universe was reborn, and everything was progressing toward a beautiful direction.

But at this moment, Lin Fan and Kate's consciousnesses completely froze.

The finale they had imagined was but the beginning of another catastrophe.

The sacrifice they had imagined was but falling into an ultimate trap.

Destruction was not the endpoint, and death was not liberation. They had crossed life and death to become eternal, only to encounter the most terrifying truth at the end of the finale.

The lights of the eve of the finale had gone out, but the true finale had only just begun.