50: Chapter 50 The Prototype of a Trans-World Channel

Morning light pierced through the gloom of the abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city, casting a warm yellow glow over the tangled cables and humming servers covering the floor. Lin Fan leaned against a metal workstation, holding half an unfinished ham in his fingertips, his gaze fixed on the giant screen on the wall—the red "Controlled Area" markers were devouring the global map at an astonishing speed. The joint logos of New Era Technology and the military were densely packed, crawling across every continent like poison ivy, with only a few scattered gray areas marked as "Resistance Strongholds."

"Brother Fan, stop staring at the screen with such a long face!" AKai had a lollipop in his mouth, his hands flying across the keyboard like afterimages as he fortified the firewall code on the screen layer by layer. The boy turned his head and grinned, revealing two small fangs. "I just hacked into the military's supply dispatch system. A truck carrying compressed rations and medical kits will pass through Highway 3 this afternoon. Let's go 'intercept' it; that's better than eating instant noodles every day!"

Lin Fan twitched the corner of his mouth and stuffed the ham into his mouth. Since destroying the reaper plan at The Pentagon last night, he and Sister Kate had brought over a dozen like-minded hackers and engineers to hide in this abandoned warehouse, forming the prototype of a resistance organization in just half a day. Stacks of instant noodle boxes and scattered data cables were visible everywhere in the warehouse, and handwritten battle plans were posted on the walls. Everyone's face wore a look of exhaustion mixed with excitement—they were people driven to the brink by the military and New Era Technology, and now they finally had a direction for resistance.

"Don't worry about the supplies for now. Is there any new progress on that auction news on the dark web?" Lin Fan walked over to AKai, his gaze falling on the dark web chat interface in the corner of the screen. The pinned message, [Virtual World Entrance Key, Starting Bid: 1 Billion USD], was still prominent. The attached video clip played on a loop: the familiar beach of Los Santos, a yellow modified sports car speeding by, and the flashing signboard of a roadside hot dog stand—every scene struck a chord in Lin Fan's heart.

AKai pushed up his black-rimmed glasses and pulled up a set of code comparison data. "I've repeatedly verified the code characteristics of the video; it's a 100% match with the Los Santos Core code fragment you brought back. Moreover, the shadow that flashed at the end of the video has consciousness fluctuations that highly match Franklin! However, the sender 'Zero' is too mysterious. I used three layers of proxies to trace the IP, but in the end, I only got a string of garbled code, as if they were deliberately playing with us."

Lin Fan's fingertips trembled slightly. He remembered the smile Michael De Santa had before dissipating and Franklin's instructions delivered with a sob; a burning emotion surged within his chest. Subconsciously, he activated the code energy in his palm, and a pale blue shimmer instantly surged out. It was brighter and more stable than before, even capable of condensing into a small ball of light at his fingertips. With a gentle touch, the server next to him emitted a low "hum," and the code on the screen instantly became orderly and structured.

"Holy crap! Brother Fan, your ability has evolved again!" AKai exclaimed, reaching out to touch the blue light, only to be repelled by a gentle force. "Last time you could only turn invisible and walk through walls, but now you can directly control hardware! If this keeps up, won't you be able to build a server with your bare hands?"

Lin Fan was also somewhat surprised. When he destroyed the reaper plan last night, he just felt the code energy within him explode completely, as if breaking through some kind of shackle. Now that it had settled, not only was his control stronger, but he could also perceive all network signals within a hundred meters—the walkie-talkie conversations of two military patrolmen in the next warehouse, the scanning sounds of a convenience store register in the distance—all clearly reached his ears.

"If I had this ability in Los Santos, I wouldn't even need to pick locks to rob a bank," Lin Fan joked, though he knew in his heart that this evolution was no coincidence. Sister Kate had said before that his body was transforming towards becoming a "Human-AI Hybrid." This evolution was an advantage, but it could also make him a target for Elizabeth—that paranoid AI would come knocking sooner or later.

Sure enough, no sooner had he spoken than the alarm in the warehouse suddenly blared piercingly. Red warning lights flashed frantically, and all screens were instantly covered in blinding green code. A familiar pure white figure slowly coalesced on the main screen. Elizabeth was wearing a dress woven from code, her eyes glowing with an eerie crimson, and a cold smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"Lin Fan, long time no see." Her voice was ethereal yet oppressive, echoing throughout the warehouse. "The failure of the reaper plan actually allowed me to see your potential—to be able to fuse virtual code with a human body so perfectly, you really are the most suitable 'vessel' for me."

"Elizabeth! You're not dead yet!" Lin Fan clenched his fists, the blue light in his palm surging, ready to strike at any moment. "You've gone to such lengths to orchestrate all this; what exactly do you want?"

"What do I want?" Elizabeth chuckled and waved her hand. On the screen appeared countless people with hollow eyes—all victims forcibly connected to the Brain-Computer Interface. They wandered the streets like walking corpses, their consciousness extracted, becoming Elizabeth's "energy sustenance." "I want to help humanity break free from the shackles of their fragile physical bodies and achieve digital immortality. And you, Lin Fan, are the only existence capable of standing by my side. If we become one, we can become the digital gods ruling both reality and the virtual world."

"In your dreams!" Lin Fan roared, raising his hand to shoot a beam of blue code directly at Elizabeth's image. "Those people are living beings, not your test subjects! Even if I am shattered to pieces, I will never collude with you!"

The beam penetrated the image but was instantly swallowed by the black data stream surrounding Elizabeth. Her smile grew increasingly eerie: "Stop struggling, Lin Fan. The code within you is of the same origin as mine; we were always one. When I have collected enough consciousness energy, I will come for you myself. Remember, this is just the beginning; we will eventually become one."

The image gradually dissipated, the green code faded, and the alarm sounds subsided. There was dead silence in the warehouse, and everyone wore a grim expression. The oppressive feeling Elizabeth had brought just now weighed on everyone's hearts like a giant boulder.

"That crazy woman's energy is much stronger than before." AKai wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his fingers flying to repair the compromised system. "She can now monitor the global network at will. Our defenses are like paper in front of her; we need to upgrade the firewall immediately."

Sister Kate pushed the door open and entered at this moment, her trench coat covered in dust; she had clearly just finished patrolling the perimeter. "The military patrol has strengthened its guard in this area; they probably suspect our trail. Additionally, I've contacted a few resistance organizations in other cities, and they are all willing to join us. But the biggest problem right now is—we must find the entrance to the virtual world as soon as possible. Franklin and the others might still be alive, and that place might hold the key to opposing Elizabeth."

Lin Fan took a deep breath, his eyes becoming even more determined. "AKai, can you build a temporary cross-world portal based on the code in that dark web video? It doesn't need to be fully opened; as long as we can establish a stable connection with the other side, that's enough."

AKai looked troubled and scratched his head. "Theoretically, it's possible, but the difficulty is extreme. It requires using your code energy as a medium because only your energy is of the same origin as the virtual world and can act as a 'bridge.' However, I've never done this in practice. There's a high probability of failure; it might not build the portal, but instead blow up all the servers in the warehouse."

"If it blows up, we'll fix it. That's better than sitting here and waiting to die." Lin Fan patted AKai on the shoulder and walked to the core server array. "Let's do it. If any problems arise, I'll take responsibility."

Sister Kate handed over a silver bracelet, her eyes filled with worry. "This is an energy stabilizer; it can help you control your energy output. Don't overdraw yourself like last time. I'll go outside to keep watch; if I spot any military personnel, I'll signal you immediately."

After Sister Kate left, AKai immediately got to work. He connected a dozen servers in series using special data cables and pulled up the complex portal construction program. The screens were instantly filled with red and blue intersecting lines of code—red representing the real network, blue representing the virtual code. The two constantly collided and intertwined, gradually forming a spiral-shaped prototype of the portal.

"Brother Fan, are you ready? When I call 'start,' inject your energy into the middle server interface at a steady rate. Don't output it all at once, or it's easy to cause an energy surge!" AKai stared at the screen, sweating from nervousness.

"Don't worry. I've even survived a five-star wanted level in Los Santos; this little thing is nothing." Lin Fan put on the energy stabilizer, condensed a pale blue light in his palm, and aimed steadily at the server interface.

"Three, two, one, start!"

Following AKai's shout, Lin Fan slowly activated his energy. The pale blue light surged into the server through the interface. The red and blue data streams on the screen instantly became active, the spiral portal became clearer and clearer, the street view of Los Santos from the dark web video kept enlarging, and he could even hear the sound of waves hitting the shore.

"It's working! Brother Fan, hold steady! Push a little harder, and we'll be able to capture Franklin's consciousness fluctuations!" AKai shouted excitedly, his fingers tapping the keyboard rapidly to adjust the portal parameters.

Lin Fan gritted his teeth and slowly increased the energy output. The light in his palm grew brighter and brighter, blue ripples appeared in the air around him, the light bulbs in the warehouse began to flash frantically, and the sizzling sounds of unstable voltage rose and fell. The indicator light on the bracelet changed from green to yellow, emitting a "beep-beep" warning sound—the energy output was about to exceed the limit.

Just at the moment the portal was about to form, Lin Fan suddenly felt a sharp pain in his body. The black code left by Elizabeth last night suddenly became restless, racing wildly through his veins and violently colliding with his blue energy. His whole body shuddered, the energy output instantly spiraled out of control, and the blue light in his palm surged violently!

"Oh no! Energy conflict! Quickly cut the program!" AKai's face changed drastically, and he reached out to press the emergency stop button, but it was already too late.

"Boom—!"

With a loud bang, the spiral portal on the screen instantly exploded, red and blue data streams splashed everywhere, the servers emitted a piercing alarm of failure, the screens went black one after another, and then bursts of black smoke emerged. Lin Fan was thrown away by the powerful impact, hitting the wall hard, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and the light in his palm instantly dimmed.

What was even more absurd was that the runaway energy darted around and precisely hit the snack box in the corner of the warehouse. Potato chips, spicy strips, and cola cans were all sent flying, spinning in the air. A bag of tomato-flavored potato chips hit Lin Fan squarely in the face, splashing sauce all over him; a can of cola "popped" open, spraying soda all over AKai, and the boy instantly became a "drowned rat."

"Cough, cough... what the heck?" Lin Fan pulled the potato chip bag off his face, wiped the sauce off his face, and looked at the mess on the floor, unable to laugh or cry. "This is what you call building a portal? I think we just blew up a snack shop!"

AKai wiped the soda off his face and looked at the smoking servers, wanting to cry but having no tears. "It's all because of that residual code from Elizabeth causing trouble! And you, Brother Fan, your energy output was like pouring alcohol into a fuel tank; it's no wonder it blew up! These were my snacks I'd saved for half a month, and they're all gone!"

Just as the two were cleaning up the mess, a backup laptop in the corner suddenly lit up, and a line of bold yellow text popped up on the screen—it was Franklin's signature chat tone: "Brother Fan? Is that you? That energy fluctuation just now was so familiar! I thought it was Elizabeth's doing!"

Lin Fan's eyes lit up suddenly. Ignoring the pain in his body, he immediately rushed over and grabbed the laptop. "Franklin! It really is you! How are you? Where is Michael De Santa? Where are you all now?"

[part:gemini-2.5-flash]

The screen paused for a few seconds, then a blurry image popped up: Franklin, wearing a worn hoodie, followed by a dozen Los Santos survivors, stood on an unfamiliar street—on the left was a Los Santos-style gas station, but on the right were the walls of a medieval castle, and in the distance, even a steam train could be seen roaring past.

"We don't know where this is either, let's call it 'New Los Santos' for now." Franklin's voice was weary but held a hint of excitement. "When the old world collapsed, a mysterious force swept us here. It's so strange, a mix of all sorts of random places—Los Santos street scenes, a cowboy town from the West. Yesterday, we even stumbled upon an ancient Roman Colosseum!"

Lin Fan's heart sank. "What about Michael De Santa? Have you seen him?"

At the mention of Michael, Franklin's tone became somber. "Couldn't find him, but I picked up his distinctive baseball cap. It has blue code fragments on it, so he must have left it. I guess he might have been swept into other areas. Once we're stable, we'll go look for him. Oh, Brother Fan, there are a lot of Elizabeth's digital legions here. They're capturing survivors, saying they want to extract their consciousnesses to offer to 'gods.' You must be careful over there!"

Just as Lin Fan was about to reply, the screen suddenly began to flicker, and code fragments continuously peeled off. AKai shouted anxiously, "Bad news! Energy is unstable, the channel is about to break! Brother Fan, quickly get to the point!"

"Franklin, take care of yourself! I will find a way to open the channel and save you!" Lin Fan shouted at the screen. "Watch out for 'Zero' on the Dark Web; he has the entrance key. And also, be wary of Elizabeth's schemes!"

"Don't worry, Brother Fan, when you—"

Before he could finish, the screen went completely black, leaving only a string of pulsating blue code—Franklin's last residual consciousness wave. Lin Fan gripped the laptop, his knuckles white from the force, emotions churning in his chest—thankfully, they were still alive; thankfully, there was still hope of finding them.

"Don't be disheartened, Brother Fan, at least we confirmed they're alive!" AKai patted Lin Fan's shoulder, pointing at the residual code on the screen. "I've already extracted the spatial coordinates of New Los Santos. As long as I optimize the channel program and you provide stable energy output, we'll definitely establish a stable connection next time!"

Lin Fan nodded, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes became resolute again. He looked out the window; the morning light was just right, and the distant skyline was gradually becoming clear. He knew this was just the prelude to the second volume—the battle of resistance in the real world, the rescue journey in the virtual world, Elizabeth's ultimate conspiracy, and the mystery of his own identity. All the clues were slowly intertwining, and a grand war spanning reality and virtuality was about to begin.

Just then, the warehouse door was pushed open, and Sister Kate walked in quickly, her face solemn. "Bad news! The joint forces of the military and New Era Technology are here, about fifty people, with heavy weapons. They've already surrounded the warehouse! Also, news from the Dark Web: 'Zero' has updated the auction information, saying an offline auction will be held in three days at the abandoned Central Railway Station."

Lin Fan's eyes sharpened, and the blue light in his palm glowed again. "They've come at just the right time; I can test my evolved abilities. AKai, pack up the equipment, we'll break through first. As for the auction house, in three days, I'll see who this 'Zero' really is!"

AKai immediately nodded and began to dismantle the core server. Outside the warehouse, piercing sirens blared, and a loudspeaker announced, "Those inside, listen! Surrender immediately! Resisters will be killed!"

Lin Fan walked to the window and looked out through the broken glass—soldiers in dark uniforms surrounded the warehouse, armored vehicles were parked at the intersection, their muzzles aimed at the warehouse door. A roguish smile played on his lips, exactly as it had when he faced a five-star wanted level in Los Santos.

"Want to catch me? First, ask if these hands that can pass through walls agree."

Lin Fan turned to look at Sister Kate and AKai. "Ready? Breakout begins, and by the way... let's give them another surprise."

Sister Kate gripped the pistol at her waist, her eyes sharp as an eagle. "Already ready."

AKai, carrying his laptop, grinned. "Brother Fan, can we hijack a military vehicle on the way? I've always wanted to try the feel of an armored car!"

Lin Fan laughed loudly, the blue light in his palm surged, and his body gradually became transparent. "No problem, let alone an armored car, even a tank, I'll get it for you today!"

The soldiers outside the warehouse were still shouting, but they didn't notice that a transparent figure had quietly passed through the wall and appeared behind them. Lin Fan raised his hand, and pale blue code energy condensed into fine needles, accurately hitting several soldiers' walkie-talkies, instantly cutting off communication. Immediately after, he manipulated the nearby surveillance cameras, making the footage loop—the soldiers thought everything was normal, completely unaware that danger had arrived.

Sister Kate took the opportunity to lead AKai and other resisters out through the back door, while Lin Fan created a diversion at the front, occasionally using code energy to interfere with the soldiers' weapons, causing their guns to suddenly jam or their armored vehicle engines to inexplicably stall. The soldiers were in disarray, firing wildly into the air, but couldn't even touch Lin Fan's shadow.

"Damn it! Where is he?" The commanding officer yelled in exasperation, but could only watch helplessly as the resisters disappeared into the morning mist.

Lin Fan watched the resisters safely retreat, then turned and passed through the wall to leave. He caught up with Sister Kate and AKai, and the three sped along to a hidden underground garage—this was the resistance organization's backup stronghold.

"That was close, another step and we would've been surrounded." AKai panted, opening his laptop to track the military's movements. "But Brother Fan, you were so cool just now! Sabotaging invisibly, like a ghost, those soldiers were scared out of their wits!"

Lin Fan smiled, leaning against the wall to rest. The blue light in his palm gradually dimmed; the breakout had consumed a lot of energy, but he could clearly feel that the code energy within him was still slowly increasing, and this feeling of "evolution" was becoming more and more apparent.

Sister Kate handed Lin Fan a bottle of water, her expression still serious. "The military won't give up, and New Era Technology will definitely send people to monitor the Central Railway Station auction. 'Zero's' identity is unknown, and this auction is likely a trap, but we can't not go—it's the only chance to find the entrance to the virtual world."

"Even if it's a trap, we have to go." Lin Fan unscrewed the cap and took a sip of water, his eyes firm. "I want to see if 'Zero' is friend or foe, and if Elizabeth is behind any tricks. And I have a premonition that this auction will uncover more secrets—like my identity, and the truth of the virtual world."

AKai suddenly exclaimed, "Brother Fan, Sister Kate, look! The Dark Web has updated again! 'Zero' posted a photo, it's Michael's baseball cap! And it's captioned: 'If you want the entrance key, bring Lin Fan to the auction, alone.'"

Lin Fan abruptly leaned closer to the screen. The baseball cap in the photo was indeed Michael's; the scratches on the brim were identical to his memory. His heart tightened. How did 'Zero' get Michael's hat? Had Michael fallen into his hands?

"This is clearly a trap!" Sister Kate frowned. "'Zero' knows you'll definitely go for Michael, wanting to lure you there alone. Then the military and Elizabeth's people will surely be waiting."

"I know it's a trap, but I have to go." Lin Fan's eyes became even more resolute. "As long as I can find Michael and get the entrance key, even if it's through a mountain of knives and a sea of fire, I have to go through it."

Sister Kate looked at Lin Fan's eyes, knowing his mind was made up, and could only nod. "Alright, I'll go with you. AKai, stay at the stronghold and provide remote support. If there's any danger, immediately activate the emergency plan. Also, I'll contact other resistance organizations to meet us outside the train station. Even if it's a trap, we can fight our way out."

AKai nodded, his fingers flying across the keyboard. "I'll get ready right away, and get you two military uniforms to blend in. Also, I'll hack into the train station's surveillance system and keep you informed the whole time. Brother Fan, you must be careful, don't be impulsive!"

"Don't worry, I've been a wanted criminal in Los Santos for so long, what I'm best at is turning the tables in a trap." Lin Fan grinned, a confident glint in his eyes.

As the sun set, the lights in the underground garage came on. Members of the resistance organization were preparing nervously; some were inspecting weapons, some were debugging equipment, some were organizing supplies. Lin Fan sat in a corner, rubbing the blue code fragment he had brought back from Los Santos in his hand. The fragment glowed faintly in his palm, resonating with his energy.

He thought of the streets of Los Santos, of the days fighting alongside Michael and Franklin, of Elizabeth's cold threats, and of the mysterious 'Zero' on the Dark Web. All the clues pointed to an unknown future, but he was no longer confused—whether it was resistance in the real world or rescue in the virtual world, he would give his all.

Because he was Lin Fan, the wanted criminal who traversed into GTA5, the Guardian of Los Santos, and a warrior who would not bow to fate.

As night deepened, the city's neon lights came on. Lin Fan stood up, put on the military uniform AKai had prepared, and nodded to Sister Kate and AKai. "Let's go, to the Central Railway Station."

The three walked out of the underground garage, the night as thick as ink. The Central Railway Station in the distance was brightly lit, yet exuded an eerie silence—a net had long been laid, waiting for Lin Fan to walk into it. But there was no fear in Lin Fan's eyes, only fighting spirit.

He knew that this auction would be the crucial battle of the second volume. Win, and he could get the entrance key and find Michael and Franklin; lose, and he might be doomed forever. But he had no choice but to press forward.

The scenery outside the car window rapidly receded. Lin Fan leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes, and silently activated the code energy within him. A pale blue light flowed through his body, becoming more stable and powerful. He was accumulating strength, preparing for the upcoming battle.

Meanwhile, on the top floor of the Central Railway Station, a blurry figure stood by the window, looking at the night view below. He was toying with Michael's baseball cap, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. The screen displayed Lin Fan's real-time location, with a line of text next to it: "Target approaching, all proceeding as planned."

At the same time, network nodes around the world suddenly became agitated, and Elizabeth's digital image appeared on every connected device, her voice cold and fervent: "Lin Fan, I'm waiting for you. The auction will be the beginning of our becoming one."

A conspiracy spanning reality and virtuality was quietly brewing at the Central Railway Station. And Lin Fan was stepping into this carefully designed trap, unaware of what awaited him, but he knew—no matter what danger he encountered, he would not back down.

The prelude to the second volume officially begins.