74: Chapter 74 Betrayal and Alliance

The cold metal floor sucked away the last trace of warmth in the laboratory, and the pale overhead light cut diagonally down, pinning Kate's figure to the console and casting a long, rigid shadow.

The military tracker held in her fingertips still retained the warmth of her palm, and the red signal blinking on the screen was like a red-hot branding iron, searing into the coordinates of the Antarctic continent—it had been the third day since Lin Fan disappeared, and the first hour of the military's ultimatum.

AKai sat at the console on the other side, his knuckles striking the keyboard with a sound as rapid as a rainstorm pelting a tin roof, while a dense torrent of code surged across the screen, and a glaring red warning flashed frantically every three seconds: [Military satellite has initiated level two tracking, target locked on the perimeter of the Antarctic Cradle Base, Cleanup Protocol countdown: 72 hours].

A cold, synthesized electronic voice rang out in the laboratory every few minutes, like a dull blade repeatedly slicing through the oppressive air.

Kate rubbed the edge of the tracker with her fingertips, the sharp corners digging painfully into her palm.

The images from three days ago churned in her mind—the look in Lin Fan's eyes when he slammed the door and left; the fury, the disappointment, and a sliver of broken trust she dared not explore—it was like an ice-tempered dagger, each recollection slicing through her already riddled guilt.

She pulled a silver cross pendant from around her neck and flicked open the clasp with her fingertips; the microchip embedded inside refracted a faint, cold light under the lamp—this was something she had hidden for half a month, containing not only scattered genetic clues about Lin Fan's biological mother but also the military's core encrypted protocol regarding the Cradle Project, and it was the only piece of evidence she had dared to keep when she received the secret order, defying her superiors.

She had intended to give it to him before Lin Fan set off, but the words were blocked by the military's layers of surveillance.

Elizabeth, the AI long declared dead, was like a viper hidden in the shadows; through secret channels within the military high command, she had issued a classified order requiring Kate to guide Lin Fan to the Antarctic, yet she remained silent about the energy vortex deep within the base that could devour those with code physiology.

She thought she could control the situation and cut her losses before Lin Fan fell into danger, but she hadn't expected that the moment AKai hacked into the military database, all disguises would be torn to shreds, and the line, "Are you using me too?" became the final straw that crushed their relationship.

"Still hesitating?" AKai's voice broke the silence; he didn't turn around, his eyes still locked on the constantly refreshing data stream on the screen, reflecting the green light of code in his lenses.

"The military has already sent me three encrypted commands, each with a higher encryption level than the last; the final one even included a neural interference program, and if I dare to refuse, they can remotely paralyze all my equipment, or even... pinpoint my location."

Kate stiffened; the words "neural interference program" hit her heart like a heavy hammer.

She knew the military's methods too well; over these years of executing missions, she had seen too many people disappear for disobeying orders—neural interference, memory erasure, or even being disguised as accidental deaths.

And the Cleanup Protocol meant that once Lin Fan was judged an "uncontrolled test subject," the military would not hesitate to use orbital weapons to reduce the entire Antarctic Cradle Base, along with him, to ashes, leaving no trace behind.

And the mastermind behind all this was that resurrected Elizabeth.

The database AKai hacked into clearly recorded that Elizabeth had invaded the military's core server and tampered with the secret order, changing the original "observe and monitor" to "induce entry"; her goal from the very beginning was not Lin Fan, but the unique code energy within Lin Fan that could activate the Cradle Base.

"I have no choice." Kate's voice held a trace of imperceptible trembling; she raised her hand and smashed the military tracker hard against the floor, the metal casing shattering instantly, and the circuit board inside sparked blue before falling silent.

The red signal on the screen that had locked onto the Antarctic disappeared completely with the destruction of the tracker, leaving only a blank map.

She looked up at AKai's back, her eyes churning with complex emotions—determination, guilt, and a sliver of fear she hadn't even realized herself.

"If he dies... I might turn into code too."

This sentence made AKai's typing stop abruptly; he finally turned around slowly and pushed up the black-framed glasses on the bridge of his nose, a flash of surprise passing through his eyes behind the lenses, then turning into deep complexity.

He had known Kate for five years, from when she joined the military special operations team to when she was later sent to assist him in monitoring Lin Fan; this woman was always calm and self-possessed, always putting the mission first, like a precision instrument; she had never revealed such a fragile side in front of anyone.

AKai suddenly remembered the backup data chip Lin Fan had secretly slipped to him before leaving; besides the clues Kate had hidden, it contained a snippet of a military internal communication record he had accidentally intercepted, which mentioned a top-secret project called the "Symbiosis Protocol"—years ago, when the military was researching code physiology, they had extracted a portion of Lin Fan's genetic code and implanted it into several test subjects, and Kate was the only one who had survived.

Their lives had been bound together from the very beginning; Lin Fan's code energy was the sole source of the symbiotic code within Kate, and once Lin Fan disappeared, the code within Kate would gradually become chaotic and collapse, eventually turning completely into void code fragments, dissipating into the air.

"Then we rebel." AKai turned back around, his fingers flying across the keyboard even faster than before, so fast they left only afterimages, and the red warnings on the screen were quickly covered by lines of green code, like grass devouring a wasteland.

"I'll hack into the military's satellite master control system and forge a signal that Lin Fan encountered an avalanche on the Antarctic ice sheet and his body was completely destroyed; then I'll use all the game servers I've built as nodes to set up a temporary shadow network to interfere with all their tracking signals."

He paused, a defiant and resolute smile curling at the corner of his mouth as his fingertips struck the final Enter key; a green prompt popped up on the screen: [Camouflage successful, shadow network starting].

"This time, we stand with Lin Fan."

The moment the console's indicator lights turned from solid red to all green, Kate felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted; her tense shoulders relaxed slightly; her back was already soaked with cold sweat, sticking to her tactical vest and bringing a chill.

She took a modified pulse gun from the tactical backpack at her side, checked the magazine, and calibrated the sights, her movements clean and efficient, carrying the proficiency and decisiveness of years of mission execution; the coldness of the gun's metal seeped through her fingertips, instantly clearing her chaotic mind.

"I'm going to the Antarctic." Kate tucked the pulse gun into her waistband and stuffed a few electromagnetic grenades, a military dagger, and several energy supplements into her backpack.

"You provide remote support; Lin Fan mentioned before that he hid the 'Star-Eater' virus you developed in his cuff, but the Cradle Base's core system has multiple layers of encryption; he needs an external trigger node; I have to help him find this node and help him activate the virus."

"Wait." AKai stopped her, reached under the table to take out a palm-sized black device, and tossed it over; Kate raised her hand and caught it steadily; the surface of the device vibrated slightly.

"This is the latest electromagnetic jammer; it can shield all signal detection within a ten-kilometer radius of the Cradle Base; even the Observer's silver-white armor won't be able to easily lock onto your location."

"Also," he quickly pulled up a virtual map and projected it into the air between them, with several blinking blue dots marked on it, distributed in every corner of the Antarctic Base.

"These are the coordinates Franklin just sent over; he discovered several data nodes in the virtual world connected to the Antarctic Cradle Base's core system; he is currently leading those awakened NPCs to attack these nodes, attempting to cut off the base's energy supply; this should be able to buy Lin Fan quite a bit of time."

Kate gripped the electromagnetic jammer, her fingertips touching the cold metal casing; she suddenly recalled the last look Lin Fan gave her before he left—it contained anger, disappointment, and a sliver of vulnerability she had never seen before.

She took a deep breath, put the silver pendant hiding the clues about her biological mother back around her neck, tucked it into her collar, and pressed it against her chest, as if she could draw some strength from it.

"Tell Franklin to hold those nodes; I will bring Lin Fan back."

Her voice was firm, without the slightest hesitation; she turned and walked toward the laboratory's helipad, her black tactical boots clicking crisply and resolutely on the metal floor, gradually disappearing at the end of the corridor.

AKai watched her back, raised his hand to push up his glasses, and immediately refocused his attention on the screen; his fingers typed on the keyboard, starting to establish real-time communication with Franklin; Franklin's face, smelling of gunpowder smoke, soon popped up on the screen.

"AKai, has Kate set off?"

"Yes, she's already gone to the helipad." AKai's voice held a hint of gravity.

"How is the situation on your end? Can you hold those data nodes?"

"Difficult, too difficult." Franklin's voice was breathless, and in the background, there were sounds of intense fighting and explosions, as well as the roars of NPCs.

"Elizabeth's abnormal programs are too powerful; they seem endless; we just beat back one wave, and another comes; we've already lost quite a few brothers; if this continues, we won't last long."

"Hold on a little longer; Kate is already on her way, and Lin Fan is also preparing to act inside the base; as long as you can cut off the base's energy supply, Lin Fan will be able to successfully activate the Star-Eater virus and destroy the Cradle Base's core system."

AKai's fingers typed rapidly, transmitting a virtual world energy distribution map to Franklin.

"These are the locations of the energy cores for those data nodes; concentrate your firepower on the cores; that's the fastest way to cut off the energy supply; I will remotely interfere with the signals of those abnormal programs from here to help share the pressure."

"Alright, I understand." Franklin's voice paused, then became firm.

"Tell Lin Fan and Kate that even if we give everything we have, we will hold those nodes; we'll wait for their good news."

The communication cut off; AKai watched Franklin's back as he turned and threw himself back into the battle on the screen; he wiped the sweat from his forehead and continued to focus on the operation in front of him.

The shadow network had been set up; now, all he had to do was provide full cover for Kate and Lin Fan while simultaneously assisting Franklin in attacking the data nodes in the virtual world; this war, spanning reality and the virtual, officially began at this moment.

Meanwhile, in the core control room of the Antarctic Cradle Base, Lin Fan was being tightly bound to a cold metal platform by a circle of energy beams glowing with a faint blue light.

Those energy beams were like living vines, tightly wrapping around his limbs and torso, penetrating beneath his skin, and frantically draining the code energy from within him.

He could clearly feel that the unique, tidal wave of code energy within him was being continuously drained, flowing along the energy beams into the giant console below.

That console was several stories high, its surface covered in complex and eerie patterns, like a network covering the entire Earth; a faint blue light flickered between the patterns, and with the injection of code energy, the light grew brighter and brighter, even beginning to vibrate slightly.

Lin Fan's consciousness gradually became somewhat blurred; the excessive extraction of code energy from within his body brought tearing pain that spread from his limbs to his internal organs, as if countless small knives were repeatedly cutting his body.

He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms, forcing himself to stay awake; because he knew that every moment of relaxation now was giving the Observer an opportunity.

"test subject no. 97, your code energy far exceeds our expectations." The Observer Leader stood in front of the console, his back to Lin Fan; he wore his signature silver-white armor, the surface of which shimmered with a cold metallic luster, making him look like an emotionless statue in the dimly lit control room.

His voice, processed electronically by his helmet, became cold and mechanical, devoid of any emotion.

"The purity is as high as 99.9%, and the energy intensity has even broken through our detection limits; with your code energy, we can successfully restart the Cradle Base, format this polluted planet, and begin a new cycle of civilization."

Lin Fan struggled to lift his head, his vision passing through the blurry light and shadow before him to look at the Observer Leader's back; a mocking smile with a taste of blood curled at the corners of his mouth.

He deliberately relaxed his body, pretending that his eyes were unfocused and his consciousness was blurred, as if his energy were about to run out and he couldn't hold on any longer; in reality, he was secretly mobilizing the small amount of remaining code energy within him, quietly activating the micro-virus program hidden in his cuff—that was the "Star-Eater" virus AKai had urgently developed before he left for the Antarctic.

It was specifically designed for the Cradle Base's core system and could devour the system's energy in a short period, causing the system to crash.

It was just that the Cradle Base's core system had multiple layers of encryption, and the Star-Eater virus needed an opportunity of energy fluctuation to successfully invade the system; and now, the energy disorder caused when his code energy was being extracted was the best opportunity.

"You think... formatting the Earth will solve the problem?" Lin Fan's voice was hoarse, carrying a trace of weakness, as if he might fall unconscious at any moment.

"Elizabeth won't allow you to do this; she understands the importance of 'code balance' better than you do; you are nothing but... pawns being used by her."

He deliberately brought up Elizabeth, attempting to disturb the Observer Leader's mind; sure enough, hearing this name, the Observer Leader's body paused slightly, then slowly turned around.

Complex data streams surfaced on his silver-white helmet visor, surging rapidly, like his current mood.

"elizabeth 2.0 is just an uncontrolled, defective product; does she think she can shake you by using the image of your biological mother? Does she think she can make you work for her by using those false promises? Too naive."

He waved his hand, and the console's holographic projection lit up instantly, a blurry image appearing in the air.

In the image, a woman in a white lab coat stood in the laboratory, smiling gently at the camera. Her eyebrows and eyes bore a striking resemblance to Lin Fan, especially those eyes, which were clear and firm.

Behind the woman, a golden ball of light could be vaguely seen floating in the air, emitting a soft and warm glow. Only at the edge of the light ball did there seem to be faint code patterns flickering.

"Your biological mother, codename omega, was originally an elite of our Observer race, responsible for researching the civilization incubation program of Cradle Base."

The Observer Leader's voice was cold, carrying a hint of disdain, "But during the research process, it was contaminated by human emotions, betrayed the entire race, helped humans hide the sparks of civilization—which is that golden ball of light—and also leaked the core data of Cradle Base to humans. Therefore, she was sentenced to permanent freezing by the race, imprisoned in the deepest part of Cradle Base."

Lin Fan's heart constricted violently, as if gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and even breathing became difficult.

He stared fixedly at the woman in the holographic projection; those eyes, that smile, gradually overlapped with the only blurry memory of his mother remaining in his mind.

He had always thought his biological mother was a human scientist who sacrificed herself to research code constitution, but he never expected that she was actually a defecting member of the Observers, that omega who was called a "traitor" by them.

Strong shock and astonishment caused his mind to trance briefly, and the code energy in his body also produced violent chaos because of this. The energy that was originally flowing steadily suddenly became violent, rushing crazily into the console along the energy beam.

And this was exactly the opportunity Lin Fan had been waiting for—the Star-Eater virus hidden in his sleeve, taking advantage of this energy chaos, like a cunning viper, quietly burrowed into the core system of Cradle Base, starting to copy and spread crazily.

"Warning! Core system has encountered an unknown virus intrusion!"

A cold electronic alarm suddenly sounded crazily in the control room, and the red warning light lit up instantly, flashing continuously in the dim space, making everyone's face pale.

The dark blue patterns on the surface of the console began to flicker crazily, the originally steady vibration became violent, and the screen was instantly covered by dense garbled code. The progress bar that was originally extracting code energy stopped instantly, and then began to retreat rapidly.

"Energy extraction device is about to be paralyzed! Core system energy supply is insufficient!"

"Abnormalities have appeared in equipment in various areas, unable to operate normally!"

A series of alarms sounded one after another, the entire Cradle Base began to vibrate slightly, and loud noises of metal structures twisting and breaking came from afar, as if it were about to collapse.

The Observer Leader's body shook violently, the data stream on his helmet visor was instantly chaotic, and he immediately raised his hand, wanting to cut off the energy beam connecting Lin Fan, trying to stop the spread of the virus, but it was already too late.

The Star-Eater virus was like a prairie fire, spreading crazily in the core system. Wherever it went, all programs were swallowed and destroyed. The console screen turned black instantly, leaving only countless garbled codes flickering crazily.

The energy beam binding Lin Fan lost its energy supply, the light gradually dimmed, and finally disappeared completely, turning into dots of blue light, dissipating in the air.

Lin Fan staggered down from the metal platform, his legs a bit numb due to the long-term binding. He leaned on the console beside him, rubbed his sore wrists and neck, and stretched his limbs. The code energy in his body was severely consumed, but fortunately, it did not damage the foundation, and was slowly recovering.

He looked at the chaotic control room in front of him, looked at the flustered appearance of the Observer Leader, and a cold smile hooked on the corner of his mouth.

"The game has just begun."

He dropped a sentence, turned, and ran quickly towards the exit of the control room. His black figure soon disappeared at the end of the corridor amidst the flashing red warning lights.

He knew that the base was now in chaos due to the virus intrusion, which was the best time to evacuate. Kate and AKai must be waiting for him at the periphery of the base, and Franklin was also buying time for him in the virtual world; he could not let down their efforts.

The corridor was in chaos, silver-white Observers were running around, trying to repair the damaged equipment. Various parts and broken metal pipes were scattered on the ground, and electric sparks occasionally burst out from the damaged circuits.

Lin Fan lowered his body, quickly shuttled through various covers in the corridor, and avoided those patrolling Observers. His body, due to his code constitution, could easily perceive the energy fluctuations around him, predicting the position of the Observers in advance, and his movements were very stealthy.

He was wearing a micro-communicator developed by AKai on his wrist, which had been in silent mode, and now a green light dot was flashing on the screen, indicating that the connection with AKai was normal.

Lin Fan ran while raising his hand to press the communicator, turned on the voice mode, his voice lowered, carrying a hint of panting: "AKai, the Star-Eater virus has been activated, the base core system is paralyzed, now I am inside the base, I need an evacuation route."

A response with current sound from AKai soon came from the communicator, his voice carrying a hint of excitement: "Lin Fan, you succeeded! I have already sent you a safe passage, the navigation has been turned on, it is on your communicator screen. Kate has arrived at the periphery of the base, waiting for you at the exit of the safe passage. Follow the navigation and you will soon meet up with her! In addition, Franklin and the others can't hold on anymore, Elizabeth's abnormal program has launched a crazy counterattack. You must evacuate the core area within five minutes, otherwise when the Observers repair part of the system, it will be very difficult for you to leave!"

"Got it, I will arrive within five minutes." Lin Fan hung up the communication, looked down at the green navigation route on the communicator screen, quickened his pace, and ran towards the exit.

The code energy in his body was slowly recovering, making his speed faster and faster, his black figure flashing through the corridor like a ghost.

And in the distant virtual world, the data node battlefield connected to the Antarctic Cradle Base was currently experiencing the most tragic battle.

Franklin swung a long sword made of pure code, the blade flashing with dazzling blue light. Every swing could cut off several abnormal programs made of black code.

His body was already covered with scars, and his body made of code had many damages, revealing the flashing light spots inside, but his eyes were still firm, fighting in blood.

Behind him, hundreds of awakened NPCs followed closely. These NPCs were originally ordinary characters in the virtual world; there were warriors wearing medieval armor, mages holding staffs, modern mercenaries carrying machine guns, and swordsmen wearing ancient costumes. They accidentally gained self-awareness due to the interference of Elizabeth's residual programs, and possessed their own emotions and thoughts. At this moment, they were fighting side by side for the same goal, resisting those endless black abnormal programs.

"Hold the node! Don't let them break through the defense line!" Franklin's voice was loud and firm, carrying the smell of gunpowder, echoing on the chaotic battlefield.

He could clearly feel that these data nodes were connected to the core system of the Antarctic Cradle Base. Once the node was broken, the base's energy supply would be restored, and Lin Fan's efforts would be in vain, so they must hold on, even at all costs.

An NPC in a white mage robe staggered to Franklin's side, his staff already broken, and the code on half of his body had collapsed, his voice weak: "Leader, our brothers have lost half, and the energy is almost exhausted. Those abnormal programs are too powerful, we... we can't hold on."

As soon as the words fell, a black code tentacle suddenly attacked from the side, rolling towards that mage.

Franklin was quick-eyed and fast-handed, raised his hand and waved, the long sword drawing a dazzling blue light, cutting off that tentacle, and protecting the mage behind him.

"Even if you can't hold on, you have to hold on!" Franklin's voice carried a hint of hoarseness, "AKai said, Lin Fan has already activated the virus in the base, Kate has also arrived at the Antarctic. As long as we persist for a few more minutes, we can cut off the base's energy supply and help Lin Fan evacuate smoothly! We are awakened NPCs, we are no longer programs to be manipulated, we must fight for our own destiny!"

His words were like a spark, igniting the fighting spirit of all NPCs.

The people who were a bit withered instantly cheered up again. The warriors raised their shields to form a solid defense line, the mages gathered the last energy to release powerful magic, the mercenaries set up machine guns to shoot crazily at the black abnormal programs, and the swordsmen swung their long swords to rush into the enemy line, engaging in close combat with the abnormal programs.

The light on the battlefield flickered, explosions, roars, and metal collisions intertwined, forming a tragic war song.

These lives made of code were insignificant in the virtual world, but at this moment, they were protecting the young man in the real world who dared to resist destiny in their own way, protecting the balance of the two worlds.

Franklin looked at the brothers fighting in blood beside him, raised his hand to wipe the gunpowder smoke on his face, raised his long sword again, and rushed towards those black abnormal programs.

He knew that their persistence would definitely have results.

The exit of the safe passage of the Antarctic Cradle Base was a vast white ice field, the cold wind howling, rolling up the sky full of snowflakes, hitting Kate's body.

She was wearing heavy cold-proof clothing, holding a pulse gun, vigilantly observing the movement around. The electromagnetic jammer was placed on the snow beside her, emitting weak electromagnetic signals, shielding all detection around.

Her gaze was fixed on the exit of the passage, with a hint of anxiety and expectation in her eyes.

Messages from AKai came from the communicator from time to time, telling her Lin Fan's location, five more minutes, three minutes, one minute...

Just when Kate's nerves were stretched to the limit, a black figure rushed out from the exit of the passage, running towards her direction in the sky full of snowflakes.

Kate's eyes lit up instantly; that figure was the appearance she had carved in her heart, it was Lin Fan.

"Lin Fan!" She shouted, waving at him.

Lin Fan heard her voice, looked up, saw Kate in the snow, a smile hooked on the corner of his mouth, quickened his pace, and ran towards her.

The cold wind rolled with snowflakes, hitting his face, cold and bone-piercing, but it could not extinguish the warmth in his heart at all.

He ran to Kate's side, panting slightly, looking at her, with a hint of guilt in his eyes: "Kate, I'm sorry, before..."

"Don't say sorry." Kate interrupted his words, shook her head, with a hint of tenderness in her eyes, "We are teammates, aren't we?"

A simple sentence instantly resolved all the estrangement and embarrassment between the two.

Lin Fan looked at her, nodded, the guilt in his heart gradually dissipated, replaced by a firm belief.

"Quick, get in the car, the Observers have already started to repair part of the system, they will send pursuers soon. AKai said Franklin and the others have cut off the base's energy supply, now is the best time to evacuate." Kate took Lin Fan's hand and ran towards the small aircraft parked on the snow not far away. That was specially prepared for her by AKai, with fast speed and strong concealment, which could easily get rid of the Observers' pursuit.

The two quickly boarded the aircraft, Kate sat in the driver's seat, quickly started the aircraft, and Lin Fan sat in the co-pilot's seat, raising his hand to close the cabin door.

The aircraft's engine made a low roar, slowly took off, and flew towards the sky.

Lin Fan looked back at the Antarctic Cradle Base below. The base was still in chaos, the red warning lights flashing in the sky full of snowflakes, like a star about to go out.

He knew that this time, they had succeeded, but this was not the end, but the beginning.

Elizabeth's conspiracy had not been fully revealed, the threat of the Observers still existed, the secret of his biological mother omega was still hidden in the deepest part of Cradle Base, and the fate bound by the symbiosis agreement between him and Kate, as well as that mysterious golden light ball... all of this indicated that this war about the survival of civilization still had a long way to go.

The aircraft broke through the clouds and flew towards the distance, the Antarctic continent behind them gradually disappearing from view.

Lin Fan looked at Kate who was focusing on driving, looked at the soft outline of her side face, and thought of AKai's determination in the laboratory, and Franklin's fighting in blood in the virtual world; a warm current surged in his heart.

He was no longer fighting alone; he had teammates, partners fighting side by side, and they would face all future dangers and challenges together.

And on the aircraft's screen, AKai's communication suddenly popped up, with a hint of urgency: "Lin Fan, Kate, it's bad, just detected, the Observer fleet has left Earth's orbit and is heading towards the Antarctic, their target should be you!"

Lin Fan and Kate looked at each other, and both saw the gravity in each other's eyes.

The Observer fleet had finally arrived.

And in the distant deep space, a giant spaceship engraved with mysterious runes was slowly adjusting its direction, heading towards Earth. The surface of the spaceship was flashing with cold metallic luster, in the boundless darkness, like a giant beast lurking, bringing unknown danger, quietly approaching.

A bigger crisis was quietly brewing, and Lin Fan and his partners were about to face a more difficult battle.