79: Chapter 79 A desperate battle

The withdrawal of the Observer Fleet was but a brief respite; the Antarctic night sky remained shrouded in a faint haze of energy. The residual heat from the giant antenna still steamed beneath the ice, and every inch of air retained the particle agitation from when the Purification Procedure was initiated.

Lin Fan helped Kate lean against the metal wall of the core control room. The limiter on her wrist emitted a faint blue light, barely suppressing the surging primal code within her, but the code patterns could still be seen slowly traversing her translucent fingertips, and every breath was accompanied by the faint sound of crackling electricity.

"Fleet withdrawal trajectory locked," AKai's voice came through the communicator, raspy from having just cried, yet still maintaining a hint of a tech nerd's stubbornness. "They didn't go far; they're hovering in the stratosphere, ten thousand meters above the Antarctic. The Observer Mothership is right in the center of the fleet. Judging by its size, it must be flagship-class, and its hull has an energy shield that conventional weapons can't penetrate."

Lin Fan looked up at the night sky outside the dome; with the naked eye, he could only see a blurry, silvery-gray phantom—the light refracted by the energy shield of the Observer Fleet.

He looked down at the code patterns intertwined in his palm with Kate's. The residual heat generated by the fusion of their two codes when they terminated the Ultimate Protocol was still flowing through his veins. It was an unprecedented sense of connection, as if he could clearly perceive the rhythm of the code within Kate, and even, through this connection, touch a trace of the energy frequency belonging to the Observers.

"I'm going to the Observer Mothership." Lin Fan's voice was soft, yet carried an unquestionable firmness. "They said the Sower is coming. The research on the Birth Mother must be on the Observer Mothership; it's our only chance."

"Are you crazy?" Kate gripped his hand tightly, her translucent fingers glowing with a faint white light from the effort. "The Observer Mothership is surrounded by frigates, and its energy shield can even block nuclear missiles. How are you going to get in? Even if you do, it's full of Observers. You won't be able to hold out on your own!"

"Not on my own." Lin Fan turned to look at her, his fingertips gently brushing over the limiter on her wrist. "You hack into their systems remotely, AKai provides interference from the ground, and I'll infiltrate. Besides, I have their energy frequency; I can disguise myself as an Observer and won't be detected for the time being."

AKai's voice immediately chimed in: "Lin Fan is right. When we terminated the protocol earlier, I captured the code frequency created by the fusion of you and Kate. It's highly compatible with the Observers' base frequency. I can use this to create a disguise program and implant it into your combat suit. It can fool their primary scans, but only primary ones. If you encounter a high-level Observer or a scan in a core area, you'll be exposed immediately."

Kate looked at the determination in Lin Fan's eyes and knew she couldn't stop him. The code within her was still battling the limiter; her physical state made it impossible for her to infiltrate with him, and remote hacking was the limit of what she could do right now.

She took a deep breath, raised her hand to wipe the dried blood from the corner of Lin Fan's mouth, and let the electricity at her fingertips gently graze his cheek with a cool, tender touch. "Alright, I'll cooperate with you. But promise me, no reckless fighting. If you're exposed, retreat immediately. AKai and I will find a way to extract you."

"I promise." Lin Fan held her hand and pressed gently on the back of her translucent hand. "Wait for me to come back."

Over the next half hour, the three of them began their intense preparations. AKai furiously tapped at the keyboard in the core control room, with dense code scrolling rapidly across the screen. He fused the captured Observer energy frequency with Lin Fan's combat suit system to create a temporary disguise program. At the same time, he modified Lin Fan's energy rifle, tuning it to the Observer energy band and changing its appearance to a silver-white Observer standard-issue weapon via holographic projection.

"The disguise program will last at most two hours; it consumes energy very quickly," AKai said, stuffing a micro data chip into Lin Fan's headset. "This chip will transmit the Observer Mothership's system data to Kate and me in real-time. Kate will use it to hack into their control system and help you open the passage. Also, I've installed an emergency teleporter on your waist. If you encounter danger, press it once, and you'll be teleported to the coordinates I've set. But you can only use it once; there isn't enough energy for more."

Kate sat to the side, closing her eyes and focusing her mind on feeling the primal code within her. She needed to deeply connect her consciousness to the Shadow Network AKai had built in order to remotely hack the Observer Mothership's system. This was a huge drain on her; code patterns began to slowly appear on her neck and cheeks, and the blue light of the limiter flickered, emitting a faint "buzzing" sound.

"I'm ready on my end," Kate opened her eyes. They were bloodshot, but her gaze was sharp. "My consciousness is connected to the Shadow Network, and I can sense the fluctuations in the Observer Mothership's system. As soon as you enter the shield's range, I can start hacking."

Lin Fan nodded and stood up. The holographic projection on the surface of his combat suit activated, instantly covering him in a layer of silver-white armor identical to the Observer standard-issue armor, even down to the red light points on the eyes. He hefted the energy rifle in his hand to get a feel for it, then said into the communicator, "Operation start."

AKai immediately pressed the red button on the console. A 3D map of the Antarctic sky popped up on the screen, with the Observer Mothership's position marked by a red light point and the surrounding frigates clearly visible. "I've hacked into their peripheral surveillance system and cleared a covert flight path for you. Enter from below the left wing of the Observer Mothership; the shield energy is weakest there. Kate will temporarily cut the shield energy in that area when you approach."

Lin Fan turned and walked out of the core control room. On the ice outside the base, AKai had already mobilized a modified stealth fighter, which was parked in the shadow of the giant antenna. He quickly boarded the fighter and started the engine. The fighter's stealth system activated immediately, the fuselage instantly becoming transparent and blending into the surrounding ice field.

The fighter slowly ascended, flying toward the stratosphere above the Antarctic. Through the cockpit glass, Lin Fan could see the Antarctic Base below getting smaller and smaller, while the silvery-gray phantom ahead became clearer—the energy shield of the Observer Fleet, like a giant glass dome, enveloping the entire fleet.

"One thousand meters from the shield. Kate, get ready to cut the shield energy below the left wing." AKai's voice rang out in the headset.

"Received, attempting to hack the shield control system." Kate's voice carried a hint of panting; clearly, the strain was significant. "The Observer system firewall is very strong, even higher than the military's classified systems. I need a moment... Found it! Shield energy node below the left wing, cutting it now... Three, two, one, success! The window is only ten seconds, hurry!"

Lin Fan immediately pushed the throttle to the max. The fighter shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, rushing toward the gap that had instantly appeared in the shield. The ten seconds passed in a flash. The fighter skimmed the edge of the shield and charged into the fleet's perimeter, the gap behind it closing instantly and kicking up a faint ripple of energy.

As soon as he entered the fleet's perimeter, Lin Fan felt intense energy suppression. The fighter's dashboard began to flash wildly, and the energy consumption of the stealth system tripled instantly. "The energy density here is too high; the stealth system won't last long. I need to find the entrance to the Observer Mothership as soon as possible," Lin Fan said into the communicator.

"The entrance to the Observer Mothership is below the bow; it's a cargo channel. I've already hacked the channel's access control system for you. The password is temporary and valid for three minutes." Kate's voice came through, and at the same time, the microchip in the headset began transmitting the internal map of the Observer Mothership. "Note: there are two Observer guards at the entrance. Primary scan, your disguise program can fool them."

Lin Fan steered the fighter toward the area below the bow of the Observer Mothership. From a distance, he saw a huge cargo channel. Two Observers in silver-white armor stood at the entrance, guarding it motionless, the red light points on their eyes flashing slowly. He parked the fighter in a hidden corner next to the channel, shut off the engine, opened the hatch, and stepped out cautiously.

The metal deck beneath his feet was cold and hard, carrying the unique energy fluctuations of the Observers. Lin Fan deliberately adjusted his breathing and gait to keep the code frequency within him aligned with the surrounding energy fluctuations. The disguise program was running perfectly; in the Observers' field of vision, his figure was just an ordinary Observer soldier.

He walked slowly toward the entrance. The two guards didn't react at all; the red light points on their eyes didn't even glance at him. Lin Fan breathed a sigh of relief, walked to the access panel, and entered the temporary password Kate had sent. With a "beep," the door opened. The channel inside was pitch black, with only faint emergency lights flickering in the distance.

He quickly walked into the channel, and the door closed automatically behind him. The channel was long, narrow, and deep. The walls on both sides were covered with complex circuitry, and there was a surveillance camera every certain distance, but all had been hacked by Kate in advance and were in a disabled state. "I've already taken control of the peripheral surveillance system of the Observer Mothership, but I'm still trying to hack the surveillance in the core area. Now, turn right and enter Corridor 3. It leads to the Observer Mothership's energy room, and from the energy room, you can reach the core control room." Kate's voice rang out clearly in the headset.

Lin Fan followed Kate's instructions and turned right into Corridor 3. The corridor was empty, with only the echo of his footsteps on the metal floor. The air was filled with a faint metallic and energy scent. As he walked, he kept an eye on his surroundings. The interior design of the Observer Mothership was simple and cold, without any unnecessary decoration; all facilities served only a functional purpose, revealing a non-human design style everywhere.

"Attention, there are three Observer patrolmen fifty meters ahead, walking in your direction. Primary scan, the disguise program is effective. Don't make eye contact with them, just walk past them." AKai's warning came through in time.

Lin Fan immediately slowed his pace, pretending to be nonchalant, and continued to walk forward. Soon, three Observer patrolmen in silver-white armor appeared at the end of the corridor. They walked in a single file line, their steps uniform, the red light points on their eyes flashing rapidly as they scanned the surrounding environment.

Lin Fan walked past them with an expressionless face. The disguise program perfectly simulated the Observer energy frequency; the three patrolmen didn't notice a thing and walked straight past. It wasn't until their figures disappeared around the corner of the corridor that Lin Fan breathed a sigh of relief and continued to advance toward the energy room.

Just then, AKai's exaggerated laughter suddenly came through the headset: "Hahahaha, Lin Fan, Kate, listen to this! I've pulled a prank on the Observer bridge AI!"

The next second, the entire internal broadcast system of the Observer Mothership suddenly blared a familiar melody—the intro to "Gangnam Style." The infectious beat echoed through the cold metal corridor, creating a bizarre contrast with the surrounding environment.

Lin Fan almost stumbled, his mouth twitching uncontrollably. He could imagine the cold, silver-white armored beings on the Observer bridge right now, looking utterly bewildered by the infectious music that had suddenly started playing.

"AKai! What are you doing?" Kate's voice was filled with helplessness, yet she couldn't help but sound a hint of amusement. "Be careful they don't discover you. If your virus gets purged, we'll be in trouble!"

"Don't worry, don't worry," AKai's voice sounded triumphant. "This is a specially made prank virus hidden in the bottom layer of their system. They won't be able to detect it for a while. Besides, I've set it to loop. Unless they reboot the entire bridge system, it won't stop. Rebooting the system takes at least half an hour, which is plenty of time for Lin Fan to get to the core control room!"

Sure enough, the next second, sounds of chaos from the Observer bridge came through the headset: cold mechanical voices mixed with urgent commands, and the infectious music looping in the background. The scene was utterly ridiculous.

"Well done." Lin Fan couldn't help but smile. This brief moment of levity allowed his tense nerves to relax slightly. He quickened his pace and soon arrived at the door to the energy room.

The access control for the energy room was a high-level scan, which the disguise program couldn't fool. "Kate, it's your turn." Lin Fan said into the communicator.

"Received, hacking the energy room access control system. The high-level firewall is a bit tricky and needs to be cracked..." Kate's voice carried a hint of strain. Through the headset, he could hear her rapid breathing and the sound of code scrolling rapidly. "Crack successful! The door is open, but it will only last for one minute. Get in quick!"

Lin Fan immediately pushed the door open and rushed into the energy room. The interior of the energy room was immense. In the center was a massive energy core, emitting a dazzling blue light. Countless energy conduits extended from the energy core, connecting to various parts of the Observer Mothership. The surface of the conduits was covered with blue energy patterns, emitting a "buzzing" sound of electricity.

The Energy Room is the power hub of the Observer Mothership, and the Core Control Room is directly above it; you can reach it via the lift passage at the top,

Kate's voice came through, "However, the entrance to the lift passage is guarded by high-ranking Observers, and there is a core scan. Your camouflage program won't be able to fool it. I need to interfere with the scanning system first, and you take the opportunity to take out the guards."

Lin Fan looked up at the ceiling of the Energy Room and, sure enough, saw the entrance to the lift passage. Standing at the entrance were two high-ranking Observers, a size larger than ordinary Observers. Their armor was covered in complex runes, and the red light points in their eyes were even brighter, clearly indicating that their combat power far exceeded that of ordinary Observers.

"Scanning system interference initiated. Countdown: thirty seconds. After thirty seconds, the scanning system will return to normal," Kate's voice carried a hint of nervousness.

Lin Fan immediately gripped the energy rifle in his hand, crouched slightly, and prepared for battle. He could see the red light points of the two high-ranking Observers flicker suddenly; they had clearly detected the anomaly in the scanning system and began to look around vigilantly.

"Now!" Kate shouted.

Lin Fan charged out like a cheetah. The moment he moved, his camouflage program automatically disengaged, his combat suit reverted from silver-white to its original black, the code patterns on his palms lit up, and the muzzle of his energy rifle emitted a dazzling blue light.

The two high-ranking Observers reacted immediately, turning and firing at Lin Fan. Two red energy beams whistled toward him, carrying intense energy fluctuations. Lin Fan quickly sidestepped to dodge, simultaneously pulling the trigger, and two blue energy rounds shot precisely toward the chests of the two Observers.

"Clang!" The energy rounds struck the Observers' armor, emitting a harsh metallic clashing sound. Only a shallow crack was left on the armor, clearly demonstrating that the defensive strength of the high-ranking Observers' armor far exceeded that of ordinary Observers.

"Such strong defense!" Lin Fan was startled and immediately changed his strategy, using the energy pipes in the Energy Room as cover to constantly maneuver against the two Observers. His agility, combined with his control over energy that far exceeded that of ordinary people, allowed him to dodge the opponent's attacks at critical moments while seeking opportunities to counterattack.

"Kate, can you interfere with their energy output?" Lin Fan shouted into his communicator while dodging.

"I'll try!" Kate's voice came through, and the sound of her frantically typing on a keyboard could be heard in the earpiece. "Their energy cores are connected to the Observer Mothership's energy system. I can try to cut off their energy supply... Success! Their energy output has been restricted by 30%!"

The attacks from the two high-ranking Observers noticeably weakened; the red energy beams became much dimmer and slower. Lin Fan seized the opportunity and lunged forward. He switched his energy rifle to melee mode, and a sharp alloy blade popped out from the rifle body, covered in a layer of blue energy.

He slashed fiercely at the neck of one Observer. The alloy blade, carrying blue energy, easily sliced through its armor, and red energy fluid sprayed out from the wound. The Observer's red light point instantly extinguished, and its body crashed to the ground, turning into a pile of data fragments that dissipated into the air.

Seeing its companion killed, the other Observer let out an angry mechanical roar and fired wildly at Lin Fan. Lin Fan dodged quickly, circled behind it, and stabbed the alloy blade deep into its back, simultaneously activating the energy output of the energy rifle, causing blue energy to instantly surge into its body.

The Observer's body trembled violently, its red light point flickered rapidly, and finally extinguished completely, also turning into a pile of data fragments.

Lin Fan panted, wiping the sweat from his forehead. The battle had consumed quite a bit of his energy, and the code patterns on his palms had dimmed slightly. "Done, Kate. Open the lift passage."

"Received. The lift passage is open and is ascending. Estimated arrival at the Core Control Room level is in ten seconds," Kate's voice came through, carrying a hint of exhaustion. "My consumption on this end is also very high; the limiter's energy is running low. I can only help you open the first door of the Core Control Room; you'll need to handle the internal defense system yourself."

"Don't worry, I can handle it," Lin Fan said into the communicator while stepping into the lift passage.

The lift passage slowly ascended, and Lin Fan leaned against the cold metal wall, adjusting his breathing slightly. He could feel that as he got closer to the Core Control Room of the Observer Mothership, the surrounding energy fluctuations became increasingly intense. Moreover, these energy fluctuations resonated strongly with the code patterns within his body, making his body feel slightly feverish.

"Lin Fan, I can feel it. There is the energy aura of the biological mother in the Core Control Room," Kate's voice suddenly became serious. "And the energy fluctuations there are highly compatible with the energy frequency of the light sphere. The biological mother's research must be there."

Lin Fan's heart stirred. He gripped his energy rifle tighter, his eyes becoming even more determined.

Ten seconds later, the lift passage reached the Core Control Room level, and the door slowly opened. Before him was a short corridor, and at the end of the corridor was the gate of the Core Control Room. The gate was covered in complex runes and emitted a faint golden light, clearly sealed with special energy.

"This is the highest-level seal of the Observers. I cannot hack into it; you have to crack it yourself," Kate's voice came through. "The runes on the gate are compatible with the omega bloodline code within you. If you press your palm's code patterns against it, you should be able to unlock it."

Lin Fan walked up to the gate, took a deep breath, and pressed his palm against the center of the runes on the gate. The code patterns on his palm lit up, resonating strongly with the runes on the gate. Golden light and blue light intertwined, rapidly traveling along the lines of the runes.

"Hum—" The gate emitted a low vibration, and the light on the runes grew brighter and brighter. Finally, all the light converged at one point, and the gate slowly opened to the sides.

The interior of the Core Control Room was even larger than Lin Fan had imagined. In the center was a massive holographic console, surrounded by countless floating holographic screens, with dense code and data rapidly scrolling across them. In the deepest part of the control room was a transparent incubation pod, inside which floated a silver-white light sphere. The surface of the light sphere was covered in complex patterns and emitted a soft light; it was the research core left behind by the biological mother, omega.

Lin Fan slowly walked into the Core Control Room, his gaze drawn to the light sphere in the incubation pod. He could clearly feel the immense energy contained within the light sphere, and this energy was highly compatible with the code patterns within his body, the original code within Kate, and even the energy frequency of the light sphere itself, as if they were originally one.

He walked to the incubation pod and reached out, wanting to touch the light sphere. Just then, as his fingertips touched the glass of the incubation pod, an urgent warning from AKai suddenly came through his earpiece: "Lin Fan! Watch out! The Antarctic Base has suddenly lost signal! The signal for elizabeth 2.0 has also disappeared! The virtual world is starting to collapse!"

Lin Fan jerked his head up and looked at the surrounding holographic screens. The code and data that had been scrolling rapidly suddenly began to disorder; large amounts of static appeared on the screens, the lights throughout the Core Control Room began to flicker on and off, and the blue light of the energy core also became unstable.

"What's going on?" Lin Fan shouted into the communicator.

"I don't know!" AKai's voice carried panic. "All systems at the Antarctic Base have suddenly paralyzed, as if someone forcibly shut them down. The signal for elizabeth 2.0 has completely disappeared, and even the Shadow Network cannot be connected! The virtual world's servers are starting to crash, a large amount of NPC data is being lost, and the data of The Resistance left behind by Franklin is also slowly dissipating..."

Kate's voice also became urgent: "My connection to the Shadow Network is starting to weaken, the limiter's energy is nearly exhausted, and the code within me is starting to become uncontrollable... Lin Fan, I can't feel the existence of the virtual world anymore. It's really collapsing..."

Lin Fan's heart sank. He turned to look at the light sphere in the incubation pod. The patterns on the surface of the light sphere suddenly began to flash wildly, as if responding to the changes in the outside world. He quickly walked to the central holographic console and began to review the data on it. Although the code on the screen was chaotic, he still managed to find some key information.

The data showed that the Observer Mothership, the Antarctic Base, and the virtual world were originally one entity, with the three connected through the Cradle system, and elizabeth 2.0 was the core AI of this system. Once the signal for elizabeth 2.0 disappeared, the entire system would begin to collapse, the Antarctic Base would automatically shut down, the virtual world would collapse along with it, and the Observer Mothership would also lose most of its energy supply.

"It was the Observers!" Lin Fan gritted his teeth. "They knew we found the biological mother's research and deliberately shut down elizabeth 2.0, wanting to make the entire system collapse and destroy the biological mother's research!"

Just then, the door to the Core Control Room was suddenly opened, and a group of Observers in silver-white armor rushed in. Leading them was the Observer Leader. He still wore his mask, and the red light points in his eyes were brighter than before, carrying icy killing intent.

"test subject no. 97, did you think you could escape?" The Observer Leader's voice was cold and hoarse. "omega's research should never have existed. Did you think that by terminating the Purification Procedure, you could change fate? Too naive."

Lin Fan immediately gripped his energy rifle and turned to face the Observer Leader and the group of Observers, the code patterns on his palms lighting up as he prepared for battle. He knew that the real last stand had just begun.

Meanwhile, in the distant Antarctic, all the lights of the base went out completely, the giant antenna slowly sank into the ice, and the entire base was covered by a thick shell of ice, shutting down completely. In the virtual world, countless buildings began to collapse, huge cracks appeared in the sky, a large amount of NPC data turned into light points and dissipated into the air, and the once bustling virtual world was rapidly moving toward destruction.

Kate's voice in the earpiece became weaker and weaker, the blue light of the limiter completely extinguished, the code within her began to surge wildly, the transparency of her body became more and more severe, and even her voice carried a faint crackle of electrical static: "Lin Fan... I can't hold on... The code... is about to consume my consciousness..."

"Kate! Hold on!" Lin Fan shouted into the communicator, his eyes instantly turning red. "I'll find a solution right away, you must hold on!"

The Observer Leader looked at Lin Fan and let out a cold sneer: "Don't waste your effort. Her consciousness will soon be consumed by the code, turning into a mindless data entity. And you, along with her, will be buried on this planet that is about to collapse. The Sower will arrive soon, and your resistance is meaningless."

Lin Fan raised his head, a flash of determination in his eyes. He looked at the light sphere in the incubation pod, and the research data of the biological mother flashed rapidly in his mind. One line of text was particularly clear: "The light sphere, the Seed of Civilization, can be converted into a Peace Agreement, or it can be a Blade of Destruction. It requires a fully digitized life form as a carrier to activate its true power."

A fully digitized life form.

Lin Fan's gaze fell on the earpiece; Kate's voice had become intermittent and was almost about to disappear. He suddenly understood that this final foreshadowing left by the biological mother had always pointed to Kate.

Meanwhile, on the Antarctic ice field, AKai looked at the completely shut down base, looked at the rapidly collapsing virtual world on the screens, and looked at the almost vanished signal in the communicator. He slammed his fist hard onto the console, and tears fell once again. He knew that Lin Fan and Kate were currently in a desperate situation, and all he could do was pray silently, praying that they could create a miracle.

In the Core Control Room of the Observer Mothership, the Observer soldiers were slowly closing in, red energy beams gathering at the muzzles of their guns. Lin Fan leaned back against the incubation pod, his energy rifle aimed at the enemies in front of him, the code patterns on his palms glowing to the extreme, shining in harmony with the light sphere in the incubation pod.

He knew that this time, he had no way out, and he could not retreat. For Kate, for AKai, for the sacrificed Franklin, and for all life on Earth, he had to win this last stand.

Even if it costs everything.