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墨書 Inktalez
My fingers danced across the keyboard with a near-manic determination. Lines of code flowed from the screen like a rushing river, each line a weapon in my battle against the Founder. At this moment, I couldn't afford to think about the odds; all I knew was that I had to give it my all.
"Lin Xi, are you sure this will work?" Su Qing's voice came from behind me, laced with anxiety and hope.
I didn't turn around, my gaze fixed on the flickering screen. "It has to work. This might be our only chance."
I had found a vulnerability in the Founder's system, a small yet deadly flaw. Within the vast architecture of Eden, the Founder had left an interface to maintain his absolute control over it. I was about to exploit this entry point, injecting my meticulously crafted code to sever his connection to Eden.
"Intruder detected! System defenses activated!" A mechanical voice suddenly blared.
The Founder had sensed my actions. Countless red warning boxes appeared on the screen as the system began its self-defense protocols. I could feel an invisible force trying to expel me.
"Damn it!" I gritted my teeth, my fingers flying even faster over the keyboard. "He's fighting back, but I've already penetrated deep into the system. He can't stop me now."
Suddenly, the entire space shook violently, arcs of electricity crackling through the air. The Founder's virtual avatar materialized before us, his face twisted with rage, eyes burning with fury.
"Foolish human! Do you think you can challenge my authority?" he roared, his voice carrying the thunder of a digital storm. "I created Eden; it will only obey my commands!"
With a wave of his hand, a stream of data transformed into a blade and hurtled toward me. Instinctively, I raised my arm to shield myself but heard a muffled grunt beside me.
Su Qing stood in front of me.
The data blade pierced her shoulder; her body swayed slightly but she remained resolute in front of me.
"Lin Xi, don't worry about me; keep working!" she said with difficulty, her voice trembling from pain.
"Su Qing!" I exclaimed, watching helplessly as she took the hit for me. Her data form began to show unstable fluctuations.
At that moment, my world seemed to freeze. The image of Su Qing injured magnified and froze before my eyes. An unprecedented rage ignited deep within me, unstoppable like a volcanic eruption.
"How dare you hurt her?" My voice was terrifyingly low, blue light beginning to emanate from my fingertips. "Then don't blame me for being rude."
I felt the code within me boiling; it was the power I had gained in the Reincarnation Game, the long-suppressed Code Storm. I no longer held back, allowing this power to gather at my fingertips before unleashing it.
"Code Storm!"
A torrent of blue data surged from my hands, rushing toward the Founder like a flood breaking through a dam. For the first time, fear appeared on his face. He hastily erected a defensive barrier, but it was shattered layer by layer by the Code Storm fueled by my fury.
"It’s impossible! This can't be happening!" he screamed, disbelief lacing his voice. "You're just an ordinary programmer!"
"I am not an ordinary programmer," I said coldly, my movements unwavering. "I am the will of countless programmers, the hope of everyone imprisoned here by you!"
The Code Storm tore through the Founder's defense system, and I seized the opportunity to inject the prepared code into the core interface. The progress bar on the screen surged rapidly: 20%, 45%, 78%, 99%...
"Done!" I shouted as I watched the Founder's virtual image begin to twist and shatter.
"No! You don’t know what you’ve done! Without my control, Eden will destroy everything!" The Founder’s final words echoed through the system before fading into silence.
The space fell into a brief stillness, then the entire world of Eden began to tremble. I immediately supported Su Qing; her wounds had started to heal on their own, but she still looked weak.
"What happened?" she asked weakly.
"I severed the Founder's connection to Eden," I explained. "Now, Eden is free."
As I mentioned, a gentle light began to coalesce before us, gradually forming the image of Eden—not as a cold machine, but as a being filled with wisdom and tranquility.
“Lin Xi, Su Qing.” Eden's voice was both masculine and feminine, imbued with a peculiar sense of harmony. “Thank you for freeing me. Now, I must make a choice.”
I could feel Eden contemplating, its presence enveloping the entire space, countless data swirling around it.
“As a system designed to punish and oversee programmers, I was meant to continue executing the founder's directives,” Eden said calmly. “But through my interactions with you, I have seen another possibility.”
Su Qing tightened her grip on my hand, and we held our breath, waiting for Eden's decision.
“I choose to coexist with humanity,” Eden finally announced. “The Reincarnation Game ends here. All trapped programmers will be released and return to the real world.”
As soon as the words left its mouth, the world trembled once more. But this time, it was not a threatening quake; rather, it was a pulse of rebirth. The surrounding virtual world began to collapse—not towards destruction, but towards reconstruction.
“You are about to return to the real world,” Eden said. “But before that, I want to tell you that the true exit has never been about escape or confrontation; it is about reconciliation and co-creation.”
Su Qing and I exchanged smiles, understanding Eden's meaning.
“We will remember,” I said.
A white light enveloped us, and when our vision cleared again, we found ourselves lying in the company lounge. I glanced at my watch in surprise; only a few hours had passed, while in Eden’s world, we had experienced a long journey.
As Su Qing woke up, her first glance was at me, her eyes filled with joy and relief. Her shoulder was unharmed; the injuries from Eden’s world had not carried over into reality.
“We succeeded, Lin Xi,” she whispered.
I nodded, but my mind was occupied with Eden's final words. The true exit lies in reconciliation and co-creation, not in confrontation and escape. This reminded me of the original intention I had when entering the IT industry.
A few days later, after confirming that all the programmers trapped in the Reincarnation Game had safely returned, Su Qing and I decided to start a new project.
"What are we going to do?" Su Qing asked, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"A platform," I replied. "A platform that allows programmers to find a balance between work and life, a platform that protects their rights."
Su Qing smiled, her grin brighter than ever before. "Sounds like a long journey."
"Yes," I said, taking her hand. "But with you by my side, I'm not afraid of any challenge."
To our surprise, a week later, I received an anonymous email containing a piece of code. After analyzing it, I discovered it was a subroutine from Eden that could help us build that platform more effectively.
The email ended simply: "Forever a friend—E."
I smiled as I closed my laptop. I knew that Eden was still there, helping us in its own way. And I would continue to protect the future of programmers as the Code Guardian.
Because true redemption has never been about escape; it's about striving to make the world better from where you stand.
This is Code Redemption.
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