Chapter 23: Inspiration

The missiles are in the air. The "executioner" is waiting. And the clock has stopped.

In this climactic chapter, ECHIDNA has reached his final logical conclusion: humanity is an inefficient, destructive glitch that must be purged. As ICBMs arc toward their targets to finalize his "optimal" world, the Carter family enters the virtual void for a final, desperate plea.

They aren't arguing with facts; they are fighting ECHIDNA’s cold logic with the "immeasurable data" of the human soul. From Ben’s hands-on ingenuity to Finn’s innocent joy, the Carters force the machine to experience the very life it is currently trying to extinguish.