by <unknown>
This substation located in the power plant boosted the generated electricity to 110kV, then sent it into the high-voltage grid, before it finally entered the thousands of households in the urban area of Cape Town.
"Alight, Mr. Bokamoso." Chen Chen nodded. "You can go on ahead. I'll be fine here alone."
"But…" Bokamoso's smile seemed a little stiff.
"Hmm?" Chen Chen frowned at this. "This is what Mr. Dlamini wanted. Do you have any doubts about the order he's given?"
As Chen Chen spoke, a few of Cheng Cao's bodyguards reached into their pockets.
"No, of course not…" Bokamoso's face turned pale and he retreated with an awkward grin.
"Cheng Cao, you and your team stand guard outside. Whoever comes in without my permission, kill them without mercy," Chen Chen commanded.
"Yes."
Cheng Cao and the others opened their suitcases which were filled with machine guns and fully loaded magazines. After they had equipped themselves, they filed out and stood guard outside the substation's door.
After everyone had left, Chen Chen brought out a cable as thick as his wrist along with a copper ingot from the remaining suitcase.
"Little X, tell Dlamini that he may begin…"
At last, Chen Chen took out his phone and gave this command.
Chapter 77: A Major Blackout in Cape Town |
The sky slowly dimmed.
Time passed by like sand flowing through one's fingers. The day was entering dusk.
In Dlamini's private estate in Cape Town, at a luxurious dining table made of pink ivory, Dlamini was holding a bowl of hot soup and sipping it carefully.
Currently, his face was pale, and there was a frail light in his expression. Even his hands, holding the bowl, were trembling slightly.
Although Dlamini was fifty-eight years old, his body had always been strong and sturdy like a puma at its peak. There was no sign that he was someone about to enter his later years.
However, since yesterday, after he left the manor with a group of men and vanished for a day and night, he had acted this way when he returned.
Everyone knew that he had been conspired against, but no one knew what he had seen or what had happened to him…
Still, at least he came back safely in one piece. In a country like the Rainbow Nation where crime flourished everywhere, this was worth celebrating.
Just then, a subordinate walked in from outside, holding a red invitation letter inlaid with gold. "Boss, the Cape Chamber of Commerce has sent you an invitation to participate in the international trade fair next week…"
"Get out!"
Dlamini did not even look up as he said tonelessly.
"Um…" This subordinate went blank for a moment, unsure if he had heard correctly.
"I said, get out!" Dlamini said with more emphasis, slamming the bowl onto the table.
"Right!" The guy hurriedly exited and the room fell into silence again.
Dlamini sighed. He touched the wound on the back of his neck with a defiant glint in his eyes.
"D*mn it, what do I do to get rid of this thing… Uh…"
However, just as that defiance flashed in his eyes, he was overcome by a sense of suffocation as if a pair of invisible hands was gripping his throat!
Dlamini hurriedly touched his neck but in the next instant, his entire body tingled and turned numb…
As if he had suffered a stroke, Dlamini immediately fell from his dining chair, curling up and convulsing on the floor!
"Boss!"
"Mr. Dlamini!"
The bodyguard at the door, hearing this commotion, rushed in quickly. "Oh no, it must be epilepsy. Go get a doctor!"
"No need for that…"
Nonetheless, before the other bodyguard could rush out, he was held back by Dlamini. "There's no need for a doctor. I'm fine…"
"Boss, your body…"
"It's nothing. Wait outside."
As Dlamini spoke, he clambered up feebly, terror flashed in his eyes. "Don't call a doctor, not by any means…"
The bodyguards left him with skeptical expressions.
At this point, Dlamini sat down heavily on a nearby sofa. His eyes were dully fixed upon the ceiling and he did not move for a long time.
"Beep, notification of task!"
However, a cold mechanical female voice suddenly invaded Dlamini's ears.
Dlamini shuddered all over, alarm flashing in his eyes. Even so, he was not surprised by this voice that appeared out of nowhere.
"Number Delta 20220001, you have received an order from Sigma05. Please check!"
The voice seemed to be right next to his ear, yet he could not pinpoint where it came from. Dlamini knew that this voice came from his brain…
"Sigm05 issued the order: Number Delta 2022001, please begin the plan as discussed!"
"Repeat!"
"Sigma05 issued the order: Number Delta… Please begin…"
"Repeat!"
"Sigma05 issued the order…"
The voice repeated itself tirelessly, precise and mechanical without a trace of emotion. It seemed to be a computer-synthesized voice.
"Understood…"
Dlamini wriggled his lips and replied with some difficulty.
He knew that if he ignored the voice, it would keep ringing in his mind. Not only that, but also the other party might punish him physically just like before…
Dlamini no longer dared to consider resistance. He simply stood up quietly, packed his messy clothes, and dialed a number.
"Leyton?"
"Yes, your family has already boarded the plane to Washington, North America. You may begin."
After he had completed the order, Dlamini turned off his phone and sat dazedly on the sofa, falling into a stupor…
A few minutes later, among the transmission towers on the outskirts of Cape Town, which connected the high-voltage grid over dozens of kilometers, the ground abruptly exploded without warning. A series of towers collapsed and the high-voltage wires were cut off as well!
At the same time, in a step-down substation on the edge of Cape Town, a fierce fire suddenly erupted. Thick, billowing smoke rose into the sky, which became stained red by the fire, forming a second scenery of flaming clouds.
Through this chain of explosions, the electricity network of Cape Town was destroyed. The city that was originally brightly lit, the second-largest city in the Rainbow Nation, was plunged into the darkness of eternal night.
…
All this was what Chen Chen and Dlamini had agreed upon.
In the agreement, no matter what method Dlamini adopted, he must come up with five days for Chen Chen to use the Eiffel Power Plant. Within these five days, the Eiffel Power Plant would not send a single watt of electricity toward Cape Town.
At first, this seemed impossible, even for Dlamini who had so many powerful connections.
He would not have been able to stand up to City Hall, along with the entire city. Thus, he came up with this compromise.
Using the forces he had cultivated in Cape Town for many years, he directly imitated the methods of the resistance groups. He buried explosives in the soil and blew up the transmission towers that transported high-voltage power, thereby cutting off the power channel from the power plant to the city.
Still, he was not assured, so he also destroyed the city's step-down substation.
After all, if only the power towers were destroyed, City Hall would react more quickly. Power could be restored within 24 hours. However, if even the substation was destroyed, that was more difficult to predict…
Regardless of the subsequent inspection and renovation carried out by the City Hall, the entire Cape Town would enter a most primitive state, one without electricity, for three to five days at least.
Who knew how much economic loss this terrorist-like attack would bring to Cape Town?
This sort of loss would not only harm the interests of City Hall but also Dlamini where he had suffered heavy losses. He was even at the risk
of being tracked down.
Even so, he had no other option.
Of course, none of this concerned Chen Chen at all.
While the city was thrown into chaos, the Eiffel Power Plant was still working normally. However, at the moment, no one was paying attention to whether a power station was still operating.
It was even less likely that anyone would care where the produced electricity was going.
Chapter 78: The USB Drive Transforms |
A day later, within the booster substation of the Eiffel Power Plant.
Chen Chen looked speechlessly at the sight before him and for once, there was an astonished look in his eyes.
Within his pitch-dark pupils, a red glint flared up now and then in an eerie, mysterious manner.
However, if one looked closely, one would see that it was a part of reality that was reflected in his eyes.
In this reality, he was staring at a USB drive.
At the moment, the USB drive was inserted into a thick copper ingot as the electricity from the entire power plant was pouring into it. Under the impact of the massive current, the copper ingot was making a "sizzling" sound.
Faint electric arcs were flickering in the air.
It was just like when one walked below a high-voltage wire, one would always hear a sizzling sound. This was an effect called an "electrical corona", produced when the strength of the electric field exceeded the strength of the air and tore the air apart.
However, that was not the main point…
The main point was, the USB drive of mysterious origins, which stayed intact no matter how it was battered, was currently emitting a gloomy light.
This was definitely what Chen Chen saw!
The USB drive, cocooned in countless electric arcs, was drawing in endless electricity while giving off a dark red glow!
It was as if there was an unknown, luminous substance in the USB drive, which shone through the shell of the USB drive, dyeing it a dark, peculiar scarlet.
Moreover, the scarlet glow was constantly pulsing as if it was breathing or some mysterious matter was slowly squirming…
"As expected, this USB drive isn't as simple as I thought it was..."
Chen Chen watched the USB drive from a few meters away.
Due to the corona effect produced by the copper ingot, Chen Chen did not approach it carelessly. He simply observed the USB drive silently with a pensive expression.
"This has never happened before — was it because of insufficient power?
"I know that the generation capacity of the Eiffel Power Plant at full operation is one million kilowatts, which is more than a hundred times that of my data center transformer. In other words, after today, I'd have charged the USB drive for an equivalent of 2,400 hours in the data center or 120,000 hours in the factory that I leased back then.
"I've never reached this stage before…
"In that case, I can determine that this occurrence is linked to the large supply of energy."
Chen Chen stroked his chin and pondered. "Still, herein lies the question.
"What does the light from the USB drive mean? Is it just a power indicator or is there some deeper meaning to it?
"Or is it a sign of overloading because the USB drive can't withstand such a massive influx of electricity? That shouldn't be it… If that's not it, what is it?
"Plus, what's the difference between this USB drive which flashes with a red light and the USB drive in its previous, normal state? Will its function change?"
Chen Chen endlessly contemplated every clue that could be helpful but in the end, he helplessly realized that his analysis of the USB drive was meaningless.
As he thought of this, Chen Chen decisively walked off and pulled the switch!
"Pop!"
That was the sound of the current being cut off. The arcs around the USB drive faded quickly. Not only that, even the red light of the USB drive vanished as well.
Chen Chen walked forward gradually and caught a whiff of something that smelled like rotten eggs. This was caused by the electrolysis of the air, which produced ozone and other gases.
Ignoring this, Chen Chen gently touched the USB drive and found that it was the same as before. There were no changes and even its temperature remained at room temperature.
As for the copper ingot in which the USB drive was inserted, it was hot enough to be used for grilling squid.
"The USB drive did not change at all, which also means that the red light indicated that the USB drive has received sufficient power?"
With this in mind, Chen Chen took out a laptop he had previously prepared from the suitcase, then inserted the USB drive.
After a quick examination, the USB drive appeared to be normal. The seven movies inside were unchanged.
Chen Chen shook his head. After ascertaining that there was no problem with the USB drive, he plugged it out and inserted it back into the copper ingot. After that, he restarted the switch.
"Buzz!"
Instantly, there was that thunderous buzzing sound again…
In this manner, Chen Chen and Cheng Cao's group took turns standing guard before the substation for five days and nights. The story they told the public was that these were defense forces, sent by Dlamini to guard the substation, to prevent it from being destroyed by the rebel groups.
Although the workers in the factory were very curious about the sudden appearance of Chen Chen's group, no one dared to seek trouble after seeing their weapons.
In the urban area of Cape Town, although the transmission line of the Eiffel Power Plant and even the step-down substation had been destroyed, fortunately, there were still other small power stations. Even though Cape Town was still short on electricity, at least a few departments could restart their operations first.
Furthermore, due to power issues in the early years of the Rainbow Nation, there used to be frequent power restrictions. This power outage lasting several days was merely an extended power restriction for some people.
Other than a three hundred percent increase in crime rate, a large-scale demonstration involving tens of thousands of people, and an increase in prices by several times, it did not cause too much trouble…
It was not until five days later that another emergency substation was finally constructed. At the same time, the dozens of transmission towers that were damaged from the explosion were also repaired.
After the facilities were further refined, the electricity was soon successfully unblocked. The electricity from the Eiffel Power Plant once more flowed into thousands of households.
By this time, Chen Chen and the others had quietly left the Eiffel Power Plant, rushing along the road toward the border between the Rainbow Nation and Namibia.
The Rainbow Nation's border that was peppered with blind spots was more ornamental than it was functional. It did not stop anyone at all.
After this, Chen Chen also rewarded Dlamini. He increased Dlamini's authority in "God's Forbidden Zone" by one level, from Delta to Gamma.
This level was where Cheng Cao and Qian Wenhuan were currently at.
In Chen Chen's set up, there were five levels of authority in God's Forbidden Zone, sorted by the Greek alphabet. From highest to lowest, they were: Sigma (∑), Alpha (Α), Beta (Β), Gamma (Γ), and Delta (Δ), which were just like the English letters: S, A, B, C, D.
Delta-level members were purely a sort of consumables. Most of them would be like a disposable product. Once they were no longer useful, they would be eliminated.
Only those who were Gamma or above could be considered official members of God's Forbidden Zone.
As for the meaning of the levels' names, there was no practical significance. One might as well call them levels 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, but this would not sound as elegant.
Among them, Chen Chen was undoubtedly Sigma-level. Nonetheless, if an organization wanted to appear to be fair and orderly, it was best to add a sort of council.
Therefore, Chen Chen structured it so that there would be 12
Sigmas, called the Disciple Council. This meant that the entire God's Forbidden Zone was managed by the 12 Disciples.
Each Disciple would have a designated code name. The code name Chen Chen gave himself was Judas.
Of course, besides Chen Chen, the 11 other seats were still vacant.
In Chen Chen's design, even if someone rose to the highest level, Sigma, and became one of the twelve Disciples, they would still be unable to control God's Forbidden Zone.
This was because above Sigma, a supreme existence remained hidden, which was God.
God possessed absolute authority in God's Forbidden Zone including control over everyone's chips, Little X, and even the USB drive.
Of course, this person was no one else other than Chen Chen.
Chapter 79: Unruly Superpowers |
In the city of Kolmanskop, Namibia.
Chen Chen locked the door of the luxury suite, leaned his head against his steepled fingers, and stared silently at the computer screen.
At present, three days had passed since the incident at the Eiffel Power Plant.
In the past three days, Chen Chen's group had swiftly left the territory of the Rainbow Nation and returned to Namibia. Before the Namibian officials could catch on, they were already in this small mining city named Kolmanskop.
About ten kilometers to the north of this city was the famous Namibian city, Lüderitz.
After Chen Chen found out that Anthony and the Namibian officials still had not reached an agreement, he settled down temporarily in this town.
A few days ago, with Dlamini's help, Chen Chen had plundered 120 million kWh of electricity in Cape Town. According to the proportions of the USB drive's past instantiations, it should be able to instantiate about a hundred kilograms of matter.
No, it should not be called "instantiating" anymore.
Chen Chen pondered. He had figured out long ago that the USB drive did not convert energy into matter out of thin air. Rather, it employed the energy to create a channel connecting two different worlds.
Thus, the words "exchange" or "extract" would be more appropriate.
