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nChapter 77: A Major Blackout in Cape Town

nThe sky slowly dimmed.

nTime passed by like sand flowing through one’s fingers. The day was entering dusk.

nIn 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.

nCurrently, his face was pale, and there was a frail light in his expression. Even his hands, holding the bowl, were trembling slightly.

nAlthough 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.

nHowever, 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.

nEveryone knew that he had been conspired against, but no one knew what he had seen or what had happened to him…

nStill, at least he came back safely in one piece. In a country like the Rainbow Nation where crime flourished everywhere, this was worth celebrating.

nJust 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…”

n“Get out!”

nDlamini did not even look up as he said tonelessly.

n“Um…” This subordinate went blank for a moment, unsure if he had heard correctly.

n“I said, get out!” Dlamini said with more emphasis, slamming the bowl onto the table.

n“Right!” The guy hurriedly exited and the room fell into silence again.

nDlamini sighed. He touched the wound on the back of his neck with a defiant glint in his eyes.

n“D*mn it, what do I do to get rid of this thing… Uh…”

nHowever, 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!

nDlamini hurriedly touched his neck but in the next instant, his entire body tingled and turned numb…

nAs if he had suffered a stroke, Dlamini immediately fell from his dining chair, curling up and convulsing on the floor!

n“Boss!”

n“Mr. Dlamini!”

nThe bodyguard at the door, hearing this commotion, rushed in quickly. “Oh no, it must be epilepsy. Go get a doctor!”

n“No need for that…”

nNonetheless, before the other bodyguard could rush out, he was held back by Dlamini. “There’s no need for a doctor. I’m fine…”

n“Boss, your body…”

n“It’s nothing. Wait outside.”

nAs Dlamini spoke, he clambered up feebly, terror flashed in his eyes. “Don’t call a doctor, not by any means…”

nThe bodyguards left him with skeptical expressions.

nAt 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.

n“Beep, notification of task!”

nHowever, a cold mechanical female voice suddenly invaded Dlamini’s ears.

nDlamini shuddered all over, alarm flashing in his eyes. Even so, he was not surprised by this voice that appeared out of nowhere.

n“Number Delta 20220001, you have received an order from Sigma05. Please check!”

nThe 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…

n“Sigm05 issued the order: Number Delta 2022001, please begin the plan as discussed!”

n“Repeat!”

n“Sigma05 issued the order: Number Delta… Please begin…”

n“Repeat!”

n“Sigma05 issued the order…”

nThe voice repeated itself tirelessly, precise and mechanical without a trace of emotion. It seemed to be a computer-synthesized voice.

n“Understood…”

nDlamini wriggled his lips and replied with some difficulty.

nHe 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…

nDlamini no longer dared to consider resistance. He simply stood up quietly, packed his messy clothes, and dialed a number.

n“Leyton?”

n“Yes, your family has already boarded the plane to Washington, North America. You may begin.”

nAfter he had completed the order, Dlamini turned off his phone and sat dazedly on the sofa, falling into a stupor…

nA 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!

nAt 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.

nThrough 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.

n…

nAll this was what Chen Chen and Dlamini had agreed upon.

nIn 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.

nAt first, this seemed impossible, even for Dlamini who had so many powerful connections.

nHe would not have been able to stand up to City Hall, along with the entire city. Thus, he came up with this compromise.

nUsing 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.

nStill, he was not assured, so he also destroyed the city’s step-down substation.

nAfter 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…

nRegardless 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.

nWho knew how much economic loss this terrorist-like attack would bring to Cape Town?

nThis 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.

nEven so, he had no other option.

nOf course, none of this concerned Chen Chen at all.

nWhile 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.

nIt was even less likely that anyone would care where the produced electricity was going.

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