Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 828 - 833: Because I Don’t Want to Die

Chapter 828: Chapter 833: Because I Don’t Want to Die

The person controlled by Brian slowly turned the chair around, facing him.

A man in his fifties, his face filled with fear and confusion, became even more terrified when he saw Brian, especially the gun in Brian’s hand.

"I’ll remove the tape from your mouth, remember, don’t make a noise if you don’t want to die."

Brian slowly released his hand, and the man in front of him immediately covered his own mouth firmly with his hands.

Brian was pleased and smiled, "Good, now tell me, where are the others?"

The man shook his head and then, lowering his hands, said in a low voice, "There’s no one else here, just me. What do you want? Do you want money? My wallet is on me. Please don’t hurt me; there’s no need for that, right? I beg you, I don’t want to die. Whatever you want to do, it’s fine."

Brian said in a low voice, "No one else? Why just you?"

"Because, because... it’s always just been me here, uh, there’s not much to do on night shifts, it’s enough with just one person..."

"What is your job?"

"Operational control, inspections, switching operations, uh, usually just monitoring the screens, actually, there’s not much to do. Can I get my wallet out for you? Or you could take it yourself. Please don’t hurt me, I’m begging you!"

Brian, in a low voice, asked, "Where are your colleagues?"

"They’ve gone home, of course, after their shift ends. I took over, the one on day shift definitely left."

Brian frowned and said, "Is one person enough?"

"This is a small substation, originally two people are required for the night shift, but the night shift salary is too high, and no one wants to work it, so it’s been one person for a long time."

Brian sighed and then raised his voice slightly, "Come in."

Paul came in through the door and said in a low voice, "I’ve checked, there’s no one else here."

Brian spoke to the man in front of him, "Good, you’ve saved your life. Now tell me, where is the surveillance camera controlled from, and who can see it?"

"Cameras... there’s a computer in the next room that can see them, but... the cameras have been broken for a long time. Installing cameras is pointless, not even the homeless come here."

Brian spread his hands, gestured for the person in the chair to stand up, and sat down once he had stood. Shaking his handgun, he asked, "What’s your name?"

"Michel."

"Michel, give me your phone."

After taking Michel’s phone, Brian asked indifferently, "How old are you?"

"53 years old."

"53, you have a family, children, right?"

"Yes, I have three children, the youngest is only nine years old. He... What are you trying to do?"

Brian turned the phone towards Michel with a stern face and said, "This is your youngest son, right?"

"Yes."

"You use a family photo as the wallpaper; seems like you love your family."

"Yes, I love my wife and children, and I cherish family life. I’m about to take a holiday, planning to travel abroad... of course, I also cherish my own life. Sir, I’ll do whatever you want, just tell me what to do."

Brian laughed, "Good, I like cooperative people. Let’s get to the point. Since you work here, you must know how to cause a blackout, right?"

"Uh, of course, of course."

Michel was too cooperative, and Brian was satisfied with his attitude.

"How long can you make it last?"

"That, uh, depends on how long you need."

Not only was Brian satisfied, but now he was surprised, so he looked past Michel to Paul who stood behind him.

Paul shrugged and made a gesture.

Without a word, Brian understood Paul’s meaning, which was, "With a gun in your hand, threatening someone, of course, you can do whatever you want."

Brian looked at Michel and asked, "Can you control the power grid?"

"I can’t control the power grid, but I can control this substation and cause a blackout in the area it covers. If you need, um, I might be able to extend the area and scale of the blackout."

"Ten minutes, can you do that?"

"Ten minutes? No problem! Of course, no problem!"

Brian was surprised again and asked, "Can’t the power be rerouted though? Even if it goes out here, other substations can supply power, right?"

"That’s true, but it’s still no problem."

"How?"

"I’ll forcibly switch it off manually, so the area that this substation powers will experience a blackout. Then other substations will immediately try to redistribute electricity to my area, but then I can divert the mains electricity to overload another substation’s lines, quickly causing it to overload. As a result, the other substation will shut down automatically to protect itself, leading to a chain reaction. If it’s by accident, the blackout won’t last long, at most a few seconds before power is restored, but if I deliberately cause it, it can last a very long time."

Brian asked, "Can the blackout last for half an hour?"

"No problem."

"How long at most?"

Michel thought for a moment and said, "That depends on when someone comes to deal with the emergency. I think roughly an hour, but if they can’t find the responsible person, or if the responsible person has had too much to drink, it might not be restored until tomorrow. As long as I’m here controlling it, the blackout can continue indefinitely, and the scale of the blackout can keep growing."

Brian thought for a moment and then asked, "Why are you being so cooperative?"

"Because I don’t want to die..."

Michel’s answer was confident and irrefutable.

Brian nodded, "If you cause an abnormal blackout following my instructions, and it’s entirely your fault, aren’t you worried about the consequences? Like getting fired, so I think you might call the police."

Michel looked insulted and exclaimed loudly, "Am I crazy? Sir, am I crazy? Why would I call the police? It’s not like I’m stupid. You know my name, you have my phone, I would definitely be worried about retaliation if I reported you, so why would I call? As for causing a big blackout, so what? Who doesn’t make mistakes?"

"Even getting fired doesn’t bother you?"

Michel laughed, then speaking gravely, said, "Sir, I’m from the French Electrical Grid Union. Getting fired? Impossible."

Seeing the look of ’I knew it’ on Brian’s face, Michel tried to appear even more relaxed, smiling, "So it all depends on what you need from me. I don’t mind causing a bit of trouble, the company can’t fire me for that. If they have me retire early or change my work position, ha, that would be more than welcome."