Blackstone Code-Chapter 646: The Blackout

“I have a feeling something’s going to happen tonight…”

Sitting in his study, the president of the chamber of commerce turned to look at the gloomy sky outside, worry written all over his face. He couldn’t explain where this ominous feeling came from, or why it haunted him so strongly.

After watching the dark night for a while, he withdrew his gaze and looked at the butler standing by the door, always ready to serve. “Is someone watching Lynch?”

The butler gave a slight bow. “Yes, sir. I’ve already arranged it. If anything happens, we’ll be informed immediately.”

He didn’t continue, which meant nothing unusual had happened—yet.

A heavy sense of dread weighed on the president’s chest like a boulder. His heart occasionally skipped a beat, each misstep sending a terrifying wave of weakness through his body—a sensation that felt like brushing past death itself.

Was that what death felt like? He thought it might be.

Unable to sit still, he stood up and walked to the window, staring out into the dark sky. With a heavy sigh, he muttered, “It’s going to rain.”

“Yes, sir. Summer has arrived.”

Indeed, summer had arrived. In coastal areas like this, sudden storms were common.

“Have the courtyard lights turned on. And increase the patrols tonight.” He turned and headed for the door. Restless, unable to read or work, he decided to retire early.

He didn’t explain why the lights should be turned on or why patrols needed to be doubled. Deep down, he was afraid.

Though the Imperial District was full of Gephran citizens, their actual combat strength was worrying. In contrast, the Federation’s military prowess had drawn attention once again.

He… surely wouldn’t go that far, would he?

This was Zhuris, the capital of the Amellian province—the very core of power. Lynch wouldn’t do anything reckless… would he?

The chamber president hadn’t yet realized that his anxiety and rush to retreat to the safety of his bedroom stemmed from a deep sense of insecurity. He had cut Lynch’s water and power—he had no choice.

The governor had made his expectations clear: if he didn’t take a side, he’d end up alienating both. Only by acting decisively could he earn true protection.

He changed into his pajamas, grabbed a random book, got into bed, and forced himself to read.

Gradually, the words drew him in, and for a time, he forgot his unease.

Just then, a loud clap of thunder exploded overhead, as if the sky itself had been split open.

Torrential rain poured down, blurring everything outside the window. The clouds seemed close enough to touch.

Oddly, the storm calmed him. No one would be wandering around in this weather. He shook his head, a mocking smile on his lips—mocking his own cowardice.

He returned to bed, picked up his book, and was about to resume reading when suddenly, the room went dark.

A flash of lightning snaked through the sky, briefly illuminating the world before everything plunged back into darkness.

A delayed thunderclap shook the house, startling him. He fumbled toward the door barefoot.

The bedroom door opened—it was the butler.

Behind him stood two maids holding trays with six silver candelabras, each holding a dozen candles.

The warm glow returned to the room. The president’s hand trembled slightly as he placed it on the butler’s arm, trying to steady his voice. “Was there a fault in the wiring?”

He remembered the thunder earlier. Lightning often damaged power lines; it happened often in Gephra.

The butler shook his head and stepped back, keeping a respectful distance. “I’ve sent someone to check, but I don’t think it’s on our end. If you notice, the same seems to have happened elsewhere too.”

The president froze and rushed to the window. The entire city was pitch black.

He flung the window open and leaned out. Rain instantly soaked him. Everywhere he looked, it was complete darkness.

A blackout!

How could this happen?

To ensure uninterrupted power to the Imperial District, Governor Sedel had cut 80% of the city’s power grid to prioritize this area. The last remaining power plant had been heavily fortified, with guard posts, machine gun nests, and reinforced structures.

Nothing should have gone wrong.

He… really dared to do it?

He suddenly remembered sabotaging Lynch’s power lines and damaging his water pipes under the pretense of roadwork. Was this his retaliation?

But… would he really sabotage the city’s last power plant in revenge? Wasn’t he afraid the governor would hang him in the plaza?

The storm outside felt demonic, chilling him to the bone.

Gephra’s telecom systems weren’t much more advanced than the Federation’s. Power was still needed at the terminal. Without it, even the phones were dead.

And so, the entire city’s communications collapsed. No one knew what had happened at the power plant.

With the heavy rain and total blackout, no one dared go investigate—not even Governor Sedel.

He had been reviewing intelligence when the lights went out. By the time he realized what was happening, the phone lines were already dead.

Now he stood by the window, staring into the night, his face as dark as the weather outside. He hadn’t expected Lynch to strike back so quickly and so fiercely.

And yet, he could do nothing. The governor’s mansion had tightened security; who knew if rebel forces might try to infiltrate the Imperial District?

Now, all the people in the Imperial District could do was wait quietly for dawn.

In the darkness, Lynch stood calmly, watching the rain. Unlike the others whose faces were clouded with anxiety, his wore only a smile.

Cut my power?

Then we all go dark!

The next morning, the governor’s office dispatched people to the power plant. The news wasn’t good—several generators had been damaged, and about a third of them were beyond repair.

As for the rest of the generators, even salvaging parts from damaged units would take several days to complete repairs. During that time, everyone would have to endure the oppressive darkness.

If the power outage was one part of the problem, the water shortage was another. Without electricity, none of the systems could operate, and naturally, the city could no longer be supplied with water.

Everything had spiraled into chaos after the power plant was attacked by anti-government forces. Signs of unrest had begun to surface in parts of the city outside the Imperial District.

Even in broad daylight, brief bursts of gunfire could be heard. The capital city of Zhuris had once again enforced curfews and strict controls.

All of this made one thing clear: it might be easy to target Lynch, but the cost would be painful.

No one dared move against Lynch. Putting aside whether it was even possible to harm him, the chain reaction from such an act could easily push things into uncontrollable territory.

So even though Governor Sedel had his suspicions—firmly believing Lynch was involved in all of this—he still couldn’t do anything about it, especially without any concrete evidence linking Lynch to the events.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Governor Sedel’s son had already set foot on federal soil.

The journey from Amellia to the Federation was short. Crossing the Upperlier Strait and heading north led directly to the southern coast of the Federation—it could be done in a day.

As the son of Amellian Province’s governor, the young man—still publicly unnamed—caused a stir the moment he arrived. The Federal Security Council and Intelligence Bureau were both alerted, and the local security council sent agents to make initial contact.

If he was there to cause trouble, they’d issue a warning: don’t do anything stupid—if you did, you’d get caught.

If he was there for something legitimate, agents would assist him, ensuring he wouldn’t run into danger while in the Federation.

This wasn’t Gephra—being a noble didn’t grant immunity. In the eyes of the local gangs, as long as the payoff was big enough and they could survive the consequences, there was nothing they wouldn’t dare do.

When two agents approached the young man from Amellia, he seemed entirely unfazed, almost as if he had expected them. There was even a faint smile on his face.

“Good morning, gentlemen. I’m here to talk business—big business.”

“So you’d best report this up the chain quickly. Let’s not waste each other’s time.”