Dove watched the monitor intently, her brow furrowed in concentration. "This is getting intense," she murmured, a nervous tremor in her voice.
Back in the basement, Yolan had finished shrinking all the documents and packed them into the large bag. She approached me, a curious look on her face.
"Xian..." she began, but I didn't hear the rest of her words.
My eyes were glued to the old phone in my hand, where a familiar message flashed across the screen:
[./devicedestroyer -start -m 60 -packageoverload]
I pressed Enter and quickly backed away.
[start sending packages to device...]
A series of beeps and whirs emanated from the phone as it began to execute the script. I recalled Gilg's instructions:
"This phone is old and susceptible to a denial-of-service attack, It'll overheat, and because the charger is faulty, it will generate excessive heat internally. Once it reaches a critical temperature, it'll short-circuit the electrical system and cause a blackout."
A sinister grin spread across my face.
Just then, Yolan's voice cut through my thoughts. "Xian, what's going on?"
"Just a little... surprise," I replied, my eyes fixed on the phone as it began to vibrate violently.
Click! Click! The old phone's screen flickered erratically, its processor straining under the onslaught of data packets. A burning smell filled the air as the device began to overheat.
BOOM!
The phone exploded, shattering into a dozen pieces. A wave of darkness swept through the warehouse, plunging the entire cluster of buildings into a sudden blackout.
Back in the apartment, Gilg and Dove were jolted by the sudden power outage.
"Shit!" Gilg cursed, his monitor going dark.
"Oh no... how are we going to contact them now?" Dove panicked, her eyes darting around the room.
"We'll just have to hope they're alright," Gilg said, his voice grim. He bit his lip, his mind racing through contingency plans.
Meanwhile, back in the warehouse, Yolan and I exchanged a satisfied grin. We quickly ascended the stairs to a second-story window, peering out into the darkness to see if Asmar had emerged from his house.
The street was shrouded in shadows, making it difficult to see anything clearly.
"Ugh, it's too dark," Yolan complained. "I can barely make out anything."
I squinted, trying to adjust my eyes to the darkness. "We'll just have to wait and see," I whispered.
We held our breath, our senses heightened as we listened for any sound that might betray Asmar's presence. Minutes ticked by, each one stretching into an eternity.
Suddenly, a light flickered in the distance. It was the glow of a flashlight, bobbing erratically as it approached the house.
"There he is!" Yolan whispered excitedly. "He's heading for the breaker box!"
I strained my eyes, trying to make out Asmar's figure in the darkness. He was moving quickly, his movements hurried and agitated.
"This is our chance," I whispered back. "Let's go."
We slipped out of the warehouse and crept towards the house, our footsteps silent on the soft grass. The darkness cloaked our movements, shielding us from Asmar's view.
We entered the house through an unlocked window, our hearts pounding with adrenaline. Yolan guided me towards Asmar's bedroom, her knowledge of the house layout surprisingly accurate.
The first thing we found was his wallet, lying on the bedside table. I snatched it up, eager to find any incriminating evidence. Yolan left a note on the pillow, its message a chilling warning: "Find us, or go to jail."
We continued searching, our eyes darting around the room. Then, I saw it: the gun, the murder weapon, tucked away in a hidden compartment beneath the bed. I grabbed it, my hands trembling slightly as I placed it in Yolan's bag.
"Is that everything?" Yolan whispered.
We both nodded.
We moved to the window, ready to make our escape.
"Yolan, watch the window," I instructed. "I'll check if Asmar is coming back."
Yolan nodded, peeking out the window as I pressed my ear against the bedroom door.
Swooosh!
Suddenly, the Harbinger appeared beside me, its voice urgent. "Go now!"
We both jumped in surprise, but we didn't hesitate. We scrambled out the window, landing on the soft grass below.
Thud!
We landed on the soft grass, the impact jarring us but not stopping our momentum. We scrambled over the fence, adrenaline pumping through our veins, and sprinted towards the designated meeting point where Aca was waiting with the van.
We raced through the darkness, our lungs burning and our hearts pounding. The house was bathed in an eerie glow, the electricity flickering ominously.
"There! The car!" Yolan gasped, pointing towards the van parked in a secluded alley.
The side door slid open, revealing Aca's anxious face. "Get in!" she hissed.
We dove into the van, slamming the door shut behind us. Aca floored the accelerator, and the van lurched forward, tires screeching against the pavement.
As we sped away, I could feel the house behind us tremble with a muffled explosion. A wave of heat washed over the van, and I saw a flash of orange light in the rearview mirror.
"Hahh... hahh... hahh..." I gasped, my hands shaking uncontrollably.
Yolan adjusted her seat, pulling the heavy bag of documents onto her lap. "Geez... that explosion was a bit much," she mumbled, her voice still shaky.
Aca started the engine, the van's tires squealing as she pulled away from the curb. "The entire cluster of buildings blacked out," she commented, glancing at me in the rearview mirror. "Was that Gilg's doing?"
"I did it," I confessed, a hint of pride in my voice.
Yolan chimed in, "Yeah, Xian planted a device that exploded and caused an electrical surge..."
"We need to get to the apartment now!" Aca said, her voice urgent as she pressed down on the gas pedal, the van lurching forward.
***
Back at the apartment, the lights flickered back on, illuminating Gilg's face in the dim glow of his computer monitors.
"Finally..." he sighed, a relieved smile spreading across his face.
Dove leaned closer to the microphone, her voice filled with concern. "Hello, Xian?! Can you hear me?"
< Chapter 058 > Fin.