The Undead Empire of the Stars

Introduction

Volume 1 The Birth of a "Genius" Chapter 1 The Exhibition Hall

Good afternoon, guests.
An elegant and melodious voice came from the ubiquitous electronic speakers: Today is the last day the exhibition hall is open. Starting tomorrow, several ancient artifacts here will be transferred to the Federal Museum for collection, please...
The exhibition hall was packed with people; while it couldn't be said to be shoulder to shoulder, it was close enough.
Mingwei, do you think it was worth all this effort to squeeze in here?
A clear voice complained from the outskirts of the exhibition hall.
I don't know if it's worth it, but I do know this is a task assigned by the professor, and if we don't finish it, we'll be in for some trouble.
Another young voice chimed in, sounding equally disgruntled about the visit.
After parting ways with his companion, Fang Mingwei sighed and steeled himself to push into the exhibition hall, which hadn't been this crowded in decades.
Fang Mingwei was still quite young, only eighteen this year. In this era of the great universe where the average lifespan had reached two hundred, he hadn't even come of age yet.
He lived on the planet Karim, a beautiful planet among the thousands suitable for human habitation under the Alliance's jurisdiction.
Since there weren't many humans on the planet, everyone owned a large private plot of land. Here, there would never be traffic jams, and the air would never be polluted.
However, similarly, there was a lack of a sense of competition and crisis among the residents.
As a popular saying in the Alliance goes, this is a great place for retirement, but not for young people wanting to make a name for themselves.
At least, Fang Mingwei appreciated this saying, even though he didn't harbor any ambitious desires. All he longed for was to step outside and see the world. But for someone his age, that wish felt a bit extravagant.
Because his parents wouldn't agree with his current desire, and once he lost their financial support, Fang Mingwei would be reduced to the ranks of those needing assistance.
Once inside the exhibition hall, all he saw was heads, and more heads.
Fang Mingwei grumbled inwardly; such a crowded situation would never occur on Karim. But this time was an exception, the first in thousands of years since humans transformed this beautiful planet.
Just a month ago, a batch of ancient artifacts was unearthed from this planet, said to be extremely precious. The governor of Karim boasted about it, garnering political capital for himself.
However, somehow, the Federal Museum learned about it, and after sending a few assessors for evaluation, they decided to include these items in the museum.
Although the governor was dissatisfied, he had no choice but to comply unconditionally with an order from the capital.
However, considering the wishes of the residents of Karim, these ancient artifacts had to stay in the largest exhibition hall for one last week, and today was the final day of that week.
Fang Mingwei's professor was a knowledgeable person, but last week, for some unknown reason, he assigned an observational report on these ancient artifacts and ordered all students to conduct a physical examination.
For a week, people from all over the planet flocked to the exhibition hall for one last look at these artifacts, and Fang Mingwei, who was not used to being squeezed in with so many people, had no choice but to frown and grit his teeth as he entered, seeing that this afternoon was the last opportunity.
Inside, there were still many people, indicating that these items indeed piqued the curiosity of everyone on Karim.
Fortunately, everyone was quite well-mannered, forming lines as they moved toward the interior of the exhibition hall.
The artifacts unearthed this time were said to be from the indigenous people of this planet, who had disappeared billions of years ago, which is why they attracted so much attention.
The real items were placed in the center of the exhibition hall, while the periphery only displayed some ordinary exhibits.
Naturally, the crowd's interest was not in these; no one had the heart to appreciate these items that could be played with in virtual space.
Patiently moving with the crowd, Fang Mingwei finally reached the large display stand in the center.
There were not many items separated from the rock, but few could be called valuable artifacts. A small display stand had already encompassed all of them.
The crowd had not yet moved to the display stand, so Fang Mingwei's view of the items was still unclear. From a distance, it remained a blur.
As the crowd slowly shifted, Fang Mingwei finally stood before the display stand.
On it were some peculiar items, both large and small, and no one could say what they were.
At that moment, a gentle broadcast voice came through: The newly unearthed ancient artifacts all contain a mysterious energy that no instrument can define in terms of origin or function...
Unknowingly, Fang Mingwei's gaze was fixed on a small round bead among them.
He couldn't understand why he suddenly felt an intense interest in this object. Deep down, he seemed to have a very familiar feeling about this bead, as if it were something that was meant to belong to him.
However, although his eyes were glued to the object, his feet instinctively moved along with the flow of people.
He could hear continuous gasps of surprise around him: As expected, it lives up to its reputation; you have to see them in person to feel their uniqueness...
Indeed, this must be a gift from the Lord, Amen!
Although Fang Mingwei was a thorough atheist, he still felt a certain resonance with that statement at this moment.
In today's society, we are in a complete era of the SkyNet. As long as it's within the territory of the Human Alliance, the SkyNet is as ubiquitous as a spider's web. Information has become something anyone can easily grasp.
When these ancient artifacts were unearthed, their photos and videos had already spread widely across the SkyNet. However, what truly captivated people was that everyone who had seen them unanimously said that only by seeing them in person could one realize their difference.
Just as the broadcast described, these artifacts possessed a mysterious power that current human technology could not explain. And because of this, the big shots in the capital were interested in them. This was also the reason for the exhibition hall being so crowded.
Fang Mingwei's gaze did not wander to other items; from beginning to end, his eyes were fixated on that small round bead, as if he could stare at it forever as long as no one disturbed him.
However, the movement of the crowd was not centered around his will, and soon he had to pass by the large platform in the center of the exhibition hall.
At the moment he reluctantly pulled his gaze away, a strong sense of loss surged in Fang Mingwei's heart, as if he had suddenly forgotten something extremely important, leaving him feeling dazed.
Bang...
A loud sound of shattering glass echoed, and then all the lights in the exhibition hall went out simultaneously.
Ah...
The crowd erupted into a series of screams, with most of the high-pitched voices accompanied by some deep male shouts.
Fang Mingwei and others at the corner found themselves in pitch darkness, and someone immediately asked, What happened?
God knows what's going on with this exhibition hall?
It's so dark, what's going on?
Why are the lights out? I want the lights, I want to complain.
After a moment, a deep male voice came through: Ladies and gentlemen, please forgive us; an unexpected accident just occurred, and the exhibition hall has lost power.
This voice was not shouted loudly, but in the vast exhibition hall, everyone could hear it clearly.
Power outage?
Don't kid me.
Ah! We actually encountered a legendary power outage; our luck is really something...
Low curses and surprised calls echoed through the crowd; in this highly advanced technological society, the term power outage had long been disconnected from human life.
Except for those living on planets with extremely harsh environments, it could be said that the vast majority of people had no idea what a power outage felt like from the moment they were born until they died.
However, today, those in the exhibition hall were fortunate enough to enjoy a special treatment, giving them something to boast about in front of others.
Just as Fang Mingwei was at a loss for words, he heard someone moving nearby. This person seemed unaffected by the darkness, skillfully avoiding the crowd and quickly moving toward the exit.
Fang Mingwei initially didn't pay much attention, but at the moment that person passed by him, he suddenly felt a familiar sensation emanating from them, identical to the feeling he had when he saw that small round bead earlier.
His heart skipped a beat, and a terrifying thought flashed through his mind.
The person's footsteps did not stop, and in the blink of an eye, they had passed Fang Mingwei. At that moment, the feeling of being dazed returned. Unknowingly, he immediately concluded that the small round bead was now on that person.
A strong sense of unwillingness surged within him, as if someone deep in his mind was shouting, this is my thing, it belongs to me.
Suddenly, the small round bead on that person vanished without anyone noticing. Even the mysterious person carrying it was unaware.
The small round bead silently floated to Fang Mingwei's side, unnoticed by anyone, and without any instrument detecting it, the bead flew to Fang Mingwei's ear.