2 The Black Card

Galaxy 8, or its real name, Centaurus, is considered to be a small, elliptical galaxy compared to the average sizes that range near the size of the Milky Way. In fact, it's so small that it houses plenty of orbiting globular clusters without touching the Great Barrier.

It has been a while since the place was colonized, and it was turned into a mining/research district based on it's decent resources and the fact that there is only one other elliptical galaxy in humanity's grasp.

The birth rate of stars was minimum and there was a lot of older, low-mass stars. The resources were decently rich, and was a hotpot for research since galaxies like these are not common. It's been a while since then, and the mining district has long gone extinct due to resource depletion and heavy mining.

As for the planets that harbor life, they have already been purchased and transported to another galaxy long ago. It is either by the government for research purposes, or very rich people who want to live a luxurious life on them.

With all these factors, it is a general trend for all the minors to be the farthest away from humanity's home. Miner families, miner companies, and those who want to make a living on mining always come to places like these.

Once a galaxy is mined to death, they leave the place and move on like a hungry swarm. The only leftovers are neutron stars, white dwarfs, and black holes. Even stars are devoured and brought back. As for most space cities, they turn on their engines and either head home, or follow behind the swarm. The rest stay behind for research purposes.

A portal has long been already established for the next galaxy beyond the Great Barrier. It's been a while since the 9th Galaxy has been colonized.

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Space City Astraeus, the capital city of Centaurus

"Chen! Get your a*s over to the client! If you miss this investment, I can't save you from being fired!" yelled Feng Yong. This was sent through a private channel, as yelling would attract attention.

Feng Yong looks like your average middle-aged guy but is actually an old man who has had his genes modified to have stop aging.

People in this era can look extremely young but could be millennial old in reality. There is even some who originated hundreds of thousands, or even millions of years ago. But people this old are much less common compared to the average lifespan of around a thousand in galaxy he's working in, the 8th Galaxy.

Feng transferred a metallic black card into Chen's console via teleportation. A minor function that allows one to transfer physical objects in one's console from one person to another.

"I'm almost ready!" Chen quickly transferred over his remaining virtual documents from his office into his console. Things like paper haven't been used for millions of years, and are rarely seen nowadays.

Wei Chen's hair was black and short which had a buzz cut style. His neatly trimmed brown eyebrows and brown eyes perfectly matched, and gave off a unique feeling. His chin and cheeks were clear of facial hair and had a clean, tan look. There was no acne, zits, or imperfections on his face which showed that it was well maintained. His facial features were sharp and well-defined, while keeping the feeling of being a young adult.

His body was about the average height which is 180 centimeters or about 1.8 meters, but it seems as though he has the genetics for volume.

If one looked observed him, they would find that his muscles were not so easily hidden beneath his suit. Despite being average height, his body was quite burly compared to a person who didn't work out. The thick neck, wide shoulders, large sleeves, large hands, and well-defined chest muscles that protruded gave it away. Maybe if he flexed, the suit would tear.

All of this gave him a unique, fearsome aura that made him look handsome and mature.

Unfortunately, his looks could be considered average in this era despite all of it being natural. In this era of gene-editing, the upper-class, middle-class, and even some lower-class families/individuals can afford to become just as handsome as Chen himself. His handsomeness is just a base standard, and the most common.

If one wants better genes for more handsomeness, they have to pay a higher price, with some that can even bankrupt a middle-class family. It's the unfortunate reality, and one of the reasons he has no girlfriend.

However, the fact that he is a natural birth is what makes him slightly special. Every inch of his body has not been gene-modified and is all natural, which is not a common sight.

After all, it is 2.5 million ADE into the future. Technology is no different than magic, and every medical problem has long been solved.

Not a lot of people do pregnancy nowadays compared to back then. Traditions change over time just like how evolution changes a creature over time. A lot of the time, people just pay a doctor to put their fertilized egg in a solution to grow up, before bringing them into the world. It's a cheap service that anybody in the middle-class can afford as long as they can afford the monthly costs.

Only the lower-class generally do natural births which is common knowledge.

But this is the future, and the economy has been booming for quite a long time, aside from a few recessions and depressions here and there. The United Federation has been cracking down on poverty for the longest time, so the only ones poor are those that are too lazy. The size of Galaxy 8 could hold quadrillions of people, so the amount of low-class is in the lower billions.

"I'll see you later Boss Yong." Chen shook his boss's hand before quickly scurrying back into his office. Feng looked at him with a sigh before walking away.

Chen's office is a box-shaped room, made entirely holographic. The walls displayed a highly realistic nature-like setting that made one feel like they were in an ancient forest. This is to reduce a worker's stress and put them in a good mood.

In the middle was a simple desk that looked like it was made of high-quality wood. It is actually just a fake coating with pure technology beneath the surface.

Chen walked over and the desk seemingly detected his presence. An office chair materialized behind the desk along with various office items atop the desk, seemingly magical. He sat down in the comfy chair as a black card materialized from his console.

It was extremely black with a metallic appearance, and felt seemingly light. But beneath that, is the absurd density of this card that can match a white dwarf. As the worthy holder of this card, he knows some information about the procedure that went into creating it. He also knows the extreme importance of this card, which almost nobody in the civilian population would know.