The darkness caused by the power outage spread rapidly in the city like a virus, as if the darkness was swallowing up the light, expanding from a residential area to an area, and from an area to the entire city.
Passersby who were walking on the street suddenly stopped, the neon signs of the shops on both sides stopped flashing, and the nearby high-rise buildings suddenly became dark, as if someone had suddenly turned off the power of the city.
All that was seen was darkness. Those who were watching TV, listening to music at home, or working overtime at the office all came to an abrupt halt due to the sudden power outage.
"What's going on?"
"What's going on?"
Such questions can be heard in every occasion and place where there are people.
As time went by, people's calm questions turned into panic suspicions. Was it a natural disaster? Or was it a power shortage? No one knew the answer.
The only lights left are the lights from mobile phones in residents' homes or the lights of cars driving on the streets. Without electricity, the city will be paralyzed and people will become anxious and panic as the power outage lasts longer.
This is not an isolated or personal incident, but an entire city. More and more people are starting to look around and take to the streets, eager to know the answers.
Traffic lights were cut off, trains stopped running, flights were suspended, everything stopped, leaving only anxiety and uneasiness.
At this time, the room where Li Ming was was brightly lit, as if it were daytime. Under the high voltage, not only did all the electrical appliances burn out, but the walls of the entire house were also ablaze. Cracks began to appear on the walls of the building, as if the building was about to collapse.
Thick black smoke continued to pour out of the windows, and in the raging flames, huge electric currents as thick as arms were still flashing, like lightning in dark clouds. The eyes of many people in the community were attracted by this place that was burning wildly.
"There's a fire there!"
"Call the police!"
"I can't get through. My phone has no signal."
All kinds of noisy noises were heard everywhere in the community. Several security guards quickly ran upstairs. It would be dangerous if there was someone in the house.
The electric light in the flames and smoke suddenly became weak, and the frequency of flashing gradually decreased. The power outage areas at the edge of the city began to be restored. Until there was no more electricity in the room where Li Ming was, the power of the entire city began to slowly recover from the edge to the city center.
Li Ming, who was floating in the house, fell to the ground with a "thump". His eyes suddenly opened, and the house was full of flames and thick smoke. Li Ming glanced around and opened his mouth. The flames and thick smoke were sucked into his mouth in an instant.
The house that was filled with smoke and flames just now suddenly became quiet. The electrical appliances, floors, curtains, tables and chairs had all been burned, and the walls and roof were all black from the smoke.
'Bang, bang, bang!'
There was a strong and anxious knock on the door. Li Ming glanced at the door and swept his eyes to other places in the house. His mobile phone was still there safely. The fire just now did not affect the mobile phone.
Li Ming first picked up the phone and then went to the door and opened it.
The three security guards were panting and looking at Li Ming with horror.
Li Ming's clothes were neat and tidy, and there was nothing unusual on the surface of his body. He showed no signs of escaping from the fire. His calm expression acted as if nothing had happened.
"Fuck, nothing happened?!" A young security guard looked at Li Ming in silence with a surprised expression, and only exclaimed in his heart.
Li Ming just glanced at the young security guard and replied, "Why? Must I do something?"
"Ah?!" The young security guard suddenly exclaimed, as if the other party had known what he was thinking. He quickly waved his hands and said, "It's good, it's good."
The other slightly older security guard glanced at the situation in Li Ming's house and looked at Li Ming a few more times. The flames and smoke in the house had completely disappeared. He couldn't help but shake his head slightly and thought to himself: "It's really strange..."
"Strange?" Li Ming suddenly looked at the older security guard and said.
The older security guard's eyes widened. It was just a thought in his mind, but the other party seemed to have heard it. He quickly said, "I'm glad you're okay. We'll leave first."
The three security guards did not stay any longer. Li Ming's strange look and expression made them feel incredible. What was even more terrifying was that Li Ming's words seemed to be able to see through their thoughts.
Watching the three security guards leave, Li Ming closed the door again, turned around and looked at the meteorite on the floor of the living room. He took a few steps forward and took the meteorite in his hand. He narrowed his eyes slightly and kept looking at the meteorite.
The weight of the meteorite did not change, but Li Ming's strength increased a lot, just like the feeling of an ordinary person picking up a piece of stone, effortlessly. Except for an extra crack on the surface of the meteorite, the black appearance and red spots remained unchanged.
Li Ming's eyes turned slightly and looked towards the window. The lights on the opposite floor gradually lit up. Li Ming seemed to suddenly think of something in his mind. He turned around, opened the door and left the house.
The power supply in the community has been restored, but the unstable current and voltage just now also caused damage to electrical appliances and circuit equipment. The worst hit was the building where Li Ming lived. Almost all residents suffered losses to varying degrees.
Complaints, anger, and all kinds of dissatisfaction turned into words between each other. Some were making phone calls, and some were asking about the situation. In addition to avoiding greater losses as much as possible, the vast majority of people hoped that an organization or individual would stand up and pay for this matter.
Although electricity has been initially restored in the entire city of T, the huge losses caused by the short-term power outage are unpredictable, such as some important public areas, hospitals, transportation hubs, etc.
Everything was still waiting to be dealt with urgently, and at this time Li Ming had already come to the outside of the community and got into his car, started the car, entered the street, and then headed straight south.
Walking back and forth in the city streets, Li Ming's eyes began to look around, and strange scenes kept appearing in Li Ming's eyes.
Those eyes seemed to have the power of perspective. The electrical wires and network data lines were like a beam of light, and the data transmitted at a high speed inside could enter his brain with just one glance.
Previously, manual touch was required to control the reception of information, but now, as long as the distance is within a certain range, the information can be automatically obtained through the eyes.
The brains of every pedestrian on the road are like bright light bulbs, and the changes inside can be seen clearly. What you are thinking and what you want to do cannot escape these eyes.
Li Ming's ears are like two radars. As long as they are within a certain distance from Li Ming, all kinds of sounds can be accurately captured. Talking sounds, breathing sounds, and heartbeats can all be blocked at will.
The sensitive nose can clearly smell any odor in the air. Oxygen, carbon dioxide, car exhaust, and the various gases mixed in the air cannot escape this sense of smell.
This was very different from the third-level civilization that Li Ming had experienced before. The clear feeling and cognition appeared in his brain involuntarily. A lot of strange knowledge became inexplicably familiar and simple. All kinds of chemistry, physics, humanities and geography seemed to have been mastered in an instant.
The strangest thing is that there seem to be two worlds in Li Ming's brain, one is the real world of ordinary humans, and the other is a world far superior to human civilization. Everything becomes so familiar, yet very strange.
Everything he saw was clearer and more distinct than ever before, as if every object in Li Ming's eyes seemed to be made by Li Ming himself. A car, a mobile phone, the structure, program and principle inside them were so simple.
How a tree or a person grows to its current state, all of this appears in the mind at a glance.
Along with all this, there is also another consciousness in Li Ming's body. Li Ming is not unfamiliar with this separate consciousness, but it has always been vague before, like a dream, sometimes existing and sometimes disappearing. But now everything is very clear. That consciousness is Harris, an advanced civilized life form from outer space.
Li Ming's car left the city after several turns and stopped in a remote forest in the suburbs. The car lights were off and it was pitch black and quiet all around, but that was for ordinary people.
Li Ming just took a glance, and no plant or life could escape his eyes. Even the movement of an insect was within Li Ming's perception.
"Congratulations, you have successfully advanced to and activated the fourth-level civilization." A voice suddenly came from the car radio.
Li Ming was not surprised at all, because Harris could completely influence everything around him with his consciousness. This was the ability of advanced civilizations, and Li Ming was far behind. He simply replied, "Harris, when can I leave the earth?"
"This is your home planet. You shouldn't hate it more than I do."
Li Ming looked at the starry sky in the distance in front of the car and said, "I don't hate her, but I know her very well. The continuation of mankind needs her, so... I can't possess her alone. The energy of the entire earth is limited. If I only do it for myself, the energy needed for the survival of all humans and creatures will be affected."
"I have learned about you humans. According to your physique and the energy of the Earth, you need to reach at least the seventh-order civilization to get rid of the inherent nature of humans and the constraints of the genes of your mother planet. Only then can you leave the Earth. The advancement of life civilization is the change of energy to the wisdom and essence of life. The physique of each life species has its own unique advantages, which need to be slowly discovered through continuous advancement. It takes one nebula force to advance from the second-order civilization to the third-order civilization, but it takes three nebula forces to advance from the third-order civilization to the fourth-order civilization."
"As a high-level civilization, my consciousness can only directly contact and influence you when you reach the most basic fourth-order civilization. Before I disappear, I still hope to help you, but I can't do anything. If you need to continue to advance, you must find the nebula fragments that fell to the earth. It takes four nebula forces to advance from the fourth-order civilization to the fifth-order civilization. You just found three nebula forces by luck, but good luck will not always accompany you. Whether you can leave the earth... depends on you."
Li Ming turned his gaze to the car radio and said, "Don't you want to leave the earth?"
"Me? Hahaha... I am just a short-lived consciousness. I have tried to control your consciousness and possess your body, because this is my only chance to be reborn and return to the universe. Unfortunately, I have failed. My consciousness is being slowly devoured by your brain. In the end... deep in your memory may be my past, my history, my memory..."
Upon hearing this, Li Ming's expression suddenly became a little nervous, and he couldn't help but feel a little scared.
"Go, human. I will not pose a threat to you. My consciousness and cognition will become your memory. Take this memory with you to explore the countless mysteries in the universe. The deeper you explore... the more insignificant you will feel. The unknown mystery is accompanied by fear... How far can you humans go? Hahaha..."
The strange and hesitant voice slowly ended with a final laugh, and the car returned to calm.