The so-called haunting began on the fifteenth day after the refugee incident. The refugees who had escaped from the galactic core had been safely delivered to a refugee camp on the planet's surface for quarantine. They were a little nervous, but the few leaders accompanying them kept them calm, and there was no unrest.
The Empire said it liked refugees like these best: as long as they didn't cause trouble and obediently followed the orders from above, they were good refugees.
Of course, out of humanitarian concern—though mainly because a considerable number of the refugees were human—the fortress had also sent them basic supplies and medical care, along with some terminals and books for entertainment. All in all, they managed to coexist peacefully.
The Imperial government was always highly efficient. Within a few days, most of the refugees' identities had been confirmed. They were citizens of various countries who had been captured in the Ravager invasions over the years.
Their leader—the man who had spoken with the fortress—was even an Imperial citizen. His name was Dr. Xie Yiwei, and his family had immigrated to the Empire three generations earlier. His great-grandfather had been a moderately famous navigator, while his grandfather and father had both been respected local merchants and gentlemen. As for Xie himself, he was an academic prodigy who had earned a doctorate from the Royal Engineering Academy. He later joined the Hand of Glory Design Bureau and became one of the designers of the renowned Apocalypse Eagle-class destroyer.
It was easy to see that since the Xie family had immigrated from Earth, every generation had climbed a little higher in status. If fortune continued to favor them, perhaps in ten generations they would be every bit as distinguished as Count Yongdi.
Unfortunately, they had been caught up in