I started on a deserted island and encountered Ying Zheng, who insisted I was an immortal.

Blacksmithing.

This is a technical skill.

But under Zhang Ying's guidance, it turned into an assembly line operation.

Although the Qin craftsmen (including a few blacksmiths who repaired weapons with the army) had never seen this steelmaking method before, their skills were genuine.

After Zhang Ying drew up the blueprints and explained that the gun barrel needed to be drilled and rifled (although currently only smoothbore can be made).

This group of artisans unleashed astonishing creativity.

No drilling machine?

Use a hand drill!

Several people took turns drilling through the iron bar.

No lathe?

Sharpen it hard with a whetstone!

I haven't slept for days and nights.

The waste was piled up all over the ground.

at last.

The first barely acceptable seamless steel pipe was produced.

Next came the trigger, the hammer, and the flint clip.

Every part was filed out by hand.

Rough, full of the violent beauty of industrial punk.

Assemble.

debug.

Zhang Ying held the heavy flintlock pistol, the stock of which was made of redwood from the island, and a crooked flower was carved into it by the one-eyed pirate (now the chief carpenter).

"It is a bit ugly."

Zhang Ying pulled the hammer.

"Click".

Sparks flew everywhere.

Crisp and pleasant to the ear.

"Want to give it a try?"

Zhang Ying handed the gun to Ying Zheng.

Ying Zheng accepted the strange "fire poker".

Shen.

It feels cold to the touch.

But this complex mechanical structure gave him a strange sense of peace.

"How do I use it?"

Zhang Ying pointed to the target in front of her—a coconut shell with a circle drawn on it, hanging on a tree fifty meters away.

"Load the explosives, insert the projectile, and compact it."

Zhang Ying demonstrated the loading process.

The black powder was freshly prepared (sulfur, saltpeter, charcoal, old formula).

The bullets were made of lead (there were even lead blocks in the ballast stones of the pirate ship).

"Raise your gun and aim."

"Deduct this."

Zhang Ying pointed to the trigger.

Ying Zheng took a deep breath.

He imitated Zhang Ying, resting the butt of the gun against his shoulder.

A straight line between three points.

Although the principle is unknown, this intuitive aiming method is not difficult for emperors who have been riding and shooting for many years.

Hold your breath.

Pull the trigger.

"Bang--!!!"

A loud bang.

A thick cloud of white smoke billowed from the muzzle.

The immense recoil caused Ying Zheng's shoulder to tilt, almost causing him to lose his balance.

My ears are ringing.

The entire audience was astonished.

Meng Tian even drew his sword, thinking the furnace had exploded.

Did you get it?

Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, Ying Zheng looked ahead through the white smoke.

Fifty meters away.

That coconut shell.

Broken.

It wasn't shot through.

Instead, it exploded completely.

The immense kinetic energy of the lead bullet blasted the coconut shell into dust.

A deathly silence.

Then came Li Si's trembling voice.

"God... divine thunder?"

Such momentum, such power.

They couldn't think of any other word besides "thunder".

Ying Zheng looked at the still-smoking gun barrel in his hand.

My hands are shaking.

It wasn't from being scared.

It's excitement.

Extreme excitement.

The Qin crossbow, which could only travel 150 paces, struggled even to pierce leather armor.

But this thing...

Within fifty paces, armor is shattered like paper!

If three thousand men were to fire simultaneously...

Just imagining that scene sent chills down Ying Zheng's spine.

Xiongnu?

Baiyue?

What is this thunderous wrath compared to that!

"This thing..."

Ying Zheng stroked the hot gun barrel, his gaze as tender as if he were caressing a lover's skin.

He was given the name "Qin Emperor".

"I order the entire army to be equipped with this!"

Zhang Ying rolled her eyes.

"Dream on."

"It took ten craftsmen half their lives to make this gun."

"To equip the entire army."

Zhang Ying pointed to the small steam engine that was still churning around.

"We have to rely on it."

"Use steam engines to power machine tools."

"Automate drilling, cutting, and grinding."

"At that time."

"We can make a hundred a day."

Ying Zheng turned his head sharply and stared intently at the steam engine.

His eyes changed.

I just thought this thing was kind of interesting before.

just now.

This is the lifeblood of the Qin Dynasty!

"Someone come here!"

Ying Zheng roared.

"Make this machine a sacred object for me!"

"When building a house, it's essential to make it rainproof and moisture-proof!"

"Meng Tian!"

"exist!"

"Go arrest more people!"

Are there any pirates around here?

"Are there any mines left?"

"I want them all!"

"I want to build... that bed!"

"Machine tools!" Zhang Ying corrected.

"Yes! Machine tools!"

Ying Zheng brandished his flintlock musket like a fanatical warmonger.

"I will ensure that the banner of Great Qin is planted on every island in this sea!"

"Wherever the sun and moon shine, wherever rivers flow."

"All of this belongs to Qin!"

"They are all...mines!"

The sea breeze blows.

He rolled up the corner of Zhang Ying's clothes.

He looked at the emperor who stood high above, holding a musket, roaring that he would conquer the world.

He glanced again at the blast furnace billowing black smoke and the churning steam engine next to him.

A sense of absurdity and grand dislocation arises spontaneously.

Steampunk Qin Dynasty.

It's really started.

and.

This seems to be just the beginning.

Zhang Ying turned her gaze to the system panel.

There, a new mission is flashing.

[Follow-up Mission: The Lifeblood of Industry.]

[Mission Objective: Locate coal or oil.]

[Reward: Internal combustion engine blueprints.]

A smile appeared on Zhang Ying's lips.

internal combustion engine?

Does that mean...?

Will we be able to drive tanks to Xianyang in the future?

"His Majesty."

Zhang Ying called out.

"What's wrong?" Ying Zheng turned around, his face flushed.

Don't just get too excited.

Zhang Ying pointed to the sea in the distance.

"Our boat is too slow."

"Wouldn't you like... to make it run faster than a horse?"

Ying Zheng was taken aback.

He was immediately overjoyed.

"What you mean, sir..."

"Load the steam engine onto the ship?"

"right."

Zhang Ying nodded.

"But it needs to be changed."

"Take the sails off."

"Put on a wheel."

"Paddlewheel warships"

Although Ying Zheng did not understand what a bright wheel was.

But he understood "faster than a horse".

"dismantle!"

Ying Zheng waved his hand.

"Demolish it now!"

"My Great Qin Navy."

"Starting today."

"No sail needed!"

The image freezes on Ying Zheng's imposing figure, with a blast furnace spewing out industrial black smoke behind him.

That marked the end of an old era.

It is also the prelude to a new era.