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

"The pipes need to be thick."

Ying Zheng gestured an exaggerated circle, almost too big to wrap his arms around. "It needs to be this thick."

Zhang Ying threw the cigarette butt in her hand on the ground and stomped it out. "That's called a cannon."

"Then let's build cannons." Ying Zheng slapped the blueprint covered in rifling onto the freshly cooled steel ingot. "I don't care what it's called. As long as we can throw these iron balls over that hilltop."

He pointed to a solitary peak about two miles away.

"Not only do you have to throw it," Zhang Ying said, picking up a piece of chalk and drawing a cross on the end of the steel ingot. "You also have to aim accurately."

The arsenal on the deserted island has resumed operations.

This time, the commotion was even bigger than building a tractor.

The spare steam engine salvaged from the "Zulong" was moved ashore, and a pulley connected it to a horizontal boring machine made by Zhang Ying. Driven by steam power, the huge drill bit rotated and cut into the solid steel column.

"Sizzle—!!!"

The sound of metal cutting is sharp and piercing.

Iron filings flew out like a fountain.

Ying Zheng didn't leave. He moved a small stool, sat amidst the flying sparks, and ate a steamed bun while watching. To him, the piercing noise was more pleasant than the chime bells in the Xianyang Palace.

This is the symphony of industry.

Three days and nights.

A two-meter-long steel pipe with a diameter of one hundred millimeters was born.

The inner wall is as smooth as a mirror.

But it's not over yet.

Zhang Ying took out a long iron bar engraved with spiral patterns—a puller.

"What is this?" Ying Zheng swallowed the steamed bun and leaned closer to take a look.

"Give it a soul." Zhang Ying shoved the broach into the cannon barrel and directed several burly men to turn the winch. "Rifling. With this, the shell will spin. And if it spins, it won't drift aimlessly."

"Like spinning a top?"

"Yes, like spinning a top."

Rifling is in place.

Next is the locking mechanism.

Zhang Ying didn't use the complex wedge-type locking system; instead, he went straight for a threaded, split-lock system. Simple, straightforward, and with good sealing. Just insert the breechblock, turn it ninety degrees, and it's locked.

last step.

They placed this "truth," weighing several hundred pounds, on that tractor belching black smoke.

The chassis sank three inches.

The leaf spring groaned under the strain.

To balance the center of gravity, Zhang Ying hung two iron boxes filled with sand on the back of the car.

Thus, an open-top, wheeled, breech-loading rifled self-propelled gun was born.

Ox.

Extremely ugly.

Like a toad carrying a chimney.

But Ying Zheng circled it three times, finally discerning the allure of an unparalleled beauty. He reached out and patted the cold cannon barrel, his voice trembling slightly. "How far can this thing... shoot?"

Zhang Ying was adjusting the sights (a simple optical telescope). "Direct fire, two thousand meters. Inclined fire..." He paused, "starting at five thousand meters."

Ying Zheng's hand trembled slightly.

Five thousand meters.

That's ten miles away.

The Qin crossbow could only travel a maximum distance of three hundred paces.

This thing can take a person's head from ten miles away?

"Give it a try." Ying Zheng shoved aside the soldier in charge of loading and rolled up his sleeves. "I'll do it myself."

"No," Zhang Ying stopped him. "It's the first test shot; it's easy for the barrel to explode."

"Explosion?" Ying Zheng's eyebrows shot up. "I am the Son of Heaven, how dare this mortal iron explode upon me?"

He snatched the brass cartridge case (made from recycled brass from spent cartridge cases) and shoved it into the breech. Next came a pointed, solid armor-piercing shot.

The bullet is chambered.

Close the breechblock.

Rotation lock.

His movements were clumsy, but they revealed a fierce edge.

Zhang Ying sighed, silently retreated twenty meters, and pulled Li Si, who wanted to join in the fun, back as well. "Cover your ears."

Ying Zheng stood on the back of the tractor, holding the firing rope in his hand.

He took a deep breath.

Target: That solitary peak two miles away.

There's a huge, protruding rock there, like a defiant fist.

"Crush it for me!"

Ying Zheng suddenly pulled the rope.

"boom--!!!"

The earth trembled.

A ball of orange-red flame, accompanied by black smoke, spewed from the muzzle. The enormous recoil propelled the several-ton tractor backward, its tires carving two deep furrows in the ground.

Ying Zheng lost his footing and landed hard on the greasy iron plate.

But he couldn't care less about the pain.

He got up, clung to the railing, and stared intently into the distance.

one second.

two seconds.

three seconds.

"collapse!!!"

Suddenly, a cloud of dust exploded atop the solitary peak in the distance.

Rock fragments flew everywhere.

The provocative boulder has disappeared.

It wasn't broken.

It was directly wiped out by the enormous kinetic energy.

The entire room fell silent.

The sea breeze dispersed the smoke of battle.

Meng Tian stared wide-eyed, his jaw nearly dropping to his feet. He looked at the distant mountain peaks, then at the pipe still emitting wisps of smoke.

If that hit the city wall...

If this were to hit the Xiongnu cavalry formation...

Meng Tian shivered.

He suddenly realized that his martial arts skills, honed over thirty years, were a joke in the face of this pipe.

"Hahahaha!"

A burst of wild laughter shattered the silence.

Ying Zheng stood on the tractor, arms outstretched, laughing loudly to the sky. He laughed until tears streamed down his face, his hair disheveled, looking like a madman.

"Good! Good! Good!"

He said "good" three times in a row.

"Caliber is justice!" Ying Zheng patted the scorching cannon barrel, oblivious to the blisters forming on his hands. "Range is truth!"

"Sir, you have not deceived me!"

"With this, I will make sure there are no more impregnable cities in this world!"

Zhang Ying walked over and handed Ying Zheng a damp cloth. "Wipe your face. It's covered in black ash."

Ying Zheng took the cloth and wiped it haphazardly. "Sir, can this cannon be made even bigger?"

"able."

"Build it!" Ying Zheng waved his hand. "Build me one that can level mountains!"

【Ding! 】

[Mission Complete: Real Firepower.]

[Award Awarded: Radio Communication Technology (Tronomer Version)]

[Advanced Quest Triggered: The Information Overload.]

[Mission Objective: To establish the first radio base station and enable beyond-line-of-sight communication.]

[Reward: Basic Radar Technology.]

Zhang Ying looked at the system panel, a playful smile curving her lips.

radar?

This technological path has taken a bit too crooked a step.

But it's good.

He pulled two black "bricks" out of the system space.

It has a long antenna attached to it.

"His Majesty."

Zhang Ying waved the objects in her hand. "We have the cannons, we have the vehicles."

"Would you like to try it out...?"

"A message transmitted over a thousand miles?"

Ying Zheng had just calmed down from his ecstasy when he heard these four words, and his body stiffened abruptly.

He turned around and stared at the black box in Zhang Ying's hand.

"A thousand miles...transmitting a voice?"

"Hearers who can hear everything?"

"It's more advanced than that one." Zhang Ying handed one of them to Meng Tian. "General Meng, take this and go to that hilltop over there. Run until you can no longer see this place."

Meng Tian took the black box, looking completely bewildered. "This...how do I use it?"

"Just take it."

Meng Tian looked at Ying Zheng.

"Go!" Ying Zheng kicked him. "Run faster!"

Meng Tian took off running.

Half an hour later.

Meng Tian had become a tiny black dot, disappearing behind the mountain ridge.

Zhang Ying handed the remaining black box to Ying Zheng.

"Press and hold this button on the side," Zhang Ying pointed, "and then speak."

Ying Zheng was skeptical.

He brought the black box to his mouth and tentatively pressed the button.

"Meng Tian?"

"Sizzle—"

A static noise came from the black box.

Followed by.

A clear, loud, even slightly breathless voice came from the box.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty is here!"

Ying Zheng's hand trembled.

The black box almost fell to the ground.

He suddenly looked up in the direction where Meng Tian had disappeared.

no one.

There wasn't even a ghost in sight.

But that sound... it was so real, right next to my ear!

"Meng Tian? Where are you?" Ying Zheng roared at the box.

"I was in a ravine... I just tripped and fell..." Meng Tian's voice was filled with grievance. "Your Majesty, did you hide someone in this box?"

Ying Zheng swallowed.

He looked at the black box in his hand.

This terrified him even more than the cannon.

Cannons can destroy cities.

But this thing... can control the situation.

If every army of the Qin Dynasty were equipped with this...

If all the beacon towers at the border were replaced with these...

The moment the Xiongnu mounted their horses, Xianyang knew about it.

This is hardly the case of having super hearing.

This is the Heavenly Eye!

"gentlemen……"

Ying Zheng raised his head, and for the first time, a feeling of "awe" appeared in his eyes.

"This thing..."

"Can one communicate with the gods?"

Zhang Ying smiled, took out a cigarette from her pocket, and lit it.

"God cannot hear."

"But your million-strong army."

"I can hear you."

Ying Zheng took a deep breath.

He raised the walkie-talkie in his hand, pointed it at the unseen end, and pressed the call button.

The sea breeze howled.

They rolled up his robes.

The sound pierced through the wind and the distance, echoing over the deserted island.

"Everyone has it."

"Give it to me..."

"Push this island flat!" Chapter 90. Chapter 90: For My Great Qin, Internet Access.

Leveling a deserted island is not just empty talk.

In Ying Zheng's understanding, infrastructure is power.

If we're going to build a base station, then it needs to be at a certain altitude.

If you want to reach great heights, you have to build a tower.

"Cut down all the trees over there." Ying Zheng, holding a walkie-talkie, stood on the hillside that had just been leveled by artillery fire and gave a calm and decisive command. "If there's not enough wood, use stones; if there aren't enough stones, dismantle ship planks."

Meng Tian's panting voice came from the other end of the walkie-talkie: "Your Majesty, are you really going to dismantle it? Then the 'Zulong' will be nothing but a skeleton."

"Dismantle it!" Ying Zheng roared at the black box. "With this telepathic communication system, what's the point of having ships? From now on, I'll command Xianyang from this island and have them send ships over to pick me up!"

Zhang Ying squatted to the side, soldering circuit boards.

The white smoke from the melting solder wire rose in wisps, carrying a rosin-like scent.

He's making repeaters.

The transistors are pre-made by the system, but the circuitry still needs to be built by ourselves.

This job is delicate; neither Ying Zheng nor Meng Tian could do it.

Only Zhang Ying could do it herself.

"Sir," Li Si approached, holding a tangled mess of copper wire (made from drawn copper ornaments salvaged from a pirate ship). "How many turns of this wire... do we need to wrap it?"

"Five hundred laps." Zhang Ying didn't even look up. "If there's one less lap, the signal will be intermittent. If His Majesty can't hear us yelling, are you going to take responsibility?"

Li Si shrank his neck and quickly sat down to the side to wind the coil.

three days later.

The highest peak on the deserted island.

An extremely ugly iron tower stands tall in the clouds.

It was made by welding together discarded drill rods, anchor chains, and countless steel bars.

A huge, dish-shaped antenna hangs from the top of the tower.

Zhang Ying climbed to the top of the tower and tightened the last joint.

"power ups!"

He shouted from the top of the tower.

Below, the diesel generator (a modified tractor engine) belching black smoke roared.

"Rat-a-tat-tat-tat—"

Current flowed into the base station along the conductor.

The indicator light turns on.

Red, like the eyes of some kind of wild beast.

Zhang Ying jumped down and clapped the rust off her hands. "Alright."

"Is that all?" Ying Zheng circled the iron tower. "I didn't see it glow."

"You can't see the waves it emits." Zhang Ying moved a modified, high-powered car radio onto the table. "Try this."

This radio is much bigger than a handheld walkie-talkie.

It also comes with a microphone.

Zhang Ying adjusted the frequency.

"Sizzle sizzle—"

After a hissing sound, a strange singing voice suddenly came through.

"The king has sent me to patrol the mountain—"

Ying Zheng was stunned.

Li Si was stunned.

Meng Tian drew his sword and looked around.

"Who? Who's singing?"

Zhang Ying was also taken aback. Where else on this deserted island could they get a signal besides them?

He listened carefully.

The voice was rough, off-key, and had a heavy Xianyang accent.

"...catch a monk for dinner..."

Ying Zheng's face darkened.

He snatched the microphone and pressed the send button.

"Wang Ben!"

The singing stopped abruptly.

The deathly silence lasted for three seconds.

Immediately afterwards, a chaotic commotion came over the radio, along with the sound of armor clashing.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty?!"

The voice was choked with sobs, filled with a ghostly terror. "Is that His Majesty's spirit? Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I will burn paper money for you..."

"Burn your grandpa!" Ying Zheng roared into the microphone, "I'm not dead yet!"

"Where are you?!"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the radio.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty is at sea," Wang Ben's voice trembled. "I was ordered to search for Your Majesty, and I have been searching for three months... Just now... Just now, I was trying to relieve my loneliness..."

Ying Zheng took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to kill.

"Report your location!"

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty doesn't know!" Wang Ben was on the verge of tears. "The sea is full of water, and the compass is broken, spinning like a windmill..."

Zhang Ying walked over and glanced at the signal strength meter.

Full.

"He's nearby," Zhang Ying pointed east, "about fifty nautical miles."

"Moreover," Zhang Ying pointed to the still-jumping compass, "it's in a magnetic anomaly zone. No wonder it can't find its way."

Ying Zheng tossed the microphone to Zhang Ying. "Bring him over here."

Zhang Ying picked up the microphone.

"Wang Ben, right?"

"I am Zhang Ying."

"Now, follow my orders."

"Look at the sun. Point the bow of the boat in the direction the sun is setting."

"Full speed ahead."

"The place where you see black smoke is us."

……

Two hours later.

sunset.

A battered and tattered fleet appeared on the horizon.

That was the Qin Dynasty's navy.

Although the sails were torn and the planks were wrecked, the fleet still maintained its neat formation.

On the flagship.

Wang Ben had disheveled hair, sunken eyes, and was as thin as a ghost.

But at that moment, he was staring intently at the deserted island in front of him, which was billowing black smoke.

And there's that towering iron tower on the island.

"miracle……"

Wang Ben muttered to himself.

"Is that the Tower of Babel?"

The ship has docked.

Wang Ben scrambled off the ship, fell to his knees on the beach, and hugged Ying Zheng's leg, wailing loudly.

"Your Majesty! I thought I would never see you again!"

Snot and tears smeared all over Ying Zheng's trouser leg.

Ying Zheng kicked him away in disgust.

"Alright, enough with the crying and wailing."

Ying Zheng pointed to the "industrial base" behind him.

Blast furnace, drilling rig, oil tank, iron tower.

And there was that tractor parked on the side of the road, with a 100mm rifled cannon mounted on it.

"have a look."

"This is the empire I conquered."

Wang Ben raised his head.

Silly.

I was completely dumbfounded.

He saw a group of savages pushing a cart full of coal at breakneck speed.

I saw several Qin soldiers using a fire-breathing gun (welding gun) to repair the ship's planks.

I saw that the top of that huge iron tower was flashing with an eerie red light.

This is no deserted island.

This is clearly the underworld... no, it's the Heavenly Court's armory!

"Your Majesty..." Wang Ben pointed at the tractor, "That's... a divine beast?"

"That's a chariot," Ying Zheng corrected, "one that drinks oil."

"That's... a pillar?" Wang Ben pointed at the iron tower.

"That's the 'Follow the Wind' ear'," Ying Zheng said calmly. "I just used it to scold you."

Wang Ben shrank his neck.

He suddenly felt that his three months at sea had been a complete waste.

Your Majesty truly lives up to his reputation.

Even stranded on a deserted island, they were able to create these wondrous objects.

"How many people came?" Zhang Ying walked over and handed Wang Ben a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor).

Wang Ben instinctively took it and took a swig.

"Cough cough cough—"

The strong liquor choked him, causing tears to stream down his face.

"Good wine!" Wang Ben roared. "Strong enough!"

"Reporting to you, sir," Wang Ben wiped his mouth, "we brought 20,000 men, 50 warships, and... a certain amount of provisions."

20,000 people.

Zhang Ying's eyes lit up.

Ying Zheng's eyes lit up as well.

This is hardly reinforcement.

This is labor!

These are real industrial workers!

"Good!" Ying Zheng patted Wang Ben on the shoulder, his smile exceptionally kind. "You've come at just the right time."

"I am worried that we don't have enough people to mine."

Wang Ben felt a chill run down his spine.

He had a bad feeling.

"Pass down the order," Ying Zheng waved his hand.

"The entire army is on the island."

"The armor was taken off, and the weapons were thrown away."

"Give each person an entrenching tool."

"Every blade of grass, every tree, every stone, and every clod of earth on this island."

"I will take them all with me!"

Night falls.

Numerous bonfires were lit on the deserted island.

Twenty thousand Qin soldiers joined this frenzied industrial extravaganza.

With these 20,000 new troops, the project's progress took off immediately.

Zhang Ying wasn't idle either.

He gathered all the craftsmen on Wang Ben's ship together.

Classes begin.

What are you talking about?

Explaining the principles of radio.

Explain the structure of the internal combustion engine.

Talk about assembly line operations.

These top craftsmen of the Qin Dynasty listened with rapt attention. Although they couldn't understand most of it, their instinctive thirst for technology allowed them to absorb this groundbreaking knowledge like sponges.

【Ding! 】

[Task complete: The flood of information.]

[Reward: Basic Radar Technology]

[A large influx of new labor has been detected, causing the industrial index to surge.]

[Special Quest Triggered: The Horn of Return.]

Mission Objective: Build a massive steel warship capable of traversing oceans.

[Reward: World Chart (Full Version)]

Zhang Ying looked at the new task.

Laughed.

A massive steel warship.

This means building a shipyard. Building a keel. Rolling steel plates.

This is a huge project.

But looking at the 20,000 Qin soldiers wielding entrenching tools on the beach, and at Qin Shi Huang standing on a high place, holding a walkie-talkie, directing thousands of troops to dig the earth.

Zhang Ying thought.

This can be done.

"His Majesty."

Zhang Ying walked to Ying Zheng's side.

"What's wrong?" Ying Zheng was in a great mood, bragging to Wang Ben about how his tank crashed into a tree.

"Do you want to go home?"

Ying Zheng's laughter stopped abruptly.

He turned around and looked north.

That place is the Great Qin Dynasty.

It is Xianyang.

It is his empire.

Although there are mines, oil, and artillery here.

But that's where home is.

"I want to." Ying Zheng's voice lowered.

"Then let's build a ship," Zhang Ying said, pointing to the shimmering sea.

"Build a real ship."

"No wood needed."

"All-steel structure."

"Ten times larger than the 'Zulong'".

"Equip radar, artillery, missiles... uh, we don't have missiles yet, so let's install rocket launchers."

"We're going to keep it running."

"We'll crush them all the way back."

A flame ignited in Ying Zheng's eyes.

It is even hotter than the fire in a blast furnace.

"All steel?"

"All steel".

"Ten times bigger?"

"At least ten times."

Ying Zheng took a deep breath.

He raised the walkie-talkie in his hand.

The button is pressed.

The sound of electricity pierced the night sky.

"All troops, listen to my command!"

"Level the mountain for me!"

"Fill up the sea for me!"

"I want to build..."

"Noah's Ark!"

Chapter 91: The First Aircraft Carrier of the Qin Dynasty was named "Qin Shi Huang".

Building a massive steel ship and converting a wooden boat are two completely different concepts.

First, there's steel.

A massive amount of steel.

The 20,000 men brought by Wang Ben, along with the previous prisoners, were all put to work in mining and steelmaking. The black smoke on the deserted island had already blocked out the sun, and the smell of sulfur in the air was so strong it stung the eyes.

But Ying Zheng didn't care.

He stood beside the newly built dry dock (a huge pit dug on the beach) and watched as the first keel was laid.

It was a 100-meter-long I-beam.

It was forged by fifty blacksmiths using steam hammers (which Zhang Ying had just rubbed).

"These bones are hard." Meng Tian kicked them, producing a dull thud.

"Of course." Zhang Ying held the blueprints in her hand, directing the crane (a modified steam crane). "This is low-alloy steel containing manganese. Don't even mention kicking it, you might not even be able to break it with a cannon."

Sparks flew everywhere in the dock.

The light from the welding torch flickered incessantly.

Although there was no argon arc welding, Zhang Ying invented the most primitive flux-coated welding rod. Although the weld was ugly like a centipede, it was strong enough.

One month.

Just one month.

The skeleton of a steel behemoth lay horizontally in the dock.

It's too big.

It is 150 meters long and 20 meters wide.

It looks like the skeleton of a dead whale, exuding a chilling aura.

"This...can it float?" Wang Ben expressed his doubt.

Iron sinks in water. This is common knowledge.

This huge lump of iron must weigh millions of pounds. If you threw it into the water, wouldn't it smash through the seabed?

"If Archimedes heard you say that, he'd be turning in his grave," Zhang Ying rolled her eyes.

"Who?" Wang Ben asked blankly.

"An old Greek man playing in the bathwater." Zhang Ying waved her hand. "Never mind him. As long as the water volume is large enough, even iron can float."

The next step is to lay the armor.

Ying Zheng had an obsession.

It must be thick.

"I don't want the kind with a thin crust and a lot of filling." Ying Zheng pointed to the side of the ship. "It needs to be at least this thick." He gestured a width of one hand.

"That's the standard for battleships," Zhang Ying said helplessly. "They're too heavy; they can't move fast."

"I don't care," Ying Zheng insisted. "What I want is for it to be indestructible. It doesn't matter if it runs slowly, since no one dares to stop me anyway."

then.

The ship became a mobile fortress.

The side armor is 200 mm thick. The deck armor is 100 mm thick.

The armor plates alone depleted all of the island's stock.

To power this behemoth, Zhang Ying dismantled the steam engines from the "Zulong" and built three larger ones. The four steam engines were connected in parallel, with a total power output of a terrifying 5,000 horsepower.

It is still propelled by paddle wheels.

Because the shaft sealing technology for propellers is too difficult to develop, water leakage is a major problem.

Four huge paddle wheels, like four Ferris wheels, hang on both sides of the ship.

The day we went into the water.

Everyone on the island came.

Ying Zheng, dressed in a newly made black dragon robe (modified from parachute fabric), stood on the high platform.

"Open the floodgates!"

At a command.

Seawater rushed into the dock.

Water levels are rising.

Everyone's heart was in their throat.

Wang Ben, in particular, even closed his eyes, afraid to see the tragic sight of the iron lump sinking to the bottom.

The water submerged the keel.

It didn't pass the lower deck.

It didn't cross the waterline.

The massive ship shuddered.

then.

It moved.

It slowly and steadily rose to the surface.

Like a steel mountain, it stands proudly in the water.

"It's...it's floating!" Wang Ben opened his eyes and screamed in a broken voice.

"Long live the Qin Dynasty! Long live the Great Qin!"

Twenty thousand Qin soldiers cheered in unison. The sound shattered the clouds in the sky.

Ying Zheng gripped the railing tightly, his knuckles turning white.

He looked at the giant ship that belonged to him.

My eyes were a little moist.

"gentlemen."

What is the name of this ship?

Zhang Ying thought for a moment.

"It was the first steel warship of the Qin Dynasty."

"It is a symbol of the industrial age."

"It was also the starting point for His Majesty's conquest of the world."

"Let's call it..."

"The First Emperor"

Ying Zheng suddenly turned his head.

"good!"

"The First Emperor!"

"I am the ship, and the ship is me!"

"Boarding!"

this day.

The deserted island has been emptied out.

All the coal, all the oil, and all the equipment were loaded onto the "First Emperor".

Even the blast furnace was dismantled, leaving not a single refractory brick.

This is not just a warship.

This is a moving city.

on the deck.

Ten "Daqin No. 1" tractor-tanks were parked there.

Twenty rifled cannons were mounted on it.

At the top of the mast (now an iron tower), the radar antenna slowly rotates.

Inside the radio room, signal lights flashed.

Ying Zheng stood on the bridge of the ship.

This is the highest point on the entire ship.

With a broad vision, one reigns supreme.

He was holding the walkie-talkie in his hand.

"Report the situation from each department."

"Power compartment in place! Air pressure normal!"

"Turret in position! Ammunition plentiful!"

"Radar room in position! Scan normal!"

"Kitchen ready! Beef and potato stew is in the pot!"

Ying Zheng's lips curled up.

He looked at Zhang Ying.

"Sir, is this... modernization?"

Zhang Ying stood beside him, looking at the monster filled with steampunk style.

Rough rivets.

Chimneys belching black smoke.

A huge paddlewheel.

And those rows of cannon barrels pointing to the sky.

This is very unmodern.

But this is violent.

"This is just the beginning," Zhang Ying said, pointing to the sea ahead.

"Where is the nautical chart?" Ying Zheng asked.

Zhang Ying opened the system panel.

[Mission Complete: The Horn of Return.]

[Reward: World Ocean Chart (Full Version)]

A huge, glowing holographic map appeared out of thin air on the table on the bridge.

Ying Zheng, Meng Tian, ​​Wang Ben, and Li Si.

Four people immediately surrounded them.

Breathing has stopped.

What did they see?

That is... the world.

The real world.

The Qin Dynasty was merely a corner of that chicken-shaped landmass on the map.

But outside of the Qin Dynasty.

There are vast grasslands.

There is an endless desert.

There are huge islands.

And beyond the sea, there lies another, even larger continent.

"This..." Ying Zheng's fingers trembled as they traced across the unfamiliar land.

"This is the Mauryan Empire," Zhang Ying said, pointing to the inverted triangular peninsula.

"This is Rome," Zhang Ying said, pointing to the boot-shaped area.

"This is America," Zhang Ying said, pointing to the furthest continent. "There are more potatoes, corn, and chili peppers there."

Ying Zheng's eyes turned red.

It's not a touching red.

It is a greedy red.

The hunter saw the red of the prey covering the mountain.

"These……"

"Are they all unclaimed?"

"They have a master now," Zhang Ying shrugged. "But their master holds a bronze sword, or perhaps a stone."

Ying Zheng smiled.

His smile was chilling.

His laughter made Wang Ben want to kneel down and kowtow.

"Pass on the order."

Ying Zheng's finger pressed heavily on the point on the map called "Xianyang".

"Target: Go home."

"But before going home..."

His finger traced an arc, pointing to the boot-shaped place—Rome.

"I've heard there's an emperor there too?"

"I want to go and see."

"By the way..."

"Ask him to borrow some gold to repair my Epang Palace."

"Ugh—!!!"

The steam whistle blared.

The sound was no longer that sharp whistle.

Instead, it was a deep, resonant roar, like the howl of a dragon.

The enormous paddlewheel began to turn.

The seawater is boiling.

The "First Emperor" slowly accelerated.

Black smoke blotted out the sky and blocked out the sun.

Steel cuts through waves.

This colossal ship, carrying the Qin Empire's highest technology, strongest military force, and greatest ambition, turned its bow around and did not head directly north.

Instead, it headed west.

Towards that unknown, rich world, still in the age of cold weapons.

They crushed it.

Zhang Ying watched Ying Zheng's fanatical back.

Suddenly I realized...

The wheels of history, no, the tracks of history.

It seems to have completely gone off track.

But the direction this derailment is heading...

That's fucking awesome.

"teacher!"

Ying Zheng turned around and shouted.

"What's wrong?"

"Let's play mahjong!"

"We're one short for mahjong! That bastard Wang Ben is too stupid, I'm going to win everything he owns!"

Zhang Ying smiled.

He glanced at the rotating radar.

I glanced at the world map again.

"They're here."

The image freezes on the moment when the massive bow of the "First Emperor" breaks through the giant wave. Amidst the splashing spray, the dark muzzle of the cannon is vaguely visible, greedily gazing at the western horizon.