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

Head west after leaving Xianyang.

The road conditions plummeted.

The originally smooth Qin Chi Road turned into a bumpy dirt road when it reached Longxi.

The wind whipped up yellow sand, which pattered against the car windows.

Inside the command vehicle.

The air conditioning was set to 16 degrees Celsius.

Ying Zheng lay half-reclined on the leather seat, his legs crossed, holding a bottle of chilled cola that he had just taken out of the car refrigerator.

Nourishes—

The pull ring pops open.

White steam rose up.

"That feels good."

Ying Zheng tilted his head back and took a swig.

The carbon dioxide bubbles burst in my throat, taking away all the heat and dryness.

He pressed a button on the armrest of the seat.

hum-

The backrest slowly reclined backward.

Press it again.

hum-

The backrest bounced back.

"Old Zhao." Zhang Ying gripped the steering wheel with one hand and rubbed her forehead helplessly with the other. "You've almost broken this chair."

"Fix it if it breaks."

Ying Zheng didn't care at all.

He turned his head and looked out the window at the cavalrymen struggling to move forward in the wind and sand.

There was a layer of bulletproof glass between them.

Two worlds.

Outside, it was the scorching heat and sandstorms of 200 BC.

Inside is the crystallization of 21st-century industrial civilization.

"Li Si".

"Your subject... Your subject is here."

back row.

Li Si was holding a vomit bag, his face ashen.

He doesn't get carsick.

But he got dizzy from this so-called "genuine leather seat".

It's too soft.

It was so soft that he felt insecure, as if he were sitting on a cloud and could fall off at any moment.

Write it down.

Ying Zheng pointed to the car refrigerator.

"From now on, all carriages in the Great Qin Dynasty will have to be equipped with this."

"And this too." He pointed to the air vent above his head, "a box that blows out cold air."

Li Si nodded weakly.

"I... obey your order."

He carved words crookedly on the bamboo slips:

*In the summer of the 28th year of Qin Shi Huang's reign, the Emperor embarked on a western expedition in his divine chariot. Inside the chariot, there was the distinct atmosphere of both winter and summer, and water from an icy spring. The Emperor was greatly pleased. His ministers were utterly bewildered.*

sizzle-

The walkie-talkie on the center console suddenly turned red.

The sound of the electric current was piercing.

"Calling the Cave Demon! Calling the Cave Demon! I am Cave Two! I am Cave Two!"

Wang Ben's voice.

Excited.

It even had a slightly perverse tremor.

Ying Zheng put down the cola.

Pick up your hand.

Press the call button.

His movements were as practiced as a seasoned taxi driver who had been driving for twenty years.

"speak."

"Roadblock spotted 30 li ahead!"

"What roadblock?"

"Men!" Wang Ben shouted, "They're all men! On horseback! Dressed like beggars! Holding curved swords!"

"Judging by appearances... there must be five thousand!"

Zhang Ying glanced at the navigation screen (offline map).

"Yuezhi".

He chewed the ice cube in his mouth.

"This area belongs to the Yuezhi people. We didn't get visas or pay any tolls."

"visa?"

Ying Zheng raised an eyebrow.

"Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king."

He spoke into the microphone, his voice flat.

"Ask them."

"Do you want to die, or do you want to live?"

……

Thirty miles away.

Yellow sand filled the sky.

Five thousand Yuezhi cavalrymen formed a long, single-file line, blocking the entrance to the narrow river valley.

The Yuezhi king, who was at the head of the group, rode a tall Ferghana horse and carried a gilded scimitar.

He is very confident.

A few days ago, our scouts reported that a caravan of Qin people had arrived.

There weren't many people.

Just a few metal boxes.

What can a metal box do?

Could it withstand the scimitars of his Yuezhi warriors?

Can it outrun the wind on the grassland?

"Rob!"

The Yuezhi king brandished his sword.

"They stole their metal boxes! They stole their women! They stole their..."

Rumbling--

The ground began to shake.

The pebbles bounced.

On the distant horizon.

A colossal, dark green creature tore through the sandstorm, revealing its menacing fangs.

The turret rotates.

The thick, long pipe gleamed with a cold, sharp light in the sunlight.

Behind.

The three trucks were spread out in a triangular pattern.

The black cloth covering the truck bed was lifted.

The heavy machine gun mounted on it was revealed (an M2 Lao Gan Ma given by the system; although it didn't have many bullets, it was enough to scare people).

The Yuezhi king was stunned.

What is that?

There are no horses.

There are no cows.

Is it running by itself?

And it ran so fast?

"witchcraft!"

The high priest beside him screamed, his bone staff trembling, "That's a Qin monster! It's a Taotie!"

"Release the arrows!"

The Yuezhi king, steeling himself, roared.

"Shoot it!"

Boom boom boom—

The bowstring vibrates.

Thousands of arrows soared into the air, like dark clouds descending upon the tank.

Ding ding ding.

The arrow struck the armor plating.

Not even a white mark was left.

Some were even bounced back and stuck in the sand, their tail feathers still trembling.

The tanks didn't stop.

It actually accelerated.

The engine roared like a wild beast.

A plume of black smoke billowed from the exhaust pipe.

The speed soared to fifty.

In this era, this is teleportation.

Inside the command vehicle.

Ying Zheng looked at the swarm of ant-like cavalry ahead.

There was no pity whatsoever.

"Wang Ben asked me, 'How should we fight?'"

Ying Zheng released the microphone button.

He turned to look at Zhang Ying.

"What does the Imperial Advisor think?"

Zhang Ying yawned.

I shifted gears.

"The road is too narrow."

"Going around would waste fuel."

My suggestion is...

Zhang Ying pointed ahead.

"Just run them over."

Ying Zheng smiled.

He pressed the call button.

He only said one word.

"Pressure".

Chapter 96

Chapter 96: Truth Lies Within Range

boom--!

The tank crashed into the cavalry formation.

It's like throwing a red-hot iron into a block of lard.

There were no obstacles.

There was no pause.

Flesh and blood are as fragile as paper in the face of fifty tons of steel.

The warhorses neighed.

The bones were shattered.

The screams were drowned out by the roar of the tracks.

Wang Ben sat in the cockpit.

He didn't fire.

The imperial advisor said that artillery shells are expensive; one shell can be exchanged for a thousand kilograms of rice.

Then let's crash into it.

He stepped on the gas and put it in the tank.

The tanks, like mad bulls, rampaged through the Yuezhi's formation.

Turn left.

drift.

The tracks kicked up blood and mud, splattering it onto the faces of the terrified Yuezhi people.

"A devil! This is a devil!"

The Yuezhi king was terrified.

His Akhal-Teke horse was startled and threw him to the ground.

He had just gotten up.

He saw that huge iron lump rushing towards him.

The gun barrel is lowered.

It's like looking down at an ant.

"Run!"

Someone shouted something.

Five thousand Yuezhi cavalrymen collapsed instantly.

They dropped their scimitars, bows and arrows, and even their trousers, and cried out for their parents as they climbed up the mountains on both sides.

As long as we can get as far away from this monster as possible.

Even feeding wolves would be acceptable.

The tank stopped.

It stopped right in front of the Yuezhi king.

The distance was less than one meter.

The heat radiating from the radiator scorched the Yuezhi king's beard.

The roof of the car was opened.

Wang Ben leaned half his body out.

He was holding a submachine gun in his hand.

He had a half-smoked cigarette dangling from his mouth.

"Feed".

Wang Ben exhaled a smoke ring.

"Who just said they were going to rob us?"

The Yuezhi king was stiff all over.

My crotch got hot.

I peed.

……

Ten minutes later.

The battlefield has been cleaned up.

The so-called cleaning was really just gathering up the horses that were still usable.

The Yuezhi king was bound hand and foot and thrown in front of the command vehicle.

Ying Zheng opened the chariot door.

Military boots tread on the sand.

He wasn't wearing a crown.

He wasn't wearing a dragon robe.

He was dressed in camouflage, wearing sunglasses, and holding an AK47 in his hand.

If you don't look at faces.

This is a modern warlord.

"Are you the boss?"

Ying Zheng used the barrel of his gun to lift the Yuezhi king's chin.

It's cold.

It smelled of gunpowder.

The Yuezhi king nodded tremblingly.

"Your Majesty...please spare me..."

He can speak a few words of Qin dialect.

After all, they used to frequently do business (rob) with merchant caravans from the Qin border.

"I'm asking you a question."

Ying Zheng squatted down.

He pulled the world map out of his pocket.

It was spread out on the ground.

"here."

Ying Zheng pointed to the Mauryan Empire on the map.

"How do I get there?"

The Yuezhi king glanced at the map.

can't read.

Those lines and those blocks of color were like a foreign language to him.

"Go...go west..."

The Yuezhi king pointed in the direction where the sun was setting.

"Over that snow-capped mountain..."

"Then we'll cross another vast desert..."

"You'll be able to see lots of elephants..."

"elephant?"

Ying Zheng's eyes lit up.

"I heard that the pillars in the temple over there are made of gold?"

The Yuezhi king nodded vigorously.

"Yes! Yes! They're rolling in money! Even the beggars have jewels in their bowls!"

Ying Zheng put the map away with satisfaction.

Stand up.

He patted the Yuezhi king's face.

"lead the way."

"Lead...lead the way?"

The Yuezhi king was stunned.

"I don't know the way."

Ying Zheng pulled back the bolt of his gun.

Click.

The bullet is loaded.

"Lead the way."

"I've brought it. I'll reward you with an official position."

"You brought the wrong one..."

Ying Zheng pointed to the tank next to him.

"I'll stuff you into that tube."

"Shoot it out."

The Yuezhi king rolled his eyes.

fainted.

……

night.

The convoy set up camp in the valley.

A campfire was lit.

Zhang Ying set up a large iron pot.

Inside were compressed biscuits, luncheon meat, and several packs of instant noodles that had been redeemed from the system.

The aroma wafted through the air.

The sight made the Qin soldiers on guard swallow hard.

"Come."

Zhang Ying served a bowl.

He handed it to Ying Zheng.

"Try it."

"What is this?"

Ying Zheng looked at the winding noodles in the bowl, and the two pieces of pink meat.

Instant noodles.

Zhang Ying also served herself a bowl.

Squatting by the campfire.

They slurped it down.

"Industrial waste. But in a place like this, it's considered a delicacy."

Ying Zheng tentatively took a bite.

Spicy.

Rich and flavorful.

The taste of MSG assaulted his taste buds.

"good!"

Ying Zheng praised it highly.

"Much better than the bland mutton soup in the imperial kitchen!"

He finished his meal in a few bites.

They even drank all the soup.

Put down the bowl.

Ying Zheng looked up at the starry sky above.

The altitude here is high.

The stars are frighteningly large.

It looked as if you could reach out and pick it.

"Zhang Ying".

"Um?"

"you say……"

Ying Zheng pointed to the western night sky.

"Why didn't Alexander attack us back then?"

Zhang Ying took a sip of soup.

He wiped his mouth.

"You're lost."

"Or maybe they're just tired."

"After all, he didn't have tanks. He didn't have trucks. He didn't have instant noodles."

Zhang Ying picked up a stone.

Throw it into the fire.

Sparks flew everywhere.

"But he didn't manage to do it."

"We can do it."

Ying Zheng remained silent for a moment.

He touched the holster at his waist.

He glanced again at the tank in the distance, its surface gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

"truth."

Ying Zheng suddenly blurted out a sentence.

"What?"

"You said that before."

Ying Zheng turned his head.

The firelight reflected on his face.

That's ambition.

It is desire.

It was also an unprecedented firmness.

"You said that dignity lies only on the edge of the sword."

"truth……"

Ying Zheng patted the tank tracks behind him.

It produced a dull, metallic clanging sound.

"Within firing range only."

Zhang Ying smiled.

He raised the stainless steel bowl in his hand.

It clashed with Ying Zheng's AK47.

"Transparent".

"sleep."

"We still have to cross the snow-capped mountains tomorrow."

"If that beat-up truck breaks down on the way, we'll have to ride horses."

Ying Zheng stood up.

Climb into the command vehicle.

Before closing the door.

He glanced back at the Yuezhi king who was tied to a wheel.

"I have high hopes for him."

"That's my GPS."

Chapter 97

Chapter 97 Oxygen Cylinders and Altitude Sickness

the next day.

It was just dawn.

The convoy broke camp.

The Yuezhi king was thrown into the back of a truck.

It was crammed together with that pile of spare tires.

He woke up.

Looking at the Qin soldiers around him, dressed in camouflage and carrying strange weapons, he felt like he was still having a nightmare.

"Walk!"

The truck started.

Black smoke sprayed all over his face.

The convoy traveled westward along the valley.

The altitude is getting higher and higher.

The vegetation is becoming increasingly scarce.

The original Gobi Desert has been transformed into barren, rocky mountains.

The air began to thin.

Li Si is no longer capable.

He leaned against the car window, mouth agape, like a fish out of water.

His face turned purple.

His chest heaved violently.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

Li Si's voice was weak.

"I...I fear my time is drawing near..."

"I feel tightness in my chest... I can't breathe..."

Ying Zheng was also feeling a bit uncomfortable.

Headache.

My temples are throbbing.

But he could still endure it.

After all, he was a martial arts practitioner, and his physical fitness was much better than that of Li Si, a civil official.

"parking."

Zhang Ying stepped on the brakes.

The command vehicle was parked halfway up the mountain.

He turned around.

A green steel cylinder was pulled out from under the back seat.

Connect the pipe.

Put on the mask.

"Take two puffs."

Zhang Ying put the mask on Li Si's face.

Turn on the valve.

Nourishes—

Pure oxygen rushed in.

Li Si took a deep breath.

It's like a drowning person grasping at a straw.

The feeling of suffocation vanished instantly.

My mind is clear now.

The tightness in my chest has subsided.

"So...so impressive!"

Li Si clung to the oxygen tank, refusing to let go no matter what.

"This is celestial energy!"

"Imperial Preceptor, is this bottle filled with the spiritual energy of Mount Kunlun?"

"It's oxygen."

Zhang Ying took a couple of puffs herself.

Altitude sickness. A normal phenomenon.

"This place is too high, there's not enough air."

He handed another mask to Ying Zheng.

"Old Zhao, want a bite?"

Ying Zheng waved his hand.

"I don't need it."

"I am the Son of Heaven, the true dragon."

"A mere mountain, how could it possibly subdue me?"

The voice just fell.

Ying Zheng swayed slightly.

It's black in front of you.

Zhang Ying was quick-witted and nimble-fingered.

They simply put the mask over his face.

"Suck it."

Even a true dragon needs to breathe.

"Prolonged oxygen deprivation can easily lead to brain damage."

……

three days later.

At the foot of the Pamir Mountains.

This is the Pamir Plateau of later generations.

The snow-capped mountains stretch endlessly.

Straight into the sky.

The snow-capped peaks, like an insurmountable chasm, stretch across the sky and earth.

The convoy stopped.

There's no road.

The road ahead was full of gravel and glaciers.

The truck can't get up there.

Tanks... that's a bit risky too.

"What should we do?"

Wang Ben jumped off the tank.

His face was sunburned and peeling, turning bright red.

Typical "plateau red" complexion.

"This mountain is too steep."

Wang Ben pointed to the narrow, winding path ahead.

"Our car is too wide."

"If you force your way up, you'll easily fall into the ditch."

Ying Zheng was breathing oxygen.

He frowned as he looked at the snow-capped mountain.

The map shows that after crossing this mountain and walking a little further, you'll reach that land flowing with milk and honey.

But this mountain...

It's really difficult.

"fry."

Zhang Ying jumped off the truck.

He was holding a blueprint in his hand.

"When you encounter a mountain, open a road; when you encounter a river, build a bridge."

"If the road isn't wide enough, blast it wider."

"If a rock is blocking the way, blast it to pieces."

He pointed to the several boxes of unused C4 explosives in the back of the truck.

"Wang Ben".

"exist!"

"Bring a few people."

"Go ahead and lay mines."

"Break those protruding rocks for me."

"promise!"

Wang Ben was excited.

Blast the mountain?

He likes this job.

Half an hour later.

boom--!!!

A loud bang.

The snow-capped mountains trembled.

Snow avalanche.

Gravel rolled down.

The originally narrow mountain path was forcibly shaved off.

The smoke and dust cleared.

A "road" barely wide enough for a tank to pass through appeared before everyone.

It was still very dangerous.

One side is a cliff.

On one side is an abyss.

But for the Qin expeditionary force...

This is the thoroughfare.

"superior!"

Ying Zheng threw away the oxygen mask.

Climb into the command vehicle.

"Who dares to fall behind?"

"I'll let him stay here and be a snowman."

The engine roared.

Thick black smoke billowed out.

The long steel dragon slowly climbed towards the clouds.

The Yuezhi king huddled in the back of his cart.

Looking at those hilltops that had been blown away.

Looking at those iron monsters that seemed to walk on flat ground on the edge of the cliff.

He was completely convinced.

This is not human.

This is clearly a bunch of lunatics.

A group of madmen who have mastered thunder and fire.

He began to mourn for the Mauryan dynasty he had never met.

Why mess with anyone?

Why did they have to provoke these Qin people?

That's good now.

The demolition team really arrived.