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

Inside the command vehicle, Ying Zheng closed the door, completely shutting out the biting cold wind outside.

He picked up the green steel cylinder again, and imitating Zhang Ying, put the mask on his face and took a deep breath.

A pure, cool breath rushed into my lungs, instantly dispelling the throbbing, nauseous feeling in my head.

"Good stuff," Ying Zheng muttered to himself, his eyes revealing a complex emotion that was hard to describe.

Once upon a time, he thought he held all the power in the world, the power of life and death, and that no one dared disobey him. But standing before this majestic snow-capped mountain, he realized that even breathing smoothly had become a luxury.

But Zhang Ying, this mysterious imperial advisor, always manages to come up with things that overturn his understanding.

From cola to tanks, from AK47s to this bottle that can "exhale magical vapors".

He grew increasingly curious about what kind of bizarre and wonderful world Zhang Ying was referring to as the "21st century."

"Hold on tight." Zhang Ying's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Zhang Ying's expression was very focused, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, her eyes fixed on the narrow passage ahead that had been carved out by explosives.

The road surface was full of potholes, gravel, and loose soil. To the left was an almost vertical rock wall, and to the right was a bottomless abyss.

The wind rushed up from the abyss, howling like ghosts and wolves.

"Wang Ben, you go first." Zhang Ying picked up the walkie-talkie, her tone calm. "Keep the speed below five kilometers per hour, pay attention to the road conditions, and report any situation at any time."

"Dongliang received!" Wang Ben's excited voice came through the walkie-talkie. "Don't worry, Grand Preceptor, this iron lump is perfectly stable!"

Rumbling--

The tank's engine roared, and its tracks crunched over the gravel with a teeth-grinding creak.

The fifty-ton steel behemoth, like a clumsy yet incredibly determined beetle, carefully moved up the cliffside path.

Inside the command vehicle, everyone held their breath.

Li Si pressed his face against the carriage window, his complexion even whiter than the snow outside.

He looked at the tank's massive body, most of which was suspended above the abyss, with only the inner tracks still pressing on the ground.

If it slips even slightly, or if a small section of the road collapses, this invulnerable "monster" will immediately fall into the abyss and be smashed into a pile of scrap metal.

"Too...too dangerous..." Li Si's voice trembled. "Your Majesty, Grand Preceptor, perhaps...we should walk over? My legs are still quite nimble..."

"Shut up," Ying Zheng coldly uttered.

He wasn't unnerved.

This tank, along with the trucks behind it, was his greatest asset in conquering the West.

If we were to perish here, that would be a real disaster.

But he couldn't show it.

He was the emperor of the Qin Dynasty, the Son of Heaven.

The emperor must not have fear.

"Zhang Ying," Ying Zheng's voice was devoid of any emotion, "what are the chances of success?"

Zhang Ying didn't turn around, but simply said, "Theoretically, ninety-nine percent. Although this road is dangerous, the foundation is rock. The explosion just now only cleared away the surface soil and gravel; the load-bearing capacity is not a problem."

"What about the remaining one percent?" Ying Zheng pressed.

"The remaining one percent depends on fate," Zhang Ying said. "For example, a sudden crosswind, or a large rock falling from the mountaintop."

Upon hearing this, Li Si's eyes rolled back, and he almost fainted again.

"Cave Demon, Cave Demon, Cave Two has passed the first corner, the road conditions are stable, we can proceed!" Wang Ben's voice rang out again, with a hint of boasting.

"Keep up," Zhang Ying ordered the truck driver behind them.

He stepped on the gas, and the command vehicle slowly drove onto that death tunnel.

The wheels crunched and groaned as they rolled over the gravel.

The car body swayed from side to side due to the uneven road surface.

With each tilt to the right, Li Si felt his heart about to stop.

He gripped the overhead handrail tightly, muttering incantations, seemingly praying to some deity for protection.

Zhang Ying, however, seemed quite relaxed.

He even had the leisure to turn on the car stereo.

A burst of rousing music began.

"The vast horizon is my love, and flowers are blooming at the foot of the rolling green hills..."

"..." Ying Zheng's lips twitched.

"..." Li Si's face turned even greener.

Is it appropriate to play such decadent music at such a critical moment of life and death?

"Grand Preceptor, what... what kind of elegant music is this?" Li Si couldn't help but ask weakly.

"Phoenix Legends," Zhang Ying replied casually. "It's a military song from our area, it's invigorating."

Ying Zheng decided not to discuss musical taste with Zhang Ying.

He only cares about one thing now.

"How much longer do we have to walk?"

"About an hour." Zhang Ying glanced at the navigation screen. "Once we cross that pass, we'll reach the summit. We can find a sheltered spot to rest, and then we can descend."

One hour.

Li Si felt that this one hour was longer than the past fifty years of his life.

He closed his eyes, unable to look out the window any longer.

However, the music coming into his ears only made him more agitated.

"What kind of rhythm is the most swaying, what kind of singing is the most joyful...?"

Li Si felt that he might really be going to die.

He didn't die from altitude sickness, nor from falling off a cliff.

Instead, they were driven to their deaths by this bizarre "military song".

In the back of the truck.

The Yuezhi king was thrown around so much that he was completely disoriented.

He and several other captured Yuezhi nobles were tied together and thrown into a corner like a pile of goods.

Through the gaps in the truck bed, he could see the dizzying abyss outside.

He didn't understand what load-bearing capacity or foundation meant.

All he knew was that these Qin people had gone mad.

They drove these iron lumps, heavier than mountains, on roads that only antelopes dared to tread.

Moreover, they were playing loud noises that could scare a person out of their wits as they walked.

Several of his clansmen were so frightened that they foamed at the mouth and lost consciousness.

He was the only one still awake.

Because he wanted to see with his own eyes how these lunatics would kill themselves.

However, an hour passed.

The convoy came to a smooth stop.

"We've reached the summit," Zhang Ying's voice came. "Everyone get out of the vehicles and stretch your legs. Check the vehicles and refuel."

The Yuezhi king was dragged out of the cart.

His legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.

He looked up.

The sky was a deep blue, like a giant gemstone.

The snow-capped mountains stretch out beneath our feet, and the sea of ​​clouds churns, creating a scene resembling a fairyland.

In the distance, the tank's cannon barrel reflected a cold light in the sunlight.

A group of Qin soldiers in camouflage uniforms are gathered around a campfire, eating a kind of steaming block.

Ying Zheng stood on the edge of the cliff, facing the wind.

He wasn't on oxygen, and although his face was somewhat pale, his eyes were unusually bright.

He opened his arms as if to embrace the world.

"What a magnificent empire!" Ying Zheng laughed loudly. "My empire!"

The Yuezhi king shrank his neck.

He suddenly felt that these lunatics might... actually be able to conquer the world.

Because they not only possess weapons like those of demonic beasts, but also a heart harder and more insane than the stone atop this snow-capped mountain.