Qin Dynasty: They've all turned into zombies, what's there to fear about a rebellion?

"Gundam... Project?"

Ying Zheng stared at the crooked, soulful sketch in Su Ming's hand. A hint of confusion flashed in his green, fiery eyes, but more than that, there was a sense of awe and wonder.

"Though I don't know the meaning of this name, this design... is majestic! Powerful! It suits my taste perfectly!"

Ying Zheng slammed his hand down, making the table vibrate. "Granted! This matter is entirely entrusted to the Grand Preceptor! The Ministry of the Imperial Household, the Ministry of Works, and even my own treasury—take whatever you need!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Su Ming chuckled, secretly delighted. With this imperial sword, wouldn't he be able to roam freely in the Qin Dynasty?

Just as the atmosphere in the hall was lively, with the emperor and his ministers enjoying themselves and everyone envisioning the wonderful future of "mechanical ascension," Ying Zheng's face suddenly darkened.

The terrifyingly low pressure emanating from the Corpse King instantly made the ministers who had just wanted to come up and flatter him shrink back.

"The Imperial Advisor."

Ying Zheng's voice turned icy cold, his fingernails unconsciously scratching at the armrest of the dragon throne, making a teeth-grinding "sizzling" sound. "My great cause has been settled, but there is still a thorn in my heart that is pricking me."

Su Ming was taken aback, then immediately understood.

This is an essential skill in the workplace: understanding your superiors' intentions.

"Is Your Majesty referring to Xu Fu, the one who absconded with public funds and went on a publicly funded overseas trip?"

"It is this thief!"

Mentioning that name, Ying Zheng's eyes gleamed with an intense green light, and his body surged with deathly aura. He truly hated him to the core. "That old swindler! He cheated me out of my money, cheated my people, and even made a fool of me! Now he's hiding on the vast ocean, living a carefree life, while I can only stand here in Xianyang Palace, helplessly watching!"

"I...cannot swallow this insult!"

"I wish I could fly over there right now and chew his bones to pieces!"

Ying Zheng grew angrier as he spoke, and slammed his hand on the dragon table, instantly turning the hard corner into dust.

The civil and military officials below were all filled with righteous indignation, especially Li Si, who gritted his teeth. After all, he had signed off on approving the funds for Xu Fu, and if old scores were settled, he would have to take the blame.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Anger is bad for your health... Oh, no, you're not afraid of harming your health now."

Su Ming's eyes darted around, and a wicked smile crept onto his lips. "Who says we can't do anything to him just because he's overseas? Your Majesty, times have changed. What we're talking about now is 'beyond visual range strikes'."

"Super...what?" Ying Zheng was stunned.

"Even if he's separated by a vast distance, he could still become unable to take care of himself!"

Su Ming looked confident, but in his mind he was frantically tapping the system.

"System! Get to work! Do you have any remote curse-killing skills? Preferably with video call functionality, so Brother Zheng can see it in person!"

The system's cold, mechanical voice sounded: [Host's needs detected. Recommended skill: Bloodline Corpse Curse (Ranged Version). Requires the cursed person's old belongings or the blood essence of a related person as a medium. Ignores distance and directly detonates the negative status effects within their body. Price: 500 points.]

"Bought it! Put it on the tab!"

Su Ming is currently burdened with debts, and as long as he keeps Ying Zheng happy, these points are nothing to him.

"Your Majesty, I possess a technique called 'Bloodline Tracking'."

Su Ming stepped forward, his expression solemn. "As long as we have a personal item that the old scoundrel Xu Fu once used, or a token containing dragon energy that Your Majesty bestowed upon him, I can cast a spell from afar and send him a 'grand gift'."

"A token?"

Without a second thought, Ying Zheng pulled out a broken jade pendant from his robes.

"This was given to him by me back then. Before he left, that old dog kowtowed hypocritically and left half of it in the palace, saying that he would definitely return."

Ying Zheng casually tossed the jade pendant to Su Ming, his eyes filled with disgust. "Do you think you can kill him with this?"

"Killing him would be too easy for him."

Su Ming took the jade pendant, its surface warm and smooth to the touch. However, he sensed a faint thread of cause and effect on it. "We must make him suffer a fate worse than death, and make him a pawn for His Majesty overseas."

Having said that, Su Ming stopped arguing.

He suddenly bit his tongue (actually, he bit open the blood sac hidden in his mouth), spitting a mouthful of blood onto the jade pendant. His hands moved swiftly, forming hand seals, and he chanted incantations:

"Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, T-virus, show your divine power! Old man Xu Fu, transform yourself!"

"Buzz—"

A blood-red light screen, visible only to Su Ming and Ying Zheng, suddenly unfolded in mid-air above the main hall.

The image distorted for a moment, then gradually became clear.

It was a vast, blue sea.

A huge ship was cutting through the waves, its deck decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and the sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air.

An elderly man dressed in a Taoist robe, with white hair and beard, was embracing two young girls on his left and right, holding a luminous cup in his hand. His face was flushed, and he was smiling in a lewd manner.

"Hahaha! That old man Ying Zheng is probably rotting in the ground by now, isn't he?"

Xu Fu's voice emanated from the light screen, crystal clear, "With the emperor far away and the heavens high, I shall be the emperor of this sea from now on! Come, beauties, let's have another drink!"

"Snap!"

Inside the Xianyang Palace, the floor tiles beneath Ying Zheng's feet shattered instantly, and his green eyes seemed to spit fire.

"That old dog... I'll tear him to pieces!!"

"Your Majesty, please be patient, the real show is just beginning."

Su Ming gave a sinister smile, pointed his finger sharply at Xu Fu in the light screen, and shouted, "Change!"

on the screen.

Xu Fu, who was drinking with his head tilted back, suddenly trembled and the wine cup in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter".

"What's going on? Why is it suddenly so cold?"

Xu Fu rubbed his arms, only to be horrified to find that his skin was turning black and festering at a visible speed.

"Ah! My hand! My face!"

He screamed and scratched at it, and a large chunk of skin and flesh tore off, revealing the writhing, blackened blood vessels underneath.

Then, something even more terrifying happened.

His once ethereal white hair suddenly began to fall out wildly, replaced by clumps of black hair as hard as steel needles. His teeth began to fall out, and sharp fangs quickly grew in. His eyes became bloodshot, and his pupils dilated into the vertical pupils of a wild beast.

"roar--"

Xu Fu wanted to speak, but only a beastly roar could be heard from his throat.

"What is this? What kind of sorcery is this?!"

The boys and girls on the deck screamed in terror and scattered, but before they could run more than a few steps, they found themselves beginning to mutate as well.

The virus transmitted through the "bloodline curse" swept across the entire ship like a plague.

The deck, which was originally filled with singing and dancing, was instantly transformed into a living hell.

The strong, armored warriors bulged their muscles, bursting through their armor, and became mindless zombies who only knew how to kill; the boys and girls, on the other hand, became agile "little devils," climbing frantically on all fours along the ship's sides.

Xu Fu, as the core of the "curse," underwent the most complete mutation.

His body swelled to twice its size, and his back was torn apart, from which two deformed fleshy wings grew, making him look like a huge, ugly bat monster.

"Ying Zheng!! It's you!! You tyrant!!"

The mutated Xu Fu seemed to sense something and let out a mournful roar towards the void (in the direction of the screen), "Even as a ghost, you won't let me go?!"

"snort."

Inside the Xianyang Palace, Ying Zheng watched this scene, and his anger instantly dissipated by more than half, replaced by an extreme sense of comfort and pleasure.

"Go ahead and curse, keep cursing."

Ying Zheng sneered, staring at the monster through the screen. "Not only will I not let you go, I will make you suffer on this sea for eternity, raising this ship full of monsters for me!"

Su Ming waved his hand at the opportune moment, and the light screen slowly dissipated.

"Your Majesty, once this curse is planted, it is like a festering sore that will not be cured until death."

Su Ming clapped his hands, concealing his accomplishment, and said, "Xu Fu has now become a subordinate infected entity of the 'Corpse Ancestor.' The more he multiplies overseas, the more 'experience packs'... oh no, the more 'strategic resources' we'll gain when we go to harvest him later."

"This is no Xu Fu; this is clearly a 'laborer' that Your Majesty has raised overseas."

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Ying Zheng understood and let out a hearty laugh that shook the entire hall.

"Good! What a fine working-class guy!"

"Minister Su, this method is exactly what I want! Absolutely exactly what I want!"

Ying Zheng was in a great mood and waved his hand:

"Send the order! A banquet will be held tonight at Xianyang Palace! I will drink with all my beloved ministers... that tomato juice!"

"Also, make a note of Xu Fu's side. When I have some free time, I will personally lead the elite Qin warriors to hunt at that so-called 'Monster Paradise'!"

Su Ming wiped the cold sweat from his brow and forced a smile:

"Your Majesty is wise! But before that, shouldn't we clean up this mess first? Also... Prime Minister Li seems to have fainted from fright, should we try pinching his philtrum?"