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

The stench of blood in Xianyang Palace had not yet dissipated, and the eunuchs were trembling as they wiped the bloodstains off the floor.

Li Si was woken up by Su Ming pinching his philtrum.

The Prime Minister of Qin opened his eyes groggily, and the first thing he saw was Ying Zheng's eyes, which still glowed with a green light that hadn't completely faded. He was so frightened that he almost fainted again. Fortunately, Su Ming reacted quickly and caught him, whispering in his ear, "Prime Minister, hold on. If you faint now, His Majesty might think you're unwell and just refine you into powder."

Li Si jolted awake, instantly regaining his composure, and straightened his back more than anyone else.

"Your Majesty!" Li Si knelt on the ground, his voice still trembling, "This old minister...this old minister has been disrespectful."

"It's alright."

Ying Zheng waved his hand, his large, red-haired hand tapping loudly on the table, clearly still immersed in the afterglow of the surge of power he had just experienced. "Li Si, you've woken up just in time. The Imperial Advisor and I are discussing the future policies of the Qin Dynasty. You should listen in as well."

Li Si smiled bitterly. National policy? The court is filled with the stench of blood right now. Talking about national policy at this time would probably just be talking about how to capture and devour the remnants of the six states, wouldn't it?

"The Imperial Advisor means that while it would be good for the whole country to ascend to heaven, we cannot rush it."

Ying Zheng pointed at Su Ming, signaling him to continue.

Su Ming cleared his throat and walked to the center of the hall. He knew that he had to come up with something substantial at this time. He needed to satisfy Ying Zheng's ambitions without actually turning Qin into a zombie apocalypse. Otherwise, with no one farming and no one paying taxes, the empire would be doomed.

"Your Majesty, Prime Minister."

Su Ming spoke eloquently, "The so-called 'nationwide ascension' is a long-term, grand plan. If we turn all the common people into 'corpse immortals' now, who will grow the grain? Who will weave the cloth? Who will mine the land? We can't expect a bunch of zombies to do embroidery, can we?"

Ying Zheng nodded thoughtfully: "That makes sense. I also felt just now that if the streets were full of red-haired monsters, it would indeed be a bit...unseemly."

Li Si, listening nearby, was sweating profusely: Your Majesty, you yourself are now the biggest red-haired monster.

"Therefore, I suggest that we set a small goal first."

Su Ming held up three fingers, his eyes sharp. "We're not going for a human wave tactic; we're going for an elite route! First, we'll utilize the existing resources to build a special forces unit—mass-produce three hundred 'Drought Demons'!"

"Hanba?"

Li Si gasped. "Is the Grand Preceptor referring to the legendary demon that 'scorched the land for a thousand miles'?"

"No, no."

Su Ming shook his finger, giving him a "you don't understand science" look. "That's a mythological misconception. The drought demon I'm talking about is the culmination of corpse-path technology! It's the ultimate weapon for individual combat!"

As he spoke, he pulled out a parchment scroll that he had prepared beforehand from his sleeve and unfolded it in front of the two of them with a whoosh.

It was a sketch filled with violent aesthetics.

The humanoid creature in the painting is extremely robust, standing over ten feet tall, covered in thick black iron armor, with its joints filled with vicious barbs. It holds a giant axe the size of a door in one hand and a repeating crossbow in the other. Beneath its visor, a pair of scarlet eyes are visible, and just looking at the painting exudes a menacing aura.

"This is called the 'Drought Demon Mech'."

Su Ming pointed to the blueprints and explained, "Using the bones of battle-hardened veterans as a base, we inject high-purity corpse poison, then use the Mo family's mechanical techniques to modify their skeletons, and finally cover them with heavy armor of black iron. They feel no pain, possess immense strength, and are impervious to swords, spears, water, and fire!"

"If you unleash three hundred of these monsters on the battlefield, not only would the remnants of the six kingdoms be wiped out, but even the gods descending from heaven would be chopped into mincemeat!"

As Ying Zheng stared at the picture, the green light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter, and his breathing became heavier and heavier.

It's like a warmonger suddenly seeing a heavy tank; the temptation is deadly.

"Good! What a fine drought demon!"

Ying Zheng slapped his thigh hard, his fingernails tearing the expensive tiger-skin cushion to shreds. "This is the army I want! This is the elite force of my Great Qin!"

He turned to look at Li Si, his tone instantly turning cold and authoritative, as if the greatest emperor of all time was issuing a war mobilization order:

"Li Si!"

"Your subject is here!" Li Si quickly kowtowed.

"I hereby order you to immediately exercise the power of the Prime Minister and mobilize national resources to cooperate with the Imperial Advisor!"

Ying Zheng stood up, his massive frame casting a shadow that exuded an oppressive aura. "Whatever the Grand Preceptor needs, you shall provide! Men if you need men, money if you need money! If the Imperial Household Department cannot produce, then confiscate their property! The wealth of those Zhao Gao henchmen should be sufficient, right?"

Li Si's scalp tingled, and he hurriedly replied, "Enough! Absolutely enough! But... what specific materials does the Imperial Preceptor need for this 'Drought Demon'?"

Su Ming chuckled, pulled out a long list from his pocket, and shoved it directly into Li Si's hand.

"It's not much, Prime Minister, you've gone to a lot of trouble."

"First, I need a map of all the 'evil places' in the country, especially the ancient battlefields that are haunted and have seen tens of thousands of deaths, as those are natural breeding grounds for corpses."

"Secondly, I need corpses. Not ordinary people, but the corpses of martial artists or death row inmates who were vigorous and decisive in life. If not... cough cough, fresh corpses from the battlefield will do."

"Finally, I want heavy metals. Large quantities of lead, mercury, copper, and iron—it wouldn't be an exaggeration to empty the Imperial Treasury's warehouses."

Li Si stared at the list, his hands trembling. This wasn't just manufacturing weapons; it was creating hell on earth!

But would he dare to refuse?

He secretly glanced up at Ying Zheng and found that His Majesty was staring at the sketch of the drought demon with a look of rapture, the fangs at the corners of his mouth gleaming coldly.

"Um... Grand Preceptor, finding a 'land of malevolence' is easy; the ancient battlefield of Changping provides a perfect example. But this heavy metal..." Li Si swallowed hard, "the consumption is so enormous, it might affect the forging of agricultural tools..."

"farm tools?"

Ying Zheng suddenly interrupted, his voice as cold as ice, "In the future, Great Qin will not need farming tools. Once these three hundred drought demons are trained, I will send them to the former territories of the six states to 'cultivate' them. At that time, what will we lack?"

Su Ming quickly added, "Your Majesty is right! This is called 'using war to sustain war'! This is sustainable development!"

After saying that, Su Ming took out a red cinnabar pen from his sleeve and drew a flag heavily on the background of the sketch.

That was the Black Water Dragon Banner of the Great Qin Dynasty.

But he didn't just paint it on the city wall; he painted it in the clouds, against a dark background dotted with stars.

"Your Majesty, look."

Su Ming pointed to the starry sky, his voice full of seductive allure, "Our goal is not just this small piece of land. Once our drought demon army is fully formed, not only will the entire Nine Provinces be covered, but the entire sky above, the countless stars, will be filled with the Black Water Dragon Banner of my Great Qin!"

"We will let the roar of the Qin chariots resound throughout the entire universe!"

"We will make all the gods and Buddhas tremble under the iron hooves of the Qin Dynasty!"

These words ignited, no, detonated, the deepest ambition in Ying Zheng's heart!

"boom--"

A terrifying wave of corpse energy suddenly erupted from Ying Zheng's body, and the shockwave, as solid as a physical object, swept across the entire hall.

The surrounding curtains shattered instantly, the bamboo slips on the table were blown into the air, and even Li Si was thrown overboard by the shockwave, rolling several times.

Ying Zheng stood in the eye of the storm, his red hair dancing wildly, looking like a god or demon.

He stared intently at the sketch depicting a starry sky, his chest heaving violently, his green eyes burning with a flame that seemed capable of incinerating the world.

"Excellent! What a wonderful idea to plant it all over the world!"

Ying Zheng roared to the sky, his voice so loud that the tiles on the roof of the palace crashed down, as if even the palace could not withstand his ecstasy.

"I will not allow the sky to obscure my vision any longer!"

"This land can no longer bury my heart!"

"Minister Su! Go for it! I'm betting the entire fate of the Qin Dynasty on your shoulders!"

Su Ming gripped the rough sketch that was fluttering in the wind, looking at the emperor before him who had gone completely mad, a crazy smile curving his lips.

This is the Qin Dynasty he wanted.

Now that we're already on this pirate ship, let's turn it into a space battleship that can traverse the stars!

"Your humble servant... obeys the decree!"