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

As Su Ming straightened his slightly disheveled collar, he hurried through the long palace corridor. The scene he had just witnessed was so intense that he could still feel the eerie, slippery sensation lingering on his fingertips, and the look in Shao Siming's eyes that seemed to want to devour him whole.

"These days, it's really tough being a scientist who's seriously doing research."

Su Ming sighed, trying to hide the lingering, easily misunderstood expression on his face, and strode into the main hall of Xianyang Palace.

The atmosphere inside the main hall was somewhat oppressive, with a faint smell of rust in the air.

Ying Zheng sat upright on the dragon throne, clutching a deformed golden cup in his hand, his eerie green eyes revealing an undisguised anxiety. Several empty crystal bottles lay scattered on the carpet at his feet, their contents of "special beast blood tomato juice" completely gone.

Upon seeing Su Ming enter, Ying Zheng abruptly raised his head. Although his ashen face was expressionless, the hunger in his voice was impossible to conceal.

"Imperial Advisor, you've finally arrived."

Ying Zheng casually tossed the deformed golden cup aside, pointed to the empty bottle on the ground, and said with some dissatisfaction, "This stuff was alright at first, but after these past few days, I find it increasingly... bland and tasteless. It's like drinking plain water; it can't quell the burning fire within me at all."

Standing at the lower end, Li Si's eyelids twitched wildly. He knew all too well what the "fire" His Majesty was referring to was. It was the craving for blood and sustenance, the instinct to plunder the essence of life.

Su Ming's heart skipped a beat. It seemed that as Ying Zheng's strength increased, the side effects of the T-virus were also intensifying. Ordinary animal blood mixtures could no longer meet the energy needs of this "Primary Corpse Ancestor."

"Your Majesty, please calm down. This is a normal phenomenon in the evolution of bodily functions."

Su Ming calmly bowed and took out the blueprint he had just "tricked" from the system from his sleeve. "Ordinary supplies can't keep up with your ascension speed. Therefore, I have specially prepared a brand new, comprehensive 'recharge plan' for you."

"Charging?" Ying Zheng narrowed his eyes.

"Indeed." Su Ming stepped forward and unfurled the blueprints with a rustling sound. "Your Majesty, please take a look. This is the [Epang Palace Renovation Plan - Blood Pool and Flesh Forest Chapter]."

Upon hearing the words "blood pool and flesh forest," Li Si, who had originally wanted to come and watch the excitement, suddenly collapsed to his knees with a "plop."

"Your Majesty! You mustn't!"

Li Si's voice trembled, a fear ingrained in his very bones—a fear of the impending doom of his kingdom. "The wine pool and meat forest were the root of King Zhou of Shang's downfall! He indulged in extreme extravagance and pleasure, incurring the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people. Your Majesty is a great emperor of all time; how can you emulate that doomed ruler and commit such licentious and immoral acts?"

Li Si was truly afraid.

The Qin Dynasty is already in a terrible state, with officials attending court every day as if they were going to a funeral. If they were to create a "wine pool and meat forest" (a place for indulging in debauchery and even eating human flesh and drinking human blood), would the Qin Dynasty still exist? Not only would the remnants of the six states rebel, but even the original Qin people would revolt!

Ying Zheng was also a little hesitant. Although he wanted to live forever and become stronger, he did not want to be a tyrant.

"Grand Preceptor, this name... is indeed somewhat inappropriate," Ying Zheng said, frowning.

"Prime Minister, your vision is too narrow. Your vision is truly too narrow."

Su Ming looked at Li Si with a disappointed expression, shaking his head and saying, "Who told you that this Blood Pool and Flesh Forest is for pleasure? It's for cultivation! It's for scientific research!"

"Cultivation?" Li Si looked completely bewildered. "Cultivating in the flesh forest?"

"That's right!"

Su Ming pointed to the strange symbols on the blueprint and began to spout nonsense with a straight face (popular science):

"The so-called 'blood pool' is not actually made entirely of human blood, but rather a highly concentrated 'biological nutrient solution' made by boiling together eighty-one kinds of rare medicinal herbs with the essence blood of high-level demonic beasts (actually livestock)! Your Majesty and the soldiers can accelerate the circulation of corpse energy, strengthen their skin, and repair hidden injuries by soaking in it."

"This isn't a wine pool; it's clearly our Qin warriors' 'enhanced medical pod'!"

Su Ming became more and more excited as he spoke, his finger sliding to the other side of the drawing:

"As for this 'meat forest,' it's not for hanging cooked meat for people to eat. It's used to hang high-grade meat, which is then dried using an array, absorbing the yin energy of heaven and earth to cultivate a special 'probiotic flora.' Once this dried meat is made, it becomes top-grade military rations; one bite can sustain you for three days and even boost your combat power!"

"Prime Minister, think about this: in the future, when our Qin army is tired, they can soak in the blood pool; when they're hungry, they can tear a piece of meat from a tree to eat. This not only saves the trouble of transporting supplies but also allows us to maintain peak combat effectiveness at all times. What do you call this? You call this a fully automated logistics support system!"

Su Ming's explanation directly transformed the "luxury place" into a "military base".

Li Si was stunned. Although he felt something was wrong, it seemed... somewhat reasonable.

"Really... not to find beautiful women to frolic in there?" Li Si asked tentatively.

"play?"

Su Ming rolled his eyes. "Prime Minister, that blood pool reeks of medicine and blood, and that meat forest is full of raw meat. What kind of decent person would take a girl to a place like that for a date? Doesn't it feel disgusting?"

Ying Zheng understood.

The green light in his eyes shone again, this time with excitement.

He didn't need to enjoy himself; he just needed to become stronger. If this "blood pool and flesh forest" could truly provide a continuous source of energy, freeing him from this maddening hunger, he'd dare live there even if it were called the Hall of Hell, let alone a wine pool and flesh forest!

"Great! What a wonderful fully automated logistics support system!"

Ying Zheng slammed his hand on the armrest, and the dragon head carved from the finest sandalwood instantly turned to dust. "I approve! This place will be built on the site of the former Epang Palace! It's a large place with excellent feng shui (yin energy), perfect for training my Qin elite soldiers!"

"Not only must it be built, it must be built on a grand scale! I want the air there to be thick with the bloodlust of war, so that the remnants of the six kingdoms, even from eight hundred miles away, can smell the... oppressive aura of my Great Qin!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Su Ming quickly flattered her, but inwardly he was overjoyed. The Epang Palace had been abandoned for a long time and was filled with extremely heavy yin energy, making it a natural breeding ground for corpses. With the system's blueprints, it could be transformed into a huge "biological weapons factory" with a little modification.

When the time comes, just soak those three hundred Black Iron Warriors in the blood pool, and then throw Meng Tian and the others in for special training. Won't their combat power take off immediately?

Just as the emperor and his ministers were pointing out the blueprints and envisioning the future of the Qin Dynasty, where "corpses and armor filled the world," a sudden commotion arose outside the hall.

"Get out of here! All of you, get out of here!"

"I want to see my father! I want to see my father!"

"You bunch of castrated dogs, who dares to stop me? Believe me, I'll chop off your heads!"

The voice was arrogant and domineering, carrying a naive and conceited air that hadn't been beaten down by society. Accompanied by the sound of ping-pong balls clashing like weapons, it grew closer and closer.

Li Si's expression changed: "That voice...is it the Eighteenth Prince?"

Ying Zheng paused for a moment, then slowly raised his head. His eyes, which had been full of ambition, instantly turned cold, the green flames flickering eerily, revealing no trace of fatherly affection.

"Hu Hai?"

Su Ming raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself: Good heavens, you've come to hell by accident.

He put away the blueprints, stepped aside, and prepared to watch the show.

"Bang!"

The door to the main hall was kicked open.

A young man dressed in fine clothes and adorned with jade pendants strode in, accompanied by a group of menacing servants. His face was flushed with a sickly pallor, and his eyes were filled with spoiled arrogance and a hint of madness instigated by someone else.

As soon as Hu Hai entered, without even taking in the situation inside the hall, he pointed directly at Su Ming, who was standing next to Ying Zheng, and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Father! You mustn't be deceived by this sorcerer! I've heard he's practicing some kind of sorcery in the palace, and he's even... he's made you look like this! I've come to purge the court of corrupt officials!"