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

Su Ming had just tucked the alarmingly green "T-virus stock solution" into his pocket and hadn't even had time to figure out how to package it when the heavy palace doors were pushed open once again.

This time, it wasn't the crude imperial guard who brought the last meal, but a middle-aged man wearing a black and red official robe and a tall hat.

His steps were light, yet he carried an imposing aura of someone who had held a high position for many years. His slightly gaunt face was etched with fatigue and anxiety, but his eyes remained sharp, like two gleaming boning knives. Upon entering, he first scanned the alchemy room before finally fixing his gaze on Su Ming, whose face was covered in coal dust.

Li Si, the Prime Minister of the Qin Dynasty.

Su Ming's heart skipped a beat. He quickly put his hands, which were covered in black ash, behind his back and put on a mysterious look.

"Still alive?"

Li Si walked to the alchemy furnace, but instead of being arrogant as expected, he reached out and picked up a pinch of cinnabar that had spilled from the edge of the furnace. His tone was somewhat desolate. "I thought you would be like the previous alchemists, so frightened that you hanged yourself from a tree in the southeast."

"You jest, Prime Minister."

Su Ming steadied himself, trying to make his voice sound less weak. "This humble subject wants to keep his head on his neck for a few more years, how dare I seek death so easily? Besides, Your Majesty is blessed with great fortune, and this elixir of immortality... is not entirely hopeless."

"Oh?"

Li Si's fingers paused, and he abruptly turned to look at Su Ming, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes, but it quickly turned into deep suspicion. "Su Ming, you don't need to lie to me. Zhao Gao would love for you to die, but I don't want that. If His Majesty dies, Zhao Gao will surely disrupt the government, and the Great Qin... will be in grave danger. That's why I've protected you until now, but if you're just lying to deceive the emperor, I can't save you either."

These words stirred something within Su Ming.

It seems that the Qin court is not a monolithic entity. Although Li Si, that old fox, is ruthless, he wants Ying Zheng to live more than anyone else for the sake of power and the stability of Qin.

This is a potential breakthrough.

"Prime Minister, Xu Fu's outdated alchemy techniques are indeed ineffective."

Su Ming suddenly straightened his back, casually grabbed a handful of lead powder and threw it into the furnace. With a "sizzle," a blue-purple flame rose, casting flickering light and shadow on his face, making him appear ghostly. "What I am using now is the method of 'Material Recombination,' borrowing the microscopic particles of heaven and earth to reshape the essence of the physical body!"

Li Si was startled by the blue flame, instinctively taking a half step back, his brows furrowed: "Matter...recombination? Particles? Which school of thought's theory is this? Why have I never heard of it before?"

"This is the way of Heaven, not something learned by ordinary people."

Su Ming began to spout nonsense with a straight face, determined to impress this once-great prime minister. "Prime Minister, do you know why people age? It's because cells... uh, it's because the 'microscopic particles of the body' lose their activity. What I need to do is inject these microscopic particles with an extremely domineering energy, putting them to the brink of death and then bringing them back to life!"

This set of charades, which mixed modern biology and fantasy vocabulary, completely baffled Li Si.

Although he was learned and well-versed in Legalist imperial strategies, he had never heard of such a "high-tech" theory before. He felt a sense of awe and wonder at the incomprehension.

"Put yourself in a desperate situation, and you will survive..."

Li Si pondered these words, looking at Su Ming with a complex expression, "How confident are you?"

"Fifty percent." Su Ming held up a hand. "Either ascend to godhood or die on the spot. Even if His Majesty's current physical condition only offers a 10% chance, it's still his only lifeline, isn't it?"

Li Si remained silent for a long time.

The air in the main hall seemed to freeze, with only the crackling of the fire in the stove.

Finally, Li Si sighed, took out a token from his sleeve, and threw it on the table: "Whatever materials you need, just go to the Imperial Hospital and the Imperial Household Department to get them. Except for dragon liver and phoenix marrow, which I can't get, I'll gather everything else that exists in this world for you within three hours."

"Thank you, Prime Minister!" Su Ming was overjoyed; this was a sure thing. "I want cinnabar, mercury, saltpeter, black dog's blood... and the finest beeswax and gold leaf!"

"What do you need black dog blood for?" Li Si frowned. "Isn't that something country folk use for exorcising evil spirits?"

"As a catalyst, it neutralizes the evil energy!" Su Ming said without changing his expression. "Scientific... no, Heavenly Dao experiments always require some special catalysts."

Li Si gave him a deep look, asked no further questions, and turned to walk out of the hall. Reaching the door, he paused, his back to Su Ming, and said, "Zhao Gao's men are watching outside. Su Ming, don't let me down, and more importantly, don't let Qin down."

As Li Si left, Su Ming deflated like a punctured balloon, slumping onto the prayer mat with his back covered in cold sweat.

"That was close, I almost couldn't smooth things over."

But now that we have the materials, let's get started!

Before long, boxes of rare medicinal herbs and strange materials were delivered in. Su Ming slammed the palace door shut, bolted it, rolled up his sleeves, and began his "biochemical alchemy" project.

Of course, he wasn't actually refining elixirs.

Those cinnabar and mercury were just smokescreens. What he really wanted to do was create a capsule that could encapsulate the "T-virus stock solution," the so-called "tantalizing coating."

After all, the image of directly pouring a tube of green liquid into Qin Shi Huang's mouth is too horrible to contemplate; he would probably be beheaded before he even got a chance to be fed it.

"Take the pan out of the heat, heat the oil... no, melt the wax!"

Su Ming melted the beeswax, carefully mixed in gold powder, and made a golden soft shell. Then, like a thief, he injected every last drop of the green virus stock solution, enough to destroy the world, into the wax pellet.

To mask the virus's strange, sweet-smelling odor, he added some menthol and musk.

"boom!"

The moment the lid was sealed, the chaotic mixture inside the alchemy furnace underwent a chemical reaction. With a loud bang, the furnace lid flew directly onto the roof beam, and thick black smoke instantly filled the entire side hall.

"Cough cough cough! Damn! The oven exploded!"

Su Ming choked so badly that tears streamed down his face, his face was covered in soot, and a tuft of his hair was singed, making him look like a refugee who had just crawled out of a coal mine.

But in his hand, he tightly clutched a pill the size of a longan.

The pill was golden in color, yet it faintly emitted an eerie green light. There were even vein-like patterns on its surface that pulsated slightly, emanating an aura that was both unsettling and inexplicably desirable.

"It's done!"

Su Ming wiped the black ash off his face, looked at the bizarrely-looking "elixir of immortality" in his hand, and his lips curled into a wild smile.

This is the final product combining cutting-edge system technology with traditional Qin Dynasty packaging methods—[Corpse God No. 1].

"With just this one pill, Brother Zheng will be able to say goodbye to his illness and start his 'proving the Dao with corpses' career."

Su Ming held the pill up to his eyes, turning it around in the candlelight, when a bold idea suddenly popped into his mind.

Although the system claims this thing is an improved version, eliminating most of the brain-damaging side effects, it hasn't undergone human clinical trials. If Ying Zheng were to eat it and mutate into a zombie that only bites people, then his entire clan would still be in trouble.

Or... should we try finding someone first?

Su Ming's gaze unconsciously drifted towards the palace gate, the image of Li Si's departing figure flashing through his mind.

This old man holds a high position and is very intelligent. If we turn him into a zombie prime minister, wouldn't he be able to help us share some of the firepower?

But the next second he shook his head, rejecting this suicidal idea.

"No, Li Si's body is too fragile. He's been working hard at his desk for years, and he probably can't withstand the severe rejection reaction during the virus modification. He might even explode and die, and then I'll truly be all alone."

Su Ming sighed and carefully placed the pill into a sandalwood box.

The greater the risk, the greater the potential reward.

I have no choice but to go all in.

He looked at the seemingly breathing pill in the box and muttered to himself, "It seems the first person to try this trick will be our First Emperor of All Time. Brother Zheng, if you really become the Zombie King, please don't make me the first one you take the bait."

Just then, a eunuch's shrill voice suddenly came from outside the door, carrying a sense of urgent urgency.

"Master Su! The auspicious time has arrived! His Majesty summons you to present your medicine!"

Su Ming took a deep breath, picked up the wooden box, and his eyes gradually sharpened.

"They're here. Whether they live or die depends on this one shudder!"

He kicked open the side hall door, grinned at the eunuch who was delivering the imperial decree, revealing a set of white teeth that looked particularly sinister against the backdrop of his face covered in soot.

"Father-in-law, please don't rush me. This medicine is very strong. I need to walk carefully so I don't spill it."