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

Thousands of miles away, deep in the mountains of Chu, lies a secluded mountain village hidden by ancient trees.

A few dim oil lamps flickered in the wind, casting long shadows on the mottled stone wall, creating an atmosphere so heavy it seemed almost palpable. This was the secret meeting place of the former nobles of the six states, and also the heart of the anti-Qin forces.

Xiang Yu sat imposingly at the head of the table, a gleaming bronze wine cup clutched in his hand, his angular face etched with impatience. Opposite him sat Fan Zeng, revered as "Uncle Father," who squinted, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.

In the corner huddled a middle-aged man with a greasy face—it was Liu Bang. He was currently exchanging winks with Zhang Liang beside him, seemingly extremely bored with the dull meeting.

"Report—!!!"

A piercing roar shattered the deathly silence.

The door was violently kicked open, and a scout covered in mud, having lost one shoe in the process, tumbled in. He looked as if he had just crawled back from the brink of death, lying on the ground trembling, his teeth chattering, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.

"What's the panic!"

Xiang Yu frowned, slamming his wine cup heavily on the table. "If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up! Has the Qin dogs discovered this place?"

"No...no..."

The scout, panting heavily, stared in terror at the empty space as if some indescribable monster lurked there. "It's Xianyang... Xianyang has changed! The Qin people... the Qin people have gone mad!"

"Gone mad?" Zhang Liang paused, his feather fan still in his hand, and asked gently, "Tell me slowly, how have you gone mad?"

The scout swallowed hard, his voice trembling with tears, as if recalling some extremely horrifying scene:

"I was lying in wait outside Xianyang and saw it with my own eyes! Those Qin people... they never sleep!"

"In the dead of night, the city was filled with a green glow! Those weren't lanterns, they were people's eyes! Every single one of them had eyes gleaming green, like hungry wolves! Whether they were eighty-year-old men or babies who had just been weaned, they were all working!"

"I saw an old woman doing squats at the village entrance, carrying a 200-pound millstone, and chuckling to herself as she did so! And there were the farmers in the fields, untying their oxen to trees and pulling plows at breakneck speed across the fields—I could barely outrun them on horseback!"

The hall fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the spy, as if they were hearing something completely foreign.

A person pulling a plow is faster than a horse? An old woman carrying a millstone? Aren't you asleep yet?

Is this something a carbon-based organism could do?

"This is utterly absurd!"

Xiang Yu slammed his fist on the table, and the sturdy pear wood table cracked instantly with that slap. "What ghosts and gods exist in this world? You must be a coward, falling for the Qin people's trick!"

"Your Majesty, please be wise! Every word I have spoken is true!"

The scout was so frightened that he kowtowed repeatedly, blood streaming down his face. "And... and there are rumors that Qin Shi Huang has turned into a red-haired monster, over ten feet tall, with a blue face and fangs, who can eat ten children in one meal!"

"A red-haired monster?"

Liu Bang, huddled in the corner, shrank back and muttered under his breath, "Goodness, could Ying Zheng have gone mad from practicing some kind of evil technique? It sounds so creepy!"

"What Liu Bang said makes sense."

Fan Zeng, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke. He stroked his beard, and a shrewd glint flashed in his cloudy old eyes. "I have observed the celestial phenomena. Indeed, there is an ominous aura rising from the direction of Xianyang, and the Ziwei star is dim and without light. This indicates that Ying Zheng is indeed in serious trouble. It is very likely that he used some kind of sorcery that depletes the nation's fortune in order to prolong his life."

"Overdrawing the nation's fortunes?" Zhang Liang's eyes lit up as he continued, "If that's the case, then it's a last gasp before the storm! The people are working tirelessly, seemingly strong, but in reality, they're burning their life force. This state can't last. Within three months, the Qin Dynasty will surely perish due to the exhaustion of its people's strength!"

This analysis was reasonable and logically sound, instantly giving the nobles from the six kingdoms present a strong boost of confidence.

The crowd, who had been frightened by the "Green Light Qin People," now showed expressions of sudden realization.

"It was just a final burst of energy before death!"

"I knew it! Who can go without sleep all the time? That's suicide!"

"Ying Zheng is in a panic; this is a foolish move!"

Xiang Yu was filled with fervor upon hearing this. He stood up, raised the bronze wine cup with one hand, and laughed heartily, his spirit soaring to the heavens:

"Hahahaha! Good! Since that old man Ying Zheng has chosen his own death, then Heaven is helping me!"

"Pass down the order! All rebel armies, hasten your preparations! When the Qin people's manpower is exhausted and corpses litter the fields, that will be the day we raise our armies to attack Qin! At that time, I will personally cut off that red-haired monster's head and use it as a football!"

"The Overlord is mighty!"

"Condemn the wicked and punish the tyrannical Qin!"

The atmosphere in the hall instantly reached a climax, as if the Qin Dynasty was already a piece of meat on a chopping board, just waiting for them to cut it.

Only Liu Bang remained huddled in the corner, clutching a chicken leg in his hand, his eyes darting around uncertainly.

He felt that something was wrong.

That instinctive intuition told him that things were definitely not as simple as Fan Zeng and Zhang Liang had analyzed. Overdrawing one's life force? A final burst of energy before death? But the scout clearly said that those Qin people... seemed very happy?

"Ah, Zifang."

Liu Bang tugged at Zhang Liang's sleeve and asked in a low voice, "Do you think it's possible... that they really have cultivated immortality?"

Zhang Liang smiled and shook his head, his eyes revealing the confidence of a wise man: "Lord Pei is overthinking it. If there truly were a way to cultivate immortality in this world, Qin Shi Huang would have ascended to heaven long ago. Why wait until now? It's nothing but some unorthodox and heretical magic, nothing to fear."

"Yes, yes."

Liu Bang chuckled twice, took a big bite of his chicken leg, and secretly calculated in his heart: No, this rebellion is too risky. I need to have a backup plan. I'll have someone go to Xianyang to inquire later. If there really is some kind of method for achieving immortality, hehe…

……

Meanwhile, at Xianyang Palace.

The night was deep, and the moonlight, like water, spilled onto the glazed tiles, giving them a cool, clear luster.

On the roof of the alchemy room in the side hall, a graceful figure in purple stood quietly on the eaves.

Shao Siming stood against the wind, her long purple hair dancing gently in the night breeze. She stretched out her slender white fingers and caught a paper crane that swayed and flew down from the night sky.

That was the Yin-Yang School's unique communication technique.

The paper crane unfolded at her fingertips, transforming into a line of shimmering seal characters:

[The celestial phenomena are in great chaos; return to Mount Li immediately. Bring back Su Ming's head, or... his secret.]

It was Donghuang Taiyi's recall order.

The words exuded an unquestionable authority and a chilling murderous intent towards that "demonic Taoist" Su Ming.

As Shao Siming looked at the words, a struggle flashed in her pale purple eyes.

According to the rules of the Yin-Yang School, those who disobey orders will suffer the backlash of the "Yin-Yang Curse Seal," a fate worse than death.

She should act immediately, kill the man who is fast asleep and completely unsuspecting down below, and then take his head back to report.

but……

She lowered her head and looked into the house through the uncovered tiles.

The man was sprawled out on the floor, completely disheveled, clutching a book of human anatomy diagrams covered in scribbles. He was fast asleep, a suspicious glint of moisture even clinging to the corner of his mouth, mumbling incoherently:

"Shao Siming... raise your legs a little higher... this data is wrong..."

Shao Siming's cheeks flushed instantly, and she gently bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth.

That bastard!

I dream about such shameful things!

However, when she circulated her internal energy, the long-lost, exhilarating feeling, like a surging river, was undeniable. Having only stayed here for a few days, combined with that strange "yoga" and "potions," her strength had increased by a full ten percent!

This is a completely new road that no one has ever traveled before.

The key to this path lies in the hands of that seemingly unreliable but actually unfathomable man.

Go back? Continue being that emotionless killer who can only follow orders?

Or should we stay? To explore that unknown world called "science," to touch that legendary... realm of the gods?

"call--"

A purple flame rose from his palm.

The talisman, a message from the highest leader of the Yin-Yang School, quickly curled and turned black in the flames, eventually turning to ashes and scattering in the wind.

Shao Siming withdrew her gaze, her eyes regaining their coldness and determination.

With a light leap, like a purple feather, she landed silently back in the courtyard.

"Your Excellency Donghuang, I apologize."

She looked at the closed door, a very faint smile curving her lips, and whispered:

"Rather than killing people, I'm more interested in studying 'zombies' right now."