Chapter 11: Could the Great Qin Have Created This?

After trimming the clip, Li Nian handed the phone to Meng Yi and said, “General, when you present this to the King later, just tap the ‘▷’ in the center with your finger, and it will start playing. Try it once. When it finishes, if you want to play it again, tap the ‘▷’ once more, and it will replay.”

Seeing that Meng Yi had learned how to operate it, Li Nian added, “Thank you for presenting it to the King!”

Meng Yi, holding the phone and a power bank, once again approached Ying Zheng. The procedure was similar to before, but this time the content was different.

As Meng Yi’s finger tapped the ‘▷’ in the middle of the screen, the image began to move, revealing a city before Ying Zheng’s eyes.

The sky was gray and dim, the entire city shrouded in a misty haze. The gloomy and somber atmosphere immediately gave a sense of foreboding, as if something terrible was about to happen.

Buildings densely filled the city. Though their shapes and appearances varied, it was clear that this was the same type of architecture seen in the future era—a city from the future.

A creature, indistinguishable as insect or bird, flew through the air, making “boom boom boom” sounds. Strange people staggered along the streets, unsteady and unlike normal humans.

Suddenly, a bright light streaked across the dull sky!

“Is that the same kind of flower blooming in the night sky as before?” Ying Zheng thought, assuming it was fireworks once again. But in the next moment, he saw the light fly above a building in the city, erupting into a brilliant glow. The surface of the strange object instantly turned completely white and began to tremble.

No, it wasn’t the object trembling—it was the city depicted by this “phone” trembling.

A pale sun appeared in the city’s sky, emitting terrifying waves. The buildings below bore the brunt, with countless shards bursting out, wildly scattering in all directions.

Then, the view shifted to a bird’s-eye perspective of the entire city. Ying Zheng saw the white sun expanding, continuously spreading outward, relentlessly destroying everything within the city.

Where the sunlight spread, towering buildings collapsed, dust billowed, portraying an apocalyptic scene.

The scene then cut to inside the strange flying creature. Even though it was airborne, it was affected by the white sun, shaking violently.

“Hang on to something!” a man, clearly not from the Seven Kingdoms, shouted words Ying Zheng couldn’t understand. Soon after, the terrifying sun nearly enveloped the entire city, dangerously close to the insect or bird-like creature.

The playback ended there, but there was no need to watch further—Ying Zheng already knew the city’s fate: it would be destroyed by that sun.

Ying Zheng fell into prolonged silence. This was the so-called future weapon the man spoke of?

If true, it indeed possessed the power to annihilate Xianyang in an instant and kill tens of thousands in a moment.

If the future nation truly had such weapons, then what of thousands or even tens of thousands of Qin? They would all be mere ashes beneath such weapons!

Ying Zheng began to understand Li Nian’s meaning when he said they were not of the same era—the gap was immense, far beyond what mere numbers could bridge.

After a long pause, Ying Zheng looked at Li Nian and asked, “What is this weapon called? What is its relation to the sun?”

Li Nian replied, “This weapon is called a ‘hydrogen bomb,’ or ‘nuclear weapon.’ It is the most powerful weapon of our time—one alone can destroy a city. Your Majesty has keen insight; you immediately noticed its connection to the sun. Its principle of detonation is akin to the sun’s—Your Majesty can think of it as an artificial sun.”

Li Nian gave a small compliment, but Ying Zheng wasn’t paying attention. He asked again, “Could Great Qin possibly create such a thing?”

Li Nian was not surprised by the question. A sovereign like the First Emperor, upon learning of such an immensely powerful weapon, would surely wonder if it could be made for Qin.

Ying Zheng looked at Li Nian with hopeful eyes, but Li Nian shook his head. “I dare not conceal the truth from Your Majesty. Even with all the resources of Great Qin, it is impossible to create this weapon.”

Unwilling to accept defeat, Ying Zheng pressed on: “Not even with your assistance?”

“Impossible!” Li Nian shook his head firmly. “Making such a weapon cannot be done by one person alone. Its creation involves many aspects, and Qin as it stands today does not have the conditions to produce it.”

Ying Zheng felt disappointed but did not give up. “If not now, then how long will it take?”

Li Nian considered for a moment and gave an ambiguous answer: “If Great Qin develops properly and luck is on its side, perhaps a hundred years. If development is lacking, it could take several hundred or even a thousand years—there’s no certainty.”

But Li Nian had never made a nuclear bomb himself; how could he know how long it takes from a feudal kingdom to build one?

Great Qin does not even have a basic industrial system—talking about making nuclear weapons is pointless.

A hundred years if luck is good? Several hundred or a thousand if not? That meant he would never see it in his lifetime.

A thought stirred in Ying Zheng’s mind, but he chose not to ask Li Nian about it now, deciding to find another time.

He asked another question: “How many of these weapons does the future nation you come from possess?”

Li Nian said, “The exact number is a state secret, even I don’t know. But surely enough to bomb the important cities of other countries.”

Ying Zheng then asked, “What is the relationship between your future nation and my Great Qin? Are you descendants of Great Qin?”

Li Nian nodded. “Your Majesty is astute. The country I come from was also founded on the land of Huaxia. Without Your Majesty’s Great Qin, my nation might not even exist. In my time, Qin remains an important part of our culture!”

This was not flattery, but fact. Without the First Emperor unifying the warring states, given the fractured state of the Warring States period, perhaps Huaxia would have become like Europe—divided and disordered.

The First Emperor’s policies of unified script, standardized carts, common laws, and measurements truly benefited Huaxia civilization.

Hearing Li Nian’s words, Ying Zheng nodded and found himself more at ease with Li Nian. He recalled the request Li Nian had made before revealing his origin and frowned. “What was the purpose of the request you made to me earlier?”

‘It has finally come,’ Li Nian sighed inwardly. “Your Majesty already knows I am from the future. You must understand that Great Qin is history to me, like how the Xia and Shang dynasties are to the people of Great Qin.”

Ying Zheng immediately understood what Li Nian meant. “You mean these people have problems in history as you know it, which is why you made that request?”

Li Nian said, “Your Majesty’s insight is sharp. Some of their actions, according to the history I know, will harm Great Qin and Your Majesty.”

Ying Zheng said, “Tell me then. I want to see what they did in history.”

After saying this, Ying Zheng added, “Do not worry about offending me with your words. Speak freely. I will forgive you. I have that much magnanimity!”