Chapter 9: Giving the First Emperor a Small Shock from the Future

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Ying Zheng stared intently at Li Nian, not immediately agreeing. Over the past days, he had examined those items multiple times and even had the palace craftsmen inspect them, yet no conclusion had been reached.

However, just because the palace craftsmen couldn't discern anything didn't mean there was no problem. It was possible that once this man obtained those items, they could instantly become weapons to harm him.

This was not paranoia on Ying Zheng’s part; the possibility was very real. Over the years, countless people had sought his life.

After some thought, Ying Zheng decided to consent. “If you cannot prove it, you understand the consequences! Guards, bring the items here!” He was eager to see how this man would prove they came from the future.

Additionally, Ying Zheng had another thought: he wanted to see what this so-called future looked like, and whether his great Qin dynasty was truly as powerful.

Before long, Li Nian’s belongings were brought into the main hall by a group of guards.

Seeing that even potatoes, chili peppers, and pork ribs were among the items, Li Nian was somewhat speechless. Were they expecting him to cook a stew of potatoes and ribs on the spot?

Each item was guarded by several soldiers, even the potatoes and ribs were no exception.

This was understandable—who knew what Li Nian might do once he had these items?

After more than half a month, Li Nian finally retrieved his phone. He inspected it carefully; the device was intact, undamaged, only powered off due to lack of battery.

On the day he traveled through time, his phone battery was already low when he went grocery shopping, which was why he had brought a power bank.

He found the power bank and connected it to the phone with a data cable to charge it.

Meng Yi, watching Li Nian’s actions, said to Ying Zheng, “Great King, when I first saw these two objects, they were connected just like this.”

Ying Zheng nodded slightly and continued observing Li Nian’s operation. Li Nian connected the two devices and then held the strange object that displayed a beautiful woman’s image. His thumb pressed firmly on the right side of the device, as if exerting force.

After a moment, the device glowed, showing a pattern unfamiliar to him. Suddenly, the light vanished, then reappeared, revealing a strangely beautiful woman—the same one he had seen before.

Ying Zheng saw Li Nian’s right hand gripping the device, his thumb rapidly tapping its surface. Soon, the woman disappeared, replaced by images he couldn’t understand. Due to the distance, he couldn’t make out the details.

Suddenly, music began to play from the device. It was different from the tune he had heard before. The melody played briefly before being replaced by other sounds.

Ying Zheng and Meng Yi noticed that as Li Nian’s fingers moved over the device, the sounds changed—sometimes human voices, sometimes music.

What was he doing?

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Ying Zheng and Meng Yi were puzzled but remained silent, watching Li Nian’s actions.

Soon, Li Nian found the image he wanted to show Ying Zheng. After some adjustments, he raised the phone and said, “Great King, this is the proof from a commoner that he comes from the future. This picture shows the era from which I originate—something the great Qin could never possess. The King will see for himself. Please, General Meng, present it to the King!”

As Li Nian lifted the phone, Meng Yi, standing beside Ying Zheng, gripped his sword’s hilt tightly, and other guards also held their weapons ready, wary of any sudden attack from Li Nian.

“Scenes from the future that my great Qin would never have?” Ying Zheng thought. Such boldness!

He said, “General Meng, proceed.”

Meng Yi approached Li Nian and looked at the image on the phone. He was quite surprised. This strange device could not only display a beautiful woman and play music but also show other things.

Despite his surprise, his mission was to present the device to the King.

Li Nian explained how to view the images on the phone, letting Meng Yi try several times before handing over the phone and power bank.

Li Nian wished he could show the images directly to Ying Zheng, but the current circumstances clearly forbade it. Even a slight suspicious move could cost him his life; armed guards surrounded him, watching him like hawks.

Meng Yi carried the phone and power bank toward Ying Zheng, maintaining some distance. If Li Nian harbored ill intentions, these strange objects might pose a threat to the King, and the distance allowed time to react.

Several guards stood at Ying Zheng’s sides, leaving about a body’s length in front so the King could see clearly. Meng Yi knelt on one knee, holding the phone screen facing Ying Zheng.

Ying Zheng saw the scene displayed on the device—something he had never witnessed before:

Tall, strange buildings towered over the land. It seemed to be a city, but how could it be so vast? How could such towering structures exist?

By mere observation, Ying Zheng knew this city was far larger than the capital of Qin, Xianyang.

No—not just greater than Qin’s capital, but even the capitals of Yan, Zhao, Han, Wei, Chu, and Qi couldn’t compare.

The architectural style was completely different from Qin’s buildings, evoking an indescribable feeling in Ying Zheng.

If Li Nian knew Ying Zheng’s thoughts, he would surely tell him it was the feeling of modernity—the awe of a backward era witnessing advanced things.

A country capable of building such a city must be a powerful state, perhaps rivaling his great Qin.

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Ying Zheng pondered silently when Meng Yi swiped the device’s screen with his finger, a gesture Li Nian had taught him to switch to the next image.

The daytime city scene changed to a nighttime view, grand and lofty under the dark sky, illuminated brilliantly as if it never slept.

It was a modern city’s nightscape.

“This is the city at night. But why is it so brightly lit? To create such a nightscape, how many lamps would be needed? How much oil would be consumed? Yet the night view is indeed beautiful!” Ying Zheng thought.

The city’s nighttime beauty stirred some doubt in Ying Zheng—perhaps his great Qin was not as mighty as the country that built this city?

But this doubt quickly faded.

“My Qin is unparalleled in the world. What does it matter how beautiful their cities are? The Central Plains are fertile; Qi is prosperous—yet I subdued them all. Building such a city must cost immense effort, surely the combined strength of a nation.”

Even if this man truly came from the future, Ying Zheng remained confident in his Qin. Though Qin could not yet build such cities, its military might might not be weaker than the country that did.

Meng Yi swiped the screen again. This time, an odd large white bird appeared, seemingly soaring high in the sky, with a future city clearly below.

“What is the meaning of showing me this white bird? Could it be a creation of the future? Can they ride such birds to fly in the sky?” Ying Zheng’s heart trembled.

His confidence that Qin was not weaker than future nations wavered. If such white birds could launch attacks from above, even his iron cavalry would struggle to withstand them.

Meng Yi’s finger moved again. This time, an enormous ship sailed across blue waves. The ship was massive, and judging by its hull, it was not made of wood, but perhaps cast from copper or iron.

If so, how much metal would be required to build such a vessel?

No wonder the man dared claim that the scenes from the future were beyond Qin’s reach. Some future items could never be made by Qin...

Perhaps the city could be replicated with great human effort, but how could they build flying white birds or giant ships that sailed vast seas?

Despite his pride in Qin, Ying Zheng had to admit at this moment that Qin could not produce such white birds or massive ships.