Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 683: The Narrative of "The First Emperor"...

The surname was Ying, the clan name was Zhao, and the given name was Zheng.

Anyone with even a slight understanding of ancient Chinese history and culture knows that this simple explanation represents a name that cannot be erased from Chinese history.

Zhao Zheng, also known as Qin Shi Huang—Ying Zheng—is the one passed down through generations!
"Yes, that's right. According to the current geographical division, the imperial tomb in Lintong, Xi'an is indeed an empty tomb, just for the world to see. I can't get out of here if I don't die."

"I've lived for many years, after all, and I understand the general trend of the world. What is united for a long time will inevitably divide! China does not need an emperor who is immortal, powerful, and ambitious."

"As long as I live, you will always be my subjects!"

In the back seat of the SUV, Zhao Zheng praised himself without any shyness.

"Powerful, with great talent and ambition..."

Wu Xie, who was driving and listening intently, twitched at the corner of his mouth. What he said was indeed true.

Wu Xie can be considered a historian, and he thinks that if Qin Shi Huang were still alive more than two thousand years ago, what right would Xiang Yu or Liu Bang have to appear on the stage of history?
However, the Chinese have always valued moderation and humility, and Wu Xie had not met such a person in a long time.

Of course, Zhao Zheng, with just his identity as Qin Shi Huang, has every right to be proud!
"Which one, Old Zhao, no, I mean the First Emperor! You lived so long and were an emperor, so..."

"Do you have any unwanted scrap metal or anything like that? I don't mind, even if it's an old chamber pot you used to use. We've met by chance, so give me some!"

Fatty has always been an exceptionally pragmatic person. After his initial surprise, he immediately started calculating in his mind.

He wasn't interested in historical truths or immortal beings!
Although the fat man was not short of money, his inherent greed made him rub his hands together and turn back to look at Zhao Zheng with a grin.

"...According to the culture of your time, does that make you a pervert? What decent person would be interested in someone else's chamber pot?"

"Or a chamber pot of the same sex?"

Zhao Zheng, keeping up with the times, looked at the fat man with surprise and a hint of disdain, his expression revealing no trace of the domineering aura that came from the First Emperor's conquest of the world.

It seems that the First Emperor, who exclaimed "My god, my god, it's all my god!", is not the same person at all.

"Pfft!"

Sitting in Hu Ming's lap, Lan Ting couldn't help but cover his mouth and chuckle. This "First Emperor" was quite down-to-earth and not difficult to get along with at all.

"Some people are born abnormal. Let's leave these trivial matters here. I have some questions for you."

"I'm curious, when exactly did you, or rather, people like you, begin to emerge?"

"I mean, how many years have you all lived so far? The earliest traces I found date back to the beginning of the Neogene period several thousand years ago."

Wu Xie stopped Fatty's get-rich-quick dreams and carefully considered his words.

"A thousand years, ten thousand years?"

The First Emperor fell into deep thought.

Hu Ming had a vague guess about this.

"I roughly calculated that, if we consider tens of thousands of years as a unit, my companions and I have probably lived on this land for several hundred units already." "Time has been too long; I can't remember many things from that period, and searching through my memories is a troublesome task. I still vaguely remember..."

"It was a very distant and desolate era. At that time, natural disasters were frequent and food was scarce. We were the first to come down from the trees in order to survive."

The First Emperor finally used a tone of vicissitude and nostalgia that suited his character.

Hundreds of units? The first to come down from the trees?
Upon hearing this, even Wu Xie, known for his composure, couldn't help but be utterly shocked.

Hu Ming narrowed his eyes and did not respond to the "First Emperor's" words!
"Ah, just as you guessed. Modern archaeologists are on the right track; the origin of humankind is indeed a group of ancient apes!"

The First Emperor smiled slightly, seemingly anticipating Wu Xie's surprise, and spoke frankly without any attempt to conceal anything.

"Of course, when we first came down from the tree, my companions and I could not be called a human group at all; we were just the most primitive monkeys."

"In an accident, we came into contact with something special, and our dull and confused minds were suddenly awakened, giving us simple logical thinking abilities."

"That's right. Strictly speaking, we are the ancestors of humankind, the true ancestors of humanity! Humans evolved from ancient apes under our guidance."

"It was precisely this peculiar thing that caused some...some unexpected changes to occur..."

"Countless years have passed, and my companions and I have witnessed the birth and death of new 'humans' in our species, our spouses, our offspring, and all living beings succumb to the erosion of time."

"Only then did we realize with horror that this thing not only put us at the forefront of evolution, but also granted us endless life!"

As he spoke, Zhao Zheng's tone remained unchanged. Countless years had passed, and the heart-wrenching pain of the past seemed to have faded away completely.

For these people, the long passage of time is enough to erase all the deepest emotions. No matter how much they struggle, all that remains in the end is a lonely world and their own selves.

Apart from each other, they had no other friends or relatives, and time mercilessly took all their loved ones away from them.

"We were unwilling, we were angry, we pleaded, we cursed the heavens, and then we slowly accepted reality, the pain, the despair, and finally, we found peace..."

"That was a very long process, and also a very painful one."

"During this time, many of my companions could not accept this cruel reality and chose to end their lives, which seemed to have no end."

"Similarly, some of my companions also despaired, crushed by the cruel reality, unable to bear such terrible torment, their minds completely collapsed, and they went insane..."

"In today's terms, they began to take revenge on society, using the suffering of others as their spiritual sustenance and motivation to keep living."

"This is the origin of all the stories of gods and evil spirits in history."

The First Emperor's voice was somewhat low; these ancient memories never brought joy or even the slightest sense of nostalgia.

"You're not talking about this, are you?"

"A few days ago, I broke open one of the statues you left behind and got this little thing from it. You don't mind, do you?"

Ignoring the complex emotions of the "First Emperor," Hu Ming produced an irregularly shaped, gray-black stone in his palm and asked calmly.