Saving Ying Zheng and Cixi

August 1, 2026 — 2:56 a.m. Inside the spacetime laboratory, instruments hum steadily as electric currents crackle through the pipelines. Professor Huo stares at the coordinates locked on his screen, his fingertip coming down hard on the table. "Final confirmation: the exact moment of Ying Zheng's death at Shaqiu has been pinpointed. Allowing for a margin of historical error, we will act two days ahead of schedule." Nearby, several students push forward an experimental corpse draped in white cloth — the most crucial replacement prop for this leap across time. The five-member team, fully clad in protective gear, takes its place before the spacetime transmission device. Before departure, Professor Huo's expression turns grave as he issues his final instructions, urging them again and again: "Remember the iron rule! Under no circumstances are you to alter the fate of anyone in the ancient world. History is fragile beyond measure. Even unintentionally harming a single common soldier could cause every one of us to scatter into the river of time. Caution above all — complete the replacement, and stir up no trouble!" The team nods solemnly. "Preparing to initiate transfer!" A piercing alarm blares through the laboratory, and a blinding white light sweeps across the room as the five figures vanish from before the device. In the next breath, wind and sand whip against their faces. They have materialized without a sound inside the temporary palace at Shaqiu, where the dying First Emperor lies alone on his couch, attended by no one. The timing could not be more perfect. Not daring to lose even a second, they rush forward, carefully lifting Ying Zheng onto a portable stretcher and swiftly completing the body swap. The entire operation takes less than two minutes. The white light flashes once more, and the team — along with the unconscious emperor — vanishes completely from the Great Qin.