Rome, the city that had once made the Mediterranean tremble, was now shrouded in deathly silence. The roar of the Maxim machine guns on the banks of the Orontes shattered the last of Caesar's heavy cavalry. The remaining Roman legions retreated to the city walls and made a final, desperate stand using ancient fortifications and the remnants of the 'Reformers'. In the Senate, the formerly arrogant senators were now ashen-faced as they stared at the massive airships hovering outside their windows, seemingly seeing the scythe of death. 'Liu Xun, your "steel monsters" cannot enter the walls of Rome!'
Inside the Pantheon, Caesar knelt before a mysterious, faceless figure — a remnant of the 'Reformers'' consciousness — his voice piercing with anguish.
The figure waved his arm and a faint, eerie blue energy barrier appeared on the Roman walls — the energy of prehistoric machinery, weak yet powerful enough to withstand ordinary rifled artillery fire.
'This is the power of God! Han people, you can never overcome this!' Caesar laughed wildly at the Han army positions outside the city. In the Great Han Expeditionary Force's command centre, Liu Xun looked at the eerie blue barrier displayed on the system interface, a cruel smile spreading across his face.
'The power of God? Before chemical formulas, even God is nothing more than combustible material.' He slowly raised his hand, activating [Supreme Creator: Dimensional Reduction Strike Mode].
[System Chemical Module: Judgment of Flames]
[Weapon: First-generation throwable napalm bomb (petroleum cracking extract + thickener)]
[Characteristics: Extremely high adhesion; extremely high combustion temperature (1200°C+); water-resistant.
Tactics: Use airships for high-altitude precision dropping to implement "carpet-bombing" destruction.
Liu Xun tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, issuing the coldest command of the chapter: 'Go and burn that "temple" to the ground.'
Following Liu Xun's orders, the three 'Kunpeng-type' airships that had been hovering above Rome slowly descended. Their hatches slid open and countless black metal canisters rained down. Unlike the solid shot of the past, these canisters hissed as they fell, like the flicking tongues of venomous snakes.
'What are those? Not cannonballs?' Roman soldiers stared in horror at the black objects falling from the sky. Although an energy barrier blocked most of them, some still penetrated it, crashing into the ancient streets and the temple dome with deafening explosions.
With the first explosion, Rome instantly became a sea of fire. The gasoline bombs exploded on impact, releasing scalding liquid that splattered everywhere and clung tightly to everything it touched: ancient marble statues, sturdy city walls and even the Roman soldiers trying to extinguish the flames.
A temperature of 1200°C was enough to turn marble to lime instantly. The magnificent buildings that once symbolised divine power collapsed like fragile pieces of paper under the onslaught of incendiary bombs. The energy barriers creaked and groaned under the intense heat before shattering like soap bubbles.
'No! This is unfair! This is the fire of the devil!' Caesar roared in despair as he looked at the flames engulfing the Pantheon's dome. The flames in Rome gradually died down as the last rays of sunlight disappeared below the horizon.
The once-prosperous Eternal City was now nothing but charred ruins: the Pantheon's dome had collapsed, the Senate chambers had been reduced to charcoal, and the air was thick with the acrid smell of tar and the nauseating stench of burning corpses.
Liu Xun slowly stepped into the ruins, looking at the molten metal and ancient books reduced to ash. His eyes were devoid of pity.
[System Announcement] Achievement Completed: [Eternal Twilight – Oil Flames].
Judgement: The complete end of the Roman Empire's dominance in Western civilisation.
Follow-up: Primary research into polymer materials (synthetic fibres) and the design of blueprints for the first global environmental monitoring system.
Liu Xun stood in the centre of the ruins, gazing at the blood-red sunset on the western horizon, and murmured to himself, "Corrector, do you see? 'Corrector, do you see? The 'miracles' you rely on are nothing more than the best fuel for my industrial power. Gongshu Qi, bring me the skull of Julius Caesar. I want to use it to make the base for the first synthetic resin table lamp.'
The embers of Rome still flickered in the cold wind and the air was thick with the smell of tar. Rather than rushing to clear the rubble from the half-collapsed ruins of the Pantheon, the Han Dynasty's engineers erected a gleaming silver radio transmission tower with intricate coils.
Liu Xun sat in a military chair in the centre of the ruins with a brass telegraph key before him. The fate of the entire world rested on the opening and closing of his fingertips. From the teahouses of Chang'an to the fishing ports of the English Channel, from the military camps of Cyprus to the drilling platforms of the Persian Gulf — everywhere that the 'Royal Han Telegraph Office' had been established — was now deathly silent.
The telegraph operators held their breath. The jumbled static in their headsets had gone, replaced by perfectly rhythmic Morse code: 'Attention all channels, the Emperor's decree is about to arrive.'
[System Real-Time Synchronisation: Information Hegemony Field]
Coverage: 98% of known civilised regions worldwide
Interference Elimination: All non-Han military frequency bands have been automatically blocked.
Public psychological index:
Western: Despair (99%)
Han: Pride (100%)
Two Han imperial guards dragged the charred, vacant-eyed Roman emperor to the telegraph machine.
Liu Xun didn't look at him, but calmly pressed the telegraph key. With each press, the automatic typewriters in Chang'an's Tower of Babel, London's City Hall and Constantinople's fortress simultaneously printed out cold Chinese characters: 'I, Liu Xun, Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty, judge the Old World today, in the ruins of Rome.'
Caesar looked at the ticking machine and suddenly laughed bitterly. 'Liu Xun, you can kill me, but you cannot kill the spirit of the West that has been passed down for thousands of years! As long as writing exists, the resistance will not cease!'Finally, Liu Xun raised his head, his eyes filled with pity for ants. Without speaking, he simply instructed Gongshu Qi to start the machine behind him — a rudimentary film projector.
A white screen unfolded amongst the ruins, not showing the glory of Rome, but rather slow-motion footage of Roman troops falling like grass under Maxim machine guns and close-ups of petroleum bombs reducing temples to rubble.
'Words can deceive, but the laws of physics cannot.' Liu Xun pressed the telegraph button again, sending this cruel decree to the world: 'From today onwards, in the city of Chang'an, Latin, Greek and all other official Western languages are abolished. The only designated universal language is Chinese.'
'All Western history books and theological texts must be surrendered and destroyed within three days. Those who violate this order will be considered to be provoking industrial civilisation and will be physically erased.' The telegraph machine beat faster and faster, announcing the arrival of a new order.
[Technology Ban]: The development of any tubular instruments with a diameter exceeding 10 millimetres is strictly prohibited in Western provinces. Violators will be massacred.
[Resource Allocation]: All coal mines, iron mines and oil fields in the west will come under the direct jurisdiction of the 'Great Han Resource Bureau'. Local people will only be employed as mining labourers.
[Educational Censorship]: Western schools will only be permitted to teach basic literacy and elementary handicrafts. Advanced physics, chemistry and mathematics will be the exclusive privilege of Great Han citizens. This is the 'Dimensional Reduction Judgement'. Not only did Liu Xun destroy their army, he also extinguished their hopes of returning to industrial civilisation at the source of their information flow.
Caesar finally succumbed to that long string of cold telegrams. He realised that, within the cage woven by radio waves, resistance had no place.
[System Announcement] Achievement completed: Global Hegemony – Civilisation Uniqueness: Judgement: Western civilisation has officially been downgraded to 'vassal of the Han civilisation'.
Unlocked rewards: Basic vacuum tube technology and the first-generation electronic logic gate concept.
System prompt: Lord Liu, Earth has no enemy to fight. Please look up at the red planet (Mars) flashing towards you.
Liu Xun stood up, kicked away Caesar's ivory sceptre and gazed at the night sky. He sent his final message to the world via radio:
'The old gods are dead; the new era begins. My gaze is no longer confined to the mortal world.'
The fertile plains of Mesopotamia echoed to the dull thud of hooves. The Roman Empire's final elite force, the Legion of Apollo, stood in a proud phalanx of massive shields.
Caesar believed that the Han people's strength stemmed from their cumbersome 'steel behemoths' (tanks) and 'airships'. However, he was unaware that Liu Xun had already achieved a "generational leap" in terms of individual weaponry.
On the battlefields of the Han expeditionary force, there was no deafening war drumming, only the uniform clanging of metal.
Each Han infantryman gripped a 'Jianwu Type IV flintlock rifle' that gleamed with a cold blue light. This was no longer the cumbersome, weather-dependent matchlock musket, but a deadly weapon with six spiral rifling grooves, crafted using "Refined Steel Deep Drilling Technology", a system reward.
[System Armament Module: Rifling Revolution]
Core technologies: Minié bullet (soft lead expanding bullet), powerful percussion ignition system.
Performance specifications: Effective range increased to 400 metres (10 times the range of a Roman javelin).
Lethality: Lead bullets tumble and expand upon entering the body, and a single shot is enough to shatter bones and sever limbs.
"Raise shields! For the glory of Rome, charge!' With the centurion's roar, 50,000 Roman hoplites advanced slowly towards the Han army's positions like an iron wall in motion. They firmly believed that, as long as they could withstand the initial volley of arrows, they could slit the throats of the Han soldiers with their short swords. Three hundred metres… Two hundred and fifty metres…
Liu Xun sat atop the towering command vehicle, coldly closing his pocket watch. 'Ready, fire!'
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! This wasn't chaotic and indiscriminate firing, but rather an extremely subdued and industrially rhythmic 'three-stage volley'.
The first rank of Han soldiers pulled the trigger and white smoke instantly engulfed their entire position. Those three-inch-thick iron shields, which were strong enough to withstand powerful crossbow bolts, shattered like cheap terracotta shards under the impact of the Minié bullets, much to the Romans' surprise.
The lead bullets, spinning at high speed, tore easily through chainmail and pierced chests. Yet the Roman veteran at the forefront didn't even feel the pain. He was sent flying backwards as if struck by an invisible hammer, taking down an entire column behind him.
'Don't retreat! This is sorcery! Raise your shields and surround them!' The centurion frantically brandished his short sword, trying to fill the gaps torn open by the hail of bullets.
But against such accurate rifled guns, any dense formation was merely an efficient slaughterhouse. The second and third ranks of Han soldiers took turns to fire. Bullets, like invisible scythes of death, relentlessly reaped the lives of those once invincible warriors.
The Romans were devastated to find that they could not even touch the hem of the Han army's clothing or make out their faces. They could only fall in droves amidst the flickering firelight; within half an hour, the soil of Mesopotamia was stained an eerie dark red with blood.
When the smoke cleared, the once impenetrable Roman phalanx lay in ruins.
Caesar slumped on a distant mound, staring at the shattered golden dagger in his hand. He finally understood: Liu Xun's so-called 'declaration of war' was not war at all, but a 'cleansing of civilisation'. While one side was still figuring out how to forge shields, the other had already mastered the laws of kinetic energy and aerodynamics.
[System Announcement] Achievement completed: Infantry Revolution – First Battle with Rifled Guns
Judgement: Cold weapon phalanx tactics have become completely extinct.
Unlocked rewards: Basic Smokeless Powder Recipe and Triangular Bayonet Mass Production Technology.
Liu Xun stepped off the command vehicle, his feet treading on blood-soaked mud and sand. He ordered Gongshu Qi, "Collect all these scrap Roman armours and transport them back to Chang'an to be melted down. I want to build an all-metal frame airship capable of carrying an internal combustion engine. Now that the land has been pacified, we will go up into the sky to see which cloud the Correctors are hiding behind.'
The dust-laden breezes of Mesopotamia were now thick with a pungent odour, a mixture of soot and lubricating oil. Having endured the baptism of rifled muskets, the remnants of the Roman Legion of Apollo had shrunk to their final defensive formation — the Pantheon Tortoise Formation. Layer upon layer of massive steel shields interlocked to resemble a giant armoured tortoise, attempting to withstand the deadly hail of bullets from the Han army.
'While rifled muskets are sharp, Your Majesty, a direct assault on this formation of tens of thousands of shields will still result in heavy infantry casualties,' said Gongshu Qi, wiping the oil from his face and pointing to the colossal, iron-grey structure in the distance. 'It's time to let "that thing" stretch its muscles.' Liu Xun activated Supreme Creator: Heavy Industry Descends.
As the gates opened, a deep, ancient, thunderous roar pierced the air — the sound of three 'Jianwu Special Type Steam Tank Prototypes'. They lacked elegant lines, their entire bodies riveted together with two-inch-thick carburised steel plates. A massive boiler billowed thick black smoke from the rear and the tracks on either side emitted a teeth-grinding metallic scraping sound.
[System Black Technology Module: King of Land Warfare (Beginner)
Power core: high-pressure twin-cylinder steam engine (system optimised version)
Running mechanism: Wide Heavy Metal Tracks (Ignores Mud and Barbed Wire)
Firepower: Front-mounted 57 mm direct-fire gun and two steam-powered repeating crossbows on the flanks.
Weaknesses: Slow turning, high internal temperature, range of only 20 li
"What is that? A moving iron mountain?' The Roman centurion stared at the monster slowly approaching on the horizon, his hand trembling violently as he gripped his short sword."Catapults! Fire!" Dozens of millstone-sized stones flew in, slamming heavily onto the tank's front armour with a deafening clang. However, the steel behemoth only swayed slightly, and its forward speed didn't decrease at all.
"Full speed ahead! Crush them!" Liu Xun ordered from the command tower. The tank prototype ceased firing and used its thirty tonnes of weight and unparalleled kinetic energy to crash directly into the Roman phalanx with a deafening 'crack'.
It was a concerto of shattered bones and twisted shields. The Romans' proud 'tortoise formation' proved as fragile as an empty soda can beneath the tank's wide tracks. The heavy tracks mercilessly crushed layers of steel shields and the elite soldiers hiding behind them were pulverised, armour and all. Courage pales in the face of absolute physical force.
Seeing the fire-breathing, smoke-spitting, impervious monster, the surviving Roman soldiers completely collapsed psychologically, dropping their short swords and fleeing frantically. However, the steam-powered crossbows on the flanks mowed them all down; the battlefield had become a one-sided industrialised execution.
"This isn't war…" Caesar stared blankly at the battlefield, his eyes unfocused. 'This is God cleansing the world.' Three tank prototypes stood in the centre of the ruins of the Roman camp. The heat emanating from the boilers distorted the view. Liu Xun slowly stepped down from the command vehicle and looked at the bloodstains and the tattered eagle flag on the tracks.
[System Announcement] Achievement Completed: [Land Warfare Overlord – Mechanised Prototype]
Judgement: Heavy armoured units have officially established their dominance on the battlefield. Unlocked rewards: Basic Internal Combustion Engine Schematic Diagram, High-Strength Manganese Steel Recipe, and Tracked Differential Steering System.
Liu Xun gently patted the tank's scorching armour and told Gongshu Qi, "Steam engines are still too cumbersome. They move as slowly as snails. Give the blueprints for the internal combustion engine to the Academy of Sciences. I want these iron behemoths to run like wolves across the desert during the next exercise."
Amidst the ruins of Rome, the Roman legions, on the verge of collapse, suddenly halted their retreat. Deep within the Pantheon, the lingering blue mist (the consciousness of the 'Correctors') violently contracted and transformed into dozens of sealed alloy canisters engraved with strange runes.
Caesar, his hands trembling, received the final potion from the mist. His eyes had lost all human emotion and were now filled with a twisted, forced madness.
'Liu Xun, do you think steel is everything?' Caesar stood atop the crumbling city wall, the wind whipping his hair and beard. Behind him, rows of strangely shaped pressure injectors slowly raised their black muzzles. Though lacking complex gears, these weapons exuded a chilling aura that seemed out of place in this era.
[System Emergency Warning: Non-natural chemical synthesis detected!]
Material composition: White phosphorus derivative + concentrated naphthenic acid soap (an early version of solidified naphtha).
Danger level: Extremely High (specifically effective against Han Dynasty steam armour).
The modifier's intent: To forcibly paralyse the boiler cooling system of the Han Dynasty tanks using high-temperature oxidation. At Caesar's command, dozens of eerie blue fire dragons shot into the air. This 'divinely bestowed' Greek fire was unlike traditional crude oil. It ignited violently upon contact with air, producing dense smoke and exploding at temperatures high enough to melt copper and iron. With a 'boom', the leading 'Xuanwu' steam tank was struck squarely. Azure flames seeped frantically into the gaps in the armour like a persistent leech. Even more terrifying was the fact that this firewater could not be extinguished by water or soil; it smouldered continuously on metal surfaces.
'Overheating! The pressure gauge has exploded!"
The temperature inside the tank instantly soared to over 70°C. The intense heat of the white phosphorus caused the cooling pipes of the steam engine to twist and crack. The once indestructible steel behemoth had transformed into a series of scorching incinerators.
Liu Xun witnessed this scene from the command tower. His eyes instantly turned icy cold as he activated Supreme Calm: The Rational Judge.
'Corrector, you've finally lost your temper.' Looking at the eerie blue flames, a cruel smile played on Liu Xun's lips. 'Since you challenged me with chemistry, I'll show you what a true modern chemical reaction is.'
'Gongshu Qi, activate the "Geng" spare box. The batch of 'fire-extinguishing dry powder bombs', which were originally intended for clearing oil well fires, will now be put to use.' The catapults behind the tank, which had been modified into pneumatic projectiles, quickly adjusted their coordinates and hundreds of specially made bombs filled with baking soda and talcum powder roared towards the fire.
'Bang!' Bang! Bang!' A large amount of white powder dispersed like a thick fog, instantly isolating the oxygen and reacting chemically with the white phosphorus. The once-mighty, eerie blue flames quickly extinguished and dissipated in the white powder storm, like turkeys with their necks snapped.
Seeing the 'divinely bestowed' flames extinguish so easily, Caesar's last pillar of support collapsed completely. He looked back at the Pantheon and saw that the eerie blue mist had vanished without a trace. After its failed attempt, the Corrector coldly discarded this pawn. System settlement: Achievement achieved: Chemical Countermeasure — The Bankruptcy of the False God.
Judgment: The Roman Empire's last technological trump card has been physically eliminated.
Unlock rewards: High-Pressure Fire Pump Technology, Mass Production Process for Asbestos Fireproof Suits and White Phosphorus Bomb Manufacturing Technology (Double-Edged Sword Unlock).
Looking at the seemingly deranged Caesar on the city wall, Liu Xun casually waved to the sniper behind him. 'That kind of fire is useless, but the formula is good. Collect the residue and transport it back to Chang'an. Since they enjoy burning things, let them experience the 'divine baptism' of the Han Dynasty's 'white phosphorus bombs'."