1: Chapter 1: My company went bankrupt and I lost my job, but the system sent me to build a nation!

"Notice: In view of adjustments to the company's operational strategy, effective immediately, all labor contracts signed between employees and the company are terminated. The compensation plan will be executed according to the highest standards. For specific matters, please consult the Human Resources Department."

In the conference room, on the projection screen, black words stood out ruthlessly against a white background. Lin Zhou sat at his workstation, his fingertips tapping on the keyboard as dense lines of code filled his screen.

He focused solely on the work at hand; the commotion around him failed to draw his attention, whether it was the low-voiced conversations of his colleagues or the sudden outbursts of complaints.

His name was Lin Zhou, a common programmer. In this cold office building, it had taken him countless nights to barely get the company's so-called "epoch-making" AI product up and running.

The result? With a single phrase like "strategic adjustment," all his efforts vanished in an instant.

A man in a sharp suit stood at the front of the conference room, his expression calm.

He claimed to be from a small country in the Middle East, a representative of a newly established sovereign wealth fund. It was said that this country was hard to find on a map, but its oil reserves were staggering, making it jaw-droppingly wealthy.

"Everyone, I regret to inform you," the man cleared his throat, his tone flat, "that this company has business overlaps with another company of the same type that we have acquired. To avoid internal competition, after high-level consultations, it has been decided to immediately cancel all current business of this company and dismiss all employees."

Dismissed? What a nice way to put it. A chill welled up in Lin Zhou's chest. This was clearly a protective acquisition. Buying you out just to let your product rot, clearing the way for their own company. A typical capital strategy. But this time, the protagonist was a nation.

Since graduating from university, he had worked tirelessly, burdened by a mortgage, and worrying about his parents' aging bodies and the tuition for his younger sister, who was in her first year of a key junior high school in the city.

He once thought that as long as he worked hard, life would slowly get better. The result? A small country from the other side of the globe could reset his years of struggle to zero with a simple gesture.

The power of a national entity, even a small one, could mobilize resources far beyond his personal imagination.

Beside him, some colleagues cursed aloud, while others slumped in their chairs, looking defeated. Lin Zhou, on the contrary, appeared calm.

He remembered the warning a senior gave him when he first entered the industry: "Code is cold, but human hearts are warm; the market is cruel." Now it seemed that national power was even more cruel.

He clicked on the link for the compensation plan. The severance pay was generous, reaching the maximum standard. Based on his current salary, this money would not only allow him to pay off the rest of his mortgage but also save a retirement fund for his parents and prepare his sister's college tuition.

For an ordinary worker carrying the expectations of an entire family, this amount of money was substantial enough to quell all dissatisfaction.

He took out his phone and saw his sister's WeChat profile picture. His sister usually stayed at school and only came home on weekends.

He thought of his parents, two traditional workers who knew nothing about the internet and always worried that "staring at a computer all day would ruin his eyes." Every penny he earned maintained the present and future of this home. And now, this pillar had snapped without warning.

"If only I possessed that kind of power too," Lin Zhou whispered, his voice very soft. "Individual strength is always minuscule in the face of a state machine."

He craved the kind of power that could decide his own fate, and even the fate of others. To be unbound by rules and to pursue his ambitions as he pleased.

His fingertips touched the keyboard. At the very moment this thought arose, a sharp pain pricked his palm. Then, a voice appeared in his mind, its tone mechanical and devoid of emotion.

"Ding!"

"Host's will meets the criteria. Utopia System successfully activated."

Lin Zhou held his breath. A system? He wasn't dreaming, was he? Had staying up late caused hallucinations?

"System binding... Binding complete."

"Host: Lin Zhou."

"Current Status: Unemployed."

"Current Mission: Establish a nation."

"Mission Description: Create a brand-new sovereign entity from scratch and let it stand tall among the nations of the world."

"Mission Reward: System Store unlocked, Newbie Gift Pack (pending issuance)."

"Mission Failure: System will automatically unbind, and the host will return to mediocrity."

Lin Zhou stood frozen on the spot. Establish a nation? Is this system crazy? He was a code monkey who made a living by typing. He could barely support his own home, and now he was supposed to found a country? Where would he build it? Was he supposed to go buy a piece of land?

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He knew this couldn't be a hallucination; the system's voice was too real. He opened the system interface, and a concise blue light screen appeared before his eyes, visible only to him.

On the light screen, his information was written along with that astonishing mission command.

"Establish a nation."

This mission was too outrageous. Yet, Lin Zhou's mind felt no resistance; instead, an indescribable excitement surged within him. He was just complaining about national power, and now the system was literally telling him to build a nation? Wasn't this the "kind of power" he had just craved?

Although it sounded like a fantasy, the fact that the system gave the mission meant it was feasible.

He didn't accept the mission immediately but instead clicked on the system help.

"The host can acquire the resources needed for nation-building through various means, and the system will provide necessary support. Please explore the specific support methods on your own."

"The location for nation-building is not restricted, but it must be an area not under the actual control of any sovereign state."

An area not under the actual control of any sovereign state? Did such a place still exist on Earth? He took out his phone and quickly typed in keywords.

"Terra Nullius."

Search results appeared quickly. After filtering, his eyes were immediately caught by a name.

"Bir Tawil."

The description read: A piece of terra nullius located on the border between Egypt and Sudan, with an area of approximately 2,060 square kilometers. Due to historical border disputes, both Egypt and Sudan have not claimed sovereignty over the region, making it one of the few lands on Earth that theoretically belongs to no country.

Lin Zhou looked at the description on his phone screen, his heart pounding violently. 2,060 square kilometers! This place was larger than Singapore, and it was land that "theoretically belongs to no country"!

This was practically tailor-made for him!

He felt his life's direction become clear. A code monkey? To hell with being a code monkey! Now, he was going to become the founder of a nation!

"Host, would you like to receive the Newbie Gift Pack?" the voice rang out again.

Lin Zhou snapped back to reality. A gift pack? Of course he wanted it!

"Receive," he answered.

"Ding! Newbie Gift Pack has been issued."

On the system interface, a shimmering box appeared. Lin Zhou clicked it.

"Obtained: National Flag Design (Basic Version)."

"Obtained: National Emblem Design (Basic Version)."

"Obtained: Temporary National Identity Registration System (Version 1.0)."

"Obtained: Basic Survival Supplies Pack (Includes tent, water purifier, portable generator, solar charging panels, satellite phone, first aid kit, etc.)."

Lin Zhou looked at these rewards. Although they were all basic versions, every item pointed directly to the core needs of founding a nation. Especially that "Temporary National Identity Registration System"—it was a stroke of genius. It gave him the ability to transform virtual intentions into real-world connections.

He closed the system interface. In the conference room before him, colleagues were still complaining, and the HR head was still solemnly reading out the procedures. Lin Zhou suddenly found everything around him to be absurd and laughable.

From now on, his life was on a completely different path. A path leading to a "Utopia."

He picked up his backpack, didn't say goodbye to anyone, and walked straight out of the conference room and out the company's front door.

The sky was azure and the sun was bright. Lin Zhou looked up at the vast sky.

He understood that this decision was too risky and might even fail his family's expectations, but he knew even better that only by grasping true power could he give his parents and sister a permanently secure future, rather than being at the mercy of others like he was now. Instead of being a tiny, replaceable part, it was better to be a creator who opens up a new world!

Founding a nation? It sounded ridiculous, but... he was going to do it!

Short-term goal: Head to Bir Tawil, plant the national flag, and complete the preliminary declaration of nationhood.

He wanted to turn this "terra nullius" into his own country at the fastest speed possible.