103: Chapter 103 America's Need for a Pledge of Allegiance

"Extradite a criminal?"

Lin Zhou had just finished the tripartite meeting and was still calculating the plans for the Seed Empire in his mind when Qin Yue's phone call interrupted his thoughts.

His brow furrowed into a tight knot.

"What criminal? To have the U.S. Department of State personally send a letter?"

On the other end of the line, Qin Yue's voice was exceptionally solemn as she spoke one word at a time:

"The letter names a specific individual, a man named Edward James. He is a former contractor employee for the U.S. National Security Agency who is currently wanted globally for leaking a massive amount of national secrets."

"Furthermore, the intelligence provided by the Americans is very precise, stating that this person forged the identity of a German engineer named David Smith to infiltrate our first batch of pioneer recruitment teams. He is currently at the Oasis One base!"

Lin Zhou's breathing hitched for a moment. His fingers unconsciously tapped on the smooth conference table, producing a light "thump, thump, thump" sound.

In the vast, empty room, only this monotonous tapping echoed.

"Has our Department of Labor verified this?"

"It's been verified, Führer." Qin Yue's voice was kept very low. "The resume and photos all match. But in our system, he is a clean German citizen with no background related to the United States. The U.S. attitude this time is very firm, insisting that this isn't just a criminal case, but a serious threat to their national security."

Silence hung on the line for a few seconds. Qin Yue seemed to be organizing her words, tentatively testing the waters:

"Führer, I... I just had an emergency meeting with colleagues from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and everyone has an immature suggestion... Could this be an opportunity for us?"

"An opportunity?" Lin Zhou's voice turned cold.

"Yes, an opportunity." Qin Yue braced herself and continued. "Think about it, what do we lack most right now? Universal recognition from the international community. If we choose to cooperate with the U.S. this time, go with the flow, and hand the person over cleanly, we can not only immediately ease the tension between us and the U.S., but we can even use this person as a bargaining chip!"

Her speech became faster and faster; this idea had been calculated in her mind for a long time.

"We can demand that the U.S. support our entry into the United Nations! As long as the leader of the Permanent Five nods, no one can shake our legitimacy in Bir Tawil! We can even use the hand of the U.S. to completely kick out Egypt, which has been causing us trouble!"

"Heh..."

Lin Zhou let out a sneer from his throat, directly interrupting her.

"Qin Yue, you call this an opportunity?"

Qin Yue was choked by the sneer and instinctively defended herself: "From... from the perspective of realist diplomacy, this is indeed the path with the lowest cost and the fastest results..."

"No!" Lin Zhou stood up and paced to the massive floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the brightly lit base under construction in the distance.

His voice wasn't loud, but it sent a chill through the person on the other end of the line.

"This isn't an opportunity; this is offering a pledge of allegiance!"

"Today, for a UN seat, we can hand over an engineer. Tomorrow, if the Americans want us to open our financial markets, will we have to hand over our taxation rights too? In a few more days, if they take a liking to our ports, will we have to give up our very sovereignty?"

"Once we offer this pledge of allegiance, we are no longer an independent country, but a renamed protectorate of the Americans! Even stupider, leaning completely toward the U.S. is equivalent to pushing countries like China and Russia, who also have veto power, to the opposite side! What is there to discuss about such a foolish matter?"

He spoke these words rapidly and sharply, every word striking the other end of the phone.

On the other side, Qin Yue was speechless; only her heavy breathing could be heard.

She could hear the fury in the Führer's voice.

After a long while, she finally spoke in a nearly dry voice: "But... Führer, if we don't hand him over, we are publicly slapping the U.S. in the face. The Universal Postal Union incident last time already made them lose face; they certainly won't let it go this time. If they use this as an excuse to impose a total blockade on us... we've just started, we won't be able to hold out!"

"Therefore, we cannot resist them head-on." Lin Zhou walked to the window, watching the lights outside, his tone softening. "But, we certainly cannot kneel."

His voice returned to a steady state, but beneath that steady tone was a hidden blade.

"We need a plan—a plan that leaves them speechless and grants them no benefits."

Qin Yue's breath hitched: "You mean?"

"You, immediately, reply to the U.S. Department of State like this."

Lin Zhou turned around. His speech wasn't fast, but every word was crystal clear.

"First, tell them that the Cyber Freedom Republic highly values the intelligence provided by your country and expresses strong condemnation of any acts that endanger international security. Strike the right pose first and give them enough face."

"Second, we are a sovereign state and have not signed any extradition treaties with your country. Therefore, we cannot execute an extradition procedure. This point is entirely consistent with international practice; they won't find any legal flaws."

"Finally," Lin Zhou's tone became playful, "to show our sincerity and respect for the rule of law, our police have verified that this person's identity is forged, which seriously violates our 'Foreigner Entry Management Act.' Based on this, we have listed him as a persona non grata."

He paused, delivering the final directive word by word.

"Tell the Americans that to maintain our border security and social stability, we have ordered the police department to take emergency action and immediately deport this illegal suspect! We will prepare a full set of legal documents to prove that every step we take is in the performance of a sovereign state's normal management duties."

"De... Deport?"

On the other end of the phone, Qin Yue's mind suddenly cleared as she immediately grasped the brilliance of this move.

She was so excited her voice trembled slightly: "Then... deport him where?"

"Didn't Gao Jian and He Jun just return from Sudan? Let them work a bit harder and make another trip."

Lin Zhou continued.

"Package the man up and drive him directly to the Sudanese border. Give him a jug of water and stuff a few hundred US dollars in his pocket—that's more than fair. Once our people have retreated to a safe distance, you can 'accidentally' notify the Americans."

"Then... what if the Americans ask for the specific location?"

"Just spread your hands and tell them that we have sent the person out according to legal procedures. As for whether he is currently feeding scorpions in some Sudanese desert, being snatched by some warlord as a conscript, or fighting for food in a refugee camp... that is none of our business."

Lin Zhou gave a light laugh, his words full of disdain.

"Sudan is currently a mess. As a responsible neighbor, we have fulfilled our obligations for international cooperation. As for the rest, let them send their own people to that place to fish him out slowly."

"Pfft..."

On the other end, Qin Yue's tense nerves finally relaxed, and she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

She let out a long sigh of relief, her voice filled with genuine admiration.

"I understand, Führer! This move is absolutely brilliant!"

"Not extraditing him preserves our sovereignty and substance!"

"Deporting him gives the Americans enough face and leaves them with nothing to nitpick!"

"As for losing the man in Sudan... that's Sudan's internal affair. Even if the sky falls, it won't hit us! After this sequence, even if the Americans are fuming, they'll have to swallow this grievance in diplomatic terms!"

"Go take care of it."

Lin Zhou hung up the phone.

He walked back to the window and looked down at the steel city formed by countless lights, remaining silent.

The American ultimatum was only the beginning.

To truly gain a foothold in this place where the weak are prey to the strong, simply burying one's head in farming was far from enough.

You also have to learn how to deal with a group of fierce opponents.

And even more, learn how to deal with the fiercest one among them.