12: Chapter 12 One Million, Buying Your Future!

Wang Tao, the Founding Duke with the ID "Tuhao Wo Lai Le," was clearly not here for a tour.

He walked around the Water collector twice, a friendly smile on his chubby face, but his eyes were like a hawk's, not missing a single detail.

"Xiao Lin, you don't mind if my people check it out, do you?" He pointed to the two assistants he had brought along.

"Please, go ahead." Lin Zhou made a gesture of invitation. "To ensure fairness, the entire inspection process will be livestreamed."

Wang Tao laughed heartily. "That's exactly the effect I want! Otherwise, wouldn't my plane ticket money be wasted?"

His two assistants immediately sprang into action.

One took out a Metal detector and performed a carpet-style scan of the surrounding sand, centered on the Water collector.

The other used an Endoscope camera to carefully inspect every crevice and interface of the device.

The viewers in the livestream watched with great interest.

"Professional! So professional!"

"They're checking the streamer like he's a corporate spy!"

"A big shot is a big shot; they even take having fun this seriously!"

A few minutes later, the Metal detector showed no abnormal reaction, ruling out the possibility of underground pre-buried water pipes.

The endoscope inspection also found no suspicious external connections.

Wang Tao nodded, walked to the water outlet, personally caught a handful of water, and brought it to his lips to taste.

It was crisp, sweet, and had a unique mineral taste.

He then took a Portable mass spectrometer, more advanced than Lin Zhou's, from his assistant to analyze the water sample on-site.

The results displayed on the screen were no different from what Lin Zhou had shown before—it was almost laboratory-grade ultrapure water.

"Remarkable," Wang Tao praised sincerely.

He put away his playful smile and looked at Lin Zhou with true seriousness for the first time.

"Xiao Lin, to be honest, at first I just put in money for a bit of fun, treating it as supporting an interesting young man's performance art."

He paused and pointed at the machine that was still continuously producing water.

"But now it seems I might have underestimated you. How did you pull this thing off?"

Lin Zhou didn't answer directly but asked instead, "Duke, where do you think the value of this thing lies?"

Wang Tao was stunned for a moment, then fell into deep thought.

He was a businessman, an extremely successful one.

The first thing that flashed through his mind when he saw this machine wasn't "black technology" or "a blessing for humanity," but a series of business models and astronomical profits.

Desalination plants? Too costly and environmentally polluting.

South-to-North Water Diversion? A massive project that's time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Yet the thing before him only needed sunlight and air to create the highest quality drinking water out of thin air.

Its value could no longer be measured in money.

"Its value..." Wang Tao murmured to himself, "depends on whose hands it's in."

Lin Zhou smiled.

Talking to smart people really saved effort.

"It's in my hands now," Lin Zhou stated calmly. "But it's also the only bargaining chip I have to negotiate with Egypt and Sudan."

Wang Tao's eyes lit up.

"You want to use this technology in exchange for their recognition of Bir Tawil's statehood?"

"Exactly."

"Why not just apply for a patent and sell it to the whole world? That money would be enough for you to buy a small island and live comfortably as its king," Wang Tao asked the biggest doubt in his heart.

Lin Zhou shook his head.

"A patent is the most fragile protection. Once published, laboratories all over the world will start imitating it. I don't have the ability to contend with those state machines. And..."

He changed his tone, which became deep.

"What I need isn't a small island that can be bought, but a sovereign entity recognized by international law. A 'Cyber Freedom Republic' where I can realize my ideals."

Wang Tao stared at Lin Zhou for a long time.

In this young man's eyes, there was no businessman's greed or scientist's fanaticism, but a persistence that bordered on obsession.

"I understand." Wang Tao let out a long breath. "You're not doing business; you're playing a high-stakes gamble, using a technology that can change the world to bet on a nebulous national sovereignty."

"It's not nebulous," Lin Zhou corrected. "It will soon become incredibly real."

Wang Tao suddenly burst into laughter, laughing so hard he doubled over.

"Interesting! Too interesting! In all my years, this is the first time I've seen someone play like this!"

When he had laughed enough, he looked at Lin Zhou again, his eyes full of admiration.

"Fine! I, Wang Tao, will gamble with you!"

He turned around and gave a thumbs-up to the cameras that were livestreaming.

"Everyone! I, Wang Tao, guarantee on my character that this machine is the real deal! The streamer, Lin Zhou, is a genius!"

After saying that, he took out his phone and operated it a few times in front of everyone.

Almost simultaneously, the livestream screen was once again covered by a massive golden banner.

["Tuhao Wo Lai Le" donated ¥1,000,000 to the "Cyber Free Republic National Foundation"!]

One million!

The entire livestream exploded!

If the previous hundred thousand was just to buy a title for fun, then this million was a solid venture capital investment!

"Am I crazy, or is the big shot crazy?"

"One million! Just invested like that?"

"This isn't just for fun anymore; an Angel investor has entered the field!"

Lin Zhou was also a bit surprised, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Thank you for your support, Duke."

Wang Tao waved his hand, leaned into Lin Zhou's ear, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Xiao Lin, this million isn't a gift. Consider it my prepayment."

"Prepayment?" Lin Zhou raised an eyebrow.

"Exactly." Wang Tao's smile showed the shrewdness of a businessman. "Once your country is settled and the negotiations with Egypt and Sudan are done, I want a piece of the pie in the industrial production of this technology. You handle the tech and politics, and I'll handle turning it into products on an assembly line to be sold worldwide. I'm locking in these production rights in advance."

Lin Zhou looked at him and didn't answer immediately.

He knew that a man like Wang Tao never made a losing deal.

This million was buying a priority entry right.

"Deal," Lin Zhou nodded. "Besides, that barren land of Bir Tawil doesn't have the capacity for industrial production anyway. It doesn't matter who manufactures it."

"Straightforward!" Wang Tao patted Lin Zhou's shoulder with satisfaction. "Then I wish our 'Your Majesty' a triumphant return!"

He didn't stay any longer, taking his people and driving off in that Mercedes G, leaving behind only the yellow sand kicked up into the air and a group of netizens in the livestream who hadn't yet recovered from the shock.

Lin Zhou looked in the direction Wang Tao had left, then at the huge sum of money that had appeared in his account.

He knew that things were changing.

His great cause of founding a nation was starting to move from an internet craze onto the tracks of reality.

And a powerful ally had already entered the game.