120: Chapter 120 A powerful internet celebrity, ruling the country online!

Lin Zhou pondered Director Zhou's reminder, as well as his own considerations regarding the country's future development.

He realized that his personal IP, the image of an "Internet Celebrity Head of State," was the most valuable intangible asset of the Cyber Freedom Republic in its initial stages.

Wasn't the reason he could build a country from scratch and turn it into a "real-life SimCity" precisely this grassroots, advice-listening drive?

He needed to solidify this "grassroots, internet celebrity" persona.

He wanted to give netizens a sense of accomplishment in participating in the country's construction, making the Cyber Freedom Republic "theirs, as well as all the netizens'."

"Cloud Governance" would be the core window for the country's external publicity for a long time to come.

Besides that, there was another important publicity channel.

He lifted his wrist to check his watch; it was late January, the time for his younger sister, Lin Wan, to register for the art entrance exams.

He dialed home.

"Hey, Brother!" Lin Wan's voice was full of energy; the special training life clearly suited her well.

"Wanwan, have you registered for the art exams yet?" Lin Zhou asked.

"Registered! I also signed up for the school exams; they're in March." Lin Wan reported, her words filled with excitement.

"School exams in March…" Lin Zhou calculated the time in his mind.

Traveling back and forth from Beijing to Bir Tawil took quite a lot of time.

If his sister was preparing for exams in Beijing and he had to take time off to fly over to accompany her, his schedule would be extremely tight.

"How about this, Wanwan, come to Beijing as soon as possible. Get settled here and continue your training," Lin Zhou said. "We'll spend Chinese New Year right here in Beijing; your brother is staying in Beijing this year too."

"Huh? Brother, you're not coming home for Chinese New Year?" Lin Wan's expression was a mix of surprise and disappointment.

She was surprised that she could spend the New Year with her brother, but disappointed because their parents would have to spend the holiday alone again.

"State affairs are busy; I probably can't go back this year," Lin Zhou sighed softly.

Although he really wanted to go home, the country was at a critical stage, and he couldn't get away for long.

"Alright…" Lin Wan said, feeling regretful but understanding her brother.

"Tell Mom and Dad, I'll call them later," Lin Zhou instructed.

Afterward, Lin Zhou called his parents.

"Mom, I might not be able to go back this year, and Wanwan is coming to Beijing to spend the New Year with me." Lin Zhou tried to make his tone sound relaxed.

"Huh? Not coming back for the New Year? How can that be!" Upon hearing this, Wang Xiue's voice rose sharply. "During the New Year, the whole family should be reunited! We understand you're busy outside, but the New Year is the most important thing!"

"Mom, I really can't get away. Plus, there are some things in Bir Tawil that I must attend to personally," Lin Zhou explained.

"Then... then take good care of Wanwan." Wang Xiue knew that once her son said he wasn't coming back, he wouldn't change his mind, so she had to settle for second best. "Your father and I are used to spending the New Year in our hometown, so we won't go to Beijing to cause trouble."

"Alright, I'll take good care of Wanwan, and you two take care as well." Lin Zhou understood his parents' preference for staying at home, so he didn't press them further.

Having arranged matters for his sister and home, Lin Zhou felt one burden lifted from his mind.

He checked the time; it was 8:00 PM.

"It's time," he muttered to himself.

He picked up his phone and opened the live streaming platform he hadn't used in a long time.

The familiar interface, the familiar audience; the chat screen was immediately flooded with messages.

"Holy crap! The Head of State is live!"

"It's alive! It's really a living Head of State!"

"Lin the Dog, you finally know how to come back! How long has it been since you last streamed!"

Lin Zhou looked at the dense stream of comments, a smile appearing on his face.

He cleared his throat and began his "comeback debut."

"Oh, my brothers and sisters, my fellow folks, my… citizens!" He deliberately emphasized the word "citizens," which predictably triggered a frenzy in the chat.

"Hello, Head of State!"

"Citizen reporting in!"

"Damn, being called a citizen by the Head of State for the first time feels weird."

"I've been truly swamped lately, almost forgot about everyone," Lin Zhou started his long-lost mode of rambling and bragging. "Look, recently it's been founding the country, fighting lawsuits, doing infrastructure, tackling the plague in Africa, and getting sanctioned by the Americans… look at this, I've even worried myself into having several gray hairs!"

He pointed to his hair, and the chat was immediately flooded with "Hahaha."

"Alright, alright, stop bragging!"

"Lin the Dog, what have you been up to lately? Did you secretly stash away some private money?"

"Head of State, did you go off to flirt with some diplomat lady behind our backs again?"

Lin Zhou laughed and responded to the chat, "How could I! I've been racking my brain for the country, wishing I could split a penny in two to spend. Flirting with ladies? I'd need time for that!"

He recounted some recent, non-confidential major national events in a relaxed and humorous way.

From the "parabolic diplomacy" in Bir Tawil to "donating 100 million" to aid Africa, from the debut of the "Mengshi" armored vehicle to the "joint exercises" with Egypt, he made these national events sound like exciting online dramas.

The chat would occasionally scroll with phrases like "Awesome!" and "Long live the Head of State!"

"Head of State, as the leader of a country, isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to be 'fooling around' abroad for so long?" A comment caught Lin Zhou's attention, and a smile appeared on his lips.

"That brother asked a good question!" Lin Zhou's expression looked somewhat "troubled." "Sigh, to be honest, I want to move the government headquarters to Bir Tawil too! But as you've seen, apart from a General Post Office, a police headquarters, a temporary airport, and a few dorms for the pioneers, that place doesn't have the conditions for large-scale human habitation and government operations, does it?"

He paused for a moment and continued to explain, "More importantly, most of our employees right now, including Old Chen, Dean Zhang, and Minister Qin, are coordinating resources within the country or across the world. If I force the government to move back, I suspect more than half of them won't follow. In that case, our country would truly become a 'commander without an army'."

"So, I can only promise that once we reach certain hardware conditions, we will prioritize building government facilities to complete the 'return' of the national government. This is also my goal." Lin Zhou's words were sincere and heartfelt, resonating with many netizens.

"Sounds a bit difficult."

"So even the Head of State has it this tough!"

"Lin the Dog, stop playing the victim. You're throwing around hundreds of millions; would you really be short on money for building?"

Lin Zhou chatted for a while longer, and a new comment caught his eye again.

"Head of State, your Cyber Freedom Republic doesn't look like a country at all! What country only has one administrative district? Even Singapore isn't like that, right!"

Lin Zhou perked up; this was exactly the lead-in he wanted.