129: Chapter 129 The Winds of Washington! The Quietly Thawing Glacier!

Washington, D.C., Langley, CIA headquarters.

In a spacious office, Deputy Director Harrison, who was about to retire, was holding a cup of Blue Mountain coffee.

His gaze drifted past the scenery outside the window, his thoughts wandering to his post-retirement life—should he buy a winery in California, or purchase an island in Hawaii?

At that moment, his personal secretary knocked and entered.

"Sir, Mr. Jonathan, the chief lobbyist for the Blackstone Group, has arrived. He says he has an urgent matter and hopes to meet with you privately."

Harrison frowned. The Blackstone Group, the top predators of Wall Street; their chief lobbyist had extraordinary influence, and even members of Congress had to weigh their options before denying him face.

"Let him in."

A middle-aged man in a sharp suit with a professional smile on his face walked in.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Harrison. Forgive the intrusion." Jonathan sat down naturally on the sofa opposite Harrison.

"Jonathan, get straight to the point. You know I'm close to retirement and don't like beating around the bush." Harrison took a sip of coffee, his tone flat.

"It's about a little trouble called the 'Cyber Freedom Republic'." Jonathan smiled, took a document out of his briefcase, and pushed it across the desk.

Harrison glanced at the document title and let out a soft snort, showing his disapproval: "Is that the farce that Chinese kid put together? I heard Stephen report on it; the Department of State has already implemented a total blockade against him. Does a small matter like this really warrant a personal visit from you?"

"Sir, it's not a small matter anymore." Jonathan's smile remained unchanged. "Our group has just decided to invest one billion US dollars into this 'farce' to build an offshore data center."

The coffee cup Harrison was about to bring to his lips paused.

"One billion dollars?" He was somewhat surprised. "Are you all crazy?"

"We never do business at a loss." Jonathan leaned back into the sofa, his tone relaxed. "We see its future potential. However, the Department of State's blockade puts our investment at huge political risk. That's why I'm here today—I hope you can do us a favor."

Harrison placed his coffee cup steadily back on the table, leaned forward, and interlaced his fingers. This signaled that the small talk was over.

"What do you want me to do?"

"We hope the Department of State can lift the blockade against this nascent nation." Jonathan replied, "Assistant Secretary of State Stephen seems to have some personal feelings toward that Chinese kid. That's not good; foreign policy shouldn't be influenced by personal likes and dislikes, don't you think?"

Harrison said nothing. He understood that this was no longer in the realm of "doing a favor"; this was direct interference in the Department of State's decision-making.

"Jonathan, this isn't according to protocol."

"Protocols are rigid, but people are flexible." Jonathan took out another document—it was an offer letter.

"This is a consulting contract for an energy consulting firm under our group. Seven-figure annual salary, paid in US dollars. It comes with a private jet and global health insurance. We know you have always researched the new energy sector; this position will allow you to continue contributing after you retire."

Harrison looked at the offer letter, then at the commercial smile on Jonathan's face, and everything became clear.

This wasn't a request; it was a transaction.

The office fell into a long silence.

"Stephen is a good young man, just sometimes too impulsive." Harrison finally broke the silence, his tone like someone evaluating a junior. "The Middle East hasn't been peaceful lately, and ISIS is showing signs of resurgence. He really should focus his energy on things that truly need attention."

"You are absolutely right." Jonathan had achieved his goal and stood up with a smile. "Then I won't take up any more of your valuable time. I will definitely be at your retirement party on time."

After Jonathan left, Harrison picked up the internal phone on his desk and dialed the dedicated line for the Department of State.

"Connect me to Stephen."

The call was connected quickly.

"Stephen, it's me, Harrison."

"Mr. Deputy Director, good afternoon! Any instructions?" Stephen's voice on the other end was full of respect.

"Regarding that Cyber Freedom Republic, you've gone a bit too far." Harrison's voice was devoid of emotion. "An insignificant little character doesn't need us to mobilize the entire Western Hemisphere's diplomatic resources to block him. Lift the ban."

The voice on the other end paused: "But sir, that Lin Zhou..."

"Enough!" Harrison interrupted him directly. "I am not asking for your opinion! This is an order! If you have any extra energy, go figure out how to clean up the mess in Syria! Don't waste taxpayers' money on petty personal grudges anymore, and stop embarrassing America!"

Having finished, Harrison hung up the phone.

On the other end, Stephen held the disconnected receiver, only the busy signal remaining in his ear. He couldn't understand at all why the Deputy Director, who had always supported him, would suddenly change his mind.

He couldn't figure it out, but he didn't dare to disobey the order.

That afternoon, an internal notice from the Assistant Secretary of State's office was quietly sent to various US embassies in the Western Hemisphere.

The core content of the notice was only one sentence: Effective immediately, all diplomatic restrictive measures against the Cyber Freedom Republic are lifted.

The dark clouds hanging over the Cyber Freedom Republic were thus easily blown away by the power of money.

The next day, far away in Beijing, Qin Yue practically burst through the door of Lin Zhou's office.

"Leader! Leader! Good news! Huge good news!" She was breathing rapidly, her usually meticulous professional suit slightly disheveled from running, her face filled with irrepressible excitement.

"What's wrong? Judging by your state, did the US President announce his surrender?" Lin Zhou was reviewing documents and teased without looking up.

"It's even more unbelievable than that!" Qin Yue slammed a diplomatic briefing onto Lin Zhou's desk. "Just now, within an hour, we received formal diplomatic notes from six countries in succession. They all expressed their willingness to immediately restart negotiations for establishing diplomatic relations with us!"

Lin Zhou finally raised his head and picked up the briefing.

Mauritius, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, Malawi, Uganda, Zimbabwe...

The six countries on the list, without exception, were all African countries that had previously interrupted negotiations due to pressure from the United States.

"Blackstone's efficiency is even higher than I expected." Lin Zhou's tone was calm, as if he were just confirming an expected trifle.

"This... was done by Blackstone?" There was confusion in Qin Yue's voice. She only knew they had signed a commercial contract with Blackstone, but she wasn't aware of such operations behind the scenes.

"The power of capital is sometimes more effective than an aircraft carrier fleet." Lin Zhou put down the briefing and looked at Qin Yue. "Notify the negotiation team to take action separately immediately. Tell them money is not an issue; I just want results. I want to see these six national flags on our list of countries with diplomatic relations within a week!"

"Yes!" Qin Yue accepted the order and turned to leave.

"Wait." Lin Zhou called her back.

"Does the Leader have any other instructions?"

"Tell Elder Chen," Lin Zhou's fingers tapped rhythmically on the table, "get the checkbook ready. Our friends are about to increase again."