137: Chapter 137 Cairo Envoy! The Most Primitive Method of Rendezvous!

A mid-March afternoon, Beijing.

The secretary, Omar, knocked and entered: "Supreme Lord, Mr. Khalid has arrived."

Lin Zhou turned around and sized up this special guest.

The man was in his forties, his skin a bronze hue tanned by the harsh Middle Eastern sun, and his face wore the habitual warm smile of a businessman.

On the surface, he was an Egyptian businessman who had come to negotiate regarding undersea fiber optic cables.

After brief pleasantries, Lin Zhou led Khalid into a secret meeting room under the pretext of "discussing confidential technology."

The heavy soundproof door closed, and all electronic signals were immediately jammed.

After the equipment emitted a low hum of operation, not a single sound could be heard in the room.

The businessman Khalid, who had been all smiles a second ago, completely withdrew the expression from his face.

His entire aura became that of a different person.

His back straightened, his gaze became sharp, and the businessman's humility and warmth faded, revealing the characteristic hardness and steadiness of a soldier.

He walked up to Lin Zhou, stood at attention, and bowed slightly.

"Your Excellency, Supreme Lord."

This form of address was delivered in a low, resonant tone, vastly different from the smooth, oily manner of the businessman earlier.

Lin Zhou watched him with an unchanging expression.

Khalid took a letter sealed with deep red wax from his briefcase, held it with both hands, and respectfully presented it to Lin Zhou.

"This is a letter Mr. Hassan asked me to deliver to you personally."

This was the oldest and most untraceable method of intelligence transmission.

Lin Zhou took the letter but didn't rush to open it; instead, he looked at the man before him.

The man's hands, covered in thick calluses with marks from holding a gun at the thumb and forefinger, explained everything.

"Is everything going smoothly with Colonel Fatah?" Lin Zhou asked casually.

"Very smoothly," Khalid replied succinctly. "Mubarak has completely adopted our 'friendly training' suggestion. Now, Egypt's most elite battalions are lining up to go to Bir Tawil for 're-education.'"

Hard lines appeared around the corners of his lips.

"Colonel Fatah is doing a great job. He is planting our combat philosophy and command system into the minds of those young officers like a virus."

Lin Zhou nodded.

This was exactly what he wanted.

Compared to direct subversion, this ideological "blood transfusion" was the most thorough.

He sliced open the wax seal and pulled out the letter.

The letter was handwritten in Arabic, and there was only one core piece of information:

The African Union Summit is about to be held in Addis Ababa. At that time, Egyptian President Mubarak and his core high-level officials will attend in person.

Hassan and his companions plan to launch a fatal strike during this time window!

A complete change of regime!

"One call to action, and a multitude responds?"

Lin Zhou put down the letter and lightly tapped his fingertips on the table.

"Mubarak has managed the military for decades; his roots are deep. Even if he isn't in the country, as long as he's alive and calls for support from abroad, you might not necessarily be able to control the situation."

This wasn't baseless worrying.

The influence of a political strongman would never easily vanish just because of geographic location.

Hearing Lin Zhou's doubt, Khalid's expression showed confidence, mixed with a hint of cruelty.

"Your Excellency, you worry too much."

He leaned forward slightly and said in a lowered voice, every word clear:

"This time, the Presidential Guard responsible for escorting General Mubarak and the delegation throughout the trip..."

He paused, emphasizing every word heavily.

"From the commander down to the rank-and-file soldiers, every single one is already one of ours."

These words caused a jolt in Lin Zhou's heart.

He looked up abruptly at Khalid.

The Presidential Guard—that was a head of state's final shield!

Now, this shield was rotten from the inside out, turned into the most lethal blade aimed at its master's heart!

This meant that as soon as Mubarak stepped onto that private plane, his life would no longer belong to him.

He would be a lamb in a cage waiting for slaughter, while inside and outside the cage, hungry wolves lurked!

"We can ensure that for all of them, there is no return."

Khalid's tone was exceptionally calm, yet it made the atmosphere of the entire room turn grim, with a faint scent of blood.

This was a guaranteed killing blow!

No escape route had been left for Mubarak!

"What about the Americans' attitude?" Lin Zhou suppressed the shock in his heart and asked the most critical question.

That was the biggest variable.

Everyone knew the Egyptian Government was Washington's most important ally in the Middle East.

"The Americans..."

Khalid smiled, his smile carrying obvious mockery.

"Your Excellency, in this world, who doesn't want to be America's closest friend?"

"Mubarak has been getting more and more disobedient over the years, and his appetite has grown larger. Those people at the Pentagon and Langley have long been tired of him."

"We assured them that a younger, more pro-American, and more obedient Egypt would be a more reliable ally than the current one. We are even willing to grant them greater convenience regarding transit rights through the Suez Canal."

Khalid spread his hands.

"So, for this operation, we have already received their... tacit consent."

Tacit consent.

What a subtle term.

Not approving, not opposing, not intervening.

Waiting for the dust to settle before stepping forward to recognize the new fait accompli.

The games between major powers were always this cold and realistic.

So that was it.

Lin Zhou understood completely.

This wasn't a simple internal coup at all. Hassan and his group had traded away more of Egypt's future interests in exchange for permission to overthrow their old master.

Lin Zhou picked up the letter and walked to the candelabra.

The orange flame licked the paper; the letter quickly curled, blackened, and turned to ash.

"I understand."

Lin Zhou turned around.

"Tell Mr. Hassan for me that I wish them every success."

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

Khalid bowed again and silently exited the secret meeting room.

Only Lin Zhou remained in the room.

He stood by the window, his figure motionless for a long time.

Outside, the setting sun sank below the horizon, dyeing the sky a blood-red.

A bold decision gradually took shape in his mind.

He had to make a decision.

He would personally go to Addis Ababa.

Not just because the proposal for the Cyber Freedom Republic to join the African Union as an observer state would have its final vote at this summit—he needed to be there in person to secure the first official status from an international organization for the new country.

More importantly...

He wanted to see that Egyptian strongman who was about to take his final bow, Mubarak, with his own eyes.

He wanted to see what a hero who had held the power of a nation for decades would look like as he walked toward the end of his life and stepped into the death trap meticulously prepared for him.

This could be considered the final send-off from him, the "Supreme Lord," to this "old neighbor" next door.