141: Chapter 141 A New Beginning! The First Congratulatory Message from the "Neighbor"!

The news of the coup in Egypt could not be hidden for long after all. News of the air crash, along with various videos of clashes on the streets of Cairo, spread across the global network in moments via the ubiquitous Starlink signals.

Among them, the footage of the Egyptian delegation's special plane exploding and disintegrating in mid-air was exceptionally tragic, staining this sudden political storm with the color of blood.

Just as global public opinion was in an uproar, the coup faction quickly held a press conference. Before the world's cameras, they righteously announced a series of charges against the former government, then declared the establishment of a new government and implemented nationwide military control to stabilize the situation.

Lin Zhou sat calmly in his hotel room at the temporary base, watching the press conference play out on the television screen, his expression unruffled. The encrypted phone on the table rang at that moment.

The caller ID showed it was from Cairo. Lin Zhou picked up, and a steady, powerful voice came through the receiver, belonging to Hassan, who had just announced the coup on television.

“Lord Lin,” Hassan's voice betrayed fatigue, but his tone was firm, showing the confidence of someone with everything under control, “I assume you have already seen the news.”

“General Hassan, your actions were indeed decisive and swift.” Lin Zhou's tone was flat, revealing no emotion.

“Now, we need you to fulfill the promise in our secret agreement,” Hassan cut straight to the point, “Internationally, we need a voice to break the silence of the West. Your Cyber Freedom Republic is the best choice.”

“Will you keep your promise?” Lin Zhou asked back.

“Egypt will keep our promise.” Hassan emphasized every word heavily, leaving no room for maneuver, “We await your friendship.”

Lin Zhou hung up the phone and looked out the window, falling into a brief silence. He knew in his heart that if this coup had not had the tacit approval of the United States, it could never have proceeded so smoothly.

Even if the Cyber Freedom Republic remained silent, the United States would sooner or later step in to endorse the new regime in the name of “respecting the choice of the Egyptian people.”

Since that was the case, it was better to do them a favor and use the minimum cost to exchange for the maximum benefit.

He picked up another phone and dialed the number of the President of the Privy Council, Qin Yue.

“Qin Yue, go to my office,” Lin Zhou's voice was as steady as ever, “In the bottom drawer of the desk, there is a sealed file bag marked ‘Nile River Emergency Plan.’ Immediately issue the draft statement inside in the name of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You can polish the content, but the core viewpoint must not be changed.”

On the other end of the line, Qin Yue's breathing paused for half a second. When she spoke again, her voice carried uncontrollable shock and confusion: “Lord... Emergency plan? You foresaw this would happen? This... what on earth is going on?”

“Qin Yue, now is not the time for explanations.” Lin Zhou's tone grew heavy, leaving no room for discussion, “Execute the order.”

“...Yes, I understand.” There was only a brief static sound on the other end. Qin Yue swallowed all her questions and responded in her usual professional tone, “I'll get to it immediately.”

Qin Yue knew nothing about the secret treaty; she only knew that her Lord seemed to be playing an extremely dangerous game of chess that she completely failed to understand. With worry and doubt, she hurried to Lin Zhou's office and took out the manuscript that seemed to have predicted the future.

When she opened the file bag and scanned the contents of the manuscript, she felt a chill rise from her spine, both startled by this future-predicting layout and naturally feeling respect for Lin Zhou's foresight.

This draft statement was an embodiment of diplomatic art, and its core content was very simple:

First, express deep condolences for the Egyptian officials who unfortunately perished in the air crash.

Second, and most crucially, emphasize that we only recognize the country of ‘Egypt’ and its legitimate government; as for who composes the government, that is Egypt's internal affair, and we do not interfere.

Third, call on all parties in Egypt to exercise restraint, resolve differences through peaceful means, and restore national stability as soon as possible.

It expressed humanitarian concern while cleverly avoiding the political risk of directly recognizing the new regime.

The sentence “As long as it is a government recognized by the Egyptian people, the Cyber Freedom Republic will recognize its status,”

appeared neutral on the surface, but in reality, at the chaotic moment of transition between the old and new regimes, it provided the newly ascended party with a precious “quasi-recognition.”

It told the world that the Cyber Freedom Republic was willing to continue maintaining normal relations with the country of Egypt, which in itself was a powerful form of support.

Qin Yue immediately understood the key point and quickly gave the text its final polish. Half an hour later, while the world's major powers were still cautiously wording their responses and observing the situation, an official statement from the Cyber Freedom Republic was the first to appear in the international spotlight.

Although this statement did not explicitly take a side, its attitude of calling for peace and recognizing the continuity of the state provided a graceful exit for the chaotic situation. Far away in Cairo, after Hassan saw this statement, the tense lines of his face relaxed, and he nodded slightly.

“This Lord Lin Zhou is indeed a clever man.” He said to the assistant beside him, “He gave us what we needed most without tying himself to our war machine.”

His assistant nodded: “A very mature politician.”

“Send a reply.” Hassan gave the order, “Tell him that we have received his friendship with gratitude.”

Shortly after the Cyber Freedom Republic's “neutral” statement, Washington also quickly issued an announcement, declaring recognition of the new Egyptian Government and stating they “look forward to cooperating with the new Egyptian Government.”

This statement from the world's hegemon basically finalized the outcome of the coup.

The grand situation was settled.

Late that night, Hassan delivered a speech via national television, announcing the establishment of a Transitional Committee and promising to hold general elections in the future. At the end of the speech, he specifically mentioned relations with their neighbor.

“...The Cyber Freedom Republic is our important neighbor. In our time of difficulty, they have shown true friendship and political wisdom. I hereby announce that the new Egyptian Government will fully recognize the independent sovereignty of the Cyber Freedom Republic... The Egyptian troops stationed in Bir Tawil will all be withdrawn to the country after completing the handover. The two countries will begin a brand-new chapter of equality, mutual benefit, and mutual respect!”

Lin Zhou leaned back, sinking into the hotel sofa, and let out a long sigh as he watched Hassan giving his speech on the screen.

He knew that from this moment on, the Sword of Damocles named “Egypt” that had been hanging over the head of the Cyber Freedom Republic was finally completely removed.

His country had gained true independence.