152: Chapter 152 Creating a spectacle? Do you think I'm printing money?!

Lin Zhou had been keeping a close eye on the public opinion trends on the internet.

He had been repeatedly calculating the candidate for the first Ambassador to China in his mind.

This position was no small matter; the appointee had to be absolutely loyal, exceptionally talented, and able to accurately grasp his overall strategy.

That night, to respond to the surging enthusiasm of the public, Lin Zhou added an impromptu live stream.

He skipped the unnecessary pleasantries and got straight to the point.

"My fellow citizens, I know everyone is very concerned about the selection of the Ambassador to China," Lin Zhou said, facing the real-time scrolling comments, his tone plain and forceful.

"I hereby announce a basic principle: effective immediately, all newly appointed Ambassadors to foreign countries, especially those stationed in the five permanent member states of the United Nations, must have Cyber Freedom Republic nationality and be official citizens of our country as a prerequisite."

This decision seemed reasonable to the netizens, but it caused an uproar within the country.

The subtext of this order was that all elite personnel hired from outside, holding foreign passports, could no longer step into the highest level of diplomatic thresholds.

The importance of loyalty was placed above individual ability.

The number of comments on the screen surged suddenly.

"The Lord is wise! It should be like this!"

"Support! Those who are not of our race must have different hearts!"

"So... who will be the first Ambassador with nationality? Dean Qin?"

Lin Zhou did not directly respond to this speculation but instead took the opportunity to guide the conversation to a new topic: "The candidates for Ambassador will be carefully nominated and screened by the Cabinet. Today, let's talk about a lighter topic—the future construction of our country."

"As everyone knows, we have adopted the administrative division plan voted on by netizens. 'Night City', 'Ironforge', 'Sunagakure'... these names are whimsical. Right now, our 'Oasis One' settlement is taking shape. The next step is, how should we build our home?"

This question immediately struck a chord with all the netizens who loved fantasy.

If the previous administrative division naming was just talk on paper, what Lin Zhou was proposing now was concrete urban construction.

The direction of the discussion in the comment section was immediately led astray.

"Need you ask? We must build wonders!"

As soon as the words fell, a special comment floated by, accompanied by a link to a concept design image generated instantly by artificial intelligence: a magnificent dwarven stone fortress located deep in the desert, with two huge stone statue guards at the entrance, and magma flowing down from the mountain like a waterfall.

"[AI Concept Image] In 'Ironforge', you must replicate a Molten Core dungeon for me! I want to see Ragnaros!"

This comment was like lighting a fuse.

The enthusiasm of the netizens was completely aroused, and countless people began to use artificial intelligence painting tools to turn the fantasies in their minds into images, and then frantically posted them in the live broadcast room.

"[AI Concept Image] 'Night City' must have Arasaka Tower! 'Night City' without the Corporate Plaza has no soul!" — On the image, a giant cyberpunk-style skyscraper towered into the clouds, with neon lights flowing on the building.

"[AI Concept Image] Request to build a huge Gaara gourd at the entrance of 'Sunagakure'! As a landmark!" — In the image, a huge dark red gourd sculpture stood quietly at the entrance of the desert oasis, with great visual impact.

"Look further ahead! We are a future country! We must build a space elevator! [AI Concept Image]" — A more exaggerated design image appeared, a shimmering trajectory connecting the sky and the earth, shooting straight into deep space from the center of the desert.

In an instant, the entire live broadcast room was submerged by various whimsical AI design images and model renderings, from the Stormwind City gates in "Elwynn Forest", to the Mako Reactor of the "Shinra Company", to mass drivers leading directly to the moon, everything was there.

Lin Zhou looked at these concept images that were comparable to movie special effects, and the veins on his forehead tightened.

Good grief, I'm talking to you about municipal planning, and you're giving me a full set of AI modeling and presentations?

Wonders? Do you know how much concrete and steel it costs to build an "Arasaka Tower"? Do you know the scale of the engineering required to hollow out a desert to build an "Ironforge" underground city?

The national treasury is so poor that mice could run through it; we can't even finish laying a foundation!

Just as he was having a headache, the direction of the comment section changed again.

"Stop arguing! All talk and no action is just a show!"

"Lord! Open a national vote!"

"Right! Vote immediately! The first place in the vote will be established as a project immediately!"

"Vote! Vote! Vote!"

The word "Vote" immediately flooded the screen, dense and packed, almost obscuring other content.

These two words made Lin Zhou's back tighten.

A vote? How could he dare to really open a vote!

The "free-for-all" of the last administrative division naming had already taught him a lesson; if he really let this group of enthusiastic "Cloud Citizens" decide on national infrastructure projects, he was sure they would vote for a project that would start today and bankrupt the country tomorrow.

"Ahem," Lin Zhou cleared his throat, put on a sincere expression, and wanted to pull the out-of-control topic back.

"Everyone calm down! Your ideas and these AI design images are all excellent and full of creativity! I see the infinite imagination of our citizens! But..."

He deliberately emphasized his tone: "Construction requires costs, and even more, scientific verification. We are still a startup country, and our finances... are quite tight."

But the netizens were already hyped up and couldn't listen at all.

"Money is not a problem! We can crowdfund!"

"Lord, you start a project, and we will tip you!"

"Vote first and then talk! There are always more solutions than difficulties!"

"Alright, alright," Lin Zhou sensed that if he continued, he would be pushed by public opinion to sign a multi-billion level wonder construction contract on the spot, so he hurriedly interrupted the escalating discussion, "I have heard everyone's suggestions! Heard them!"

He struck a solemn pose and gave a universal official response.

"Regarding the construction of wonders, the Cabinet will immediately establish a special task force to conduct feasibility studies. In the expansion plan of the 'Oasis One' settlement, we can prioritize setting aside a piece of land to try to build a... small, landmark building that reflects everyone's wisdom and has the characteristics of our country! Specific plans will be discussed after research!"

Draw a pie first and get through this hurdle for now.

This vague official rhetoric unexpectedly calmed everyone down.

"Yay! There's a promise!"

"Long live the Lord! Hurry up with the special task force!"

"Looking forward to it! My youth is back!"

Amidst the cheers of "victory", Lin Zhou felt a splitting headache and quickly found an excuse to end the live broadcast in a hurry.

After turning off the live stream, he slumped in his chair, feeling more physically and mentally exhausted than during the negotiation with Director Wang.

Internet celebrity governance can sometimes be life-threatening.

He did not know that another sentence from his live stream had already triggered an unknown internal meeting elsewhere.

Qin Yue, Chen Yuan, He Jun, Zhang Zhe, and several other core senior officials held an unprecedented private communication without Lin Zhou present.

The initiator of the meeting was the usually calm Qin Yue.

She looked around at the colleagues present, her expression devoid of her usual gentleness: "Everyone, you all heard what the Lord said in the live stream tonight, right?"

Chen Yuan pushed his reading glasses: "You mean... the matter about the Ambassador to foreign countries having to be a citizen of our country?"

"Exactly." Qin Yue nodded, "This is not just a requirement for a position; it is a signal. A signal that requires us to make a choice."

The air in the meeting room suddenly became heavy.