157: Chapter 157 The Traitor Exposed! A Betrayal Involving a Huge Sum of US Dollars!

Vikram Singh, thirty-five years old, from Mumbai.

He was once a mid-level legal advisor for a top Indian multinational corporation, proficient in multiple languages and international business law.

A year ago, recommended by a headhunter, he joined the preparatory team for the Cyber Freedom Republic. With his outstanding professional abilities, he quickly gained trust and entered the core team of Chief Legal Officer Zhang Zhe.

During these critical negotiations in Beijing, Vikram was responsible for organizing all legal attachments and diplomatic documents.

In his eyes, this was just a high-paying gig.

He worked for a group of Chinese people he considered 'whimsical,' handling so-called official documents with ridiculous titles like 'Supreme Lord' and 'Minister of Revenue.'

He felt no sense of identity with this emerging 'nation'; his loyalty belonged only to money. He desperately needed the money to pay for astronomical surgery fees for his daughter back in Mumbai, who suffered from congenital heart disease.

However, when the top-secret geological survey report marked with gold reserves passed through his hands as a negotiation attachment, Vikram's breathing stopped.

“Seventy-nine tons of gold, over four billion US dollars.”

This set of numbers instantly shattered his professional ethics. Almost simultaneously, he contacted Rajev, an Indian intelligence broker who had been lurking in Beijing for a long time disguised as a Reuters reporter, through an encrypted channel.

That evening, in a corner of a noisy cafe in Wangfujing, the two held a secret meeting.

“This is the best opportunity India has had to obtain African mineral intelligence since independence,” Rajev lowered his voice, greed flashing in his eyes. “For that report, Delhi is willing to pay five hundred thousand dollars.”

Vikram let out a cold laugh, leaning forward with a resolute tone: “Five hundred thousand? Rajev, do you think I'm selling a grocery store bill? This is a bargaining chip that can sway geopolitics. I want five million dollars, and it must be an offshore transfer to a Swiss account. Furthermore, I want long-term residency for my entire family to immigrate to Switzerland.”

“Five million? You're crazy!”

“I'm not crazy,” Vikram interrupted coldly. “If you can't get it, I believe certain Chinese competitors, or even the Americans, would be very happy to pay this 'small change.' You should know, I'm risking my head to save my daughter's life; I won't accept any counteroffers.”

After half an hour of anxious bargaining, Rajev compromised after receiving a mysterious phone call. Both parties reached an agreement: a one-million-dollar down payment, with the balance to be settled immediately after verifying the authenticity of the intelligence.

Late the next night, in the temporary office of the Cyber Freedom Republic in Beijing.

Using the cover of organizing diplomatic documents, Vikram locked the office door.

His palms were covered in cold sweat, and his heart pounded like a drum. Trembling, he pulled a specially made high-resolution micro-scanning pen from his jacket and gently slid it over the top-secret report.

The sound of every page turning seemed exceptionally thrilling in the dead of the night.

With a 'click,' the capture was complete. He quickly returned to the hotel, locked the door, and opened the modified encrypted laptop.

He skillfully entered the dark web and activated multi-layer proxy servers.

He imported the high-precision images from the scanning pen into a disguised folder with the extension '.tmp' and started the fragmented encrypted upload program.

The progress bar moved slowly on the screen: 15%... 45%... 82%...

During this process, Vikram stared fixedly at the door; any sound of footsteps in the hallway made him feel a wave of dizziness. Finally, a line of cold green text popped up on the screen: “Data offline, transmission successful.”

Vikram leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh of relief. He believed that rather than letting China monopolize this wealth, it was better to let his motherland have a share, and he could not only save his daughter but also become an 'unsung hero' of India.

However, the international media storm triggered by the intelligence leak came faster and more fiercely than he had expected. When he saw the massive waves on social media regarding the 'new African gold mine' while in his hotel, he realized he was exposed—with an intelligence leak of this scale, the other side couldn't possibly remain idle and had likely already identified him as a suspect.

Fear instantly swallowed his greed.

Vikram knew that once the Cyber Freedom Republic's security team reacted, he would have nowhere to hide.

He immediately packed his passport and luggage, not even having time to deal with the computer, and attempted to head to Capital International Airport amidst the chaos to flee China.

But he made a fatal mistake: he underestimated the efficiency of cooperation between the Cyber Freedom Republic and the Chinese government.

At the Capital Airport customs counter, Vikram's hand trembled slightly as he handed over his passport. After the customs officer scanned his documents, the red light that popped up on the screen made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

“Mr. Singh, please come with us.”

Since the Cyber Freedom Republic had no law enforcement power within Chinese territory, they notified the relevant Chinese departments as soon as they discovered the leak.

According to the 'Criminal Judicial Assistance and Extradition Treaty' previously signed by both parties, the Chinese police successfully intercepted Vikram at customs as he attempted to flee abroad.

Half an hour later, in a closed reception room at the airport, Vikram met He Jun, who was in charge of security work.

Behind He Jun followed two cold-looking attendants, holding a transfer document that had just been signed.

“Vikram Singh,” He Jun's voice was low and dangerous, “did you think you were safe in Beijing? According to the extradition treaty, you have now been formally handed over to the Cyber Free Republic Security Bureau.”

Vikram completely broke down, struggling frantically: “No! I am an Indian citizen! You have no right to arrest me! I want to see my lawyer! I want to see someone from the embassy!”

“Law?” A mocking cold smile appeared at the corner of He Jun's mouth. “As a legal advisor, you should know the terms of that extradition treaty better than anyone. Now, you are no longer an elite lawyer, but a war criminal who sold out national secrets.”

Vikram was forcibly dragged out of the room. He would be put on a special flight to Bir Tawil. What awaited him would not be the lake and mountain scenery of Switzerland, but the harsh military court trial of the Cyber Freedom Republic.

The moment he was pushed into the vehicle, the encrypted account card filled with the down payment that he was clutching in his hand fell into the dust, appearing exceptionally ironic.