16: Chapter 16 The Most Bizarre Negotiation in History!

In the meeting room, the air seemed to freeze.

The five elites, including Qin Yue and Zhang Zhe, were processing the shocking statements Lin Zhou had just made, their minds racing.

Treating national sovereignty as a "packaging fee"?

Treating international negotiations as "product promotion"?

This subversive way of thinking completely shattered their long-held professional perceptions.

"Mr. Lin, your idea is bold."

Qin Yue was the first to snap back to reality. She adjusted her glasses, her gaze sharp behind the lenses.

"But even so, the difficulty remains beyond imagination. Egypt and Sudan have been engaged in open and covert struggles over Bir Tawil for decades. Neither wants the other to gain an advantage first. Why would they recognize the establishment of a third-party country and break this delicate balance just for your technology?"

Zhang Zhe added: "Yes, they have other options entirely. For example, they could simply send troops to occupy Bir Tawil and force you to hand over the technology. Or they could bypass you altogether and use national resources to crack your technology. These options are much simpler than recognizing a new country."

These were all the most realistic problems.

Lin Zhou had anticipated this long ago.

"Therefore, we need to divide and conquer, giving them a reason they can't refuse while simultaneously silencing the other party."

He picked up a pen from the table and wrote the words "Egypt" and "Sudan" on a blank sheet of paper.

"Who do you think we should talk to first?"

The business negotiation expert in the team, a former oil company executive, blurted out almost instantly:

"Sudan, of course! Sudan is poorer, more water-stressed, and more politically unstable. Their bottom line is lower, and they'll be more easily swayed by our technology. Once we settle things with Sudan and get the first sovereign recognition, we'll have leverage when we talk to Egypt!"

This line of thinking followed the standard logic of all business negotiations—tackle the easy part first.

Several others nodded in agreement.

However, Lin Zhou shook his head and drew a large 'X' directly over the word "Sudan."

"Wrong. It is precisely because Sudan is poor that we absolutely cannot approach them first."

Everyone was stunned.

Lin Zhou explained: "In this region, who is the boss? It's Egypt. No matter how powerful our technology is, can it stand against the Egyptian army? No. If we reach an agreement with Sudan first, believe me, Egyptian tanks will roll into Bir Tawil the next day, crushing our machines along with Sudan's fantasies. Then they will blockade everything and declare the land theirs. At that point, we would be the villains who incited regional conflict, and we'd have lost all our cards."

His words caused a layer of cold sweat to break out on everyone's backs.

They only saw the profit, while Lin Zhou saw the naked military force behind those profits.

"Therefore, our only target is Egypt." Lin Zhou used the pen to heavily circle the word "Egypt."

"As long as Egypt nods, Sudan's side is just a matter of sending a diplomatic note and completing some paperwork. They have neither the courage nor the ability to oppose it."

The look in Qin Yue's eyes changed completely; she had entirely discarded her dismissive attitude.

"Fine, even if we focus on Egypt, what is our bargaining chip? Besides the water collection technology, what else do we have to move them?"

"Of course we have something."

A cunning smile appeared on Lin Zhou's face.

He flipped the paper over and wrote two terms on the back:

"Military Rights," "Diplomatic Rights."

"These two things are worthless to me right now. My country has nothing but me and yellow sand. But for Egypt, these are things they dream of."

He looked at the bewildered team members and slowly revealed his complete plan.

"My negotiation proposal is divided into three layers."

"The first layer is inducement. We will fully and unreservedly transfer the complete set of patents for [Solar Water Collection Technology] to the Egyptian government and help them establish production lines in Egypt. The condition is that they must legally recognize the sovereignty of the 'Cyber Freedom Republic' over Bir Tawil."

"This... this is equivalent to giving away the goose that lays the golden eggs!" the business expert exclaimed.

"No," Lin Zhou shook his head, "this is a token of allegiance. It's to show them my sincerity."

"The second layer is the bonus," he continued. "On the basis of recognizing our sovereignty, I, as the Supreme Head of State of the Cyber Freedom Republic, will sign a permanent, irrevocable national decree. It will declare that the national defense and security of the 'Cyber Freedom Republic' are fully entrusted to the Republic of Egypt. Simultaneously, all foreign diplomatic affairs of the 'Cyber Freedom Republic' will also be managed by the Republic of Egypt."

Boom!

These words were like a bomb exploding in the meeting room.

Zhang Zhe suddenly stood up and shouted in a lost voice: "Mr. Lin! This is absolutely unacceptable! This is signing a vassal treaty! It's handing over national sovereignty! Once your country is established, it will be an Egyptian puppet, a modern colony!"

The entire team was in an uproar.

They could accept trading technology for sovereignty, but they could not accept trading sovereignty for sovereignty.

This was practically selling out the country! Even if this country didn't exist yet.

"Everyone, sit down."

Lin Zhou's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a strange, stabilizing power.

The noisy meeting room fell silent once again.

"Attorney Zhang, let me ask you, what is the meaning of sovereignty?"

"It's... it's independence and autonomy, free from foreign interference..."

"Exactly. But before gaining widespread international recognition, for a new entity, the only meaning of sovereignty is 'existence'," Lin Zhou said word by word. "I am trading two 'empty titles' that are useless to me—military and diplomacy—for the most important 'reality': legal existence. Isn't this a good deal?"

He looked around at everyone: "What does Egypt get? An 'overseas territory' that they don't have to spend money to maintain and that helps them keep an eye on Sudan. A legal excuse to incorporate it into Egyptian territory through a 'referendum' at any time in the future. And most importantly, a set of exclusive technology that can change the nation's destiny."

"The third layer is the most crucial point." Lin Zhou's tone became cold and realistic. "We must make them clearly realize that the greatest benefit of obtaining this technology is not that they own it, but ensuring that Sudan, as well as neighboring Israel and Ethiopia, do not get it. This zero-sum game mentality is the key that will drive them to make a decision."

The three-layer plan, progressing step by step—inducement, binding, and threatening—calculated the potential mindset of the Egyptian government to the extreme.

Qin Yue let out a long breath and leaned back in her chair.

She felt that the international relations theory she had studied for the past twenty years was as fragile as a sheet of paper in the face of Lin Zhou's simple, crude "rogue theory" that aimed straight at the core of interests.

"Mr. Lin... you truly are a genius, or perhaps, a madman."

Lin Zhou smiled.

"Now, do you still think this is a farce?"

No one answered.

But a fire had been lit in each of their eyes.

A flame of wanting to personally participate in this unprecedented, crazy gamble of nation-building.

Zhang Zhe sat down, picked up his pen and paper, and began writing rapidly.

"I need to immediately start drafting the legal text for this sovereignty entrustment agreement. I must ensure every single word is in our favor while being impossible for the Egyptians to refuse."

Qin Yue also picked up the phone: "I need to contact some old friends in Cairo to test the waters. We need to know who exactly in the Egyptian decision-making hierarchy is leading this matter."

The entire team, like a precision machine driven by Lin Zhou's frantic engine, began to operate at high speed.

One month later.

An exquisitely produced "Note Requesting the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations and Negotiations on the National Status of the Cyber Free Republic," written in Chinese, English, and Arabic, was officially drafted.

The header of this document read: "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Cyber Freedom Republic."

The signature was: "Head of State of the Cyber Freedom Republic, Lin Zhou."

And the first stop for its submission was the Egyptian Embassy in China.