165: Chapter 165 The Sultan's Ultimatum! Words alone won't scare anyone!

Sudan's ultimatum was like a heavy bomb, detonating across the global public opinion sphere!

BBC, CNN, Reuters...

In the blink of an eye, the headlines of all mainstream media across the world were replaced with highly impactful titles.

"Africa's Powder Keg! Sudan Issues War Threat Against New Nation!"

"Conflict Sparked by Gold! Bir Tawil Sovereignty Dispute May Ignite Regional War!"

"72-Hour Ultimatum: Fight, or Retreat?"

On major social media platforms and online forums, things immediately began to boil over. Global onlookers were stirred into action, attracting everyone's attention.

"Holy crap! Is it that direct? They're just tearing off the mask now? Are the Sudanese dirt poor or just crazy for money?"

"Hilarious. It's common knowledge worldwide that Bir Tawil is no-man's-land, okay! What right do the Sudanese have to say it's theirs? Their skin is thicker than the Sahara Desert!"

"The guy above is too naive. The phrase 'since ancient times' was invented just for land-grabbing. Doesn't matter if it makes sense; whoever has the bigger fist makes the rules."

"I'm just curious now, how will that Cyber Freedom Republic handle this? Are they going to chicken out and run, or stand their ground to the end? This is a clash at the national level!"

"Stand their ground? With what? The other side has a regular army! I heard they have plenty of tanks and planes!"

"Just wait and see. Has the Lord ever lacked crazy tactics? I bet fifty cents that this matter is definitely not that simple!"

The online discussions did not affect Lin Zhou's decision-making in the slightest.

Or rather, this was already within his expectations.

Just one hour after Sudan issued the ultimatum.

The Privy Council of the Cyber Freedom Republic held a global press conference at their temporary office in Beijing!

Once the news broke, over a hundred foreign reporters stationed in Beijing swarmed in, packing the venue until it was impassable.

Cameras and lenses were aimed at the empty podium.

The world's gaze was fixed on this small room.

Surrounded by countless camera flashes, Qin Yue stepped onto the podium.

She was wearing a well-tailored black professional suit today, her long hair tied behind her head, giving her an air of sharpness.

Facing the countless inquisitive, skeptical, and schadenfreude-filled gazes from below, her expression was calm, revealing no emotional fluctuation.

"Ladies and gentlemen."

Qin Yue's voice came through the microphone, clear and calm. Each word carried weight, immediately suppressing all the noise at the scene.

The entire venue went quiet in an instant.

"In response to the absurd statement issued by Khartoum a few hours ago, I, on behalf of the Cyber Freedom Republic, hereby make our only and clear response."

She looked around the venue, her gaze sharp. Everyone who met her eyes subconsciously straightened their backs.

"First!"

Qin Yue raised a finger, articulating clearly and powerfully.

"The Bir Tawil region has never belonged to any sovereign state in any recorded historical period! Its legal status as 'no-man's-land' is a consensus of the international community and is indisputable!"

"Second!"

She raised a second finger, her voice rising a notch.

"The entry of the Cyber Freedom Republic was a legal action based on friendly consultations with the Republic of Egypt and the signing of a fully legally binding 'Sovereignty Transfer Agreement'! The entire process was open, transparent, and has been reported to and filed with the African Union, with evidence available for verification!"

"Third!"

Qin Yue's voice changed abruptly, and the warning tone in her voice made everyone present feel a chill down their spines.

"The so-called 'historical sovereignty' claimed by Sudan is pure nonsense! Their unilaterally passed domestic bill holds no legal binding force over a sovereign and independent neighboring country! We view this act as a naked prelude to aggression, threatening us with force!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the big screen behind her suddenly lit up.

A clear scan of a document appeared before everyone.

The title was eye-catching — "Joint Agreement on Establishing a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the Cyber Freedom Republic and the Republic of Egypt".

A commotion broke out among the reporters, and the sound of camera shutters became a continuous roar!

Everyone stared fixedly at the clauses on the screen, afraid of missing a single word.

Qin Yue did not give them time to fully digest it, and with a tone that sounded like a verdict, she read out the key clause of the agreement:

"According to Article 7, Paragraph 3 of this agreement: Any military provocation against the territorial integrity of the Cyber Freedom Republic will be regarded as a potential threat to the national security of the Republic of Egypt!"

Boom!

This sentence carried more weight than all the previous rebuttals combined!

The reporters below were high-spirited, with shouts rising one after another!

"My God! They dragged Egypt into this!"

"This is a military alliance! A naked military alliance!"

"No wonder! No wonder they dared to be so tough! It turns out they have Egypt, this regional bully, backing them up!"

Qin Yue looked indifferently at the noisy reporters below and delivered her closing statement:

"We hereby advise certain people in Khartoum to weigh the consequences clearly and not play with fire!"

After speaking, she ignored the countless raised arms and desperate questions from below, turned around, and left the podium decisively.

This five-minute press conference immediately reversed the direction of international public opinion.

It was reasonable and evidence-based, and also brought in Egypt as a powerful external aid.

One was a new force trying to change the desert with technology, the other was a military government trying to use force to seize a neighbor's wealth.

Who was right and who was wrong, and who had the better argument, was clear at a glance.

But diplomatic rhetoric could not stop artillery shells.

In the underground command post beneath the "Ironforge" defense line, a more practical military meeting was underway.

Colonel Zhou Zheng and his advisory team, together with He Jun and others, were gathered around a large sand table, conducting a final assessment of the enemy and friendly situation.

"The Sudanese Air Force is basically negligible. Those old, decrepit MiG-21s and Q-5s of theirs wouldn't dare approach our FN-6 anti-aircraft range." A Chinese advisor pointed at the sand table and said.

"Their ground forces are mainly a few armored brigades equipped with T-55 tanks, as well as a large number of tribal armed 'technicals,' which are pickup trucks modified into combat vehicles. A frontal assault on our 'Great Wall' defense line would just be throwing their lives away." Another advisor added.

Everyone's expression was relaxed until Colonel Zhou Zheng's hand pointed to an area behind the sand table.

"The only variable is here." His voice deepened. "According to the latest intelligence, the Sudanese People's Liberation Army's 4th Artillery Brigade has secretly moved behind the border line. Their main equipment is twelve Type 81 122mm wheeled rocket launchers."

He looked up at He Jun: "Minister He, this type of rocket launcher was an export product from our country in the 1980s. We know its performance very well."

"A single salvo can dump nearly half a ton of explosives into a target area twenty kilometers away within thirty seconds. Although the 'Great Wall' defense line is very solid, if they carry out saturation bombing, it will still be breached. Once the defense line is broken, and their subsequent tanks and infantry rush up, we will be in danger."

The relaxed atmosphere in the command post vanished instantly, becoming deathly silent.

Everyone understood that these twelve rocket launchers were the deadliest threat hanging over their heads.

He Jun stared at the sand table, his brain working at high speed. He knew that they had no long-range firepower to compete with them. Being a passive target was definitely not his style.

He looked up and met Colonel Zhou Zheng's eyes. Both of them thought of a bold plan almost simultaneously.

Colonel Zhou Zheng used a red pen to draw a striking circle on the sand table twenty kilometers away from the defense line.

"The range of the rocket launchers is a hard metric; they cannot pose a threat to us from outside the circle. Therefore, they will inevitably choose an area within this circle for their firing position. As long as we can find and destroy them before they open fire..."

Colonel Zhou Zheng did not finish his sentence, but the meaning was self-evident.

He Jun's spirit was lifted. He slapped the table heavily, and a bold and deadly plan took shape in his mind.