214: Chapter 214 The Balancing Technique That Almost Went Wrong

The capital construction plan was launched, and the entire team was mobilized. The office remained brightly lit throughout the night, and everyone moved with a spring in their step, carrying a drive as if they were going to poke a hole in the sky.

Lin Zhou had just emerged from an all-night engineering and technical meeting and was about to head back to his room to rest when Qin Yue walked in quickly with a document, her tightly pursed lips revealing the difficulty of the situation.

"Lord, something unexpected has happened."

"Speak," Lin Zhou said, pressing his throbbing temples.

"We just received a 'Technical Consultation Letter' forwarded through unofficial channels from Director Zhou's office." Qin Yue handed the document to Lin Zhou.

Lin Zhou took the document, and as his eyes scanned it, his brows furrowed into a knot.

This so-called "Technical Consultation Letter" was phrased quite politely, but every line was filled with thorns.

In the letter, the Design and Research Institute of Great East, under the guise of academic exchange, inquired in detail about the aerodynamic layout, avionics system interfaces, and compatibility with Chinese radar systems of the American-made T-7A "Red Hawk" trainer aircraft.

At the end of the letter, it "casually" mentioned: It is heard that this model of trainer aircraft is designed with standard NATO interfaces reserved for future weapon mounting, but there is a physical isolation at the underlying protocol level for non-NATO weapon systems. It is hoped that the Cyber Freedom Republic will carefully evaluate its subsequent upgrade and modification potential when introducing it.

This was no technical consultation; every word between the lines was a warning.

"They know." Lin Zhou dropped the document on the table, his face showing no emotion.

"Yes." Qin Yue nodded, her expression darkening as well. "The news of us signing the military procurement memorandum of intent in Washington spread across the world that same day. It's impossible for Great East not to know. They've been silent until now, only sending word in this manner, which means their internal views on this matter are not unified."

"I'm afraid it's not that they aren't unified, but that they are quite dissatisfied." Lin Zhou's analysis went straight to the point. "One moment we bought their 'Coastal Defense Kit' and wiped out the mercenaries of Blackwater Company, and the next we turned around to sign a three-hundred-million-dollar military procurement deal with the United States. In their eyes, this is no different from betrayal."

This strategy of walking a tightrope between two major powers could lead to total destruction with just one wrong step.

Great East was clearly very dissatisfied with his "balancing act."

"What is Director Zhou's stance?" Lin Zhou asked.

"He didn't give any statement; he just had his office staff forward this letter," Qin Yue replied. "Just like last time, he wants us to figure it out ourselves."

"Figure it out ourselves..." Lin Zhou leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping silently on the table.

He had to give Great East an explanation; otherwise, the trust and support that had been so hard to build would suffer irreparable cracks. In the future, whether it was the Navy's 'Heart Transplant' plan or the procurement of more advanced weapons, everything could be completely blocked.

"Prepare the car; I'm going to see Director Zhou." Lin Zhou stood up.

"Now?"

"Yes, right now."

Half an hour later, Lin Zhou arrived alone at that tea room that was not open to the public.

Director Zhou was still his calm and unhurried self, personally fiddling with a set of purple clay tea set, as if he had no idea why Lin Zhou had come.

"You're here? Sit. Try this year's new tea, Pre-Rain Longjing." Director Zhou didn't even look up.

Lin Zhou sat across from him, skipped the pleasantries, and spoke directly: "Director Zhou, I received that 'Technical Consultation Letter'."

Director Zhou's tea-making movements paused for a split second before resuming their flow. He pushed a cup of brewed tea toward Lin Zhou, the aroma of the tea drifting through the air.

"Oh? What consultation letter? I'm getting old; my memory isn't what it used to be," he responded slowly.

Lin Zhou saw that he was playing dumb and didn't call him out. He simply picked up the teacup and took a sip.

"Good tea," he praised, then set down the cup. "Director Zhou, regarding our procurement of trainer aircraft from the United States, I know there are some dissenting voices domestically."

"It's normal to have dissenting voices." Director Zhou finally looked up, gaze fixed on Lin Zhou. "You are a sovereign country now. Whose weapons you buy is your internal affair; we have no right to interfere."

The words were said that way, but the distance in his tone was obvious to anyone.

"But our friendship with China is the foundation of the Cyber Freedom Republic; this will never change." Lin Zhou's tone was sincere. "This military procurement was truly a last resort. Thompson tied this matter directly to the United Nations entry ticket and the communique on establishing diplomatic relations. I had no room for choice."

"A deal with no choice often comes with the highest price." Director Zhou's words had a hidden meaning.

"I understand." Lin Zhou nodded. "That's why I only signed a letter of intent and delayed the procurement for several years. The T-7A trainer aircraft itself doesn't have much offensive capability; it's just a political gesture."

He looked at Director Zhou and said word by word: "I guarantee you that the future main fighters of the Cyber Freedom Republic Air Force, as well as the next generation of main naval vessels, will definitely give priority to products from China."

Director Zhou didn't speak; he just looked at him quietly, his eyes seemingly trying to pierce through his skin to see the deepest calculations in his heart.

Verbal guarantees alone were not enough. He had to offer real, tangible benefits to bridge the gap caused by this incident.

Lin Zhou took a small USB flash drive out of his pocket and placed it on the tea table.

"What is this?" Director Zhou asked.

"'Sand-to-Soil No. 4' agent's complete formula, production process, and all theoretical deductions and experimental data regarding this technology." Lin Zhou's tone was steady.

Director Zhou's fingers holding the cup paused very slightly.

He certainly knew the weight of this technology. China had invested countless manpower and resources into the transformation of the Gobi in the Northwest, with very little result after decades. Yet Lin Zhou's technology could turn desert into arable black soil in just ten days.

This was a super technology capable of changing the national food strategic landscape and even shifting the geopolitical map!

Its value far exceeded thirty billion, or even three hundred billion dollars!

"You..." Director Zhou looked at the small USB drive, momentarily at a loss for words.

"I said before, we are friends." Lin Zhou's tone remained steady. "It's only natural for friends to share some research results. I only have one small request."

"Tell me."

"I hope that China's engineering and technical teams can fully participate in the construction of our capital, 'Future City', in the form of 'technical assistance'. We need all your experience in fields such as large-scale infrastructure, super high-rise buildings, and underground space development."

"Additionally, the 'Sand-to-Soil No. 4' agent needs to be kept secret for now. Great East can use it, but cannot publicize it. Otherwise, it will bring us great trouble."

He placed himself in a very humble position.

He was pulling China's top national power onto his ship of state-building, creating a deep bond.

Director Zhou fell into a long period of contemplation.

He picked up the teacup and didn't speak for a long time.

The price Lin Zhou offered was simply too heavy—so heavy that he couldn't refuse it at all.

Using a piece of black technology capable of changing a nation's destiny in exchange for an opportunity for "equal" cooperation, while also cleverly resolving the trust crisis arising from the military procurement case.

This young man's skill was so sophisticated and his mind so meticulous that it far exceeded his expectations.

"I'll take the USB drive." Director Zhou finally spoke. He didn't touch the drive, but his attitude was clear. "Regarding the engineering and technical team, I will report to the higher-ups. In principle, there shouldn't be much of a problem."

"Don't worry about the secrecy issue; no one does this better than we do."

He paused for a moment and added: "We understand your difficulties, but some things need to maintain a bottom line."

"I understand," Lin Zhou gave a firm answer.

This crisis had finally passed for the time being.

Leaving the tea room, the oncoming breeze made Lin Zhou shiver, only to realize that his shirt had long since been stuck to his back with sweat.

Dealing with an old hand like Director Zhou was far more energy-consuming than a battle of words with Thompson at the White House; every word had to be thought through three times.

But he had done it.

He had not only stabilized Great East, his most important rear support, but had also pulled them onto his "Infrastructure Maniac" war chariot.

The giant ship loaded with China's top engineering teams was about to sail toward that desert that had been silent for thousands of years.

A brand-new city of miracles was revealing its outline on the horizon.