23: Chapter 23 My bottom line is that I have no bottom line!

The next morning, inside a government guest house in the center of Cairo that was not open to the public.

A massive, oval mahogany conference table was polished so brightly it could serve as a mirror.

Lin Zhou, Qin Yue, and Zhang Zhe sat on one side.

Opposite them was a luxury lineup of the Egyptian delegation.

Leading them was a man in his sixties with graying hair, Deputy Minister Saleh of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Beside him sat a military representative—the very same general from the testing grounds—along with Mubarak from the Intelligence Department, and senior officials from various departments including law, energy, and economy.

The atmosphere was solemn and tense.

"Mr. Lin, Ms. Qin, Mr. Zhang, welcome," Deputy Minister Saleh spoke first with a warm smile and typical diplomatic rhetoric. "Your technology is deeply impressive. We believe that based on this great technology, Egypt and the future Cyber Freedom Republic will have broad prospects for cooperation."

Once the pleasantries were over, Qin Yue, acting as the chief negotiator for Lin Zhou's side, began to articulate their core demands.

"Your Excellency Deputy Minister Saleh, gentlemen. Our demands are very clear, as stated in the credentials we submitted."

Qin Yue opened the document before her and spoke methodically, "We hope that the Egyptian government will formally recognize the sovereign state status of the 'Cyber Freedom Republic' in the Bir Tawil region and establish formal diplomatic relations with it."

As soon as she finished, the Egyptian officials opposite them began to whisper among themselves, their expressions varied.

Deputy Minister Saleh smiled, his hands crossed on the table. "Ms. Qin, the composition of a sovereign state requires meeting four basic elements: a permanent population, a defined territory, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states. Your side is currently lacking in these areas."

This was the expected opening gambit to establish dominance.

Zhang Zhe immediately took over. From the perspective of international law, he cited precedents and offered a powerful rebuttal, ranging from the principle of 'terra nullius' and prior occupation to cases of various microstates in modern history.

"Your Excellency, the territory is defined, the government has been established, and we are currently proving our capacity to enter into relations with other states. As for a permanent population, once your country recognizes our sovereign status and opens the borders, you will see our citizens setting foot on that land very soon."

The legal experts from both sides went back and forth, engaging in several rounds of confrontation over legal principles, with neither side able to convince the other.

Lin Zhou remained silent throughout, simply listening quietly.

It wasn't until the military general couldn't help but speak up, his booming voice interrupting the debate over legal clauses.

"Enough, Saleh, stop talking in circles with them!" The general looked at Lin Zhou and asked bluntly, "Mr. Lin, we aren't interested in legal principles. We only talk about interests. Give us the technology, and we can consider granting you the status of a 'Special Economic Zone' or a 'Highly Autonomous Territory.' This is already the greatest sincerity we can offer."

"Your Excellency, with all due respect," Lin Zhou finally spoke, his voice not loud but enough to bring silence to the room.

"What I want is not a 'Special Economic Zone.' I want a sovereign state, a name that can have a seat in the United Nations."

He leaned forward slightly, looking at everyone opposite him.

"In exchange, besides a complete technology transfer and the establishment of production lines, I solemnly reiterate that I am willing to fully entrust the national defense and foreign diplomacy of this nascent nation to the Egyptian government for management."

Boom!

This proposal immediately caused an uproar among the Egyptian delegation.

Everyone was stunned.

They had imagined Lin Zhou would use technology as a trade, but they never thought he would so decisively hand over the most core military and diplomatic powers of a nation after its founding.

What kind of move was this? To establish a country for oneself and then hand both the gun and the voice over to someone else?

Deputy Minister Saleh and the general glanced at each other, both seeing immense shock and confusion in the other's eyes.

"Mr. Lin, are you sure you understand what you're saying?" Saleh's voice had changed slightly. "This means that your country will completely become a vassal of Egypt in terms of military and diplomacy."

"Of course I understand." Lin Zhou's expression didn't change. "An inland country of only 2,060 square kilometers surrounded by desert will not have the capacity to independently maintain national defense or conduct global diplomacy for the foreseeable future. Handing over these powers—which are 'liabilities' to me—to Egypt, the strongest power in the region, in exchange for the 'legal existence' I need most, is a very profitable deal."

He paused, adding the most crucial sentence.

"More importantly, this will also prove my full sincerity to your country. When my life and property are tied to Egypt's national destiny, what reason do you have not to trust me? We will become the most unbreakable community of interests."

These words caused both Qin Yue and Zhang Zhe to feel a surge of trepidation.

Although they knew the plan beforehand, hearing Lin Zhou state this 'country-selling theory' so righteously in person still gave them a massive shock.

The Egyptian officials opposite them fell into a long silence.

Lin Zhou's logic was too clear, and also too 'rogue.'

He treated the most precious powers of a nascent state as a mere bonus in the transaction, dispelling all of Egypt's concerns about 'nurturing a tiger that would eventually cause trouble.'

This temptation was too great.

After a long while, Deputy Minister Saleh finally spoke: "This proposal... is very... creative. We need to discuss this internally."

The first day of negotiations ended in this bizarre and shocking atmosphere.

Back at the hotel, Qin Yue couldn't help but ask, "Lin Zhou, by doing this, what if they go back on their word in the future, or use their military and diplomatic power to constrain us?"

Lin Zhou walked to the window, looking at the distant silhouette of the Pyramids.

"When our technology develops to a certain point, and when Bir Tawil becomes wealthy enough to make the whole world green with envy, this 'entrustment agreement' will be nothing more than a scrap of paper."

"Until then, we need Egypt as our shield. They also need our technology as their trump card."

He turned around, a smile appearing on his face.

"Day one went smoother than I imagined. They've already swallowed the biggest hook. Next, we'll see how much flesh they want to tear from us regarding the finer details."