36: Chapter 36 Forming the Cabinet! Blank Appointment Letters—So Reminiscent of the Republic of China Era!

On the morning of the third day, the doorbell rang right on time.

Lin Zhou opened the door to find two men in dark suits with stern expressions standing outside. One of them was holding a silver metal briefcase.

"Mr. Lin, here is what you requested."

Without any unnecessary pleasantries, the other party verified Lin Zhou's identity and handed him the briefcase.

Closing the door, Lin Zhou placed the briefcase on the table.

Opening the lid, a sense of solemnity washed over him.

The interior of the box was lined with red velvet, and in the very center, a national seal made entirely of high-density alloy lay quietly.

The seal's knob was a three-dimensional relief of the national emblem, with the patterns of gears and circuit boards clearly visible, its cold metallic texture exuding power. The face of the seal was engraved with both Chinese seal script and Arabic characters: "Seal of the Cyber Freedom Republic."

Beside the national seal were dozens of blank state credentials and appointment letters printed on special anti-counterfeiting paper.

The paper was thick and bore watermarks, with the national emblem hot-stamped on the headers. Every document exuded an official air that commanded respect.

The efficiency of the state apparatus was truly terrifying.

Lin Zhou picked up the heavy national seal, a surge of indescribable excitement welling up in his heart.

This was no longer a virtual item; it was a tangible symbol of power.

He carefully took out the vermilion ink pad and, on the already prepared appointment letter for Qin Yue as Plenipotentiary Representative, solemnly stamped the first official seal of the Cyber Freedom Republic.

As the red mark fell onto the paper, a brand-new nation gained its soul at that very moment.

He immediately scanned the stamped appointment letter and sent it to Qin Yue in an encrypted format.

Almost simultaneously, he received a message—the "beggar-version National Information and Government Management System," built with state assistance, had been completed, with servers deployed overseas and the username and password sent to his encrypted email.

Lin Zhou logged in immediately.

The interface was unexpectedly simple, even somewhat crude, with an overall style very similar to the OA systems of some domestic companies.

On the left were several primary menus: [Citizen Management], [Government Structure], [Foreign Affairs], and [Promulgation of Laws].

He clicked on [Government Structure], but it was completely empty.

Lin Zhou did not hesitate and began his first enfeoffment as "King."

He created two new departments: the "Ministry of Foreign Affairs" and the "Legislative Yuan."

Then, in the [Citizen Management] module, he manually entered the information of core team members such as Qin Yue, Zhang Zhe, and Li Mo, and in their "Identity" column, officially granted them the status of "Citizen of the Cyber Freedom Republic."

After doing all this, he began to appoint officials.

[Appointment: Qin Yue, as Minister of Foreign Affairs.]

[Appointment: Zhang Zhe, as Dean of the Legislative Yuan and Chief Justice.]

[Appointment: Li Mo, as Chief Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Special Envoy for Middle East Affairs.]

...

A day later, the elite negotiation team, having concluded the signing ceremony in Sudan, arrived in Beijing, travel-worn.

Lin Zhou received them in a hotel conference room.

"You've worked hard." Lin Zhou looked at the elites before him; although their faces showed fatigue, their eyes were filled with excitement.

They had personally facilitated the establishment of diplomatic relations between two nations; this sense of achievement was incomparable to any commercial negotiation.

"Boss, this is the original agreement signed with the Sudan side." Qin Yue handed over a document.

Lin Zhou took it, flipped through it, and nodded with satisfaction.

"Everyone has done well." He took an envelope from under the table and pushed it in front of each person. "This is your salary and this month's bonus. It can be charged to the Nation-Building Fund; I have already approved it."

Everyone opened their envelopes and was shocked to see the figures inside.

This amount of money far exceeded their previous annual salaries.

"Boss, this is too much..." Zhang Zhe said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"It's not much." Lin Zhou waved his hand. "You are expanding the territory for the nation; this is well-deserved. Next, I need to confirm with everyone whether you are willing to continue moving forward with the Cyber Freedom Republic."

Everyone looked at each other, and Qin Yue spoke first.

"Boss, to be honest, at first we all thought this was a farce. But now, we want to accompany you in turning this 'farce' into an epic."

"That's right, you won't encounter something this thrilling a second time in your life."

Everyone expressed their willingness to stay.

"Very good." Lin Zhou stood up. "Then, I will formally appoint everyone to their positions."

He announced the appointments he had just entered into the system in front of everyone.

Minister, Dean, Chief Justice...

These incredibly lofty titles made this group of battle-hardened elites feel a surge of excitement.

"However, I'll say the ugly things first." Lin Zhou continued. "Although you are all Ministers and Deans now, you are all commanders without troops. How to build your departments and where to recruit people is entirely up to you."

He took five blank appointment letters out of his briefcase and placed them in front of Qin Yue.

"Minister Qin, this is your authority. You can appoint officials below the rank of Department Director in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yourself without needing my approval. Just fill in the names, stamp them with your personal seal, and then register them in the government system."

He took out a few more and handed them to Zhang Zhe and Li Mo respectively.

"The same applies to the Legislative Yuan and the Special Envoy's Office."

Looking at the blank appointment letters on the table emitting the scent of printer ink, Qin Yue, Zhang Zhe, and the others were stunned.

They thought of the Republican Era, when high-ranking officials holding military and political power would issue "blank appointments" to their subordinates, letting them recruit their own troops and seize territory.

This overwhelming "Republican Era vibe" made them feel both absurd and thrilled.

This young King's way of employing people was truly unconventional.

This was no longer just authorization; this was complete delegation of power, a trust that staked his very life and livelihood on them.

"Boss, aren't you afraid that we'll take our teams and go solo?" Qin Yue asked, half-jokingly.

Lin Zhou smiled.

"You can try." His tone was light, but the weight of his words made everyone's hearts sink.

"The foundation of the Cyber Freedom Republic is technology. And this is controlled solely by me. Without me, everything you have gained today will instantly be wiped to zero."

"So, go ahead and be bold. I will give you the funding and the power."

He looked at Zhang Zhe.

"Dean Zhang, the structure of the Legislative Yuan must be built as soon as possible. You will conduct the final review of the legal talent I interviewed. I want to see the draft of our first constitution within a month."

He looked at Qin Yue again.

"Minister Qin, the task of establishing diplomatic relations with twenty countries is in your hands. I'll give you a budget of 100 million USD; recruit whoever you want. I have only one requirement: use any means necessary, I only care about the results."

After delegating everything, Lin Zhou felt a sense of relief.

Professional matters should be left to professional people.

As the King, he only needed to keep the direction straight and manage the purse strings and the guns.

Oh, right, he didn't have the guns yet.

However, one must eat one bite at a time.

"Alright, everyone, the 'Cabinet' is formed. Our country has officially begun to function."

He waved his hand.

"Now, go get busy."