40: Chapter 40 A makeshift team governing the country? Your Excellency, we don't even have an office!

Lin Zhou hurriedly finished his chat with his sister and shifted his gaze back to the system screen that only he could see.

[Achievement Reward: Special Technology — "Gene Optimization and Rapid Growth Technology (Plant Edition)"]

[Technical Description: Can significantly shorten the growth cycle of precious plants (such as medicinal herbs and timber) and optimize their active ingredient content. Note: This technology is currently only effective on plants.]

A black technology that could subvert the world.

The first things that popped into Lin Zhou's mind were not precious medicinal herbs like ginseng or ganoderma, nor top-tier timber like yellow rosewood or sandalwood.

Instead, it was something more fundamental and even more terrifying—food.

If this technology could be applied to rice and wheat, shortening their growth cycles by half and doubling their yields, what would that mean?

It would mean that the Cyber Freedom Republic, a country built upon the desert, would possess the most terrifying food weapon in the world in the future.

He could even grow the lowest-cost, highest-yield food in the world in the deserts of Bir Tawil using nutrient solutions and artificial sunlight.

By then, Middle Eastern oil and European industrial goods would become vulnerable in the face of absolute food hegemony.

This thought stayed in his mind for only a fleeting moment before he forcibly suppressed it.

If you take too big a step, you might pull a muscle.

You have to eat one bite at a time, and a country must be built one step at a time. Thinking about food hegemony when he didn't even have a proper government team yet was truly unrealistic.

He saved the technology, planning to discuss the possibility of implementation with Qin Yue's team after returning to Beijing.

Just then, his phone rang; it was an unfamiliar Beijing number.

Lin Zhou answered the call.

"Hello, is this Mr. Lin? This is Zhang Zhe."

The voice on the other end sounded somewhat exhausted, and the background was noisy, like a café or a similar place.

"Dean Zhang, is something the matter?" Lin Zhou was a bit surprised; this was the first time Zhang Zhe had contacted him proactively since he delegated power.

"There is something, no, I should say there is a whole pile of things." Zhang Zhe's tone was filled with helplessness. "Head of State, is it convenient for you to talk now?"

"It is, go ahead."

"I've managed to pull together a temporary team for the Legislative Yuan over the past few days," Zhang Zhe reported. "Through previous recruitment channels and some of my personal connections, we have recruited twelve legal experts and senior lawyers from different countries. They are all elites in the industry, and everyone's enthusiasm for the work is very high."

"That's a good thing." Lin Zhou listened and felt that the start was quite smooth.

"It is a good thing, but we have encountered some... fundamental difficulties." Zhang Zhe paused, seemingly organizing his words.

"We don't even have a place to hold meetings."

"I went to great lengths to invite these dozen big shots from all over the world to Beijing, and now I can only force them to discuss how to write the first chapter of the national constitution on their laptops in a hotel café."

Lin Zhou was stunned.

Zhang Zhe's voice continued: "That's not even the main point. When we draft laws, we need to consult a large number of databases, we need professional equipment, and we need a fixed office space. All of this requires money."

"I tried to submit a funding application through the government OA system you provided, but after studying it for a long time, I found there isn't a department for financial approval at all. I wanted to discuss it with Minister Qin, but she said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' funding was specially approved by you, and she doesn't have the authority to allocate it to other departments."

"So... Head of State, we are currently an illegal gathering, working at our own expense. What do you think... about this?"

Zhang Zhe's words were like a bucket of cold water, drenching Lin Zhou completely.

Only then did he realize what a low-level mistake he had made.

He had appointed a Minister of Foreign Affairs and established a Legislative Yuan, but he had completely forgotten to establish the most core department of a government—the Ministry of Finance.

He had given Qin Yue a budget of 100 million USD, but forgot to set up a process for others to apply for funding.

The model of a country in his mind was still stuck at the stage where he was fighting alone. He thought that by delegating tasks, everyone would automatically start working like NPCs in an online game.

But the reality is that for a country, for a government, its operation requires a whole set of complex and precise rules. Venue, funding, personnel, logistics... these trivial matters are the gears and lubricant that make up the state machine.

He, the king, had only thought about how to conquer the world, but had forgotten how to govern and maintain it.

"My oversight." Lin Zhou did not shirk responsibility and admitted his mistake directly. "I'm sorry, Dean Zhang, for letting you suffer."

"I wouldn't dare, Head of State. We just wanted to ask, what should we do next?" Zhang Zhe's tone softened slightly.

"Give me one day." Lin Zhou's voice returned to calm. "Office space, departmental budget—I will resolve everything for you within one day."

"Good, we'll wait for your news."

After hanging up, Lin Zhou paced back and forth in his room.

Who to ask?

For this kind of thing, relying on himself definitely wouldn't work. He was a stranger in Beijing; he couldn't just rent an office building and hang up a sign that said "Cyber Freedom Republic Legislative Yuan"—he'd be busted as a scam ring the very next day.

There was only one person who could help him solve this problem.

He took a deep breath and dialed that familiar number.

The phone rang for a long time before it was picked up, and Director Zhou's unhurried voice came from the other end: "Little Lin? How does it feel to be home?"

"Director Zhou, sorry to bother you." Lin Zhou went straight to the point. "I've run into some trouble here."

"Oh?" There was no emotion in Director Zhou's voice. "Tell me about it."

"My team has started working in Beijing, but we lack a formal office location. Could you help coordinate a place? It doesn't need to be too big, but it needs to be independent, secure, and convenient for us to handle some... foreign-related affairs."

He cleverly swapped the word "government" for "team" and "office" for "handling foreign-related affairs."

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds.

"You mean you want to set up a temporary embassy for the 'Cyber Freedom Republic' in Beijing, or rather, an office for a government-in-exile?" Director Zhou's voice carried a hint of amusement.

A bead of sweat seeped from Lin Zhou's forehead.

Dealing with these old foxes, any little trick would be seen through instantly.

"You could understand it that way." Lin Zhou decided to lay his cards on the table. "My ragtag team doesn't even have a stage to perform on right now."

"Hahaha." Director Zhou laughed. "That metaphor of yours is very fitting. Your Dean of the Legislative Yuan entrusted someone to find an old colleague of ours in the foreign affairs department today, beating around the bush to ask what procedures are needed to register a 'sovereign state legislative consulting agency' within China. It left the person completely confused."

Lin Zhou felt a bit embarrassed. This Zhang Zhe, who looked so honest and upright, actually had so many little tricks up his sleeve.

"I can help you solve the venue problem." Director Zhou changed the subject. "Near the embassy district on the East Third Ring Road, there is a small office building that used to be used by an international organization. After that organization disbanded, the building has been empty. The security and communication facilities are all ready-made; it's perfect for your use."

"Thank you so much!" Lin Zhou felt a weight lift from his heart.

"Don't be so quick to thank me. I have one more question." Director Zhou's tone became serious. "Who are you planning to have as your Minister of Finance?"

This question hit Lin Zhou's weak spot.

"I... haven't thought about it yet."

"For a country, diplomacy and legislation are the face. The purse strings are the substance." Director Zhou hammered it into him word by word. "If you keep all the money in your own hands, and Zhang Zhe can't find a place to get reimbursed today, and Qin Yue runs out of activity funds tomorrow, will they all have to come to you, the King, to sign off on it?"

"Can you, as one person, handle all of that? This isn't called centralizing power; this is called management chaos."

Lin Zhou was left speechless.

"I am indeed lacking a professional in finance." He admitted honestly.

"I have a candidate here." Director Zhou seemed to have been prepared. "However, whether you can invite him or not depends on your own ability."

"Please tell me."

"Chen Yuan." Director Zhou gave a name. "An old hand from the Ministry of Finance who was responsible for the audit and management of several large special funds; his professional capability is impeccable. As for his personality... he's stubborn and inflexible, doesn't tolerate any nonsense, and offended quite a few people back in the day, so he retired early. His nickname is 'Iron Abacus'."

"Right now, he's in a hutong in Beijing, raising fish and teasing birds; he doesn't give anyone face."

Lin Zhou immediately understood what Director Zhou meant.

This was both a hint and a test.

The country could provide you with a venue, and could even recommend talent to you, but whether you can ultimately build this team and whether you can manage these capable people depends on your own skills, Lin Zhou.

"I understand." Lin Zhou's brain worked rapidly. "Thank you for your guidance, Director Zhou. I'll have my team go pick up the keys to the office building. As for the old Mr. Chen Yuan... I will return to Beijing tomorrow and pay him a visit in person."