72: Chapter 72 The First Road to the World! Reward: 200 Million!

"It's finished?"

Lin Zhou sat up straight instantly.

"Yes! Head of State!" On the other end of the phone, Zhao Li's voice was hoarse and choked with tears, as if he were roaring with all his might. "It's through! The entire line is connected!"

"Just half an hour ago! The last truckload of sand and gravel was dumped. Our bypass road from the Egyptian border town to the southern section of Bir Tawil is fully connected!"

That road!

Though it was just a simple gravel road—one that couldn't even be found on a map, barely six meters wide, and liable to be buried by wind and sand at any moment—

It was the first physical channel connecting the Cyber Freedom Republic to the outside world!

It was the proof of this nation's existence!

"The road conditions are poor! Very poor! Only high-horsepower off-road vehicles and heavy trucks can make it, and maintenance teams need to follow up at all times!" Zhao Li spoke somewhat incoherently, but the pride and excitement in his words almost burst through the receiver. "But Head of State! It's through! It truly exists!"

"Our people! Our equipment! We finally don't have to worry about detouring through Sudan anymore. We can enter our territory directly from Egypt, openly and legally!"

For these few dozen kilometers, he and his brothers had spent two whole months eating sand in the middle of a godforsaken desert, under a scorching sun hot enough to roast a man alive!

From being kicked around like a ball by the Egyptian Military at the start, facing all sorts of difficulties, to eventually constructing under the protection of armed soldiers...

Only they knew the hardships involved!

"Beautifully done! Zhao Li!" Lin Zhou's praise was undisguised. "You and your team are the nation's primary heroes! I've had Minister Chen prepare a special bonus. When you come back for your leave, I'll hand it to you personally!"

"Thank you, Head of State!" Zhao Li wailed loudly on the other end of the line.

After hanging up, Lin Zhou's chest was still heaving, a surge of excitement racing through his body.

Director Zhou didn't rush him, just watched him quietly; from Lin Zhou's reaction, he had already guessed the gist of it.

At that very moment, a cold mechanical voice suddenly rang out in Lin Zhou's mind!

[Ding!]

[Major breakthrough in national infrastructure construction detected!]

[Achievement "The First Road to the World" unlocked!]

[Mission Description: Establish a permanent or semi-permanent road suitable for vehicle traffic connecting the territory under the actual control of the Cyber Freedom Republic with the land border of any sovereign state.]

[Mission Status: Completed!]

[Achievement Reward: National Development Fund 200 million... USD!]

[Current National Development Fund Balance: $1.9434 billion.]

Two hundred million!

And in USD!

Lin Zhou looked at the long string of zeros on the system panel in his mind and almost couldn't help laughing out loud.

This money came at just the right time.

He was just worrying that the little money in the national treasury was nearly exhausted, trying to support the increasingly massive government expenditures while also launching that money-burning agricultural project in cooperation with China.

These two hundred million solved the problem of funding shortages instantly!

Without hesitation, right in front of Director Zhou, Lin Zhou's fingers moved quickly across his phone screen, logging directly into the backend of the national administrative system.

With a thought and a wave of his hand!

Two hundred million dollars were instantly transferred from the system account into the Central Bank account under the Ministry of Finance!

[National Treasury Available Balance: Over $330 million.]

Seeing the figures in the account become abundant again, Lin Zhou felt a bit more backbone.

With money, there was confidence in getting things done!

With this money, many money-burning plans that were previously unthinkable and could only stay as PPTs could now be put on the agenda!

Lin Zhou's gaze fell upon the organizational chart of the administrative system.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Legislative Yuan, Ministry of Finance, Royal Department of Commerce, Royal Entertainment Company...

This team, which he had thrown together on a whim, had now begun to take shape and was operating quite decently.

However, there was still one very important department on the chart that remained a gray, pending activation icon.

The one Chen Yuan had emphasized to him repeatedly—the postal system!

A country can exist without an elite army or advanced industry, but it absolutely cannot be without its own postal service!

Joining the Universal Postal Union, having its own postal codes, issuing its own stamps...

This was an important symbol of national sovereignty!

Why had it been delayed before?

No road!

What kind of postal service could a country talk about if physical mail couldn't even be delivered? It was a joke!

Now, the road was through!

It was time!

It was time to officially establish this department that symbolized sovereignty!

Lin Zhou lightly tapped the screen with his finger.

That gray icon lit up instantly.

[General Post Office of the Cyber Free Republic]

The department was established, but what use was just a name? Who was the Director? Without a single soldier under him, who would do the work?

Lin Zhou ran through potential candidates in his head, then revealed a mischievous grin.

He placed a direct call to A Niu, who was currently scratching his head and losing hair like crazy over the detailed design of the "Liberty Dollar" currency.

The call connected.

"A Niu, congratulations, you've been promoted."

A Niu was clearly stunned on the other end, his voice full of confusion: "Huh? Head of State, I've been promoted again? I... Am I not already the Chief Currency Designer for the Central Bank?"

"That's your technical post, your primary job." Lin Zhou's tone allowed no room for negotiation. "Now, I officially appoint you to concurrently serve as the first Director of the General Post Office of our Cyber Freedom Republic!"

"Hah?!"

A Niu's exclamation nearly pierced Lin Zhou's eardrums.

"Head of State! I... I'm just a painter! An artist! What do I know about postal services? I'd have to Baidu how to stick a stamp on an envelope!"

"If you don't know, you can learn! Information on postal services from all over the world is online. I'll give you three days—is that enough?" Lin Zhou gave him no chance to refuse and began issuing orders.

"Listen carefully, your task is simple, just three things!"

"First, immediately! Right now! Send people to that small town on the Egyptian border and rent a storefront, the bigger the better! Hang our sign for the [Egypt Office of the General Post Office of the Cyber Free Republic]! It must be brass! Polished until it shines! This is our first overseas postal point, our storefront!"

"Second, take your people and follow our newly built road into Bir Tawil! Set up a mailbox on our territory! Use the best steel, paint it in the colors of our national flag, and make it more prominent than a monument! I want everyone who enters our territory to see it at first glance!"

"Third, wasn't that 'genesis' stamp set already designed and samples printed? Contact the printing factory immediately and place a formal order! Then take some samples and officially announce their sale on our official website! Remember, make the slogan clear: this is the first set of stamps issued by our country, and currently the only set in the world that is a legal stamp for international postal settlement!"

"Once all this is complete, it will be time for us to apply for entry into the Universal Postal Union. This is a vital step in the country's regularization! Director, you must take this to heart!"

The string of orders made A Niu's head buzz.

He felt like he hadn't come to work, but had been strapped directly onto a rocket without a parachute!

But the obedience in his bones still made him unconsciously straighten his back and shout into the phone, "Yes! Mission guaranteed to be completed, Head of State!"

Hanging up the phone, Lin Zhou breathed a long sigh of relief.

The road was through.

The postal system was about to be established.

This cyber kingdom that once only existed on the internet was, under his command, step by step extending its influence from the virtual network into the real world!