75: Chapter 75 Borrowing money? They're trying to swallow us whole!

Egypt, Abu Simbel town.

Inside the small building that had just hung up the bronze plaque for the Egypt Branch of the Cyber Freedom Republic National Postal Service, Zhao Li held his burning-hot phone, completely stunned.

Borrow money?

Borrow money from the Egyptians?

He really couldn't keep up with the Leader's train of thought.

Some time ago, due to the Vatican City affair, the atmosphere here in Egypt had been very tense. His old friend in the Egyptian Military, General Mubarak, hadn't answered his calls for several days. It wasn't until he pulled strings through several layers of connections and sent over two boxes of top-tier Chinese tea that the other party finally replied with a simple message: "Mind your boundaries."

This was clearly a warning.

But now, the Leader had ordered him to go straight to them and say: "Brother, I'm a bit tight on cash, can you lend me some to spend?"

Isn't this just asking for death?

But he didn't dare disobey the Leader's order.

Zhao Li paced around the room a dozen times and smoked half a pack of cigarettes before finally making up his mind.

If he died, so be it.

He gathered his courage and dialed the private number of Saleh, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt. This was a number he had managed to get only after tremendous effort, leveraging connections built during the road construction project.

The phone rang for a long time before it was picked up. Saleh's voice was cold and bureaucratic: "Ah, Mr. Zhao, what is it?"

"Your Excellency Saleh, I am truly sorry to disturb you while you are busy." Zhao Li kept his posture very low, his tone as humble as a grandson begging for a debt repayment. "It is like this: I have been ordered by our Leader to convey a rather presumptuous request to your country."

"Oh? A request from Leader Lin Zhou?" Saleh's tone held a hint of amusement. "Let's hear it."

Zhao Li hardened his heart, closed his eyes, and said: "Our Leader hopes... hopes to apply for a sovereign loan from your country to help our nation with initial infrastructure construction."

There was a long silence on the other end of the line.

Zhao Li could even hear his own heart pounding like a drum.

After a full half-minute, Saleh let out a soft chuckle, a sound that sent a chill down Zhao Li's spine.

"Interesting. This is truly... very interesting." Saleh said slowly, "Mr. Zhao, I will report your request to the authorities as it is. Please await further notice."

With that, he hung up the phone.

Zhao Li slumped in his chair, drenched in cold sweat.

Cairo, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt.

Saleh put down the phone, the smile on his face instantly vanishing, replaced by a complex expression.

He immediately convened an emergency meeting with the relevant departments.

When he announced the news that the "Cyber Freedom Republic wishes to apply for a sovereign loan from Egypt," the entire conference room immediately erupted in an uproar.

"What? They have the nerve to come and borrow money?" A general in military uniform slammed the table; it was Mubarak, the head of the border defense forces. "That Lin Zhou, who just treated us like monkeys, running off to Europe to get cozy with the Pope, now that he's out of money, he remembers us? Not a chance."

"I agree with the General's opinion." Another official chimed in. "We should reject them outright and let them know the consequences of betraying an ally. We can use this opportunity to plunge them into a financial crisis; a bankrupt small country will be easier to control."

In the conference room, the voices advocating for a harsh rejection prevailed.

In their view, this was a good opportunity to teach that arrogant young man a lesson.

Saleh had remained silent the whole time, listening quietly.

Once everyone had finished expressing their opinions, he tapped his fingers on the table, drawing everyone's attention.

"Gentlemen, anger cannot solve problems." He looked around at everyone and said, "Rejecting them would indeed allow us to vent our frustration. But then what?"

"Then what?" General Mubarak retorted.

"Then, Lin Zhou will go and find someone else. Vatican City, the United States, China. Gentlemen, do you really think that with his current technology and fame, he wouldn't be able to borrow money? Our rejection would only cause him a little trouble. But as for us, we would completely lose our influence over this neighbor and push him entirely into the arms of others."

Saleh's words calmed everyone down.

A young intelligence department head spoke up: "Does the Deputy Minister mean... we should lend it to them?"

"Not just lend." Saleh's eyes were sharp. "We must not only lend, but also demonstrate our generosity and magnanimity."

He stood up, walked to the map, and pointed his finger at the small triangular area of Bir Tawil.

"Gentlemen, an independent and powerful neighbor that is also close to the West is a threat to us. But what is a neighbor that relies on us economically and owes us a large sum of money?"

He paused, then said, word by word: "It is our asset."

"The loan is a bargaining chip. As long as we are their largest creditor, the initiative will be in our hands, whether in international affairs or technical cooperation."

"What if they can't pay it back?" General Mubarak pressed.

Saleh smiled.

"Can't pay it back? That's even better. What happens when a sovereign nation goes bankrupt? We can legitimately take over their finances, control their economic lifeline, and even... in the name of helping them maintain stability, legally set our military foot on that land."

After Saleh finished speaking, the entire conference room fell silent.

Everyone was stunned by this open conspiracy of his.

This wasn't a simple loan; this was essentially annexing them through economic means.

"Brilliant, truly brilliant." General Mubarak exclaimed sincerely. "I retract what I said earlier. Saleh, let's do as you suggested."

Soon, the Egyptian leadership reached a consensus and agreed to negotiate.

What they needed to do was set a trap and wait for Lin Zhou to jump in himself.

The news was soon relayed back to Abu Simbel town.

When Zhao Li received the reply, he couldn't believe his ears.

"They agreed? So quickly?"

"Yes, Mr. Zhao." The voice on the phone remained as polite as ever. "Your Excellency Saleh invites your country's delegation to travel to Cairo as soon as possible to discuss the specific details."

Zhao Li immediately reported to Lin Zhou.

"Leader, they've taken the bait." Zhao Li's voice was excited. "However, I have a feeling... they agreed too quickly; this doesn't bode well."

After listening, Lin Zhou just smiled faintly.

"Whether they come with good or bad intentions doesn't matter. What matters is that they are willing to sit at the table."

He hung up the phone and immediately called Qin Yue in.

"Pack up, get ready to go to Cairo." Lin Zhou handed her a document. "This is our trump card. Remember, this time we don't just want money. You will lead the negotiation; are you confident you can pull it off?"

Qin Yue took the document and looked at the words "One billion US dollars, annual interest rate not exceeding 3%," and immediately felt confident.

"Rest assured, Leader. Even if I have to get on my knees, I will definitely borrow this money for you."