78: Chapter 78 A social media influencer as the chief prosecutor? This world has finally turned upside down!

"Holy crap? For real?"

The mouse in Gao Jian's hand fell onto the desk with a "clatter," and his imposing in-game character was stabbed to death by an unremarkable minion.

He had absolutely no mind to pay attention to the game anymore; the barrage in his livestream was so dense it made his eyes blur.

"Congratulations to Teacher Gao for becoming the Chief Prosecutor."

"Baron Gao, don't forget your brothers once you take office."

"Everyone stand up, welcome the Honorable Gao."

He scrambled to alt-tab out of the game and opened his email.

A pinned email had a very conspicuous subject line: [Appointment Notice for the Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme People's Procuratorate of the Cyber Freedom Republic].

The sender was the official email address of the National Government Affairs System.

Gao Jian's fingers were trembling. He opened the email to find a neatly formatted appointment document, complete with a bright red national seal, and a small line of text at the bottom: "Please report to Beijing within three days."

He felt his brain go numb.

Speaking into the microphone of his livestream, Gao Jian's voice was slightly shaky, carrying a sense of unreality.

"Brothers... I... I think... I actually f*cking became the Chief Prosecutor?"

In the next second, the popularity of the livestream skyrocketed, breaking through ten million. The barrage was scrolling so fast that the text on the screen became illegible, and the Bilibili server was nearly crashing.

#InfluencerBecomesChiefProsecutorFirstInTheWorld#

#YoungestHeadOfNationalJudiciaryInHistory#

#CyberRepublicAMagicalCountryYouCannotUnderstand#

In just a few minutes, the three trending topics topped the global social media charts.

Public opinion split into two camps.

Some were mocking, saying that Lin Zhou had completely lost his mind, treating national affairs like child's play by allowing a greenhorn who had just left school and had zero experience to serve as the highest official of the national judicial system. It was simply a massive joke in political history.

Others admired Lin Zhou's courage, believing that this embodied the spirit of the internet: breaking conventions and appointing people based on talent. Experience wasn't important; ability and original intent were.

As for Gao Jian's three million-plus fans, they were in a frenzy, celebrating as if it were New Year's.

They flooded every one of Gao Jian's videos, filling the comment sections and barrage areas with uniform content: "Respectfully invite the Honorable Gao to act on behalf of the people."

Meanwhile, in Beijing, at the temporary command center.

"Head of State, have you lost your mind?"

Minister of Finance Chen Yuan was the first to kick open the door to Lin Zhou's office.

The old man's gray beard was quivering with anger, and the tablet in his hand was practically shoved into Lin Zhou's face.

On the screen was the global media coverage regarding Gao Jian's appointment, with mocking and skeptical headlines accounting for ninety percent of it.

"Letting an influencer become the Chief Prosecutor? And the Chief Prosecutor at that! If this gets out, what will our country become? A ragtag group? This will severely damage our credibility and image internationally."

Following closely behind Chen Yuan was the newly appointed Chief Justice, Zhang Zhe.

This old judge, who held great prestige in the legal world, also had a very serious expression.

"Head of State, please reconsider."

Zhang Zhe's tone was more tactful, but the worry in his eyes could not be hidden.

"The position of Chief Prosecutor is the key to the nation's judiciary, used to supervise all power. Gao Jian... he is too young. He hasn't even independently handled a single case. I worry that he won't be able to do the job well, that he will be sidelined, or even corrupt the entire nation's judicial atmosphere."

The two cabinet heavyweights, one civil and one judicial, had come together to voice their opposition.

The atmosphere in the office was tense.

Lin Zhou's expression remained unchanged; he even had the composure to pour glasses of water for the two furious ministers.

"Elder Chen, Chief Justice Zhang, please sit."

He offered no explanation, simply turning around to project a video onto the large screen in the office.

The cover of the video featured Gao Jian's slightly roguish, handsome face, but the title was very serious: "Why I Don't Recommend You Study Law."

In the video, Gao Jian changed from his usual playful and mocking livestream persona; his expression was serious, and his tone was heavy.

He recounted several cases.

There were cases where minor procedural flaws allowed the real murderer to go free.

There were cases where judicial corruption caused innocent people to be wrongly accused for ten years, leading to the destruction of their families.

Every single case made the listeners feel heavy-hearted.

At the end of the video, Gao Jian's eyes were red. He stared into the camera, his voice hoarse, enunciating every word.

"The law is supposed to be a tool to protect the weak. But if the people who use the law have no awe for fairness and justice in their hearts, then the law will become the most vicious weapon."

"I still love the law, but I hope even more that this world can have fewer tragedies that require us to use the law to resolve."

The video finished playing.

The office was deathly silent.

Chen Yuan, who had been furious just a moment ago, fell silent.

Zhang Zhe, with his worried face, also fell silent.

"Did you see it?" Lin Zhou finally spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it made the two men shudder.

"This is the reason why I chose him."

"Our country has only just begun. I don't need someone who is good at calculating, nor do I need an old slickster who understands all the hidden rules. If we use such people as Chief Prosecutor, then our Procuratorate will be rotten from the very beginning."

"I need someone who still has fire in their heart and light in their eyes. He must be willing to give everything for the justice he envisions. What I need is an idealist."

"I need him to use this passion to lay a clean and pure foundation for our country's judicial system."

"Experience can be accumulated slowly, and systems can be perfected over time. But this original intent, this youthful spirit—once it is extinguished, it can never be found again."

Lin Zhou's words were powerful.

Chen Yuan and Zhang Zhe exchanged a look, both seeing surprise in the other's eyes.

They had to admit that Lin Zhou's words had convinced them.

That's right; for a brand-new country, why must it take the old path?

Perhaps a headstrong young man with ideals and the courage to fight is truly more suitable for this newly established country than an experienced old bureaucrat who has lost his drive.

"I understand." Chen Yuan let out a long sigh, looking a bit embarrassed. "Head of State, my perspective... was too narrow."

"I hope your decision is the right one." Zhang Zhe also nodded, his tense body relaxing.

Just then, a sharp ringing sound broke the atmosphere in the office.

It was Lin Zhou's encrypted satellite phone.

Two words were flashing on the screen: Qin Yue.

Lin Zhou's heart tightened, and he pressed the speakerphone button.

From the other end of the line came Qin Yue's exhausted voice; she sounded like she was about to reach her breaking point.

"Head of State, the negotiations... have collapsed."

"What happened?" Lin Zhou's brows instantly furrowed into a frown.

"They... they are simply a bunch of robbers taking advantage of a crisis." Qin Yue's voice carried anger.

"We applied for a one-billion-dollar sovereign loan, and they actually offered terms with a 5% annual interest rate. This isn't a sovereign loan; this is commercial usury."

"I negotiated with them for three whole days and nights, my lips are almost worn out, but they refused to budge an inch. That Saleh, the Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, is clearly counting on us being in urgent need of money, wanting to use this loan to control us."

The atmosphere in the office instantly became very heavy.

A 5% annual interest rate!

A one-billion-dollar loan meant that just the interest alone would require paying a full fifty million dollars every year.

This amount of money was almost equal to the entire quarterly fiscal expenditure of the Cyber Freedom Republic.

This loan would be the death of the country.

Lin Zhou remained silent for a long time.

Chen Yuan and Zhang Zhe both became nervous.

They knew better than anyone that if this problem wasn't solved, never mind appointing a Chief Prosecutor, the country wouldn't even be able to pay next month's wages.

Every second of silence felt unbearable.

"Qin Yue."

Lin Zhou finally spoke, his voice very calm—so calm it sent a shiver down the others' spines.

"Tell them we accept their terms."

"What?" On the other end of the line and in the office, Qin Yue, Chen Yuan, and Zhang Zhe all cried out simultaneously.

"Head of State, you cannot agree. This is a bottomless pit; we will be dragged to our deaths." Chen Yuan was so anxious he nearly jumped out of his chair, his old face flushed red.

On the phone, Lin Zhou's voice remained steady, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"However,"

"We will only borrow one hundred million."