83: Chapter 83: Police uniforms must be incredibly stylish!

Early the next morning, the door to Lin Zhou's office was pushed open from the outside, and someone burst in in a rush.

It was He Jun, the Minister of Interior and Security who was a former special forces soldier. He had a strange expression on his face, as if he wanted to laugh but had to hold it in, and he was clutching a tablet computer in his hand.

He Jun walked a few steps to the desk and slapped the tablet onto the desk with a 'bang'.

"Leader, the people are sorted! Five of them, all soldiers who were very good fighters under my command before. They have tight lips, good skills, and are sharp-minded. With one word from you, they can be brought over to report at any time!"

He Jun never dragged his feet when getting things done; he got straight to the core progress as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Very good." Lin Zhou nodded, leaned back in his chair, and tapped his fingers lightly on the desktop. "What about the police uniforms? The other thing I asked you to handle."

At the mention of police uniforms, the strange expression on He Jun's face became even more pronounced.

He awkwardly scratched his crew cut, pushed the tablet in front of Lin Zhou, and swiped to unlock the screen.

"Leader, this matter... has had some twists and turns."

"I contacted several large uniform factories in the country, but as soon as they heard our order volume, they shook their heads like rattles."

"For eight or ten sets, they wouldn't open a production line for us at all. Even if I offered more money, they still found it too much trouble. Designing, pattern making, material selection, and finishing the product—the whole process would take at least a month, they said."

Lin Zhou frowned: "A month? It'll be too late by then!"

"Tell me about it!" He Jun looked helpless, but then a flash of excitement crossed his face. "So I found an unconventional route."

He swiped his finger across the screen, and a high-definition image filled the entire display.

In the picture, a model was wearing a dark blue combat uniform.

The cut of the clothing was very modern, with sharp, rigid lines. The shoulders and elbows were reinforced, full of a technological feel. On the chest and arm badge positions, large areas of Velcro were reserved, making it easy to change insignia.

The key was that this outfit looked very familiar.

Lin Zhou stared at the picture for five seconds, a thought flashed through his mind, and he blurted out:

"Isn't this the uniform of the federal SWAT team from the game 'future police'?"

"Leader, you have a sharp eye!"

He Jun slapped his thigh, his voice rising a notch.

"I was truly at my wit's end, so I thought I'd go ask some factories that make prop costumes. As it turned out, I found a very large cosplay prop costume factory in the country. When I told the owner that our Cyber Freedom Republic wanted to custom-make our first generation of police uniforms..."

"That owner jumped right out of his chair on the spot! He grabbed my hand, trembling, and said he didn't want any money—it had to be free! This was the glory of their entire factory!"

Lin Zhou didn't speak for a moment.

Using cosplay costumes as the police uniforms for a sovereign state?

If this got out...

It actually seemed pretty cool.

Very cyber, very punk.

He Jun continued to explain enthusiastically: "The owner said he had long since acquired our citizenship and is a loyal citizen of ours! To be able to personally design the first generation of police uniforms for his own country is like smoke rising from his ancestral grave! He also said this is a great honor that brings glory to his ancestors!"

"And they have plenty of stock, with all kinds of ready-made styles piling up in the warehouse. As long as we send over the designs for the national emblem and police insignia, they can work through the night to rush the order, sewing on all the arm badges and chest insignias. They guarantee it will be shipped by SF Express air freight first thing tomorrow morning!"

Lin Zhou swiped the screen, and image after image popped up.

From police windbreakers to wasteland-style tactical long coats, there was even a set of exoskeleton models overflowing with a sci-fi feel.

"This owner..." Lin Zhou looked at the highly designed clothing and praised him: "He is a talent."

"Exactly!" He Jun chuckled. "The owner said that our country's police uniforms have to be the coolest in the world! They have to be at a level that could be taken directly to film a Hollywood sci-fi blockbuster! He also patted his chest and promised me that in the future, our country's military uniforms and government officials' formal wear could all be exclusively custom-made by his factory, guaranteeing your satisfaction!"

After hearing this, Lin Zhou didn't know whether to be angry or amused.

A country's uniform supplier is a prop factory that makes game and anime merchandise.

If it got out, the whole world's jaws would drop.

However, thinking about it carefully, this was indeed the best and fastest solution at the moment.

"This is the one." Lin Zhou pointed at the 'future police' uniform on the screen and made the final decision.

"Dark blue is dirt-resistant, and the style is steady, not too flamboyant. Send them our national emblem vector file now. For the police identification, use the English 'CYBER POLICE', and make the font design simple and cold."

"Also," Lin Zhou added, "tell that owner that the nation accepts his good intentions. But we cannot take these clothes for free; the money must be paid in full, and we will settle with him at the high market price for similar products."

"In addition, in my personal name, I will award him a fifth-class pioneer medal to recognize the special contribution he has made during the early stages of the nation's founding."

Lin Zhou knew very well that at this stage, the support of any citizen was invaluable. A patriotic businessman was more useful than a hundred boastful politicians.

"Understood!" He Jun snapped to attention, gave a standard military salute, and turned to carry it out.

"Wait." Lin Zhou called him back.

"Also, for those five people you recruited, the nature of this must be made clear to them."

"This is a temporary employment task, not a formal job. During the mission, all actions must follow orders. After the mission is successfully completed, a one-time settlement will be made, $100,000 for each person."

"Once the mission is over, they are free to stay or leave. If anyone is willing to stay and become one of our Republic's first batch of official police, we will discuss subsequent salary and benefits then."

"Rest assured, Leader, I will convey your exact words!" He Jun nodded heavily, then turned and strode away.

The office returned to silence.

Lin Zhou walked to the window and watched the bustling street outside.

A country's apparatus of violence, the law enforcement force that represents the face of the nation, was actually born in such a near-farcical way.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with that.

Pragmatism is the gene engraved in the bones of this newborn nation since its birth.

The method that can solve the problem is the best method.

...

In the afternoon, Lin Zhou met with the five newly appointed Ambassadors in the reception room one by one.

These people had diverse backgrounds: there was a strong woman who had been deeply involved in Africa affairs for years, with skin tanned dark; there was an old cadre retired from the Department of Commerce with extensive connections; and there was also a top-tier elite lawyer from the country who was well-versed in international maritime law.

Their faces all wore similar expressions—full of anticipation for the strange countries they were about to head to, mixed with apprehension.

Lin Zhou did not paint big pictures for them, nor did he speak too many empty words.

Lin Zhou just looked at each person calmly and told them one thing:

As the first generation of diplomats of the Cyber Freedom Republic, their names were destined to be written into the history of this country.

And their mission was only one.

That was to try every possible means in the countries where they were stationed to make the Cyber national flag fly high.

After seeing off the last Ambassador, the door to the office was gently knocked on by the secretary.

A young man walked in.

He looked still a bit green, at most twenty-five or twenty-six years old, but his eyes were exceptionally bright.

A brand-new suit worn on him seemed a bit ill-fitting, and his hair was combed meticulously with hair gel; it was clear it had been carefully groomed.

But his tightly clenched fists, with knuckles turned somewhat white, still exposed his inner nervousness.

"Leader... hello, I am Gao Jian."

Lin Zhou stood up from behind his desk, with an encouraging smile on his face, and took the initiative to reach out his hand to him.

"Welcome, Chief Prosecutor Gao."

Two hands, one big and one small, were firmly clasped together.

Lin Zhou looked at this young but determined face in front of him, his voice steady and powerful.

"Our nation's number one case, the Republic's first unsheathing of the sword, is just waiting for you, the Chief Prosecutor, to personally sharpen the blade."