91: Chapter 91 Global Recruitment! Your Excellency, nobody wants to be your citizen!

Wang Dong was highly efficient.

Within less than twenty-four hours, a well-designed and enticing recruitment notice was posted on major global job boards and social media platforms through the newly reorganized National Information Department of Shanyue Technology.

The title was simple and direct:

"Starting salary of $200,000 USD per year, tax-free. The Cyber Freedom Republic is recruiting its first batch of pioneers to build the City of the Future."

Once the announcement was released, it quickly spread across the global internet.

At first, most people thought it was a scam.

"Are you kidding? Going to the desert to work as a maintenance technician for $200,000? I don't really believe it."

"To the person above, search for this country. They just kicked out a Japanese influencer a while ago and established diplomatic relations with Vatican City. It's not a joke."

"I checked. The benefits are actually good! Room and board included, top-tier insurance, three months of vacation per year, and they even reimburse first-class airfare... This isn't recruitment; they're hiring masters."

"The best part is the clause about getting a house if you become a citizen. It's basically a real-life treasure hunt! Using current investment to gamble on a future home."

The news spread faster than imagined. Once people confirmed the announcement was real, the application email inbox was quickly flooded.

Within three days, the National Information Department received over fifty thousand resumes from all over the world.

The applicants had diverse backgrounds, including retired combat engineers, experienced drilling platform engineers, power grid maintenance experts, and even a few botanists specializing in desert ecology.

Wang Dong and his team spent a week going through layers of screening and online interviews, finally finalizing a list of one hundred people.

These individuals came from thirty-two different countries, had an average age of thirty-five, and all possessed extensive experience working in harsh environments.

However, when Wang Dong placed the final statistical results in front of Lin Zhou, his expression was somewhat strange.

"Head of State, the recruitment goals have been met, and they are all elites. But..." Wang Dong pointed to a column on the report. "Out of the one hundred people, only three checked 'Yes' in the 'Are you willing to become a citizen?' section of the application form."

Lin Zhou looked at the 3% figure on the report, his expression unchanged.

This was realistic and normal.

For the vast majority of people, this was just a well-paying job. Asking them to give up their original nationality and pledge allegiance to a newly established country for a big house that didn't exist yet was indeed difficult.

"Three people is already beyond my expectations," Lin Zhou said calmly. "At least we have the first batch of seeds willing to bind themselves to this country. That is enough."

He knew very well that national identity needed to be built upon tangible prosperity, security, and dignity.

"List the profiles of these three people separately and give them special attention. Tell them their choice will be recorded," Lin Zhou instructed.

"Understood." Wang Dong nodded, then added, "Head of State, you haven't seen the public opinion on the foreign internet right now. Our recruitment drive has pushed the popularity of Oasis One even higher. Many people are discussing whether we are actually going to build a Wakanda in the desert."

"High visibility brings high risk," Lin Zhou reminded him. "The more people watching us, the less room we have for error. Notify those one hundred people to assemble in Beijing in one month for unified training, and then send them to Egypt by special plane."

After handling the recruitment matters, Lin Zhou turned his attention to diplomacy.

Over in Rome, Qin Yue's actions were equally swift.

After receiving instructions from Lin Zhou, she immediately arranged an urgent meeting with Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin through Vatican City's diplomatic channels that same day.

Inside the Apostolic Palace, the atmosphere was solemn.

After hearing the request conveyed by Qin Yue, Cardinal Parolin's aged face showed a look of difficulty.

"Minister Qin, I fully understand the Head of State's situation. The Holy See also sincerely hopes to see the Cyber Freedom Republic successfully integrate into the international community," he said slowly. "However, the Universal Postal Union is not a purely political organization, and the Holy See's influence within it is not as great as you might think."

Qin Yue maintained a professional smile; she knew this was just the beginning of the negotiation.

"Your Eminence, we hope the Holy See can use its own name to send a clear signal to those brother countries that also believe in the Lord," Qin Yue replied, neither servile nor overbearing.

"What kind of signal?"

"A signal of goodwill," Qin Yue said, choosing her words carefully. "The Cyber Freedom Republic is the first technology-led sovereign state in Asia recognized by the Holy See. Our cooperation with the Holy See concerns how to use technological power in the future to solve common human problems like hunger and poverty. We believe that any nation with good intentions would be happy to see our growth, rather than creating trouble for us."

She cleverly elevated the issue of a vote in a postal organization to the moral height of technology for good and solving common human problems, and bound Vatican City together with the Cyber Republic.

If the Cyber Republic suffered a setback in the vote, it would not only be a loss of face for Lin Zhou but also for Vatican City.

Cardinal Parolin fell silent.

His eyes, which had seen everything in the world, looked at Qin Yue, and he had to admit that the young Eastern woman before him was a formidable diplomat.

"Furthermore," Qin Yue continued, "The Head of State has authorized me to convey to you that, in order to express our gratitude for the Holy See's help and our support for the cause of global food security, we are willing to grant the other half of the global commercial promotion rights for the 1.0 version of the plant gene optimization technology to the Holy See, free of charge."

Previously, Lin Zhou had only given the Holy See the humanitarian promotion rights, while the commercial promotion rights remained in his own hands.

Now, he had sliced off another half of this huge cake.

This was the real bargaining chip.

Cardinal Parolin's breath hitched slightly. He knew all too well the commercial value of this technology; it was a market worth trillions of dollars, enough to influence the global agricultural landscape.

Lin Zhou was using massive commercial interests to trade for international recognition.

"I understand," Cardinal Parolin finally nodded. "I will report the Head of State's goodwill truthfully to His Holiness the Pope. Please believe that God will not treat any child with piety and goodwill unfairly."

Qin Yue knew it was a success.

Just as she was preparing to take her leave, Cardinal Parolin suddenly called out to her.

"Minister Qin, is the Head of State doing... well recently?"

"The Head of State is doing well, thank you for your concern."

"That is good." Cardinal Parolin revealed a meaningful smile. "Please tell him that sometimes, the recognition of family is more important than the recognition of the whole world."

Qin Yue felt a stir in her heart, but she didn't ask further and politely took her leave.

Almost at the same time, in Beijing.

Lin Zhou received an unexpected call; the caller ID showed it was his mother.

"Zhou, is something wrong with your sister at school...?" On the other end of the line, Wang Xiue's tone sounded very worried.

"What's wrong, Mom?" Lin Zhou's heart skipped a beat.

"Her homeroom teacher just called the house, and the tone was very bad. He said Lin Wan's grades were fine, but she suddenly started making a scene about wanting to transfer to some arts class and wanting to apply to the Film Academy. He also said... he said this was all because you, as her older brother, led her astray."

Wang Xiue continued: "Your father's opinion is to listen to you. You have big ideas; whatever you say, we will do. But that teacher's attitude is very firm, saying this concerns the child's entire life, and we parents must go to the school tomorrow to talk to him in person."