Chapter 381: Laiteli's Anger

Laiteli completely broke down; his complexion turned pale, then flushed deep red, and finally became almost purple.

He slammed his hands onto the table, and the sound of his teeth grinding could be heard throughout the entire conference hall.

"Enough! This is not a negotiation, this is naked extortion!" Laiteli roared.

"Does Long Country want to destroy Star-Spangled Country? If these conditions are accepted, Star-Spangled Country will forever be reduced to a second-rate nation! We would rather fight to the last man than accept such humiliation!"

He turned to the Beijixiong Guo representative: "Mr. Novikov, I formally protest! Long Country has absolutely no sincerity in negotiating; these conditions are utterly ridiculous!"

Novikov looked troubled: "Mr. Laiteli, please calm down. Although the conditions are indeed harsh, this is only the beginning of the negotiations; both sides can put forward their own positions and room for concessions."

Laiteli, however, could no longer control his emotions; he grabbed the folder in front of him and slammed it heavily onto the table:

"This is not a negotiation! This is banditry! Star-Spangled Country will never yield to such unreasonable demands!"

He scanned the entire venue, staring especially at the press area: "I want the whole world to know that it is Long Country that has destroyed the peace process! It is Long Country that has proposed these impossible conditions!"

Minister Zhang remained smiling:

"Mr. Laiteli is so agitated, is it because your country is indeed in the wrong? The war was provoked by your country, the losses were caused by your country, so what is improper about demanding compensation now?"

Laiteli was trembling with rage, and finally, he almost shouted: "I request a recess! The Star-Spangled Country delegation needs time to deliberate!"

Novikov immediately agreed: "A two-hour recess; we will continue at three o'clock in the afternoon."

Laiteli said nothing more and left the venue in a fury with his team.

Before leaving, he glared viciously at Li Mingyuan and said through gritted teeth: "You will pay the price for this!"

Li Mingyuan remained unmoved, merely smiling slightly: "Mr. Laiteli, we are just discussing facts. If the conditions are too harsh, your country can propose a counter-offer instead of throwing a tantrum."

After the entire Star-Spangled Country delegation had left, Novikov walked to the Long Country side and whispered to Minister Zhang:

"Minister Zhang, your conditions are indeed a bit... too harsh."

Minister Zhang shrugged: "Mr. Novikov, this is just the starting point of the negotiations. As you can see, the Star-Spangled Country delegation has absolutely no attitude of admitting their mistakes; we must give them some 'education'."

Novikov shook his head: "I hope this 'education' does not lead to a complete breakdown of the negotiations."

Li Mingyuan interjected at this moment: "Don't worry, Mr. Novikov. Star-Spangled Country needs this peace talk more urgently than we do. They will come back, and they will make concessions."

Novikov looked deeply at Li Mingyuan, seemingly wanting to see through the young man's thoughts:

"Mr. Li, you seem to have a very thorough understanding of Star-Spangled Country's psychology."

Li Mingyuan smiled slightly: "No special understanding is needed, just basic human judgment. When a person is backed into a corner and is unwilling to admit defeat, it is very easy to predict how they will react."

Minister Zhang stood up and signaled for the members of the Long Country delegation to take a short break:

"Mr. Novikov, thank you for your mediation. See you this afternoon."

When the Long Country delegation entered the lounge, Dean He could not help but laugh out loud:

"Seeing the expression on the Star-Spangled Country representative's face, my life is complete! Especially when Laiteli heard the clause about technology transfer, he looked like he had swallowed a fly!"

The Military Department director also could not hide his excitement: "Chief Engineer Li, this move of yours is truly brilliant! First, propose outrageous conditions to make them fume with rage, and then we slowly 'make concessions' to finally achieve the conditions we truly want."

Li Mingyuan, however, was exceptionally calm: "Don't be happy too soon; this is only the first round. Although Star-Spangled Country is currently at a disadvantage, they will never easily admit defeat. When they return this afternoon, they will definitely have a new strategy."

Minister Zhang nodded: "Chief Engineer Li is right. We must remain calm and act according to the plan. The Star-Spangled Country delegation is surely contacting their home government urgently right now to seek new instructions. We must be prepared to deal with all kinds of possibilities."

Li Mingyuan stood by the window, looking at the city skyline in the distance, his mind filled with thoughts.

This negotiation was just the beginning of a larger game.

Star-Spangled Country might be at a disadvantage now, but they would never sit and wait for death.

……

After the Star-Spangled Country delegation left the venue, they headed straight for the secret conference room inside the embassy.

As soon as the door closed, Laiteli, like an angry bull, slammed the folder in his hand heavily onto the table.

"This is an absolute insult!" he roared, his voice trembling with agitation,

"Who does Long Country think they are? The victors? They dare to talk to us like this just by relying on one damn Mushroom egg!"

Deputy Foreign Minister Robinson wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Mr. Laiteli, calm down. We need to report the situation to our country immediately and request new instructions."

Technical Consultant Johnson smiled bitterly: "Transfer of three hundred core technology patents? Sending five hundred experts? They are trying to sweep up all our industrial secrets!"

The Military Representative, Rear Admiral Pakesen, said in a deep voice:

"If we agree to these conditions, the strategic network we have operated in the region for decades will completely collapse. Once we withdraw from the Sakura and Taiji Tiger military bases, we will never be able to check Long Country again."

Economic Consultant Miler shook his head and sighed: "Fifty billion in compensation plus thirty billion in humanitarian compensation—this is equivalent to the sum of our defense budget for two years! If you add the low-cost resource supply and trade priority, the Star-Spangled Country economy will fall into at least three years of hardship!"

Laiteli paced back and forth, the veins on his forehead bulging: "The problem is, do we have a choice?"

There was silence in the conference room; everyone was thinking about this cruel question.

"Perhaps... we can just let it all burn," Intelligence Officer Smith suddenly spoke up, "Reject these unreasonable conditions and prepare for the worst."

"Are you talking about continuing the war?" Robinson asked in disbelief.

A flash of ruthlessness crossed Smith's eyes: "Not just war. If Long Country dares to use a Mushroom egg, we can use ours too. Two for two; at worst, we perish together!"

"Madman!" Miler exclaimed, "Do you know what this means? This will lead to an irreversible catastrophe!"

General Pakesen pondered: "I am not endorsing Smith's extreme suggestion, but we should indeed show some tough posturing. Perhaps we can seek support from Beijixiong Guo; they certainly do not want to see Long Country rise as a new superpower either."

Just as the discussion reached a stalemate, the embassy Communication Officer hurried in: "Everyone, there is an urgent telegram. First is a direct order from the Leader, and second is the latest assessment from the intelligence department."

Laiteli took the telegram and, after a quick glance, his complexion became even gloomier:

"The Leader orders us to strive for better conditions as much as possible, but to avoid a breakdown in negotiations 'at all costs'."

He handed the second telegram to the others to read: "The intelligence department assesses that Long Country has already established a second test site near the Mushroom egg explosion point, and it is expected that they are preparing for the test explosion of a second or even a third Mushroom egg."