Chapter 481: Various Cooperation Requests

The First Leader's office, deep within the Kremlin.

"We must accept the fact that we cannot replicate Long Country's technology in the short term," Sokolov stood before the desk, his voice low, "Preliminary assessments of the 'Steel Dome' project show that even if we mobilize the nation's best scientists, it will take at least seven to ten years to build a similar system."

The First Leader's expression grew even gloomier: "Seven to ten years... by then, Long Country's technological advantage will be even more insurmountable."

"The key lies in that Li Mingyuan," Kolbov interjected, "Our intelligence shows that the core concepts of the 'Sky Net' system almost entirely come from this person. He seems to possess some kind of... advanced insight."

The First Leader stared at Kolbov: "What are you implying?"

"I am not sure," Kolbov answered cautiously, "but one thing is strange: before Li Mingyuan appeared, Long Country's technological level matched our expectations. Since he took power, Long Country has suddenly achieved leapfrog development in multiple fields, and these breakthroughs often adopted methods we had never heard of."

The First Leader frowned in thought: "You mean... he might have obtained special knowledge from somewhere? Perhaps some defecting scientist? Or..."

"Or some kind of possibility we have not yet considered," Kolbov said meaningfully, "In any case, we must strengthen our investigation into him. To understand Li Mingyuan is to understand the secret of Long Country's technological breakthroughs."

The First Leader nodded: "Agreed. Use every resource; I want to know everything about this person—his past, his thoughts, his source of knowledge. At the same time, accelerate the R&D progress of the 'Steel Dome', at any cost."

He stood up and walked to the map in the office, his finger lightly tracing the outline of Long Country: "A technologically advanced Long Country will completely change the world landscape. We must adapt to this new reality as soon as possible, otherwise..."

The First Leader did not finish, but everyone in the room understood that terrifying conclusion.

However, just as the two major powers were mired in technological panic and strategic reassessment, other parts of the world saw a subtle change in their attitude toward Long Country.

Camel Country, inside the capital palace.

"This is a historic opportunity," the Minister of Defense reported to the King with enthusiasm, "Long Country not only demonstrated astonishing Missile technology, but also possesses the world's only Missile Anti-aircraft System. If we can establish a closer cooperative relationship with them..."

The King nodded, a shrewd light flickering in his eyes: "Yes, looking for new sources of technology outside the two major powers is a wise move. Moreover, by cooperating with Long Country, we don't have to worry about those cumbersome political conditions."

"According to our intelligence," the Minister of Foreign Affairs added, "multiple countries have already begun contacting Long Country to explore the possibility of military technology cooperation. This includes the Dog Tycoon Kingdom, the Baba Sheep Federation, and even the Taiji Tiger country, which has always been close to the Star-Spangled Country, is quietly taking action."

The King pondered for a moment: "Then we must get ahead of them. Immediately arrange for an Advanced delegation to visit Long Country to express our strong interest in military technology cooperation. Especially their Missile technology and Anti-aircraft System."

"Your Majesty, the Star-Spangled Country might not be happy..." the Minister of Foreign Affairs hesitated.

The King sneered: "The Star-Spangled Country? They are overwhelmed themselves right now, do they still have the mind to manage us? Besides, the weapons they give us are always old models, and high-end technology is never shared. But Long Country... perhaps they will be more generous."

Dog Tycoon Kingdom, Royal Military Commission.

"Long Country's military technology is shocking," the Minister of Defense reported to the royal family members, "especially the 'Changfeng' series Missile and the 'Sky Net' Anti-aircraft System, which completely exceeded our expectations."

"Can we buy them?" a young prince asked straightforwardly.

The Minister of Defense revealed a faint smile: "That is exactly what I wanted to say. According to preliminary contacts, Long Country seems willing to discuss some form of technology transfer or military cooperation. Of course, it won't be cutting-edge technology like the 'Sky Net' system, but some improved versions of the Anti-aircraft System and medium-range Missile might be within the scope of negotiations."

"What is the price?" the royal minister asked cautiously.

"Besides money, they seem particularly interested in several fields," the Minister of Defense opened his notebook, "First is energy cooperation, especially oil supply; second is the trade of certain rare metals; third is... the cooperative development of ports and shipping facilities."

"Ports?" several royal family members looked at each other, "Do they want to establish a Base on our territory?"

"Not exactly," the Minister of Defense explained, "According to them, this is more to expand bilateral trade and technical cooperation. But in any case, this is a direction worth considering. The Star-Spangled Country's weapon supply always comes with various political conditions, while Long Country seems to focus more on purely commercial relationships."

After a moment of silence, the eldest royal family member nodded: "Arrange an official visit. We need to know more details, especially how advanced their military technology really is, and to what extent they are willing to share."

Baba Sheep Federation, emergency meeting at the Presidential Palace.

"The success of the 'Sky Net' system has completely changed our strategic choices," the Minister of Defense said to the President and cabinet members, "If Long Country is willing to share part of the technology with us, even a simplified version of the Anti-aircraft System, it will greatly enhance our national defense capabilities."

The President pondered for a moment: "Long Country has had friction with us; will they be willing to cooperate?"

"According to preliminary contacts through diplomatic channels, they have shown a certain degree of openness," the Minister of Foreign Affairs replied, "especially after we proposed the possibility of opening the use rights of East Coast port facilities."

"Ports?" the Minister of Finance frowned, "What do they want?"

"They expressed the hope to establish a 'Friendly Trading Post'," the Minister of Foreign Affairs explained, "on the surface, it is to promote bilateral trade, but obviously, this will provide them with a foothold in our region."

The President was silent for a while, then asked: "What does the Star-Spangled Country say?"

"They strongly oppose any military technology cooperation with Long Country," the Minister of Defense smiled bitterly, "but ironically, when we asked them to provide similar technology, they said the 'technology is not yet mature' or 'it exceeds the scope of cooperation'."

The President stood up and walked to the map in the office: "We need to balance the relationships between all parties, but we cannot miss this opportunity for a technological upgrade. Arrange a secret delegation to first understand what Long Country is willing to provide and what their true intentions are. At the same time, regarding the port usage rights, we need to be very cautious..."

404 Base, Li Mingyuan's office.

"The response is even stronger than I expected," Minister Zhang pushed the door open and entered, his face carrying unconcealable excitement, "Less than a week after the 'Sky Net' test, fifteen countries have already expressed their intention for military technology cooperation through various channels!"

Li Mingyuan was reviewing blueprints at the desk; hearing this, he only gave a faint smile: "As expected. The two major powers have always monopolized high-end military technology, and other countries have long been dissatisfied. Now that there is a new choice, they naturally flock to it."

"The most interesting thing is," Minister Zhang said excitedly, "they are not only interested in our weapons, many countries have also expressed willingness to open ports, allowing us to establish 'Friendly Trading Post' or 'Technical Service Center'! Camel Country even hinted that the possibility of a military base could be discussed!"

Li Mingyuan looked up, a glimmer of satisfaction flashing in his eyes: "Then, it is time to advance to the next stage of the plan."