Chapter 265

Eleven o'clock at night, Eagle Country White House underground bunker.

In the replica of the Oval Office, President Carlson stared at the three screens on the wall.

Left screen: Sakura Province residents lining up to receive new ID cards, smiling.

Middle screen: Tokyo streets, Longguo police mechs helping an old lady cross the road.

Right screen: A fifteen-second clip of Takeda Masayoshi being executed by a laser, playing on a loop.

Carlson held a newly declassified document in his hand.

That was the "secret support plan" he personally approved three months ago to be sent to the Foot-Basin Chicken right-wing forces, promising "military aid at the appropriate time."

Appropriate time?

Now the Foot-Basin Chicken was gone.

"Mr. President..." Secretary of State Wilson stood in front of the desk, his voice dry.

"The Longguo Ministry of Foreign Affairs just sent a note, demanding we explain the 'interference in other countries' internal affairs'."

"Explain?" Carlson smiled bitterly, "Explain what? That we thought we could rely on those lunatics to drag Longguo down? As a result, they were destroyed and reorganized in three days?"

Secretary of Defense Murdoch lowered his head: "The most troublesome thing is not this... it's that all the communication records of our secret conspiracy with the White Elephant and the Foot-Basin Chicken, Longguo's AI might have already mastered them."

"Might?" Carlson raised his head abruptly, "I bet that right now, in the Longguo servers, there are complete recordings of every encrypted email and every video conference we've had for the past three years!"

The office was deathly silent.

Suddenly, the red encrypted phone rang.

Carlson shuddered as if scalded, staring at the phone terminal that went directly to the highest Longguo diplomatic hotline.

He took a deep breath and picked it up.

"I am Carlson."

A calm Chinese voice came from the other end, translated simultaneously by the simultaneous interpreter:

"President Carlson, this is the Longguo Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In view of your country's recent series of actions, we believe it is necessary to redefine the relationship between the two countries."

"Redefine... what does that mean?"

"It means you have three choices now.

"First, be militarily controlled like the Foot-Basin Chicken and eventually become a province. Second, cede territory and pay reparations like the White Elephant, and reduce the military by 90%. Third..."

"What is the third?"

"Sign the 'Subordinate State Treaty,' retain the name of the country, but politics, economy, and military are all guided by Longguo."

Carlson's hands were shaking: "This... this is a humiliation to the country!"

"That's still better than losing the country," the other party paused, "Also, a reminder, White Elephant Prime Minister Modi is already on a plane to Kyoto. The path he chose is the third one."

The phone hung up.

Carlson slumped in his chair, unable to speak for a long time.

Wilson asked in a low voice: "President, we..."

"Prepare the plane," Carlson stood up, "Go to Kyoto. Go now."

"But it's the middle of the night—"

"If we don't go, tomorrow Longguo mechs might appear at the door of the White House!" Carlson roared, "Do you want to be the next Takeda?!"

Two o'clock in the morning, inside the cabin of the White Elephant Prime Minister's special plane, Modi stared at the news live stream on his tablet, the Sakura Province establishment celebration, fireworks illuminating the entire Tokyo Bay.

His diplomatic advisor said cautiously: "Prime Minister, the conditions offered by Longguo also include canceling our national currency and switching to Long coins. Will this..."

"Will what?" Modi smiled bitterly, "Do you think we still have the qualifications to bargain?"

He pulled up another set of data: "In the past three months, because of Longguo's energy price cuts, our manufacturing costs were 300% higher than Longguo's. 80% of foreign capital ran away, and the unemployment rate rose to 40%. If this continues, we will collapse ourselves before Longguo even attacks."

"But the military clauses... every city must have troops stationed, and we have to bear the cost of the garrison—"

"At least we can still live," Modi interrupted him.

"Do you know, I received intelligence yesterday that Longguo's Houyi project, that strategic laser weapon that can strike Blue Star directly from the moon, has completed its third test firing."

He pointed to the dark night sky outside the window: "The only thing in their eyes now is aliens, and us? We don't even have the qualifications to be a stumbling block."

The plane flew through the clouds toward the east.

At the same time, inside the Longguo Kyoto State Guest House.

Although it was three o'clock in the morning, it was still brightly lit.

Feng Yan rarely wore formal attire, although his tie was tied a bit crooked.

Sitting in the reception hall, next to him were the Minister of Foreign Affairs and military representatives.

Wang Hao's holographic projection muttered in the corner: "Brother Feng, your tie looks like a noose."

"Shut up," Feng Yan glared at him, "Chen Guang, are you ready?"

Chen Guang's projection pushed up his glasses: "Torch Dragon-3 has already pulled out all the 'black materials' of the two countries, ready to be projected at any time. Also, every page of the treaty has been embedded with quantum encrypted watermarks, which cannot be unilaterally modified after signing."

"Good."

At three-thirty in the morning, the first car arrived.

White Elephant Prime Minister Modi walked into the reception hall, followed by only two assistants, the display being more shabby than any previous visit.

"President Feng," Modi greeted in stiff Chinese, "Sorry to disturb you so late."

"Sit," Feng Yan pointed to the sofa opposite, "Would you like some tea? Longjing, just brewed."

"Thank you..."

Modi picked up the teacup, his hands shaking a little.

Just as he was about to speak, Feng Yan spoke first: "Prime Minister Modi, let's get straight to the point. This is the draft of the 'Subordinate State Treaty,' please take a look."

The tablet was pushed in front of him.

Modi flipped through it quickly, his face turning paler as he read.

The terms were more detailed and harsher than what was said on the phone:

Article 1: The White Elephant country shall dissolve all armed forces effective immediately, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Strategic Forces. All weapons and equipment shall be received or destroyed by Longguo.

Article 2: Longguo shall station troops in all major cities throughout the White Elephant territory, with garrison costs borne by the White Elephant (estimated to account for 8% of the White Elephant's GDP).

Article 3: The political system shall remain as it is, but all major decisions must be approved by the "Steering Committee" stationed by Longguo.

Article 4: The economy shall be fully connected to the Longguo system, the national currency shall be canceled, and Long coins shall be used instead. Tariff autonomy shall be transferred to Longguo.

Article 5: The technology sector shall be fully opened, and Longguo shall have priority usage rights for all technologies...

The most ruthless part was the final additional clause:

"The White Elephant country voluntarily renounces its national title and renames itself the 'White Elephant Special Administrative Region,' with a five-year transition period. After five years, it will be decided whether to upgrade to a Longguo province based on the situation."

Modi raised his head, his voice trembling: "This... what is the difference between this and losing the country?"

"There is a difference," the Minister of Foreign Affairs said calmly, "Losing the country means the land and people are completely annexed. And you... at least you can retain your culture, religion, and partial autonomy."

"Of course," Feng Yan added, "If you want to experience the treatment of Sakura Province, we can also arrange it: three days of military control, seven days of reconstruction, one month of provincialization. You choose for yourselves."

Modi was silent.

He remembered the Sakura Province data he saw on the plane earlier: wages tripled, crime rate dropped by 90%, electricity prices were only one-tenth...

"I..." he gritted his teeth, "I need to discuss it with the cabinet—"

"There's no time," Feng Yan looked at his watch, "Carlson's plane arrives at four. If he signs first, you won't even have the qualifications to be a subordinate state, you can only be a 'protected territory,' and the treatment will be worse then."

Sweat poured down Modi's forehead.

At three-fifty in the morning, he finally picked up the electronic pen and signed his name on the tablet.

Fingerprint, iris, and voiceprint triple verification passed.

The treaty took effect.

Almost simultaneously, the door to the reception hall was pushed open.

Eagle Country President Carlson walked in, looking travel-worn, and was stunned to see Modi sitting there: "You already signed?"

Modi nodded with a bitter smile.

Carlson looked at Feng Yan: "Are the conditions... the same?"

"Wait a moment," Feng Yan pulled up another document, "The Eagle Country treaty... has three added clauses."

"What?"

"First: Open all biological laboratories, including Fort Detrick. The Longguo expert group has the right to enter and inspect at any time."

Carlson's face changed: "This involves national security—"

"You no longer have national security," Feng Yan interrupted.

"Second: Extradite all fugitive war criminals and corrupt officials—we have the list. Third: Transfer Wall Street financial regulatory power to Longguo for ten years."

"This is impossible!" Carlson stood up, "This is to completely strangle us!"

"Then please go back," Feng Yan made a gesture to see him out, "Tomorrow at this time, Penglai will fly over Washington. We'll talk then, if the White House is still there."

Carlson froze in place.

He wanted to get angry, wanted to throw things, wanted to curse.

But the image of Takeda being executed by a laser flashed through his mind, the smiling faces of Sakura Province residents receiving ID cards, the wreckage of that aircraft carrier that sank in the East Sea...

Finally, he sat back down slowly, his voice sounding as if he had aged ten years:

"Give me the pen."

At four-fifteen in the morning, both "Subordinate State Treaties" were signed.

The global live broadcast signal was turned on simultaneously.

The background was the starry sky and the holographic map of Sakura Province being rebuilt.

Feng Yan stood in front of the camera and announced calmly:

"Effective immediately, Eagle Country and White Elephant country have officially become subordinate states of Longguo."

"The original Foot-Basin Chicken territory is officially named 'Sakura Province'."

"Thus, all potential threats within the solar system have been completely eliminated."

The live broadcast reached the world.

Social media exploded.

Longguo domestic trending:

#Global Chief Confirmed# (Explosive)

#Pacifying the World in Three Years# (Explosive)

#Time to fight aliens next# (Hot)

Comment section:

"So we are really the Global Chief now?"

"Theoretically, Longguo Alliance + three subordinate states + Sakura Province, controls 85% of global GDP and population..."

"What do you mean 'theoretically,' this is a fact!"

"Suddenly it feels so unreal, like using a cheat code."

"To the one above, this is a technological generation gap, a dimensional strike."

Sakura Province local trending:

#Welcome new brothers# (New)

The image was photoshopped: Sakura Province residents holding signs "We were here first!", next to them photoshopped Eagle Country and White Elephant residents holding signs "Big Brother, take us with you!"

The number one trending topic on White Elephant social media was:

#At least electricity prices should drop now#

Popular comment:

"I heard Sakura Province's electricity prices dropped by 90%, when will ours drop?"

"As long as prices drop, I'll accept being a subordinate state!"

"Anyway, those politicians before didn't do anything right..."

Eagle Country Twitter trends:

#NotTheWorst

#AtLeastWeAreNotDead

#WelcomeToTheNewWorldOrder

A netizen posted a comparison picture: on the left was a photo of Carlson cursing Longguo at the UN three months ago, on the right was a photo of him lowering his head while signing the treaty just now.

Caption: "Fury → Powerless Fury → Resignation → True Fragrance. Human nature is indeed like this."

Six o'clock in the morning, Longyin cafeteria.

Wang Hao was holding a large bowl of tofu pudding, scrolling through his phone while eating:

"Hey look, White Elephant netizens are doing the math, saying that according to the treaty, their electricity bills can drop by 80%, and wages can also rise. Now they are all thanking Modi for signing so fast!"

Chen Guang pushed up his glasses: "Human nature is like this. When the benefits are tangible enough, dignity can be put aside for a while."

"What about Eagle Country?"

"Eagle Country is more troublesome," Zhao Kaiyuan's holographic projection said.

"Their financial system needs to be reorganized, there will definitely be growing pains. However... in the long run, connecting to the Longguo economic circle is also a good thing for their grassroots people."

Li Yang sent communication back from Sakura Province: "The factories here are already rushing to build Heaven's Punishment parts. Also, the newly established youth volunteer group in Sakura Province applied to go to the Moon Base as construction workers, saying they want to contribute to the survival of humanity."

Feng Yan drank some porridge and suddenly said:

"The latest data from Torch Dragon-3 is out."

Everyone looked over.

"Longguo Alliance member states: 103 → 106 (added Eagle Country, White Elephant, Sakura Province)."

"Longguo GDP global share: 68% → 79%."

"Controllable industrial capacity: 85% of the world."

He put down his bowl and looked at the brightening sky outside the window:

"Now, there are no more internal troubles in the solar system."

"We can use 100% of our resources, 100% of our energy—"

He paused, enunciating every word:

"All turned toward deep space defense."

The cafeteria was quiet for a few seconds.

Wang Hao suddenly raised his hand: "What about the victory banquet? Such a big thing, shouldn't we celebrate?"

Feng Yan smiled: "Celebrate. Today at noon, extra food in the cafeteria, my treat."

"Yay!"