Air Exchange, Probing

"Please sit wherever you like..."

Upon entering Wo Delike's study, the charismatic gentleman greeted Lin Qi with great enthusiasm.

He walked to the bar, pulled out a bottle of his treasured wine, and asked, "Would you like something? Juice, or coffee?"

"Okay!" Lin Qi replied casually, sitting comfortably on the sofa. He could clearly feel that he had gained some weight in front of Wo Delike.

But these are only a few, not a significant number.

In the past, this gentleman probably wouldn't have asked him if he wanted a drink, or even brought up the matter at all. He would have gone straight to the topics he wanted to discuss and then told him to get lost.

But now, he not only asks Lin Qi if he wants a drink, but also pours it for him and brings it over himself. This is change, and it's something everyone is pursuing—a change in status.

Wo Delike, carrying two glasses of wine, sat down to Lin Qi's right and handed Lin Qi his glass. "The news and the things said about you in the newspapers these past few days have been going crazy."

The Federal, the Bayer Federation, is essentially a giant arena for politics and capitalists. Behind anything that seems incomprehensible, there is actually the influence of political and capitalist forces.

Logically speaking, during the well-known "honeymoon period" between the Federal and Gefra, news such as "Gefra is bound to lose" should not frequently appear in newspapers and media, as this would definitely be an impact on the diplomatic relations between the two sides.

Strangely, the Federal Office of News Management did not impose any mandatory requirements on the content published by these news media outlets. In fact, the frequent reporting gave people a strange and peculiar feeling, as if someone was pushing these things behind the scenes.

Some astute individuals, though lacking access to high-level information, have already noticed this. As for politicians or capitalists at the higher levels with broader perspectives, they generally understand why public opinion is so fervently advocating for Gefra's inevitable defeat.

Because of the possibility of naval battles breaking out at any time, once a naval battle breaks out and victory is achieved, the victorious Federal will undoubtedly not cover up Gefra's "ugly" behavior. Instead, they will use various means to spread the truth about the matter.

The news that Gefra's invincible Royal Navy had been defeated by the Federal Navy in a naval battle would have a significant, and positive, impact on the entire world order.

People inherently do not want anyone to be above them, so if someone can change the current state of international military power, that would definitely be a good thing.

Even better, the one who defeated Gefra was the Bayer Federation, which was not aggressive or confrontational and always wanted to remain neutral...

Wo Delike had called Lin Qi in to discuss these matters.

"Will we win?" He raised his glass, clinked it against Lin Qi's, and took a sip.

Lin Qi appeared remarkably relaxed when faced with what should have been a very serious topic. "Of course, we have no reason to lose."

"But the Royal Navy of Gefra has not appeared yet..." Wo Delike carefully considered his words, "...has not suffered a major defeat, and they have the world's most recognized navy."

Lin Qi shrugged indifferently and placed his glass on the coffee table. "Wo Delike, perhaps the Royal Navy of Gefra is indeed very powerful, and it is even possible that we are no match for them, but we have no reason to lose."

"I'm not making this conclusion blindly; there are reasons behind it."

Wo Delike made excellent listening gestures and expressions; he straightened his posture and looked very attentive.

"For the Gefra, they just wanted to test our naval strength and teach their 'disobedient lackeys' a lesson. They had no intention of actually waging war against us; it was all just to achieve these goals."

"It's about demonstrating their military might and defining their territory. They may not have paid much attention to this naval battle at the national strategic level, but that doesn't mean the other side didn't."

"But, Wo Delike, this naval battle, which the Gefra believe they will win 100 percent of the time and which they do not take very seriously, is of utmost importance to us."

"A clash with the world's number one navy can help us discover the strengths and weaknesses of our navy in terms of tactics and execution capabilities, allow us to identify any design problems in our warships, and let our soldiers experience the atmosphere of war."

"Moreover, it is no exaggeration to say that this naval battle, which is not so important to Gefra, is related to the fate of the Federal. We have made a lot of meticulous arrangements..." Lin Qi paused here.

He recalled some things he had discussed with Mr. Truman, including whether the Navy was adequately prepared, particularly psychologically.

After all, confronting the World's Number One Naval Power is more about psychological pressure. This isn't like the Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains; no matter how much you struggle, the mountain won't respond or harm you.

This is an attack on the world's number one. If you fire your cannons, the other side will fire back. Moreover, those on the other side have more experience and stronger mental fortitude. On the battlefield, the psychological resilience of Sergeant can sometimes affect the course of a war.

Especially in naval warfare! In land warfare, if you can't win, you can run away. But on the vast ocean, if you can't win, there's nowhere to run. So once you're at a disadvantage, the psychological pressure on the soldiers will increase dramatically.

Either ralli and fight to the death, or if you're going to die anyway, you might as well drag the rest down with you to hell.

But it's also possible that a complete emotional breakdown will follow.

They would run into the cabin, hide in a dark corner, holding a dog tag, a necklace, or a Bible, and pray that they would survive.

Mr. Truman told Lin Qi that he didn't need to worry about these things, as the Navy was not only actively preparing for war but also providing psychological counseling, and that the Navy had given a firm order.

Even if it means ramming, we must sink all of Gefra's ships. We must trade lives for lives. We can only win, we cannot lose.

As for those who might not have met the psychological requirements, they were promptly reassigned to ships that were not participating in this naval battle.

Therefore, the Federal will surely win this naval battle!

Lin Qi spoke with great confidence, which prompted Wo Delike to nod repeatedly in agreement with Lin Qi's views. By the end, he seemed to be full of confidence in the naval battle as well.

"Speaking of which..." he chuckled twice, "Li Ya's chaos just happened at the right time!"

He looked at Lin Qi meaningfully, "Gefra has invested a lot of resources and energy in Li Ya. Now that things are in chaos there, it has diverted Gefra's attention, so they will not pay as much attention to this naval battle as before."

What do you mean? Lin Qi looked at Wo Delike without changing his expression. "Wo Delike seems to be very familiar with the situation in Li Ya. I've read some reports in the newspapers. Their rule is very brutal and cruel."

Wo Delike sighed heavily, seemingly empathizing with the situation. "That's the most terrifying thing about monarchy: power is above the people. The ruler can treat the people under his rule according to his own preferences. If the ruler is a tyrant, it will be a nightmare for the ordinary people living there."

Lin Qi observed Wo Delike's expression and eyes, and asked, "Do you have business in Li Ya?"

Wo Delike shook his head. "The Gefra people are xenophobic. Their military strength makes them feel superior, and they consider the Federal people to be country bumpkins and inferiors."

"They won't leave the good business to foreign businessmen. The business they can give to foreign businessmen is one with a very low rate of return, and it may even lead to some problems."

Lin Qi nodded as if he agreed. "I thought you had some business dealings in Li Ya, Wo Delike!"

"No!" Wo Delike answered decisively.

This was a small test between them. The chaos in Li Ya was quite coincidental; just as a naval battle was about to break out, turmoil suddenly occurred, instantly drawing Gefra's attention to it.

This led Wo Delike to instinctively believe that the Federal government must have interfered in this matter and that the unrest was instigated by them.

Of course, Wo Delike himself also supported Resistance Organization, and he enjoyed watching others struggle, especially the arrogant Gefra.

The two men's probing may not have yielded any results, but they both gained a general understanding that "this guy on the other side has definitely interfered in the unrest in Li Ya."

Wo Delike's probing seemed abrupt and somewhat... unwise, but in reality, he was sending a signal.

Lin Qi's deep involvement in the impending series of events gave Wo Delike the feeling that Lin Qi was also a key planner.

Whether it's the large-scale development of Nagaril or the potential interests in the Amelia Region, these are enough to alarm a major capitalist like Wo Delike.

The former, the benefits of developing a country are absolutely astonishing, but the dangers and risks are also astonishing. Even Wo Delike and the consortium behind him cannot avoid any dangers and risks. He must unite with some people to work together in order to spread the risks and reduce his own danger.

The latter requires more than just capital and semi-official support; it also needs official backing to protect any potential business ventures that may take place there.

Lin Qi's deep involvement sends a signal and prepares for certain things in the future, so that he will be "one of us" when the time comes, instead of having to work hard to become "one of us".