Chapter Summaries

Lin Qi pressured Nagaril’s delegation into recognizing the Federal Sol as legal tender and began negotiating diplomatic ties and development projects. After the talks, Mr. Truman told Lin Qi that the president wanted to appoint him a permanent special adviser to the National Security Committee.

• Lin Qi rejected Nagaril’s demands over currency reserves and control, then threatened to end negotiations and sent the delegation tickets home.
• After Nagaril’s representatives left to confer, Lin Qi outlined plans to use the Preton Pirate Group’s remnants as grounds for Federation intervention if Nagaril refused cooperation.
• The delegation returned and agreed to make the Federal Sol legal tender in the Nagaril United Kingdom.
• Lin Qi and the officials began negotiating diplomatic relations, investment, and road construction, with Nagaril raising the need for financing.
• During lunch, Mr. Truman told Lin Qi that the president wanted to hire him as a permanent special adviser to the National Security Committee.

The Federation celebrated its new diplomatic relations with Nagaril as the promise of jobs and trade lifted public spirits. In Amelia Province, Resistance Organizations struck Gefra’s power plant and another copper mine, prompting the Empire to send warships toward the region and order its fleet to confront the Federal navy.

• The Foreign Affairs Minister announced an inspection team and job opportunities in Nagaril, sparking a rise in the Federation’s markets and public enthusiasm.
• Federation media and businesses promoted Nagaril, while the phrase “Go to Nagaril” inspired people to seek work there.
• Resistance Organizations bombed Amelia Province’s power plant and attacked Mine No. 11, leaving the Governor unable to repair the damage and ordering house-to-house searches.
• The Gefra Emperor reacted angrily to the attacks and sent the Triumph Princess with escort ships toward Amelia Province.
• Gefra’s military ordered its fleet near Nagaril to speed up and engage the Federal navy, while dispatching additional ships toward Amelia Province.

A Gefra fleet ambushed the Federal navy, destroying its destroyer with a devastating broadside as the two forces closed in. The battle continued, with Federal submarines preparing for a desperate attack against the superior Gefra ships.

• A Gefra shell struck the Federal destroyer, triggering a battle alarm and damaging its stern.
• The Captain ordered the fleet to transmit its position and change formation, despite the risk of revealing its coordinates to the enemy.
• Gefra warships appeared within visual range and fired a broadside that destroyed the destroyer and sank it.
• Federal observers rose in balloons and reported the approaching Gefra fleet, while the Gefra Captain praised the balloons’ usefulness.
• The Gefra Captain drank coffee and predicted an easy victory as the fleet advanced toward the Amelia Region.
• Federal submarines began submerging with farewell letters written, reserving torpedoes for a potential suicidal attack.

The Bayer Federation Navy struggled to withstand Gefra’s stronger fleet, but its crews steadied themselves, landed hits, and launched a destroyer charge. When a Gefran destroyer suddenly sank without visible shell damage, the Gefra commander suspected a new Federation torpedo capability and ordered his fleet to keep the attackers away.

• Federation officers pushed their crews to fire before Gefra’s second salvo, and the sailors regained some morale as they focused on battle.
• The Fleet Commander ordered the Federation ships to accelerate and sent the destroyers on a charge after the Federation’s first salvo missed and the plan to trade fire proved too costly.
• Federation battleships corrected their aim and hit a Gefran warship, lifting their crews’ spirits as the ships continued exchanging salvos.
• Military observers watched the Federation fleet fight Gefra’s main formation with discipline, revising their view of its strength.
• A destroyer facing the Federation charge suddenly sank, baffling observers and the Gefra commander.
• The Gefra Commander ordered his fleet to keep Federation ships away from its firing positions and to watch for torpedoes.

The Federation Navy used submarines and improved torpedoes to cripple the Gefran fleet, then its Fleet Commander ordered the surrendering ships destroyed. The battle ended with the Federation victorious but facing the prospect of a wider war.

• A Federation submarine launched two improved torpedoes at the battleship Guardian Knight, causing severe damage and disabling its engines.
• Federation ships struck several damaged Gefran warships, and Guardian Knight raised a white flag as the Gefrans surrendered.
• The Fleet Commander weighed the strategic consequences and ordered the Federation fleet to continue attacking and exterminate the Gefran ships.
• The Federation fleet bombarded the surrendering ships while Gefran crews were rescuing survivors, destroying Guardian Knight and leaving the other ships unable to escape.
• Military observers fled the area, and news of the massacre spread through the Federation, leaving leaders fearing war was imminent.

After the Federation destroyed Gefra’s First Fleet, President and his advisers feared that the battle could trigger a new war. Mr. Truman argued that Gefra lacked the means and allies to retaliate, and Lin Qi arrived at the Presidential Palace as the President called for counsel on the Federation’s next move.

• The President gathered Cabinet members in the middle of the night and asked Mr. Truman whether the battle would lead to war with Gefra.
• Mr. Truman argued that Gefra would not go to war because its Royal Navy had been defeated by the Federation’s submarines and new torpedoes.
• The Minister of Foreign Affairs warned that Gefra could draw its allies into a conflict, but Mr. Truman maintained that the Federation’s victory would deter them.
• The National Security Committee summoned Lin Qi, who learned of the naval battle on the way to the Presidential Palace.
• Lin Qi arrived and encountered Mr. Wo Delike before they entered the palace separately.
• The President changed into appropriate clothes, moved the gathering to a larger conference room, and asked the assembled advisers to help him make a historic choice.

After the Federal Navy’s victory over Gefra, Lin Qi urged the President’s cabinet to use the battle to reshape international opinion and pressure Gefra. He proposed pursuing the remaining Gefran warships under the pretense of hunting pirates, leaving the federation poised to escalate its power diplomacy.

• The President’s cabinet discussed the destruction of Gefra’s surrendered fleet, and Mr. Wo Delike asked whether the victory could be replicated with the federation’s submarines and torpedoes.
• Mr. Wo Delike proposed publishing submarine and torpedo data to display the federation’s strength, and the President approved the plan after Mr. Truman agreed.
• Mr. Truman told the Secretary of Defense to inflate the figures released to the public and arrange for cheap, effective torpedo boats.
• At the President’s request, Lin Qi argued that the federation should claim it had fought the Preton Pirate Group, then accuse Gefra of colluding with pirates and encourage others to condemn it.
• Lin Qi learned that two Gefran battleships and other warships were headed to the Amelia Region, and proposed pursuing them while claiming to hunt the remnants of the Preton Pirate Group.

Lin Qi persuaded President Truman to redirect the returning fleet toward the Amelia Region, while the federation prepared to announce the destruction of the Preton Pirate Group and suspected Gefra warships. Gefra’s ambassador learned that his country’s navy had suffered a devastating defeat, leaving the world’s balance of power poised to change.

• Lin Qi convinced President Truman and other officials to send the returning fleet toward the waters off the Amelia Region.
• The federation surrounded Gefra’s embassy and restricted communication while its departments prepared public announcements.
• The federation’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs accused Gefra of supporting the Preton Pirate Group and said suspected Gefra warships had been sunk.
• The ambassador contacted Gefra’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, who ordered him to deny any naval connection to the pirates and gather information about the federation fleet.
• The ambassador learned that only the Triumph Princess, the Knight Captain battleship, and eight destroyer escorts remained of the First Fleet.

After the First Fleet’s destruction, the Gefra Emperor abandoned immediate retaliation and ordered intelligence gathering, shipbuilding changes, and efforts to preserve Gefra’s position. The Navy Minister secretly tried to erase evidence of his role and obtain Federal weapons data, only to learn that the Federation had publicly released it.

• The Gefra Emperor demanded an attack on the Federation, but the Defense Minister urged him to avoid war and focus on Amelia Province and Gefra’s remaining interests.
• The Emperor ordered the Army Minister to send agents to the Federation and told officials to stop building vulnerable warships, while continuing construction of three battleships.
• When the Emperor asked why Gefra had fought the naval battle, the Navy Minister stayed silent, and the Emperor ordered an investigation into him.
• The Navy Minister secretly called an associate to have Preton eliminated and obtain Federal submarine and torpedo data.
• The Navy Minister learned from a television broadcast that the Federation had published the data, which was genuine but too advanced for other countries to use effectively.

Lin Qi explained how the Federation’s claimed victory over Gefra boosted morale and industry while opening the way to secret peace talks centered on Gefra’s interests in the Amelia Region. He predicted that the two powers would profit from a stable international order until a new world war broke out.

• The Gefra Diplomat denied that Gefra had fought or lost a naval battle, and the Federal Secretary of Defense said Gefra’s First Fleet was in port while issuing a wanted order for Preton Grout.
• Federal shipbuilding and torpedo stocks soared as citizens celebrated what they believed was the defeat of Gefra’s navy.
• Lin Qi told Mr. Truman that victory had raised morale, revived industry, and established the Federation’s international position.
• Lin Qi explained that the Federation and Gefra had begun secret peace talks because both wanted to contain the crisis and protect their interests in the Amelia Region.
• Lin Qi predicted that the Federation and Gefra would prosper under a stable world order until the next World War began.

Lin Qi registered Blackstone Security Company as a private armed enterprise so it could pursue overseas military contracts and protect his interests in Nagaril and the Amelia Region. The chapter ended with his plan to use the company to fill the security role Gefra could no longer provide in Amelia.

• The Federation President and the Gefra Emperor agreed to settle their dispute as the Federation fleet left the Amelia Region after claiming Preton's pirates had fled toward Nagaril.
• Fula plunged seven percent, and people at the Department of Defense regarded Lin Qi as a successful investor after his prediction about Gefra and the currency proved right.
• Lin Qi submitted forms to register Blackstone Security Company with the Department of Defense so it could legally accept military outsourcing contracts.
• Lin Qi planned to use Blackstone Security to protect his business in Nagaril and establish a legal armed presence there.
• Lin Qi considered using the company and his information about the Amelia Region's Resistance Organization to exploit Gefra's weakened ability to secure the region.

Catherine received a request from Kurilan State University to invite Lin Qi to give a speech, and Lin Qi agreed. He planned to return and recruit veterans to expand Blackstone Security as he prepared to take on security work in the Amelia Region.

• The vice-principal asked Catherine to invite Lin Qi to speak at the university and offered him a fee and an Honorary Professor title.
• The vice-principal promised Catherine co-authorship on future papers from the Radio Miniaturization Project if she passed the invitation to Lin Qi.
• Catherine called Lin Qi that evening, and he agreed to give the speech.
• Lin Qi planned to recruit veterans through Ferral's Wife's Father and increase Blackstone Security's staff from about a hundred to at least five hundred.
• Lin Qi had reached an agreement with the Department of Defense that would ease oversight if Blackstone Security used veterans as field personnel.

Lin Qi declined the mayor of Kuli Lan City's request to invest domestically and invited him to hear more about the Trade War at State University. Meanwhile, Preton hid in the Federation after fleeing the aftermath of Gefra's naval defeat, but a young woman approached him outside a train station.

• The mayor of Kuli Lan City asked Lin Qi to invest in York State, but Lin Qi said he planned to focus on overseas development.
• The mayor asked Lin Qi to explain the Trade War, and Lin Qi invited him to attend his public speech at State University the next day.
• After learning that Gefra's royal fleet had lost to the Federation Navy, Preton cut off contact and fled to avoid capture and execution.
• Preton arrived at a Federation train station, believing he could hide there and live on money from his backup accounts.
• A young woman approached Preton outside the station and offered to have fun, while he watched her warily.

Preton met a vulnerable young girl in the Lower District and decided to use her local connections to hide from the authorities. After learning about her abusive stepfather and desperate circumstances, he offered her money to help him, and she asked whether money could solve his own problem.

• Preton paid a girl to take him to a secluded basement, where he spent the night and kept his weapons and money close.
• Preton decided he could hide among the locals by using the girl's identity and connections.
• The girl's nominal boyfriend took the twenty dollars Preton had given her, leaving her to obtain his breakfast from a wrap seller without money.
• Preton asked the girl to help him hide, and she explained that she had run away from an abusive stepfather and had no way to help anyone.
• Preton offered the girl thousands of dollars and suggested that money could solve her problems if she helped him; she asked whether it could solve his problem too.

Preton brought the girl to her family under a fabricated identity, and money changed her stepfather’s behavior as Preton settled into the neighborhood. Meanwhile, Lin Qi returned to Sabine City, accepted Ferral’s resignation as company adviser, then offered him a chance to invest in a Labor Company and his support in a future election.

• Preton cleaned the girl up at a hotel and coached her on the widower story he had invented.
• The girl’s stepfather accepted money, began protecting her, and warned Preton not to mistreat or abandon her.
• Preton gave neighbors small gifts and integrated himself into the community.
• Lin Qi met Ferral, who said his advice no longer suited Lin Qi’s expanding business, and Lin Qi agreed to let him step down as adviser.
• Lin Qi offered Ferral’s relatives a chance to invest in a Labor Company and said he supported Ferral running for office when the mayor left.

Lin Qi visited the Veterans Club with Ferral and offered the discharged soldiers jobs in overseas armed operations, screening them with questions about danger, commitment, and combat decisions. The chapter ended as the veterans prepared to answer his questions.

• Ferral explained that the mayor would likely be moved to the State Senate or possibly the House of Representatives, while Ferral might serve as mayor for only two or four years.
• Lin Qi and Ferral visited the Veterans Club, where Ferral's Wife's Father said 1,124 discharged soldiers needed work.
• Lin Qi announced that he would recruit veterans for a new job, and he warned one young soldier not to interrupt him again.
• Lin Qi asked the soldiers to answer questions about overseas work, live ammunition, injury or death, five-year contracts, and whether they would fire under specified combat conditions.

Lin Qi sorted veterans by their moral resilience and prepared to place them in defensive, suppression, or transportation work as he expanded his company. He reassured a worried Second Lieutenant that the work would serve the country, leaving the officer to consider Lin Qi’s appeal to protect their beloved country.

• Lin Qi explained that veterans would be assigned to Nagaril, the Amelia Region, or Cook’s Transportation Company according to their temperament and abilities.
• Lin Qi had the veterans complete five questions, then collected their answer sheets for review.
• The Second Lieutenant visited Lin Qi to ask what the veterans would be expected to do if they met his requirements.
• Lin Qi told the Second Lieutenant that he was a Department of Defense partner and described the duties as guarding and suppression.
• The Second Lieutenant affirmed his love and loyalty to the country, and Lin Qi urged him to help defend its freedom, peace, and interests.

Lin Qi investigated Vera’s concerns about missing company profits and overspending in the capital, then gave Director Johnson money to help him move away with Michael’s pregnant wife and enroll Little Michael in boarding school. He planned to travel to York State Capital the next day, while both Vera’s accounting concerns and the family’s troubles remained unresolved.

• Lin Qi visited Vera, who told him that the company’s accounts did not add up and that the capital development project had exceeded its budget.
• Lin Qi thanked Vera for her work and offered to help, then saw her withdrawn son return home and go upstairs without greeting him.
• Lin Qi arranged a ticket to York State Capital and later met Director Johnson by a lake after the director summoned him.
• Lin Qi wrote Director Johnson a transfer check for fifteen thousand dollars after learning he needed money to move away with Michael’s wife and send Little Michael to boarding school.

Lin Qi learned that Hart had fled with investors’ money and traveled to the capital to investigate who had been stealing from him. Meanwhile, Richard woke after a drug-fueled night and eagerly joined a high-stakes card game, intent on winning everything from the other players.

• Director Johnson thanked Lin Qi for helping him and explained that he would soon be transferred to a lower-level office as the new director took over.
• Director Johnson told Lin Qi that Hart had sold houses in his project multiple times and fled with more than ten million dollars, leaving the mayor, Mark, and other investors with heavy losses.
• Lin Qi returned home, considered Hart’s fate and international conflicts, then boarded a train to the capital to investigate who had been stealing his money.
• Richard woke in a trashed villa among intoxicated companions, washed up, ordered food, and left in his luxury car.
• Richard arrived at a villa hosting a card game, collected chips, and sat down intending to win all the other players’ money.

Richard lost nine thousand yuan gambling, then reflected on the auction scheme he used to steal company earnings. After deciding to stop gambling if he lost another five thousand, he returned to find Lin Qi at the table, and Lin Qi invited him to play one hand.

• Richard lost a final hand to a pair and discovered he had lost nine thousand yuan that afternoon.
• Richard left the gambling room, bought cigarettes, and considered how his gambling losses had pushed him to divert company earnings.
• Richard recalled secretly selling auction items, replacing them with cheaper goods, and hiding the resulting shortfalls.
• Richard returned and decided he would leave if he lost another five thousand yuan.
• As Richard asked the waiter to settle his bill, Lin Qi invited him to play one hand, and Richard recognized his voice.