The Secretary of Defense frowned.
This flat refusal, which left no room whatsoever for negotiation, had caught him completely off guard. They had not even offered an excuse! Were they saying they would not even discuss such terms?
But surely he could not just copy the other party and say, "Oh, so that's a no!" then laugh it off and leave it at that?
Wouldn't that kill America's entire plan to invite Ghost Captain on this particular occasion and use the greater good and public opinion to pressure him into joining the Earth Defense Force?
"Uh... may I ask whether you have any concerns? Surely we share the same position when it comes to confronting an extraterrestrial civilization?" the Secretary of Defense asked with a frown.
He believed this must be a negotiating tactic, a retreat intended to secure an advance.
"Concerns? This has nothing to do with concerns. The Captain simply hasn't authorized me to join any organization, so I cannot agree to your request!" Codename's logic was actually very simple: anything Nie Yun had authorized was open to discussion; anything he had not authorized did not need discussing at all.
Naturally, Nie Yun would not actually trust the still adorably dim-witted Codename to handle all his affairs with full authority. Otherwise, if Codename's brain short-circuited and turned The Sims into Screw Your Boss, would he have to honor the deal or wriggle out of it?
He had no intention of discussing unrelated matters with the various countries anyway, so he had simply and bluntly defined two areas of authorization and told Codename, "If it falls within these two areas, you can negotiate however you like. If it falls outside them, just say 'no'!"
It was the same principle as building a playroom for a mischievous child and letting