A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

In this oppressive silence, Mulan's gaze, like her words, passed over the specific, overwhelmed Witt and slowly swept over the entire Bald Eagle delegation's seating area once again.

That gaze was calm, yet chilling.

There was no aggressive glare, nor the smugness of victory in sight, only a penetrating insight and profound understanding that seemed to pierce through the immediate chaos and originated from the deepest depths.

As this gaze swept over the Western faces—whether astonished, annoyed, or calculating—it strangely evoked the image of unchanging mountains, gazing upon streams changing course and cities rising and falling.

This is perhaps an invisible "tragedy" of a country with a short history.

The narratives of “betrayal” and “loyalty” they experience are often closely tied to specific, short-lived nation-building or ideological confrontations, intense yet clearly segmented, like a dramatic scene on stage with many climaxes but a thin background.

On this ancient land of the East, questions such as "loyalty and filial piety are hard to reconcile," "the distinction between Chinese and barbarians," and "a scholar will die for one who understands him," along with the accompanying glories, struggles, sacrifices, and perseverance, have been repeatedly engraved, tempered, and settled into the most resilient fibers and most sensitive nerves of the soul of the people throughout thousands of years of civilization.

From Su Wu's nineteen years of hardship herding sheep in the North Sea, to Yue Fei's burning pain of being stabbed in the back for "serving the country with utmost loyalty"; from Wen Tianxiang's swan song "Let my loyal heart shine in history," to countless eternal debates about integrity and betrayal in historical records and folk tales...

These stories and spirits are not dusty relics; they have long been transformed into part of cultural genes and ethical intuition. When needed, they can naturally flow into the words and eyes of successors like Mulan, giving them a profound moral weight and historical depth that transcends any momentary or eventful debate.

How to pick it up?

Mulan doesn't have mind-reading abilities, nor does she care how the other person responds.

Since you started this dispute, how and when it should end is no longer up to you to decide!

Just as Mulan was waiting for a rebuttal, the leader of the Bald Eagle team finally spoke up to defuse the situation: "This is our internal matter and has nothing to do with this conference!"

Again.

Upon hearing these familiar, perfunctory, procedural words, a sharp glint of almost mockery flashed in Mulan's eyes.

That's it?

She was all too familiar with that tone of voice.

The sense of familiarity did not come from books or intelligence briefs, but from more direct memories, even those filled with the smoke and frost of war—on the northern battlefield, on the other side of the negotiating table, when the other side ran out of arguments or tried to cover up key facts, the most common excuses they used were "internal affairs" and "inconvenient to discuss."

So what did we do back then?

Haha, of course, it's under the command of the current head of the delegation, beating them on the head!

Dissatisfied? Don't want to negotiate?

Then we'll send you back to the negotiating table!

However, now is not the time for him to take charge.

If the current head of the delegation were to actually stand up, his aura, forged in the crucible of war, would be so powerful that all of them would likely have to kneel.

Mulan composed herself and gave the old man, who was smiling at her, a big smile.

The current situation is far from warranting such a thunderous action.

But since the other party has resorted to the tactics of "delaying" and "separating" to try to muddy the waters and then shut the door, we cannot let him have his way.

Isn't this just sophistry and changing the subject?

You know it, but we know it even better.

Moreover, I can go further and more complicated than you, until I expose your little schemes to everyone's common-sense judgment.

In the blink of an eye, Mulan's cold expression did not turn into anger, but instead showed a hint of almost polite doubt.

“Internal affairs? Of course, every country has its internal affairs.” Her voice was calm, but she emphasized the word “internal” slightly, her gaze shifting thoughtfully between the team leader and Witt.

"What I'm curious about is how this 'internal' choice reflects a scholar's logic when faced with a conflict of 'loyalty'. This is actually a universal ethical issue that transcends cultures."

She tilted her head slightly, as if recalling something: "I remember that in your country's not-so-long history, there has never been a lack of heated debates about 'loyalty' and 'betrayal'."

For example, during the War of Independence, how do the descendants of those 'Loyalists' who chose to pledge allegiance to Lobster Country view their ancestors' 'internal choice'?

For example, less than a hundred years ago, during the Civil War that nearly tore your country apart, is the assessment of Confederate General Robert E. Lee still controversial today due to the contradiction between his 'loyalty to the state' and 'betrayal of the nation'?

Every time Mulan mentioned an example, the bald eagle leader's eye twitched almost imperceptibly. These examples were unrelated to contemporary politics, yet they were deeply rooted in the cracks of the other side's historical narrative and identity.

“You see, I am not judging history.” Mulan spread her hands, her posture calm and composed.

"I'm just saying that when 'internal choice' involves an institution like Bell Labs and another entity like a government agency that is in legal conflict with that institution, and an individual chooses to deviate from the former and closely align with the latter, it is not incomprehensible that their motives are scrutinized and questioned."

This has nothing to do with nationality; it has to do with basic human understanding of 'consistency' and 'loyalty'.

……

Mulan's words faded, but their echoes lingered in the meeting hall, especially in the bald eagle delegation's seating area, stirring up an even more complex and deathly silence.

The team leader opened his mouth, only to find that all the prepared rebuttals, based on procedures or laws, were stuck in his throat.

He felt a logical contradiction he had never experienced before.

“You Chinese…” A voice was buzzing in his head.

"After taking such a long detour and bringing up so much history, it all sounds reasonable, but when put together, isn't it implying that the very foundation of our Bald Eagle's nation-building carries the original sin of 'betraying' its mother country?"

Let's just say we're all traitors to the Lobster Country!

"Hey! You really dare to say that!"

The leader of the bald eagles stared at Mulan with a fierce glint in his eyes.

Don't you know that our leader is discussing with the Alliance about launching a massive bomb at you?

you……

How dare you be so defiant!