61: Chapter 61 From Island Owner to President

The panic among the citizens grew with each passing day, and those with the ability or connections had already begun planning to emigrate to Australia, New Zealand, or Fiji through various channels.

The meetings in Fiji were conducted under high secrecy.

Colt personally led the team, engaging in closed-door consultations with only a few people, including the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, and the Finance Minister of Tuvalu.

After the initial probing, the Tuvaluan side threw out a figure: ten billion dollars.

This was the amount they estimated would be a reasonable price to properly relocate the nation's eleven thousand people to developed countries, repay foreign debts, and establish a permanent cultural fund.

Colt adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, his expression remaining unchanged, though he understood the situation perfectly.

This was a typical case of asking for the moon and waiting for a counter-offer.

He responded calmly, pointing out that ten billion dollars was unrealistic and hinting that while the client's financial resources were not infinite, their sincerity and the package solution they offered were unique.

He brought a detailed proposal: the client was willing to provide a total sum of two hundred and fifty million dollars.

Of that, fifty million dollars would be used to immediately clear all of Tuvalu's foreign debts;

One hundred million dollars would establish a Tuvaluan National Voluntary Migration Fund, to be distributed directly to families and individuals who chose to renounce their Tuvaluan nationality and find their own immigration paths, amounting to nearly ten thousand dollars per person—a huge sum for many families;

The remaining one hundred million dollars would be used to purchase Tuvalu's national assets, legal continuity, and exclusive development and management rights over that territory and its Exclusive Economic Zone in the future.

At the same time, the client promised to provide support for the preservation of Tuvaluan cultural symbols on any new territory or platform in the future.

"Two hundred and fifty million compared to ten billion—the gap is too wide!" the Tuvaluan Finance Minister said, shaking his head.

Colt said calmly, "Mr. Minister, ten billion is a dream; two hundred and fifty million is a reality that can be obtained immediately to solve your pressing needs.

With this relocation allowance, citizens can more easily obtain visas or settlement qualifications for New Zealand and Australia.

Debts will be cleared instantly.

And this..." He pointed toward the Pacific Ocean outside the window, "this land that requires huge sums for maintenance every year yet continues to sink, along with the waters you lack the capacity to effectively manage and develop, will have their endless future troubles and investments taken over by us.

More importantly, time is not on your side.

Weather models show that over the next two months, a new round of powerful storm systems is forming, and their path is likely to pass through Funafuti again.

Next time, how great will the losses be?

To what level will the national panic reach?

At that time, will there still be such a well-considered solution with cold, hard cash placed before you?"

The Tuvaluan leadership fell into silence.

They knew Colt was telling the truth.

The threat of the storms was like the Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads.

The citizens' patience and hope were being drained by repeated flooding and salinization.

The subsequent negotiations entered a tug-of-war.

The Tuvaluan side tried to raise the price, while Colt refused to budge an inch, though he agreed to grant the other party maximum dignity within the legal framework and ceremonial aspects.

The framework for the final secret agreement was reached two weeks later:

National Migration: The Tuvaluan government would use storm warnings and the survival crisis to publicly encourage and assist citizens in using the migration fund to independently choose to emigrate to other countries.

The government would provide the necessary documentation facilities.

The goal was to facilitate the vast majority of citizens voluntarily renouncing their Tuvaluan nationality and completing immigration procedures within three weeks.

The remaining few who were unwilling to leave would be handled by the new government for subsequent resettlement.

Power Transition: After the basic migration of the citizens was complete, the Tuvaluan Parliament would convene a special session to pass a constitutional amendment allowing administrative power to be delegated in a specific manner for the survival of the nation and the welfare of the people under special circumstances.

Subsequently, President Chen Ran would be appointed as the Chief Executive with full authority to handle the nation's subsequent affairs after obtaining Tuvaluan nationality.

Assets and Debts: President Chen Ran's side would pay two hundred million dollars, of which fifty million would clear debts and one hundred and fifty million would serve as the consideration for the transfer of national assets and the escrow of sovereign rights.

The high-level officials of the original Tuvaluan government would receive a severance package and assist in completing the power transition, after which they would choose their own immigration destinations.

International Explanation: Externally, it would be declared as an innovative public-private partnership model based on humanitarianism and national continuity, aimed at saving the Tuvaluan cultural bloodline and providing new ideas for the issue of climate refugees.

With the agreement framework reached, action began immediately.

The Tuvaluan government started its propaganda machine, coordinating with weather maps that indeed showed approaching storms to ramp up the panic to the extreme.

"The last chance," "Seeking a new life with relocation funds," "The motherland is forever in our hearts, but we must survive"... the slogans were everywhere.

At the same time, that one hundred million dollar migration fund began to be rapidly distributed through special channels under the name of emergency national aid to families and individuals who registered to renounce their nationality and had already obtained intentions of acceptance from other countries.

Cash amounting to nearly ten thousand dollars per person was an unimaginable sum for many Tuvaluan families.

Driven by both the survival crisis and cold, hard cash, a wave of migration formed with staggering speed.

Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and even the distant United States suddenly saw many applicants holding Tuvaluan passports and carrying a sum of startup capital seeking asylum or immigration.

Faced with this group of self-funded immigrants, the relevant countries' review processes quietly accelerated under considerations of humanitarianism and practical interests.

In the first week, over three thousand people completed their procedures and left.

In the second week, nearly five thousand more departed.

Main islands like Funafuti became visibly empty, with many houses left vacant.

By the start of the third week, there were fewer than five hundred registered citizens remaining on Tuvaluan soil, most of whom were the elderly, the weak, the sick, or the very few who were still hesitating.

The original government institutions had almost ground to a halt.

Meanwhile, in Hangzhou.

Under the careful protection arranged by Fortress and Victor, President Chen Ran went low-profile to the relevant offices to handle his renunciation of nationality and immigration procedures.

When the staff member receiving him saw the word "Tuvalu" on the application materials, they were visibly stunned and double-checked several times.

"Mr. Chen, are you sure it's... Tuvalu? That... island nation in the Pacific?" The staff member's tone was full of confusion and disbelief.

The person before them was the young Huaxia talent who had just become world-famous, a billionaire deep-sea treasure hunter; so many people couldn't get a green card if they tried, yet he was actually taking the initiative to renounce his Huaxia nationality to join a tiny country that was about to be submerged by the sea?

This was simply beyond the scope of a normal person's understanding.

"Yes, I'm sure. It's for personal development needs," President Chen Ran said with a smile and a calm tone, giving the explanation he had prepared long ago.

Because President Chen Ran was a celebrity, the matter was quickly reported upward.

Soon, a high-ranking official from a relevant department contacted President Chen Ran through a secure line, asking seriously about the deeper meaning of this move, whether he was being coerced or had special considerations, and tactfully reminding him of the grim situation Tuvalu faced.

On the phone, President Chen Ran's tone was sincere with a hint of a technical geek's stubbornness: "Sir, it's mainly for work convenience. As you know, my future business focus is on the deep sea and the high seas.

Having the nationality of a... well, a maritime nation will reduce a lot of unnecessary trouble in legal procedures for ship registration, maritime passage, and resource exploration and development.

Although Tuvalu is an island nation, it is a member of the United Nations after all, and some of its rights under international maritime law are complete.

As for the risk of sinking... that's a long-term environmental issue, and I'll find a way.

At this stage, it can save me a lot of time and legal costs."

This reason sounded a bit bizarre, but combined with President Chen Ran's identity as a deep-sea treasure hunter and his previously shown tendency to be obsessed with technical rules, it seemed just barely plausible.

The official pondered for a long time and ultimately did not forcibly block him; after all, the choice of nationality is a personal freedom. He only repeatedly urged President Chen Ran to stay in touch and stay safe.

Under complex processes and multi-party attention, the procedures were finally completed.

President Chen Ran's name was removed from Huaxia's household registration system and added to Tuvalu's thin register of citizens, which was about to undergo a dramatic change.

Third week, Fiji, the final secret meeting.

By this time, Tuvalu was nearly an empty nation.

The original Prime Minister, several core ministers, and the few remaining ten-plus members of parliament had mostly arranged their escape routes. Under strict security, they signed a thick stack of legal documents with President Chen Ran and Colt's team.

The contents included: debt clearance confirmation, asset transfer lists, proof of completion of migration fund distribution, the text of the constitutional amendment, and the letter of appointment for President Chen Ran as Chief Executive.

At the same time, there was a core, sealed "Sovereignty Rights Escrow and Succession Agreement," which stipulated that after the current government officially dissolved and President Chen Ran took office, he would automatically obtain the full right to exercise all sovereign rights and obligations of the State of Tuvalu not explicitly excluded by previous agreements, becoming the sole supreme representative of Tuvalu in a legal sense.

The signing ceremony had no national flag and no national anthem, only the rustle of turning pages and the slight sound of pens moving across paper.

When the original Prime Minister signed his name, his hand shook slightly, whether from a sense of relief or some other emotion.

He took the copy of the cashier's check representing the final payment of one hundred and fifty million dollars, checked it carefully, and then let out a long sigh of relief, saying to President Chen Ran, "Good luck, Mr. President."

The agreement stipulated that after taking office as Chief Executive, President Chen Ran could, according to legal procedures, change his title to President.

The dust had settled.

The high-level officials of the original Tuvaluan government quickly packed their bags and boarded a pre-arranged chartered flight to Australia, disappearing from the public eye from then on to become wealthy former politicians.

Meanwhile, President Chen Ran, protected by the advance team of Victor and the Heavy Hammer squad, boarded a rented business jet and flew toward that South Pacific atoll that now legally belonged to him and was being shrouded by storm clouds.

The plane landed on a crude runway at Funafuti International Airport.

Stepping out of the cabin door, the hot and humid sea breeze hit him, carrying the smell of salt and the heaviness of an impending rainstorm.

The airport was empty, except for a few people Victor had arranged in advance.