My whole family is involved in diplomacy, so you dare to flex your muscles?

His speaking speed began to increase.

"Who liberated the word 'freedom' from the salons of the nobility and made it a right inherent to everyone? It was us!"

"Who, in two hundred years, accomplished the miracle of moving from a barbaric continent to the center of the world, ushering humanity into the electrical age, the information age, and the internet age? It was us!"

Who defined the rules of modern commerce, enabling the global flow of goods?

Who established a globally accepted financial system, allowing capital to flow to every corner of the world?

Who provided GPS navigation so you wouldn't get lost?

Who created Hollywood, giving you all a shared dream and entertainment?

A series of parallel sentences struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.

The representatives of the Western camp straightened their backs unconsciously, and a proud look reappeared on their faces.

"Yes, we made mistakes, we took detours." Scott changed the subject, frankly "admitting" the errors, but this seemed more like a strategic retreat.

"But a civilization that is always self-correcting and always embracing change is a truly vibrant civilization!"

We are never afraid of problems, because we believe that the key to solving them always lies in the hands of free people and free markets!

He stopped and turned to face the big screen.

On the screen, a carefully edited series of images begins to play: in a garage in Silicon Valley, young Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak are assembling the first Apple computer.

On Wall Street, traders are frantically typing on their keyboards.

In NASA's control center, engineers cheered for the successful launch of the space shuttle.

The Hollywood red carpet is a dazzling display of stars.

Every frame is full of energy, innovation, and dreams.

"This is our answer to the world—freedom, innovation, rules, and dreams!" Scott's voice rose to its peak, brimming with inflammatory rhetoric.

"We are a glorious city standing atop the mountain; our light not only illuminates ourselves but also guides all nations that yearn for freedom and prosperity!"

At this point in the speech, the atmosphere had reached a climax.

Support from Western audiences is visibly soaring.

However, this is not the end.

A cold glint flashed in Scott's deep blue eyes; he finally revealed his fangs.

"But, friends, there is always another voice in the world."

It tells you that the collective is above the individual, and stability trumps everything.

It attempted to isolate itself from the world with a high wall, immersing itself in the ancient dream of being "the best in the world."

He didn't name names, but everyone knew who he was talking about.

"It is like an ancient dragon, coiled on the land of the East."

It possesses a massive body, a long history, and... an unfathomable ambition.

"It tells its own people, and the world, that it has a different model."

But it never tells you what the cost of this model is.

It builds skyscrapers, but you can't see the blood and sweat beneath the foundation.

It demonstrates unity, but you can't hear the voices of the silent ones.

It proclaims peace, but its claws and fangs are growing stronger every day.

"Today, this dragon has awakened. It is trying to lure those lost nations with money and infrastructure."

It attempts to challenge the open and free world order we have jointly built with an ancient, closed, and authoritarian set of values!

"So, let's return to the original question: Who will lead the future?"

Scott opened his arms as if to embrace the whole world.

"Should we choose an open, ever-ascending 'city on a mountaintop,' or a closed 'ancient dragon' always ready to devour everything?"

"Is it a choice between freedom and innovation, or obedience and confinement?"

"Should we choose the Internet, which connects the world, or a local area network, which isolates information?"

"I believe the answer lies within each and every one of you!"

"The lighthouse will never be extinguished! For the light of freedom lives on in the hearts of men!"

Thank you everyone!

The speech has ended.

The entire audience erupted in thunderous applause, mainly from the Western audience and delegates' seats.

They acted like madmen, as if they had fought an epic comeback.

Scott's speech perfectly bypassed all the disadvantages of the previous debates, extricated himself from the quagmire of history, and regained the high ground of "values" and "future".

He cleverly portrayed China as the opposite of the "free world," a powerful, closed, and threatening "other," successfully awakening the deep-seated fear and rejection of "different civilizations" in the Western world.

In the control room, Frank looked at the real-time voting data and gasped.

In just a few minutes of Scott's speech, his global approval rating skyrocketed from 30% to a staggering 48%!

Although it is not yet halfway through, it has almost reached a point of equal strength with Gu Yun!

"This guy's insane... He's a genius at demagoguery!" Frank muttered to himself.

Scott walked off the stage without looking at anyone and went straight back to his seat.

He knew he had done everything he could.

He kicked the ball, or rather, a mountain, hard to Gu Yun.

Now it's your turn, Gu Yun!

How would you refute a dream that represents "freedom" and "future"?

How do you convince the world to believe in a dragon that they perceive as "closed and dangerous"?

The host, Mark, walked onto the stage, his voice tinged with barely perceptible tension: "Thank you, Mr. Scott… thank you for your passionate vision of the future. Now, the pressure is on Mr. Gu Yun."

"What kind of picture does he paint of the future of China, and the future of humanity?"

"Please welcome Gu Yun!"

Amidst countless gazes filled with anticipation, worry, scrutiny, and hostility, Gu Yun stood up.

His face remained as calm and composed as ever.

It was as if that speech, which had been enough to turn the tide of the battle, was nothing more than a long, drawn-out defeat for him.

He walked slowly onto the stage, not towards the podium, but standing in the very center of the stage, closer to the audience.

The whole world is waiting for his first words.