Yu Lian had imagined many possible ways this might begin, but he had never expected the first person to voice his support would be Colonel Xinda.
He was a middle-aged man of average height and slender build. Perhaps because his presence was somewhat gloomy, he always gave people the impression of being short and stooped. He didn't look like a soldier, and certainly not like a glamorous politician. Rather, he seemed like a veteran bureaucrat—the sort with little real ability but a knack for office politics.
His regular job was section chief in the Secretariat of the Defense Committee. Though he wore a military uniform, he belonged to the Internal Affairs Corps, and even his uniform was black. In essence, he was more like a spy planted in the military by career politicians. Now, he was a member of the frontline inspection team—in plain terms, a political commissar.
Naturally, this unusual line of work had made Colonel Xinda the least popular person aboard the Fuxi, a dreadnought.
Fortunately, he had a good sense of his own unpopularity. After arriving with the follow-up fleet, he and his assistants had made themselves as unobtrusive as pieces of furniture. He never volunteered an opinion on anything, and even when someone deliberately asked him a question, he would respond only with an interjection. He even tried to avoid having his meals at the same time as the other senior officers.
Come to think of it, aside from the occasional greeting, Yu Lian had barely even heard the man's voice.
Now that he heard it, though Colonel Xinda looked frail, his voice was actually quite loud and clear.
As expected, everyone except Yu Lian was shocked. The officers present all turned to look at him, as if inspecting a piece of furniture that had suddenly