Perhaps feeling that Yu Lian's expression was edging toward mocking him, Mr. Wood added, "Personally, I think His Excellency the Governor should be able to raise around a billion in special military funding for the Command within two months. What do you think?"
You didn't just make that number up on the spot, did you? Yu Lian eyed Mr. Wood suspiciously and said, "Blue Star Shield?"
"No, the Alliance Credit," Mr. Wood replied. "I can assure you that His Excellency the Governor's trip will definitely be successful."
Put bluntly, that billion was his ransom for staying alive.
As the governor of a colony, he was responsible for defending his territory. If he fled in the face of the enemy, then even if he successfully made it back to the homeworld, he would certainly be court-martialed. In fact, he would not even need to return to the homeworld—Yang Xiyi could shoot him on the spot.
But if he had orders from the Defense Command to return to the homeworld and raise military funds, that was an entirely different matter.
Yu Lian could not help but click his tongue in amazement. That was enough money to buy three or four Rangers. The members of the Thirteenth Fleet had spent nearly half a year venturing into the uncharted reaches of space to hunt for treasure and raid ancient tombs, yet they had only managed to obtain a little over two billion. Of course, that was without counting the ancient technological artifacts and dazzling alchemical objects they had dug up, which had yet to be appraised.
"I had no idea Mr. Jiang had resources like that."
Put bluntly, it should have been impossible for a governor to produce that much cash on his own. He probably had to exchange favors with his "friends." But