Keith Nishita, the Supreme Military and Political Officer of the Blue Star Commonwealth and Defense Committee Chairman, just turned 40 this year, making him a vigorous and strong "young" politician. Don't think there's anything wrong with that term; in the field of politicians, his age is indeed considered young.
This handsome, sunny, well-built, and graceful middle-aged man, just by his appearance, was several leagues ahead of his pot-bellied colleagues. Whenever he appeared outside the Parliament building, he was sure to be the darling of the media.
Of course, the reason he became the media's darling was also because he truly received so much expectation from the public. In the stagnant political arena of the Commonwealth, this man, who showed abundant energy and vitality on every occasion, indeed gave the public a fresh feeling.
Moreover, at least on the surface, he was indeed very good at responding to public expectations.
For example, Nishita Chairman was a very disciplined person, which was probably to ensure his mental and physical health. The public expected him to be an energetic person, so he had to work hard to maintain that state.
His meal times were completely fixed: breakfast at 7:30 AM, lunch at 12:00 PM, and dinner at 6:00 PM, and he always adhered to the healthy principle of eating a full breakfast, a good lunch, and a light dinner.
His sleep schedule was also almost fixed; no matter how busy he was, he would always go to bed before 12:00 AM and wake up at 7:00 AM the next day. He would take a short nap between 1:00 PM and 1:30 PM.
His daily exercise time was, of course, also set in stone. Every morning between 8:00 AM and 8:30 AM, he would spend half an hour on the elliptical machine; three times a week, he would have an hour of weightlifting at the gym; and after 9:00 PM, he would go for an hour-long night run.
Nishita Chairman's night run location was usually chosen in Eternal City's Coastal Park. He would run a lap around the park's flower sea and coastal path at a steady speed of about 12 kilometers per hour, which took exactly one hour.
During his night run, the Chairman did not like to be followed by others; neither bodyguards nor secretaries were allowed to wait outside the park. Some people raised concerns about safety, but he stated that he was just an ordinary public servant, and the people loved him and would not harm him. Even if enemies harmed him, they could not harm the Commonwealth, but would only make the people unite against the enemy! Wouldn't that be a good thing?
Although the logic of the above words sounded a bit strange, believe it or not, many people actually bought into it. The Chairman's popularity thus grew even higher.
Presently, according to some preliminary public opinion polls, 84% of people believed that Nishita Chairman would become the next president, and over 70% believed that Nishita Chairman would definitely become a great leader.
On this day, the evening of February 6th at 9:00 PM, the Chairman, as usual, wore a fitted tracksuit, breathing rhythmically, and jogging at a steady, unswerving pace.
Of course, as always, his bodyguards and secretaries arrived at the park three hours in advance, drove away all tourists, and searched every inch of the park thoroughly. They then set up surveillance equipment and security robots along the coast and in the park's green spaces, before waiting outside the park, leaving the quiet, fresh, and soothing green path of the park to Nishita Chairman.
To Nishita's right was the azure coast, and to his left were lush trees and a sea of flowers. Jogging here allowed the Defense Committee Chairman to feel true tranquility.
In fact, the one-hour jog here every day was his most enjoyable time. During this time, he could clear his mind, just listening to the sound of the waves and moving forward, allowing his spirit to get full rest and healing.
"...So, even at a time like this, must you disturb me?" The Chairman ran, looking helplessly at the dark figure that appeared beside him. The dark figure seemed to materialize out of thin air from the silent night, like a ghost.
If it were any other high-ranking official of the Commonwealth, such a scene appearing beside him would probably have scared him out of his wits and left him utterly helpless. Even the braver ones would only scramble and shout for "bodyguards." However, Nishita Chairman calmly scanned the other party's black clothes, seemingly quickly confirming his identity.
"I've said it many times! Earl, Black Great Hero, this is my place of mental rest! My only private sanctuary for my soul! Can't you just go to the official residence if you have something to discuss?" he said with a helpless, even somewhat intimate, tone.
The dark figure that appeared beside the Chairman was naturally Black Moon Earl.
"Your one hour of mental rest, however, requires hundreds of people and the expulsion of all tourists from the park to achieve, you know."
"Is that so? Then I'm truly sorry... However, this park, both the land and the plants on it, all belong to my family. Opening it to the public for free until 7:00 PM is already quite generous, wouldn't you say?"
A noncommittal chuckle came from behind Black Moon Earl's mask, but for some reason, the Chairman seemed to hear the clanging of metal, and his heart tightened for a moment.
However, he still maintained an intimate, slightly complaining smile on his face, and continued, "I do remember that the last time you came to see me, it was at the official residence. It's easier to talk there, and you can even have a few drinks with me. Couldn't you have waited an hour or two?"
"No, I'm in a bit of a hurry. Don't worry, it's good news again!" Black Moon Earl said frankly.
"That 'again' of yours is very confusing! The last time you came to see me was not good news! I had to use almost all my power to execute that order, and half of the Commonwealth's officers were in a state of unease..."
"But didn't you also greatly reorganize the army and completely gain control of the military's law enforcement departments and gendarmerie as a result?" Black Moon Earl laughed, "So, this time, let the other half of the Commonwealth's officers also be uneasy."
Just as the Chairman was stunned, he added, "Oh, by the way, it would be even more interesting if half of the political arena also became uneasy."
The Chairman's blank stare turned into distress, then into a wry smile. He vigorously scratched his scalp, saying with a rather helpless expression, "So, who is it this time? Who is bullying others by relying on their power again? Or some other scandal? Abusing soldiers, embezzling military funds? Or reselling military supplies?"
"It's Lieutenant General Minqi Vincent."
Even with Nishita Chairman's memory, it took him almost a minute to recall the name, and he became even more puzzled: "Him? He's just an unlucky old man. I can understand him wanting to come back and find something to do. What's wrong? Did he embezzle charity funds? Or illegally solicit donations? Black Great Hero, if it's not too much, just let it go. You don't know his situation, he's really a bit pitiful..."
"He wants to launch a military coup, and he has already contacted many comrades. This includes several close colleagues who greet you every morning."
"..."
"I'm not joking. You can ask him the details yourself. He's currently in the non-recyclable trash can at the intersection of Palm Avenue, to the left outside the park. Go quickly and take a look. If you're ten minutes late, he'll really be taken away by the automatic garbage truck."
The Chairman was a bit dazed, but then he heard Black Moon Earl speak as if he had just thought of it, in a self-muttering tone: "The wind afterward will be very noisy. In the noisy wind, I need to conclude the previous matter, which should also be well-concealed, right?"
"The previous matter is..." The Chairman found Black Moon Earl had already vanished.
Keith Nishita was stunned for a few seconds, then sighed self-deprecatingly, and touched his neck: "If you were really an enemy, how many times would my head have been taken already?"
The Chairman knew that his night run certainly couldn't continue, so he left the park directly, and with a group of astonished secretaries and bodyguards, went straight to that garbage sorting point. And indeed, from the non-recyclable trash bin, they dug out a bruised, utterly defeated old man, tied up with five ropes, who was none other than Lieutenant General Minqi Vincent.
The old lieutenant general looked at the thoughtful Chairman helplessly, and said with a wry smile, "Anything you want to ask, I will tell you everything. However, please give me a quick end afterward."
"Wash him clean and send him to my study." Nishita Chairman left this instruction and quickly departed.
Nishita became excited, keenly aware that he had another opportunity to make a big move... As for the conclusion of "that matter" the Earl mentioned, heh, a few rotten scoundrels, it doesn't matter how they are dealt with. Or rather, if conditions allowed, he would even be more willing to send the heads of those scoundrels directly to the Earl in exchange for greater favor from him.
Speaking of which, why was Black Moon Earl, a dignified figure, so fixated on such a trivial matter?
Perhaps, this was the true Great Hero.
The entire next day, Sapphire Avenue No. 3, where the Defense Committee Chairman's official residence was located, was busy all night. Anyone with a discerning eye would guess that the Chairman was preparing to make big news.
Black Moon Earl hung himself upside down like an owl behind a giant palm tree, silently watching the Chairman's official residence in the distance.
He observed in secret for nearly an hour, confirming that the other party had indeed begun to act, and then left silently.
Black Moon Earl quickly left the city and found a secluded, uninhabited cliff with a good view, where he sat down comfortably, looking at the distant coast and the city.
He took off his mask, revealing an unremarkable, easily forgettable ordinary face. But then, his facial features and physique began to twist and change. His medium-built male body began to become graceful and slender; the muscles of his square face twitched a few times, rapidly shrinking into a dignified and elegant oval face like a silver platter.
Beneath long eyelashes, bright eyes like silver wheels were revealed, as if the clouds had parted and the bright moon appeared.
"He" then took off his hood, shaking out his long, black hair like a satin ribbon.
That was Fina Li, Yu'er's childhood Miss, whose reputation did not seem to have been passed down to later generations, the student council president of Central Defense University's 830th class.
"...Yu'er, no matter what you want to do, I can only help you this far." Feifei, who was suspected to be Black Moon Earl, sighed, then, as if by magic, pulled out a bottle of barley tea, two rice balls, and two meat-filled flatbreads from her close-fitting power suit.
The rice balls were homemade, containing fish roe and a stamina recovery agent, so the taste was only passable. The meat-filled flatbreads were from Rongxia Restaurant, filled with twice-cooked pork and fish-flavored shredded pork, both of which were Feifei's favorite dishes.
She sat on the cliff, enjoying the waves of the Pacific Ocean and the night view of the Commonwealth capital, while slowly eating her late-night snack.
Tsk, readers nowadays are really hard to fool. They guessed it more than ten chapters ago, so what's the point of hiding it? That's how it is then.