A Ripple Becomes a Tidal Wave!

The media, as if seized by a collective madness, unleashed a torrent of news reports. In their frenzied coverage, the appearance of an ancient Earth creature far overshadowed even the return of the long-missing Marshal. The entire Sinthos Empire found itself plunged into a peculiar state of fevered excitement.

Despite the fact that the only tangible evidence of this creature called a "cat" was a handful of photographs released by the media, it did nothing to dampen the public's enthusiasm. People scoured the depths of the star network's databases, desperately seeking any scrap of information about cats they could unearth.

However, in the realm of publicly accessible information, records about cats were frustratingly scarce. The vast majority of available data focused on Earth's evolution and the progression of human history. Other Earth creatures were often reduced to mere names with brief descriptions, followed by the stark notation that they had vanished along with ancient Earth.

The sheer diversity of Earth's lifeforms was staggering; even these cursory summaries were enough to make one's head spin. But now, with a specific target for their curiosity, everything seemed to crystallize into sharp focus. The paucity of information only served to fuel the public's hunger for knowledge, leaving them unsatisfied and yearning for more.

They had been granted the extraordinary privilege of witnessing a living relic from ancient Earth in their lifetime. Even if they couldn't interact with it directly, they desperately wanted to see more of this little creature – or at the very least, uncover more information about it!

It looked so tiny! So adorable! So fluffy! Even the Marshal, a man with an intimidating aura, seemed unable to resist the kitten's charm. Surely, they reasoned, a cat's personality must be as sweet and soft as its appearance!

People began seeking out various channels to petition the departments responsible for safeguarding this information, hoping for the release of more data about cats. While the information security personnel tasked with maintaining confidentiality were painstakingly combing through various databases to compile cat-related data, Marshal Ji Xiuyun was escorting An Yue back to his residence on the Imperial Star.

It's likely that no one in the entire galaxy would have guessed that Ji Xiuyun, a man of immense fame whose very name set neighboring countries on edge, did not reside in the palatial mansion one might expect. Even in this interstellar age where land resources were not particularly scarce, the high-ranking and wealthy Marshal lived in an ordinary duplex of barely two hundred square meters. It was indistinguishable from the homes of the vast majority of interstellar citizens.

The only exceptional aspect of his dwelling was its location. Situated in an area populated by high-ranking military officials and their families, it was second only to the royal palace in terms of security.

Both of Ji Xiuyun's parents were martyrs, and he himself was of a cold and distant nature with few visitors. In his early years, he had spent little time on the Imperial Star, and even then, the majority of that time was confined to military camps. This house was inherited from his parents, and although he rarely returned, it was maintained by duty soldiers who regularly cleaned and organized it. It was, at least nominally, the Marshal's home.

Due to the peculiar nature of his recent disappearance following an attack, Ji Xiuyun estimated he would be unable to leave the Imperial Star for some time. So, with a small, milk-white ball of fur nestled in his arms, he headed directly home.

Unlike ordinary citizens, Ji Xiuyun's clearance level granted him access to classified information. The Marshal's first action upon arriving home was to use his optical computer to access the secure database and pull up detailed information about cats.

Meanwhile, An Yue, the moment they entered, darted off to explore – surveying his new territory, memorizing its layout and interesting spots. Even for a nine-tailed cat, such instincts were irresistible.

The interior of Ji Xiuyun's home was surprisingly simple yet warm. Though it was evident that no one had lived there long-term for many years, the overall decor was remarkably homey. Past the entryway, one could see clear through to the spacious, sun-filled great room. Large windows allowed sunlight to flood in, illuminating every corner in crisp detail.

It was an ideal spot for sunbathing, and stood in stark contrast to Ji Xiuyun's usual demeanor.

An Yue glanced at a family portrait on the wall, circled the living room a few times, then made his way up the stairs leading to the second floor. He was promptly met by a closed door, barring his path.

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An Yue trotted to the edge of the stairs and meowed down at Ji Xiuyun. The Marshal looked up, confused by the cat's intentions, but rose and climbed the stairs.

"Meow~" An Yue pawed at the door to the master bedroom with his soft little paws.

Ji Xiuyun bent down to pick him up. "I don't stay in that room," he said.

An Yue tilted his head in surprise.

Ji Xiuyun opened the door to a side bedroom. "I sleep here."

An Yue poked his head in for a look around. "Meow." It was indeed decorated in Ji Xiuyun's characteristically cold and minimalist style.

"That's the study," Ji Xiuyun said, pointing to the room at the end of the second floor. Though he called it a study, he had rarely used it.

An Yue leapt from Ji Xiuyun's arms and entered the bedroom, making a beeline for the bed. Ji Xiuyun watched as An Yue jumped onto the bed, bouncing around to test its softness, while he sat down to review the information he had accessed.

The more he read, the more perplexed the Marshal became. If it weren't for the infallibility of genetic testing, he would have suspected An Yue was some other creature masquerading as a cat.

According to the records, in the Common Era, "cat" referred to a family that included some large carnivores and small omnivores. The species most genetically similar to An Yue belonged to the subfamily Felinae, genus Felis.

The Felis genus was incredibly diverse and widespread, with some species domesticated as house cats while others remained wild. However, neither the Felis genus, the Felinae subfamily, nor the entire Felidae family were recorded to possess any special talents.

Some feline species, limited by their physical attributes, risked their lives with every hunt, and many starved to death in the wilderness. It seemed implausible that any feline could possess An Yue's physical capabilities and combat prowess.

When in doubt, one should ask.

"An Yue," Ji Xiuyun turned to look at the white ball of fur on the bed.

An Yue rolled over and flopped down, sinking into the soft comforter with only his ears twitching slightly.

Knowing An Yue had heard him, Ji Xiuyun asked, "Are you really a cat?"

An Yue swished his tail. "Meow!"

Looking at the jumbled, inconsistent information and recalling the genetic test results, Ji Xiuyun could only accept this answer.

The Marshal decided to stop fixating on this point and instead searched for information about cat care, promptly disregarding descriptions and analyses of diet and combat abilities. An Yue seemed capable of eating anything, rendering dietary guidelines irrelevant. As for combat abilities, they were even less applicable – An Yue's physical capabilities and fighting skills far surpassed those of ordinary humans.

Marshal Ji skimmed through information about cat litter, cat doors, cat food, and scratching posts. Too lazy to bother with all these accessories, he simply granted An Yue access permissions to the entire house.

Finally, the Marshal's gaze settled on photos of various cat trees. Those looked somewhat interesting.

He pulled up the collection of photos and turned to An Yue. "Which do you like?"

An Yue glanced over, his beautiful sapphire eyes lighting up. He quickly rolled over and sat up, scampering onto Ji Xiuyun's lap. His little paw pointed at several of the most luxurious models. "Meow! Meow meow! Meow meow meow!"

The Marshal nodded, lifting An Yue off his lap. He was about to hand the cat an energy stone out of habit when he realized he didn't have any at home.

So Marshal Ji considered for a moment, then handed An Yue his optical computer, granting him a few select permissions before leaving the room.

Accustomed to optical computers, Ji Xiuyun completely forgot to consider whether this ancient Earth cat would know how to use one.

An Yue curiously poked at the holographic main screen floating before his eyes. Unable to recognize any of the colorful icons, he simply tapped each one open and closed them in turn.

When he tapped the last green icon on the main screen, a crack appeared in the middle of the computer's gray disc-shaped body, no larger than a palm. From within, a familiar object emerged.

It looked just like the camera An Yue had swatted away on the spaceship earlier.

A communication device?

An Yue crouched on the bed, staring at the camera's tiny lens. After a long moment with no response from the other end, he tilted his head and softly meowed at the lens.

Still no reaction.

An Yue yawned, turned to look at the optical computer screen full of unfamiliar characters, and finding nothing of interest despite his poking around, he lost interest. He licked his paw and jumped off the bed.

The tiny camera, no larger than his paw pad, followed him closely.

An Yue glanced back at the lens, then continued towards the door, raising his paw to pat it when he arrived.

Having been granted access to the house, the little creature easily opened the door. He walked to the edge of the hallway and meowed down at the Marshal, who was sketching something below.

Ji Xiuyun set down his light pen and, upon seeing An Yue, beckoned to him with an expressionless face.

An Yue, trailed by the persistent camera, ran down the stairs and leaped onto the Marshal's lap, rolling over to expose his soft little belly.

Ji Xiuyun had been sketching cat trees – he was considering the proportions of the large living room, intending to combine several of the cat trees An Yue liked and dedicate half the living room to them.

Although they wouldn't be staying here long, they would certainly be here for the near future. Ji Xiuyun wanted to ensure his life-saving cat was as comfortable as possible.

However, this thoughtfulness and anticipation weren't evident on his characteristically impassive face.

"Incoming communication?" Noticing the camera An Yue had brought down, the Marshal rubbed the little white bundle's belly and casually activated his wrist-mounted remote terminal.

As soon as Ji Xiuyun spoke, he saw the projected image from his wristband – it was the social media platform he rarely used.

And at this moment, it was live-streaming him and the cat on his lap.

Viewer count: 496 billion.

Ji Xiuyun: ...

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