The Marshal has returned to the base!

Not only has the Marshal returned, but he's also brought that cat with him!

The Marshal took the cat to the First Mess Hall!!!

... Huh?

The First Mess Hall?

Upon receiving this news, the soldiers exchanged bewildered glances for a few seconds. Then, as if of one mind, they set aside their tasks and rushed towards the First Mess Hall, leaving behind their envious colleagues who were still on duty.

By the time the First Mess Hall was surrounded three layers deep, with no room even for a drop of water to seep through, those who had finished their meals and found themselves trapped inside bellowed in frustration, "What's with all this crowding?! Disperse, disperse! The Marshal's already ordered his food and left with his cat!!"

Indeed, the Marshal had scurried off with his feline companion tucked away.

He still had to maintain a certain public image, after all — being the Marshal of a nation, and not just one stationed in the rear to hold down the fort, but a leader frequently on the front lines. His outward demeanor couldn't be too approachable.

It wouldn't do to undermine the enemy's fear of him.

Although he personally didn't wish to be portrayed as some kind of bloodthirsty war god, resulting in barely anyone beneath the high-ranking officers in his seven corps daring to look him in the eye, the media's relentless portrayal had set things in stone. Whether he liked it or not, there was nothing he could do about it now.

Yue'an behaved impeccably outside, giving the Marshal all the face he needed.

However, the moment the Marshal brought him into the office and closed the door, Yue'an leapt onto the desk in a single bound. His tail began thumping against the desktop with a series of loud "thwacks," causing the items on the desk to rattle and clank.

He looked decidedly displeased.

Observing his quivering desk, the Marshal naturally understood why Yue'an was upset.

But the Marshal felt that just because it was a mess hall, one shouldn't look down on it!

The mess hall in their base was renowned for its excellent food, after all.

"The food in the mess hall is quite good," the Marshal explained simply, not admitting that he was actually clueless about the culinary delights of the Imperial Capital.

Yue'an narrowed his eyes, his tail gradually slowing its agitated movements.

"Meow?" he inquired skeptically.

"Really," the Marshal insisted, gently poking the white furball's little head.

He had ordered pretty much all of the popular dishes from the First Mess Hall, a total of twenty-two courses. Surely that would be enough to satisfy Yue'an's palate.

The Marshal settled into his chair behind the desk, casually picking up two paper documents from the desktop.

Information delivered via paper documents was usually handwritten material not suitable for network transmission. After all, transmitting via the Star Network always involved passing through the information security department, and despite confidentiality agreements, one could never be certain that someone wouldn't breach protocol.

The contents of the documents in his hand were straightforward, detailing the interrogation confession of the previously apprehended deputy.

The individual had indeed been after his blood sample, but not out of personal interest.

He had been coerced by people from the Imperial Research Department, who had threatened his family, ultimately leading him to commit such an act.

The military had already convicted him of treason. Due to his accusations against the Imperial Research Department in court, his sentence had been lightened. His family would continue to receive military household subsidies, but he himself was exiled to a remote mining planet until death, never to leave.

Utterly mundane.

The Marshal tossed the documents onto his desk with a sigh.

Having a sob story didn't excuse betrayal. There had been many better ways to resolve the situation, yet the deputy had chosen the most blatant and despicable option.

The Marshal was no stranger to the Research Department's attempts to meddle with him. After all, as the Empire's only SS-grade genetic body, his research value was through the roof.

In fact, the Marshal intentionally left a few small gaps in his security to allow for some minor infiltrations, lest the department become too desperate and do something rash.

Admittedly, the last gap he'd left had been a bit too large, resulting in a spectacularly disastrous outcome.

But truthfully, the Marshal had gone through countless deputies, with hardly any lasting more than three years by his side.

Those who managed to stay for three years either left for better positions or were turned by various suspicious individuals. The prospect of replacing his deputy yet again was hardly a concern for Ji Xiuyun.

After all, the work that should have belonged to the deputy was being handled by his subordinate, the overworked First Corps Commander, while the person holding the title of deputy had essentially become a batman attending to his daily needs.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

This incident had little impact on the Marshal's life or work.

It was, however, incredibly annoying.

Especially those persistent parasites from the Imperial Research Department.

Ji Xiuyun stared coldly at the documents on his desk, his face dark. He glanced up at the suddenly activated monitor by the office door, reached out to press a button, and opened the door.

Yue'an watched as the mess hall orderlies pushed in a large food cart, standing up abruptly and fixing them with an unwavering stare.

The two orderlies stared back at the cat on the desk just as intently, then stopped beside a small conference table in the spacious office.

Yue'an's gaze shifted towards them. He tilted his head, gracefully leaping down from the desk and onto the conference table. He settled into the head chair, watching as the orderlies began placing dishes on the table one by one.

For each dish they set down, Yue'an let out a "meow," then circled the plate like a king inspecting his domain, occasionally lowering his head to sniff.

The Marshal's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly as he watched Yue'an meowing at the two orderlies. His mood, already soured by the documents, worsened at the sight.

But upon realizing this attitude was inappropriate, he quickly adjusted himself. The slight crease in his brow, having barely had time to settle, vanished.

Though curiosity burned within them about why the Marshal had ordered such a vast array of dishes, military discipline kept the two orderlies' lips sealed. After arranging the dishes, they cast a few lingering glances at Yue'an, who was delicately pawing at one of the plates, before reluctantly turning to leave.

Marshal Ji Xiuyun rose from his seat, surveyed the spread of food, and selected a dish he had ordered for himself. He then took his place at the head of the table.

Yue'an, crouched beside the main seat and in the midst of licking a morsel from the plate before him, seemed to sense something. His head snapped up "whoosh," fixing the Marshal with an intense gaze as the latter picked up his fork.

The Marshal speared a piece of meat with his fork and looked up to find Yue'an's paws still on his plate, but his head had swiveled to track the morsel on the Marshal's utensil. Ji Xiuyun waved the piece of meat slightly, watching as Yue'an's little head bobbed in perfect synchronization. Then, his face impassive, he ceased the movement.

Just as Yue'an had fully turned his body, front paws stretching forward a step, little head tilted back in naked longing...

The Marshal, without a moment's hesitation, popped the meat into his mouth.

"Meow!" Yue'an cried indignantly, leaping a good three feet into the air before swiping at the Marshal's plate with an extended paw.

Quick as lightning, the Marshal raised the plate out of reach.

Catching the aroma of the food but unable to reach the plate, Yue'an pounced onto the Marshal in desperation.

"Meow!" he protested, planting his front paws on the Marshal's chest before swiping a paw across the man's face.

"This is mine," Ji Xiuyun stated calmly, grasping the paw on his face and gently returning the entire cat to the table's surface. He poked Yue'an's little head admonishingly. "No food guarding."

Yue'an backpedaled two steps from the poke, meeting the Marshal's serious gaze. His small paws kneaded the tabletop as he let out a low whimper, grumbling discontentedly for a moment. Seeing that the Marshal remained unmoved, he turned away huffily, pouncing on the other dishes with renewed ferocity.

True to the Marshal's word, the taste was indeed exquisite.

Yue'an had never underestimated humans when it came to cuisine. In pursuit of gastronomic pleasure, humans often achieved feats that left other species slack-jawed in amazement.

The cream-colored ball of fur swished his tail happily as he indulged in the feast with gusto.

During a pause in his meal, the Marshal glanced up at Yue'an, noting without much surprise that the cat's small belly showed no signs of expansion despite the amount consumed.

He had noticed this phenomenon back on the barren planet - Yue'an could consume food many dozen times his own volume.

"Yue'an," the Marshal called, as if struck by a sudden thought.

Yue'an licked the sauce from his whiskers and turned his head with an inquisitive, "Meow?"

"After the meal, let's do a strength level test," Marshal Ji proposed.

Yue'an turned away, disinterested.

The Marshal continued unhurriedly, "And we'll pick up this month's allocation of fifty energy stones on the way back."

"Meow!" came the enthusiastic response from the small furball.

Ji Xiuyun lowered his head, satisfied. The Marshal always had a way of getting what he wanted.

...

The strength level test took place in the Marshal's private training room.

To minimize material damage, individuals like Ji Xiuyun - who could punch clean through a frigate's deck plate with full force - had to conduct most of their training exercises in virtual reality, save for the most basic facilities.

The Marshal was now instructing Yue'an on how to use the virtual star network.

He fitted Yue'an with a helmet - or more accurately, encased the entire cat within a thought-sensing helmet.

With Yue'an's consent, Ji Xiuyun also took the opportunity to measure his mental power level.

Upon seeing Yue'an's mental power data at the peak of SS-class, the Marshal swiftly disconnected from the network, rapidly erected several firewalls to block the data midway to the central database, and then erased it with a series of commands.

...This was truly a predicament.

Yue'an's SS-class peak mental power, combined with physical strength nearly on par with his own - if this information were to leak, wouldn't he and his feline companion be hounded relentlessly by those mad dogs from the Imperial Research Department?

The Marshal looked at Yue'an, who had curled his entire body into the helmet and was now peering out from beneath it with a bewildered expression. He reached out to scratch under Yue'an's chin reassuringly. "It's alright."

Yue'an nuzzled against Ji Xiuyun's paused hand. "Meow?"

The Marshal withdrew his hand, deciding to set aside the issue of those research department pests for now.

Tapping Yue'an's helmet, he asked, "Do you know how to use it now?"

Yue'an retreated further into the helmet, his voice muffled: "Meow."

The Marshal donned the other helmet in the training room and said, "Then let's begin."

This year, the Second, Fourth, and Fifth Corps Commanders, who hadn't accompanied the Marshal on his inspection tour but had been busy dealing with space pirates or guarding various outposts, hadn't received the same leave as their four counterparts.

At this moment, they were diligently logged into their virtual accounts, engaged in one-on-one drills with soldiers from their respective corps.

Upon noticing their superior's virtual account light up, the three commanders abandoned their troops without a second thought and rushed to knock on the door of the Marshal's virtual room.

They were eager to face off against the Marshal, even if it meant being mercilessly crushed.

However, after allowing them entry, the Marshal showed no intention of making them his opponents.

Today, the Marshal's virtual training room was a vast, boundless starry expanse.

If there was anything particularly notable, it was a rapidly moving asteroid belt to the right of the virtual room - the kind of formation known as a warrior's grave in cosmic warfare.

The Marshal's mecha, "Silver Blade," had been destroyed beyond repair in reality.

So, after confirming the Marshal's safety, the military's science division had already begun the painstaking process of redesigning and upgrading Silver Blade.

But in the virtual room, Silver Blade stood pristine and silent against the backdrop of this sea of stars.

The three corps commanders stood in solemn reverence.

In their memories, this silver figure had always been at the forefront of battle, serving as both beacon and spearhead for the entire army, leading the God of War's forces in an unstoppable, all-conquering advance!

Yet today, standing before Silver Blade as its opponent was... a small cat, casually licking its paw and grooming itself.

The corps commanders: ????