In truth, the people who attempted to capture the cat were quite unfortunate. They were, after all, researchers, and certainly not lacking in scientific rigor.

They had thoroughly reviewed the available literature and found substantial empirical evidence suggesting that more than half of all cats respond to the scent of catnip. Catnip, often referred to as "feline cannabis," elicits varied responses in different cats. Those that do react typically experience a brief period of hallucination followed by a phase of mental confusion - colloquially known as the "afterglow" or "sage time." Another subset of cats becomes instantly stupefied during the hallucinatory period, lying motionless with a bewildered expression.

So when they discovered that Yue An was responsive to catnip, they believed their plan was foolproof! Little did they know that Yue An wouldn't progress to the final stage after getting high. The excitement phase lasted far longer than anticipated!

The researchers waited outside, reluctant to enter. After all, inside was a cat capable of going toe-to-toe with SS-grade genetic entities and emerging victorious! No one was foolish enough to confront such formidable combat prowess head-on.

However, their reluctance to enter meant that Yue An, growing impatient, darted out to meet them!

The result was exactly as Marshal Ji Xiuyun witnessed. The cat-catchers were overwhelmed with lightning speed, without even a chance to struggle. One by one, they were kicked into the room by Yue An, some knocked unconscious, others left in tatters.

To report his safety, Yue An even clawed all the operational equipment to pieces before successfully establishing communication.

"These humans' combat abilities are pathetically weak," Yue An thought to himself. "They can't even showcase my true prowess."

The white ball of fur surveyed the chaos around him, twitching his ears. He clutched a test tube containing only a shallow layer of pale green liquid at the bottom, its contents mostly evaporated. Burying his little nose into the tube's opening, he took a deep inhale, then rolled around on the floor in ecstasy.

"It's been so long since I've had a hit!" Yue An thought, kicking the now-empty test tube aside. He got up, shook his head, and fluffed out his fur.

Due to Yue An's superhuman speed of attack, he hadn't given the humans or the battle robots any chance to counterattack before swiftly ending the fight.

There were no human waiters in the restaurant, and the serving robots wouldn't approach without specific instructions. It was as if nothing had happened; everything appeared normal.

The white ball of fur squatted in place for a while, staring at the communication device. On the screen, Marshal Ji Xiuyun was issuing orders decisively, leading a large group of people rushing to the scene. After Some consideration, Yue An simply jumped back onto the dining table and reopened the live stream.

"Food comes first, no matter what," Yue An mused. "Wasting food is shameful."

Glancing at the chaos in the room, Yue An nonchalantly resumed his live stream against this messy backdrop. The table was piled high with dishes. Yue An looked at the camera floating out from the holo-computer, meowed twice, then began eating without a hint of concern.

In the live stream, the spectators were shocked, their metaphorical watermelons exploding in their faces. How had the previously immaculate restaurant turned into a garbage dump in less than ten minutes?

[What happened in those ten minutes we missed?]

[Is Yue An still in communication with the Marshal? I thought I saw the Marshal's hologram for a second.]

[Wait, did the camera just pan over a leg???]

[????]

[I think I saw a corpse... was that a corpse?]

[You're not wrong, I saw it too. More than one, actually.]

Yue An lifted his head from the dishes, glanced at the comments, then looked at the four unconscious humans sprawled across the room. The little ball of fur perched on the table, lazily yawned, licked the sauce from around his mouth, and continued eating.

Yue An's calm demeanor did nothing to quiet his comment section. The spectators were dumbfounded, gasping with each movement of the camera.

The intelligent system of the camera adjusted its angle and direction based on the subject's movements, lighting, and other factors. Before long, those watching Yue An's livestream had seen virtually every corner of the room.

[If I'm not mistaken, that heap by the table leg is the forelimb of the latest ZD41 combat robot. They have extremely low intelligence and are mainly used for suicide missions.]

[Looking closer, it is indeed the ZD41. There should be three in total, but the weapons on the forelimbs have been modified.]

[Holy crap? Combat robots? The suicide mission type? What the hell is going on??]

[Not just that, the object in the hand of the person on the left side of the room is a cutting-edge signal jammer that our department was involved in developing. We only designed the outer shell because it was requested by higher-ups. Our department spent a long time researching materials and extensibility, so it left a deep impression on me.]

[So the sudden cut in the livestream earlier was because of this jamming device?]

[Everything's been clawed to pieces...]

[The modifications on the ZD41 forelimbs are capture devices, specifically developed for catching small planetary creatures. They're a bit different from ordinary civilian hunting traps, but you can still see the general idea.]

[Capture devices???]

[Someone really dared to try to steal the cat?? Where's that person who said they wanted to steal the cat earlier??]

[It wasn't me! I didn't do anything! Don't accuse me falsely! I didn't even leave home! Yue An is so strong in combat, and he even has a Marshal with him! Do I have a death wish to try and steal him??]

[Well, it turns out someone really did try to steal the cat. Who did it??]

[If you look carefully... those who can use ZD41s must be either from the government or the military, or from some places that require strict security.]

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Yue An's ears twitched as he faintly heard commotion outside the restaurant. He looked up at the hologram of Marshal Ji Xiuyun, whose expression was grim. Behind Ji Xiuyun sat the Director of the Research Department, his face pale with fear, flanked by a military corps commander.

The director had been dragged directly from the courtroom by Ji Xiuyun. After all, seeing the Research Department's insignia on the equipment, the director couldn't escape responsibility.

Yue An licked his paw and meowed at the Marshal.

Ji Xiuyun, sitting in the car, turned his head at the sound of Yue An's voice. "What is it?" he asked.

"Meow," Yue An extended a paw, pointing towards the door.

The Marshal paused, then asked, "Someone's coming?"

"Meow," the little furball affirmed.

Ji Xiuyun glanced at Yue An, who was still live streaming, and suddenly realized that Yue An was now also capable of attracting a swarm of media attention.

This little ball of fur, who had traversed time from the lost ancient Earth, was now dining in a restaurant on the outskirts of the Imperial Star. It had only been half an hour since the live stream began, and considering the restaurant's location and the capital's traffic, half an hour was enough time for media reporters to arrive from their headquarters.

And now they were about to stumble upon a big news story.

"Don't let them disturb the scene. Wait for my arrival," the Marshal said, noticing that Yue An's livestream camera was now pointing at him. With a stern face, he added coldly, "If any media tries to force their way in, make them lie down obediently like those inside."

Yue An's tail swished as he puffed out his little chest, responding with a confident "Meow!"

[It's over, it's over, I can already predict how the media will portray the Marshal tomorrow.]

[Military Public Affairs Office: Please, Marshal Ji, say a little less.]

[The Military Public Affairs Office frowns, sensing this matter is not so simple!]

[Never mind the Military Public Affairs Office for now, can someone identify that fat guy sitting behind the Marshal?]

[Don't you follow current events? That's the Director of the Research Department who's been in military court with the Marshal these past few days.]

[Oh shit! Right! The Research Department! I finally remembered!]

[???]

[The logo on that capture device is from the Research Department! I thought it looked familiar but couldn't place it because it was damaged. As soon as someone mentioned the Research Department, I remembered.]

[...What? The Research Department?]

[Damn, I don't believe it. I've been working towards applying to the biological research section of the Research Department, I'm just a year away from being able to apply! Even those without formal education know this, right? It's written into law that experiments on innocent intelligent life forms are prohibited. How could the official Imperial Research Department not know this?]

[Calm down, we can't condemn an entire group in any situation.]

[Let's put that aside for now, what's the Research Department's motive?]

[Motive? Don't you realize how valuable research on Ancient Earth organisms is?]

[...That motive seems quite sufficient.]

Yue An finished eating and turned to look at the wooden tray, now empty of dishes. He then glanced towards the door.

He could hear the commotion outside growing louder. It seemed the restaurant owner had stepped out and was trying to block the media attempting to enter the restaurant.

Yue An looked up to see Marshal Ji Xiuyun getting out of his car.

This time, the Marshal had brought a large group with him - people to secure the scene, collect evidence, and a press officer to deal with the media. They all poured out of the vehicles in one go.

The previously raucous media fell silent the moment Ji Xiuyun stepped out of the car.

The crowd parted like the Red Sea, clearing a path for them. The entire area outside the restaurant became quiet except for the sound of cameras clicking.

The Marshal looked particularly furious today, his entire being exuding a murderous aura. He grabbed the Research Department Director by the collar and dragged him out of the car, striding into the restaurant without any regard for the director's face in front of the media.

The media who had managed to squeeze into the restaurant were politely escorted out by Ji Xiuyun's people. They could only watch as the Marshal dragged the Research Director towards Yue An's private room.

The white ball of fur shook himself, ending the communication he had been maintaining and shutting off the livestream. He jumped down from the dining table and trotted to the door on his short legs, stepping lightly over the faces of the unconscious men to open it.

Ji Xiuyun threw the Research Director into the room, ignoring his cry of pain as he landed among the mechanical debris. The Marshal then bent down to pick up Yue An.

Previously, his attention had been entirely focused on Yue An, so Ji Xiuyun hadn't closely observed the people lying on the ground, their bodies and faces partially obscured by various mechanical remnants.

Now, he carefully examined each of the four people lying in the room, his body suddenly tensing.

The Marshal rigidly and mechanically stroked the little ball of fur in his arms, his touch rather heavy, pressing down on Yue An so much that the cat felt he could barely lift his head.

The little furball seemed to sense something. He turned over, hugging the large hand petting him, and gently patted it with his paw pads as if to comfort the Marshal.

Marshal Ji's hand paused momentarily, then he gently squeezed Yue An's little paw in return. When he looked back at the Research Director, his expression was cold and hard as ice.

"These people, you must be very familiar with them, right?" he said, kicking the head of the nearest middle-aged man.

"What a coincidence, I'm very familiar with them too."

How could he not be familiar? Of the six experimental staff who often appeared before Ji Xiuyun during those two dark months, two were now lying on the floor in this room.

The remaining three people, including the Research Director, were the ones who had injected him with the sedative in the military's medical examination room and taken him to that laboratory in the deepest part of the Research Department.

Old enemies meet on a narrow road, their greed knows no bounds.

And now they came to capture Yue An!

They truly didn't know the meaning of death!

Ji Xiuyun, still holding Yue An's paw, looked at the Research Director, who was now sweating profusely and clearly panicked. The Marshal wanted to say something, but the presence of the ordinary soldiers around him made him hold back. He stepped back, clearing the way, and nodded to the soldiers behind him, indicating they should take the men away.

The Marshal stood there for a long time, silent and cold as stone.

Behind him, the soldiers waiting to collect evidence looked at each other, unsure whether they should enter at this moment.

Yue An looked up at the man silently staring into the room and hooked his claws into Ji Xiuyun's clothes.

The Marshal looked down at him.

The white ball of fur clung to his black uniform, his soft paw pads gently patting Ji Xiuyun's face. The fluffy head nuzzled against the Marshal's neck, letting out long, comforting "meow" sounds.

It had been three days since the Marshal had been close to his cat. He was stunned for a moment before lowering his head and very lightly nuzzling back.

"I'm not angry," he said. "Shall we go home?"

Upon hearing this, Yue An sprang from the Marshal's arms back onto the dining table. His little paws slapped the menu on the table, making the empty dishes clatter.

Go home?

How could they go home before finishing the meal?

No way!

The Marshal, who had just recovered some of his mood due to his cat's comfort, was stunned for a few seconds at this sudden abandonment. He turned to look at the restaurant owner who was standing to the side, peering in curiously.

In a voice that could freeze hell over, the Marshal asked, "Yue An's meal isn't complete?"

"Eh...?" The restaurant owner, a middle-aged man, was so startled by Ji Xiuyun's question that his brain hadn't caught up before his body shuddered in fear. He quickly checked and answered, "There are... there are still forty-two dishes that haven't been served..."

"..."

Although he had already guessed this fact, the Marshal still felt a bit annoyed.

But what could he do about his annoyance?

Of course, he had to choose to forgive!

Ji Xiuyun felt somewhat frustrated.

Suppressing his irritation, he said to the restaurant owner, "Continue serving until it's complete."

He stepped around the large mechanical debris and walked to the dining table, then nodded to the soldiers waiting outside to collect evidence.

Yue An allowed the Marshal, whose mood had soured again, to squeeze his paw pads and stroke his fur. His sky-blue cat eyes followed the soldiers unblinkingly as they carefully packed away the test tubes, watching until they disappeared into the evidence bags.

Catnip!

It felt so good to inhale it.

He wondered if the Research Department had any more in stock.

Yue An eyed the bag containing the test tubes, his tail tip twitching involuntarily. He curled it around the Marshal's wrist as a bold idea began to form in his mind.