The distinction between merely damaging a camera and smashing it into the wall beyond repair is vast, akin to comparing a gentle breeze to a hurricane. Considering the materials of both the camera and the ship's walls, the force required for the latter would be at least ten thousand times greater than the former.
To leave a dent in the ship's wall with a single blow is a feat only achievable by someone like the Marshal, an SS-grade genetically optimized individual who has undergone rigorous system training and reached the pinnacle of genetic enhancement.
Despite the adorable appearance of the small, delicate creature, none of the generals dared to approach it, fully aware of the potential danger it posed. Only the Marshal, whose combat prowess far surpassed that of ordinary humans by several orders of magnitude, had the audacity to keep such a being by his side.
Nevertheless, the generals couldn't help but admire the creature from afar. As long as they weren't on the receiving end of its powerful paws, they were content to observe and marvel at its existence.
Yue'an crouched in place, the small, exquisite communication device on his neck swaying slightly, reflecting brilliant light. He looked up at the humans who had retreated politely outside the door yet maintained a curious onlooking attitude. After a couple of seconds, he swished his tail and turned to the Marshal, letting out a soft mewl.
Understanding the cue, the Marshal bent down to pick him up. Following this, soldiers entered at the generals' signal, efficiently returning the blood samples and arresting the frozen-in-place deputy.
The Marshal was well aware of the deputy's condition, rigid and cold all over. He recalled how Yue'an, too lazy to venture out hunting in the rain, had once caught a large number of animals in one go. To prevent spoilage, he had frozen the meat with a wave of his paw and hung it on tree branches outside the safety cabin. As long as Yue'an didn't withdraw his power, the freeze wouldn't thaw regardless of wind or rain, ensuring the food remained fresh until consumption.
Yue'an, finding the Marshal's hold uncomfortable due to the shoulder boards, attempted to climb onto the Marshal's cap. However, the usually unresponsive Marshal caught him mid-climb and brought him down. Ultimately, the small, cream-colored ball of fur curled up sulkily in the pocket of the Marshal's great coat, with only his tiny paws and head peeking out.
The Marshal didn't bother questioning his deputy about the motives behind attempting to take his blood sample. It was obvious that his SS-grade optimized genes would be coveted by various factions, and Season Xiuyun had long grown accustomed to the endless barrage of underhanded tactics and schemes. Whether the deputy's goal extended beyond obtaining the blood sample, the subsequent interrogation was no longer the Marshal's responsibility.
Thus, Season Xiuyun chose to return to the conference room and resume the military council. This council's agenda, apart from reports on spy activities, included discussions about the Empire's growing ambitions to make a move on the neighboring country's border star systems.
The military, from top to bottom, unanimously rejected the idea conveyed from above. "The Emperor is merely testing the waters for now," the First General stated bluntly. "You conquered the Eighteenth Star System during the previous Emperor's reign, and now he hopes to make his own mark during his time in power."
Yue'an, who was in the process of climbing onto Season Xiuyun's leg, paused, his ears twitching slightly. Emperor? Had feudalism been restored? Or was Season Xiuyun's country a constitutional monarchy?
Feeling that something was amiss, Yue'an climbed onto Season Xiuyun's leg and placed his two small paws on the table's edge. His gaze immediately fell upon a small flag on the table surface. The pattern on the flag was identical to the one on Season Xiuyun's military cap - a black background with a blooming flower intricately designed in pure gold and vibrant red.
Yue'an had never seen such a flag before. By his calculations, based on the time since his tail had grown, he had left Earth only several decades to a century ago. While the emergence of a new country in this time frame was understandable, and the rapid technological advancement to a space-faring civilization was barely comprehensible given Yue'an's limited scientific knowledge, something still felt off.
How could a brand new country in this vast cosmic era become powerful enough to conquer an entire star system in just under a century? Yue'an might not be the most educated, but he knew the sheer scale of a star system. Were all other countries completely incompetent?
The more Yue'an pondered, the more perplexed he became. He focused intently on the remainder of the meeting, but due to the generals' habit of distilling only the most crucial information in their speech, he failed to glean any more key details.
As the meeting drew to a close, the darkness outside the window suddenly brightened. A few generals glanced out the window. "The wormhole exit has opened," one of them announced. "We'll be landing in about three hours. Marshal, we'll be returning to our escort ships now."
Upon hearing this, Yue'an also turned his gaze to the window. In the distance, a planet came into view, half-illuminated by its star. Lush green vegetation covered much of the surface, with vast blue oceans and broad rivers boldly dividing the continental plates into irregular shapes. In the high-latitude regions where the weather was clear, several white snow-capped peaks were distinctly visible.
However, Yue'an couldn't spot any deserts. The planet's vegetation coverage was unusually high, with almost no large-scale exposed land to be found.
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"Xintus Star, the capital of the Xintus Empire," Marshal Ji Xiuyun explained softly, gently stroking Yue'an's head.
Yue'an's eyes widened in shock. He leaped onto the table, urgently patting Ji Xiuyun's hand. "Meow! Meow meow!" he cried, his distress evident.
Where was Earth? This wasn't Earth! This wasn't even a vehicle headed to Earth!
While Ji Xiuyun couldn't understand Yue'an's exact words, he sensed the cat's anxiety. After all the subordinate generals had left, the Marshal handed Yue'an an input pad.
Yue'an extended a paw and tapped out a few characters.
Ji Xiuyun froze. "Earth?" he asked, surprise creeping into his voice.
"Meow!" Yue'an confirmed urgently.
The Marshal's face betrayed a hint of astonishment. "You're... an Earth creature?"
"Meow!!" Yue'an insisted emphatically.
The surprise on the Marshal's face lingered for a few seconds as he struggled to find the right words. Yue'an circled anxiously, mewing insistently.
"Yue'an..." Ji Xiuyun's expression became solemn. "Earth... the motherland of humanity... has long since vanished."
Yue'an stared at Ji Xiuyun, stunned into silence for ten long seconds.
"Meow!" he finally cried out. If Earth was gone, what about his fellow cats? Surely, with their intelligence, they wouldn't have perished so easily! If fragile humans had survived into the space age, then surely the mighty Nine-Tailed Cat clan would be fine!
But Ji Xiuyun wasn't finished. As Yue'an processed this information, he continued, "It's been over two thousand years. No Earth species, save for humans, survived."
Yue'an was dumbfounded.
The Marshal, sensing Yue'an's distress, refrained from disturbing him further. He surmised that Yue'an must have been transported through time, perhaps due to an anomalous space fluctuation or a small wormhole, arriving on the planet where they had met just before Earth's demise.
As for how Yue'an had adapted to a planet so different from Earth, Ji Xiuyun neither knew nor cared to guess. Any creature, when faced with death, could unleash astounding survival instincts. Especially one as remarkably capable as Yue'an.
It took Yue'an a full ten minutes to come to terms with the fact that he had been catapulted thousands of years into the future by stepping on a teleportation array. After such a long time, his fellow cats had either ascended to immortality or perished. Who knew how many, if any, remained?
Although he had always known that the passage of time and the impermanence of all things were inevitable parts of the path to enlightenment, this was Yue'an's first time truly facing such a situation since gaining sentience. He wilted visibly.
Seeing the usually energetic and mischievous cream-colored furball so dejected, Ji Xiuyun reached out to scratch under his chin. Yue'an nuzzled the warm, large hand weakly, responding with a listless "Meow."
The Marshal wasn't sure how to console him. Fortunately, Yue'an's melancholy didn't last long. The small, cream-colored bundle sprawled out, offering his belly to be rubbed by the gentle human. After a good while, as if the petting had dispersed the gloom, Yue'an suddenly remembered the spirit stone he had been gnawing on earlier and had tossed into a corner of the room.
In this world of constant change and fickle emotions, only spirit stones and belly rubs offered any warmth.
"Meow," Yue'an climbed back into Ji Xiuyun's greatcoat pocket, poking his head out expectantly.
Ji Xiuyun, growing increasingly adept at interpreting Yue'an's various behaviors, asked, "You want to go back?"
Yue'an burrowed deeper into the pocket, his mood still subdued. "Meow," he affirmed softly.
Without hesitation, Ji Xiuyun donned his greatcoat, giving Yue'an a comforting pat as the cat nestled into the pocket. He rose and left the conference room, with the silent guard falling into step behind him.
As they passed through the corridor of the training area, they encountered two individuals wearing uniforms different from the ordinary soldiers. Upon seeing Ji Xiuyun, they paused briefly, stepping aside and saluting in unison.
To their surprise, the Marshal, who usually acknowledged them with just a slight nod before striding past, stopped before them. He then reached into his pocket and produced a white... wait, wasn't that the unfamiliar small creature?
"Science team," Ji Xiuyun addressed them.
"Yes, Marshal!" they responded promptly.
"Do you have backup archives of Earth species' genetic sequences?"
"Yes, Marshal!"
Hearing the key words, Yue'an's ears perked up, and he roused from his limp state.
Ji Xiuyun had originally planned to wait until they returned to the capital star and obtain Yue'an's consent before conducting a proper genetic test at a well-equipped major scientific institute. However, now knowing that Yue'an might be an Earth creature, his existence took on a whole new significance.
In this cosmic era, humans who had lost their true ancestral planet harbored an intense obsession with all things related to ancient Earth. Even if it served no practical purpose, every ship venturing into space carried some form of Earth data. It was a matter of faith, their roots.
"Yue'an, would you be willing to undergo a genetic test? We only need a single hair," Ji Xiuyun asked, holding Yue'an up to eye level.
Yue'an gazed into Ji Xiuyun's eyes, finding nothing but sincerity there. Unlike ordinary cats, Yue'an didn't shed, making it difficult to obtain a hair sample. Among those present, only a serious Ji Xiuyun could potentially overpower Yue'an physically, making it virtually impossible to forcibly obtain genetic material safely.
After a moment's consideration, Yue'an decided to cooperate, given that Ji Xiuyun was his future caretaker. He gently patted the Marshal's cheek with his paw, then nuzzled against it.
A few brilliantly white cat hairs floated down, landing conspicuously on the Marshal's black uniform sleeve. Ji Xiuyun took just one and handed it to the science team members.
"Cross-reference with the Earth genetic database. I want results before we land," he instructed.
The quick-witted science team members, hearing Ji Xiuyun's words, immediately grasped the potential implications. Their eyes sparkled as they looked at the small furball nestling back into the Marshal's arms. Clutching the precious hair, they let out an excited whoop before vanishing in a flash.
...
Stardate November 8, 2017.
Nearly a week after Xintus Empire Marshal Ji Xiuyun's disappearance following an attack, he returned safely. Upon landing on the capital star and appearing before the media, a small, snow-white creature that looked both adorable and delicate was perched atop his military cap.
Amidst the confusion of hundreds of media outlets and trillions of live broadcast viewers, he answered the military press officer's questions.
"This is a cat," Marshal Ji announced, lifting the willful Yue'an, who had insisted on making his debut atop the military cap, into his arms. Facing the media gathered at the landing site exit, before the entire Xintus Empire spanning eighteen star systems and trillions of live viewers, he revealed the little one's genetic sequence.
"It is a treasure left behind by humanity's mother planet, ancient Earth," he declared. "The last remaining cat in the entire universe."
The last cat in the entire universe!!!
The people of the Empire erupted in excitement.