Huo Jiuxiao carried Ruan Bai into the military department’s conference room. The spacious room was packed with people, leaving only the primary seat vacant.
Without standing on ceremony with them, Huo Jiuxiao walked over and took a seat.
The man in the main seat wore a black trench coat, his expression cold and stern, his gaze indifferent, with a chilling aura of alienation radiating from his entire being.
Simply sitting there, he projected a powerful sense of oppression.
Everyone among the military brass present understood that the once-young wolf cub had grown into a majestic king of the wolves.
Severe, icy, merciless, and brimming with aggression.
“Meow~”
A milky-soft cat meow shattered the solemn atmosphere in the room, and Huo Jiuxiao’s frozen expression instantly melted into something that could only be described as tenderness.
It was as if a cold machine had suddenly acquired human emotions.
Ruan Bai struggled to poke his head out from Huo Jiuxiao’s embrace. The moment he raised his eyes, he was met with a dozen pairs of eyes staring straight at him.
Ruan Bai: “……”
What is wrong with these people?!
The little cat demon had no desire to deal with them, so he turned around and buried his head back into Mr. Huo’s chest.
His pointy little ears twitched, and his little tail flicked back and forth.
The Marshal gently stroked the soft fur along the white cat’s back and pinched his ears.
According to the data, cats were easily startled and needed to be comforted promptly.
Marshal Huo raised his head, sweeping a chilly glance over the crowd, his voice freezing cold: “You scared him.”
General Peel and the others, who knew full well that this little kitten had once swatted a Zerg general straight into the starship wall so hard it couldn’t be pried loose—sat in stunned silence: “……”
Ruan Bai: ???
What on earth are you talking?!
He was a cat demon, after all; how could he possibly be frightened by a few humans?
To prove to this foolish human that he wasn’t scared at all, he broke free from Huo Jiuxiao’s arms and nimbly leaped onto the massive conference table.
The palm-sized, milky-white little ball puffed out his chest, looking like a sovereign lording over his domain from on high.
The only pity was that his size merely made him look excessively cute, both milky and adorable.
The milky-white little cat squatted right in the main seat, with the black-clad Marshal sitting directly behind him.
One black, one white, one large and one small, it was an utterly mismatched combination, yet it exuded an exclusive, impenetrable atmosphere of gentle warmth.
With his arms suddenly empty, Huo Jiuxiao looked down at the cat sitting before him, his brows knitting together in a nearly imperceptible frown. His brisk mood abruptly plummeted.
Before he could dwell on it, Marshal Kaisen spoke up first.
“I heard that Xiao Bai eats energy crystals, so I had some prepared.”
The moment the words fell, two orderlies walked in carrying a large, premium black-gold metal chest.
At the sight of that box, Ruan Bai’s eyes lit up.
Spiritual stones!
He stared unblinkingly at the chest, his little paws unconsciously scratching at the table.
He was a cat demon from ancient times, an era when formidable grand demons were so numerous that a young cat demon seemed exceptionally weak by comparison.
Yet, the combat prowess of monsters was terrifying.
With just a few light strokes of his claws, deep scratch marks were gouged directly into the conference table, which was crafted from black xu-wood touted as the hardest timber in the empire.
Everyone present: “……”
As expected of a cat capable of single-handedly subduing a Zerg general!
Utterly terrifying!
Still, looking at the little milk cat’s reaction, Marshal Kaisen knew he had bet on the right horse.
He shared a rock-solid relationship with Huo Jiuxiao’s father, the late Elder Marshal Huo, and could be considered to have watched the young man grow up.
Never had he imagined that this little bastard would show such blind loyalty to the imperial family, brainwashed by the old emperor day in and day out for decades until reasoning with him became impossible.
Yet, at least this time, the young man had seen through the imperial family’s filth.
Before he could even feel relieved, he heard that Huo Jiuxiao had brought back a cat capable of knocking out a Zerg general with a single paw.
Initially, Marshal Kaisen thought it was just exaggerated gossip and refused to believe it.
The rebellious scoundrel in his own household also raised a tabby cat, which was fine for getting into petty fights or catching birds.
But send it onto the battlefield to slaughter a Zerg general?
That was pure fantasy!
Yet the reality lay right before his eyes, leaving him no room for disbelief.
Marshal Kaisen had tried several times to drop by and see this extraordinary little cat.
Huo Jiuxiao had stubbornly refused every time, only agreeing to bring Xiao Bai along today for the sake of the entire military’s security.
What an absolute rascal, guarding the creature so tightly. Anyone unaware would think Xiao Bai was his wife.
With this thought, Marshal Kaisen looked toward Xiao Bai, who looked remarkably easier to trick (scratch that) more obedient with growing fondness.
Ruan Bai shook his fur, feeling a chill run down his spine.
He vigilantly scanned his surroundings, his little head bobbing back and forth.
Finding no danger, he went right back to staring at that box of spiritual stones.
Huo Jiuxiao had promised to share the spiritual stones with him today, and he intended to keep a close eye on it.
The little milk cat focused all his attention on the chest filled with energy crystals, his pointy little ears twitching from time to time, completely melting the hearts of the rough-hewn generals present.
So cute!!
Is this what a cat is like?!
No wonder so many nobles wanted to keep cats, they wanted to raise one too!!!
Ruan Bai was completely oblivious to the thoughts running through the stern commanders’ minds, or rather, even if he knew, he wouldn’t care.
He turned around, lifted his small head, and looked up at the Marshal with a gaze full of eager longing.
Grandpa Tree Demon had always taught him never to take things from strangers, or he might get captured by bad guys to be refined into pills.
Mr. Huo instantly understood the little glutton’s expression, and his gloomy mood cleared up in an instant.
He raised a hand to signal the orderlies to open the box, then scooped up the little milk cat and placed him right inside it.
The two orderlies had no idea why the Marshal would place a tiny kitten inside a box packed with energy crystals.
Knowing better than to question orders, they cast one last reluctant glance at the little milk cat, who was currently rubbing his small head against the Marshal’s wrist before regretfully walking out and closing the door.
The Marshal gently poked Ruan Bai’s little head, his tone mild. “Eat up. They’re all yours.”
He paused slightly, adding, “You can eat your fill; these energy crystals aren’t mine, so we can’t take them with us.”
Upon hearing this, just as he was planning to save half of them to take home Ruan Bai snapped his head up, fixing his glowing gaze squarely on Marshal Huo.
Receiving an affirmative look in return, he spun around immediately.
A pair of small paws swiftly shoved a chunk of spiritual stone roughly the size of his own body, and he began to feast.
Huo Jiuxiao’s eyes deepened as he turned back to discuss the Zerg emergence at Wormhole A1 with the generals at the table.
Lying amidst the chest full of spiritual stones, Ruan Bai rapid-fire munched on the crystals while keeping his pointy little ears perked to eavesdrop on their discussion.
He looked like he wasn’t eating very fast, but in reality, a top-grade energy crystal vanished into his rice-grain-sized teeth in no time at all.
Ruan Bai also noticed that ever since he started following Huo Jiuxiao and living the blissful life of having an endless supply of spiritual stones, his eating speed had grown increasingly faster. The spiritual energy entering his body was also converted at an accelerated rate, as though they were naturally meant to be one.
As more and more spiritual energy poured into him, Ruan Bai felt an unprecedented wave of comfort. It seemed he might be able to resume his human form very soon.
The milky-white little ball sprawled across a pile of gorgeously colored spiritual stones, his eyes half-closed, tail swaying as he bared his belly and indulged to his heart’s content.
A massive spiritual stone was vanishing at a speed visible to the naked eye.