She instructed Xiaomi to collect the fur that had fallen off her dad. After all, she also needed a break.
So, abandoning the comb, she ran over to her dad, transformed into a Ragdoll cat, and climbed up his broad arm. Finally, she settled down on his neck, turning into a soft little cat pancake.
A purring sound bubbled up from her throat, and her tiny paws instinctively started kneading, but she only managed two presses before realizing her paws had no strength left.
The little cat flipped over, exposing her soft, fluffy belly. Her body curled into a U-shape, and her tail rested atop her belly like a small blanket. Closing her eyes, she began basking in the warm sunlight, and before she knew it, drifted off to sleep.
“Is this how she gathered Fengsi’s fur to make that little toy?”
Upon realizing what all the collected fur would be used for, Ruan Linzhan was left speechless.
So Ruan Fengsi was the first one she gathered fur from.
He always thought of himself as easygoing, perhaps the most reliable among his siblings. His other brothers all had quite the temper; they wouldn’t even let anyone get too close, especially in their beast forms.
Even though she was his cousin, Ruan Linzhan didn’t imagine he’d let her get that close.
Yet, the fierce and temperamental Ruan Fengsi not only allowed her near but even let her gather his fur.
Not even his own biological brother got such treatment.
“What do you mean by ‘gather fur’? This is just the loose fur Shushu combed off him. Didn’t you notice how much sleeker and shinier he looked afterward?”
In the sunlight, it looked as if he could almost glow.
Previously, his fur was mixed with loose hair, barely moved by the wind, and lacked that soft, smooth look. Now, it looked much better.
Though they didn’t usually care about such things, it did look comfortable.
Ruan Qingran commented, “Ruan Fengsi even mentioned before that being combed feels really nice.”
For him to admit that, he must genuinely enjoy it.
Ruan Linzhan was a little intrigued. Could it really feel that good? But then…
No way!
He took a sip of tea, imagining that scene but quickly found it hard to accept.
“So, when do you plan to leave after this return?”
Ruan Linzhan, being the commander of the frontier garrison, would, of course, have to leave again.
“After participating in this year’s military exercises.”
With the Empire’s Beast God Festival and National Day approaching, there would be a grand military exercise this year.
He was summoned back as an instructor.
However, they hadn’t expected the rebel forces to provoke them at such a crucial time, completely infuriating them.
When His Majesty and his uncle led the charge against the rebels, Ruan Linzhan hadn’t been idle either, leading troops to eradicate the Zerg hive.
This military exercise would also be a critical period for selecting promising cadets from the military academies. Soon, the graduating students and top performers would participate in a point-based competition, streamed live to the entire nation.
Those who excelled would naturally attract offers from the major legion, allowing them to choose which legion they wanted to join.
“Ruan Ling’an will be participating this year too, right?”
Ruan Linzhan nodded, “Yes, he will.”
After finishing his tea, Ruan Linzhan left. There was still a lot of work waiting for him, so he couldn’t afford to waste time here.
Ruan Qingran and Ruan He glanced at the father and daughter sleeping soundly nearby and went about their own business.
Ruan Shu had an incredibly restful nap. As soon as she woke, before even opening her eyes, her little paws began moving instinctively.
Yes, the little cat was back to kneading and massaging.
Giving her dad’s tiger-sized neck a massage, she opened her mouth in a wide yawn.
Ruan Xiao opened his eyes as well, and with a slight movement of his neck, the little one rolled off, though she was promptly caught by his large tiger paw.
She tumbled around his wide paw, and once steady, stretched her back in a lazy arch, before resuming her kneading, this time on the soft pad of his paw.
After a bit, the cat’s eyes were fully alert. She tilted her tiny head and nuzzled against her dad’s palm, then sat down to lick her paw and give herself a quick face wash.
Suddenly, her perspective rose. Tilting her head in confusion, she realized her dad had shifted to his human form.
Well, that was fine by her.
The little cat nestled contentedly in her dad’s hand, her tiny paws tucked in like a model of perfect obedience.
Today, she decided she wouldn’t turn back into her human form at all. She would cling to her dad all day. She was so small that he could easily carry her in his pocket, taking her wherever he went.
If there was one thing she loved about her tiny, pitiful size, it was exactly this.
Ruan Xiao let her be. After a brief rest, he felt more refreshed, and his first task upon waking was to handle the pile of military affairs waiting for him.
Ruan Shu happily continued as his personal mascot, occasionally nudging his palm or letting out a soft, sweet meow.
When he was too busy to pay attention to her, she would quietly curl up on his lap, lying or sitting without disturbing him.
Whenever her dad took a short break, the little cat would immediately spring into action, becoming his thoughtful “little warmth,” with her soft paws pressing on his wrist in a gentle kneading massage.
The cat’s massage service was the best there was!
Ruan Xiao glanced down, a clear smile growing on his face as he gently rubbed the little cat’s fluffy head with his fingers.
“Meow~”
A video call came through, and Shushu immediately transformed into a quiet little angel, lying still on his lap with just her tail swaying contentedly.
“Marshal, the document has been decrypted. We thought you should take a look at it yourself.”
From the lieutenant’s serious expression, Ruan Xiao could tell there was something extraordinary in the document they had retrieved from the rebel base.
It didn’t take him long to understand why.
The rebels were performing sacrificial rituals, in the literal sense of sacrificing human lives to their revered Dark Beast God.
According to the document, it appeared they had unlocked some mysterious form of energy that allowed them to summon or communicate with the Dark Beast God by offering lives in sacrifice.
The document also mentioned the Third Legion, and the date was recorded as Star Calendar 5453. At that time, his brother, Ruan Hongxian, had served as the Marshal leading the Third Legion.
Ruan Xiao’s pupils contracted sharply. “Is there any way to gather more information?”
The lieutenant looked troubled, “That’s all we have from this document.”
Ruan Xiao was silent for a couple of seconds. “I understand.”
Ruan Shu could sense her dad’s mood shifting for the worse. She nestled into his palm, her tiny tongue licking his fingers as she looked at him with worried eyes.
What’s wrong, Daddy?
With a heavy expression, Ruan Xiao gently rubbed her little head. “It’s nothing. I’ll send some information to your grandfather and cousin.”
He didn’t believe it was just a coincidence. Back when the border was disrupted by the swarm of Zerg beasts, several major legion had been dispatched to suppress it.
At first, everything seemed fine, but then the Zerg Queen suddenly appeared. The Star Beast Legion had to exert a tremendous amount of effort to kill it, and when word finally got back, they learned that the soldiers of both the Third Legion and the First Legion, who had gone to fight the swarm, had mysteriously disappeared.