Auntie Wang fled, scrambling and stumbling.
Word that the snow leopard had scared her into wetting her pants, and that she had been publicly "exposed" for stealing pork, spread throughout the Su Family Compound in less than half a day.
From then on, no one dared come knocking to criticize the Su Family's "wild beast" again.
But the problem remained.
The snow leopard was a fierce predator, after all. Letting it remain "unregistered" like this was no solution.
That evening, at the Su family meeting, Su Mingfeng raised the issue.
"Big Brother, you handle logistics and have plenty of connections. Can you think of a way to get Big Kitty an official identity?"
Su Mingguo, the eldest of the Su siblings and head of the military region's logistics department, was a stern, unsmiling man. He pondered for a moment.
"There is a way," Su Mingguo began slowly. "We can register it as a special military experimental subject."
"What does that mean?" Su Mingzhe asked.
"It means putting it on the military establishment in the name of scientific research," Su Mingguo explained.
"We'll say it's a species we discovered with special potential, to be used in research on military applications for animals. That way, it won't be a pet, but a military asset protected by military law. Forget Auntie Wang-even the military region commander would have no authority to dispose of it."
That was a great idea!
The Su uncles' eyes all lit up.
"But to go through this process, we need a formal assessment report proving its special potential." Su Mingguo looked at Nuannuan. "We'll need Nuannuan's cooperation to show the assessment team how she commands the snow leopard."
"No problem." Su Mingfeng agreed at once. "Nuannuan and Big Kitty work together perfectly."
Su Mingguo was extremely efficient.
The very next day, he invited two experts from the military region's animal research center, along with a staff officer responsible for taking notes, to form a temporary assessment team.
The location was the backyard of the Su Family Compound.
The backyard was large, with an open area that gave the snow leopard plenty of room to move.
Held in Su Mingfeng's arms, Nuannuan stood in the middle of the clearing.
The snow leopard lay quietly at her feet, its huge tail sweeping the ground now and then.
The two experts, a man and a woman, were both in their fifties. Their eyes shone as they looked at the snow leopard, like Columbus discovering the New World.
"Heavens, it really is a snow leopard! And such a perfect build, such pure coat coloration! It's practically a living specimen!" The male expert rubbed his hands excitedly.
The female expert was more cautious. She adjusted her glasses. "Director Su, is it really that obedient? We doubled the dosage in the tranquilizer guns we brought."
Su Mingguo said expressionlessly, "See for yourselves."
He turned to Nuannuan, a rare trace of gentleness appearing on his face. "Nuannuan, could you have Big Kitty put on a little demonstration for this uncle and auntie?"
Nuannuan nodded.
She did not really understand what "demonstration" meant.
But if her eldest uncle asked her to do it, she would.
"Big Kitty, lie down." Nuannuan gave her first command.
The snow leopard immediately lay obediently on the ground, pressing its body flat against the snow.
"Crawl forward."
Pushing with its forelegs, the snow leopard began sliding its massive body silently forward over the snow, its movements textbook-perfect.
The two experts stared, transfixed.
Su Mingfeng felt that was not enough. He recalled the exercises used to train military dogs in the army.
He crouched down and whispered in Nuannuan's ear, "Nuannuan, tell Big Kitty to hide behind that rockery over there without letting anyone spot it."
Nuannuan only half understood. She squeaked a few words of "beast language" into the snow leopard's ear.
The snow leopard immediately stood up. Instead of running straight toward the rockery, it first circled halfway around the courtyard wall, using the trees and bushes as cover to slip silently behind the rockery.
The entire sequence was as fluid as the movements of a seasoned scout.
Without seeing it with their own eyes, no one would have imagined that such a massive body could conceal itself so well.
"It... it actually knows how to use the terrain!" the male expert exclaimed.
"This is more than simple obedience. It possesses rudimentary tactical thinking!" The female expert held her glasses, her hands beginning to shake.
Su Mingguo had originally only intended to go through the motions and get a report.
Seeing this, he was stunned too.
He had thought Nuannuan could only make the snow leopard "sit" and "stay."
He had never expected her to be able to command it to carry out such complex movements!
This was no longer a "pet." It was an intelligent "living weapon"!
"Mingfeng." Su Mingguo looked at his younger brother, his eyes filled with shock. "Are you sure... you haven't trained it beforehand?"
"I haven't even touched a hair on it." Su Mingfeng smiled wryly.
All of this came from the understanding between Nuannuan and the snow leopard.
Su Zhenbang had been watching from beneath the covered walkway the whole time. Now, he slowly walked over.
His gaze shifted between Nuannuan and the snow leopard, his eyes deep.
"What else can it do?" he asked Nuannuan.
Nuannuan thought for a moment, then pointed at a sparrow on the courtyard wall and told the snow leopard, "Big Kitty, give that little bird a scare. Don't hurt it."
The snow leopard tilted its head up for a look.
The next second, it shot out from behind the rockery like lightning and charged to the foot of the wall. Pushing off with all four legs, its massive body actually clung to the wall and shot several meters up.
The terrified sparrow flew away with a flutter of wings.
The snow leopard landed steadily, then ran back to Nuannuan's feet and looked up, plainly seeking praise.
Everyone fell utterly silent.
The two experts were already too excited to speak.
That leaping ability, that explosive power, that precise execution...
If deployed on a battlefield for infiltration behind enemy lines, targeted elimination, intelligence reconnaissance... what a terrifying presence it would be!
Su Zhenbang remained silent for a long time.
Finally, he made the final call.
"No further assessment is needed."
He looked at the imposing snow leopard, his eyes filled with admiration.
"From this day on, it is our Su Family's meritorious leopard!"
"Mingguo, report it to the military region and apply for a special-grade posting. Set its rations at the highest meal standard!"
"If it wants meat, give it the best meat! If it wants milk, give it the freshest milk!"
"I'd like to see who still dares call it a wild beast!"