The Unsportsmanlike Bat Swarm

Having dealt with the three troublesome Tiger-Headed Cats, Lin Mo looked at the three still-warm corpses on the ground, his desire to devour beginning to stir once more. These were mid-stage Beast Soldier Rank feline monsters; who knew, he might just get lucky and unlock a practical talent like enhanced [Agility] or enhanced [Night Vision]?

No sooner said than done! He walked over to the Tiger-Headed Cat corpse whose neck he had snapped and activated his [Combat Devour Talent], beginning to feast.

Cat meat... well, the texture was finer than wild boar and worlds apart from the Iron-Wire Snake. It had a unique, gamey stench, but it was still within an acceptable range. Streams of scorching energy surged into his body, strengthening his muscles and neural reflexes.

However, having swallowed less than half, Lin Mo felt something was wrong. A heavy, bloated sensation rose in his stomach, and the energy flow became sluggish, unlike the smooth absorption of rabbit meat or ordinary beast meat.

Clearly, with his current Beast Soldier Rank digestive capacity and physical strength, devouring a monster of the same rank (mid-stage, approaching his own peak-early stage) in one sitting was still a bit of a stretch.

Damn! I'm stuffed! Lin Mo stopped helplessly, casting a lingering look at the remaining cat meat. If he kept eating, never mind inheriting a talent, he'd probably be so full he'd choke during the next fight, affecting his agility.

"Mimi, what's wrong? Can't eat any more?" Wang Keke had recovered some of her energy and asked curiously upon seeing his state.

Lin Mo transmitted a depressed thought through their mental link: Too rich, indigestion.

Wang Keke realized what was happening and quickly said, "Then don't eat it. Let's leave here quickly! The smell of blood is too strong!"

Lin Mo nodded, suppressing the urge to pack the remaining cat meat to go, and skillfully used his claws to cut off the three pairs of cat ears as proof of the kill. The human and the tiger quickly left the battlefield, which was permeated with a thick, bloody stench, to find a new place to stay.

This time, they learned their lesson and specifically sought out an abandoned office building dozens of stories high. They climbed up the stairs, which were covered in dust and rubble, and finally found an ideal stronghold on the tenth floor—there was a massive gap in the outer wall caused by an explosion or impact, providing a wide field of vision to observe the surrounding streets.

Most importantly, if they were ever cornered, they could jump straight out of this gap and use Lin Mo's gliding ability to escape!

"This place is great!" Wang Keke was very satisfied with this "safe house."

The two (human and tiger) hid in the shadows inside the gap and began to rest. Wang Keke seized the time to meditate, recovering her heavily depleted mental energy. Lin Mo lay to the side, fully activating his devour talent to digest the "half-finished" Tiger-Headed Cat in his stomach, while simultaneously keeping a vigilant watch on his surroundings.

About two hours later, Wang Keke opened her eyes, looking refreshed. Lin Mo also felt the bloated sensation in his belly subside for the most part, and his strength seemed to have improved a sliver, though unfortunately, the [Combat Devour Talent] did not trigger an inheritance prompt.

"Let's go, Mimi! We'll continue! This time, we'll look for stragglers, or ones we can easily handle!" Wang Keke's fighting spirit was reignited.

Lin Mo let out a low growl in agreement. The human and tiger once again slipped into the ruins, like experienced hunters, carefully searching for prey.

Soon, Lin Mo's keen sense of smell caught a strong, earthy, and pungent odor. He signaled Wang Keke to hide, then silently crept behind a broken wall and peeked out.

In an open space that was once a street-center garden, a Thick-Armored Boar, its body the size of a small tank, draped in heavy mud-armor with tusks like two curved blades, was snorting as it used its nose to root through the ground, searching for potential plant roots.

Its mud-armor shimmered with a grayish-brown luster under the sunlight, looking incredibly defensive. Advanced Beast Soldier Rank! A tough nut to crack!

Beside it, two slightly smaller, but equally thick-skinned and sturdy female boars were wandering about, their aura at the mid-stage Beast Soldier Rank.

A family of three? Do wild boars hold team-building exercises too? Lin Mo mocked internally, but his eyes sharpened. He was very interested in this male boar's [Tough Skin] talent! Moreover, three boars were perfect for honing their tactics against small beast groups.

He retreated to Wang Keke's side and, through their mental link and simple gestures, quickly formulated a battle plan: ambush, take down one female first to reduce the pressure, then he would entangle the male boar while Wang Keke dealt with the other female as quickly as possible, and finally, they would join forces to surround the male.

Plan set!

Lin Mo, like a white ghost, used the cover of the ruins to silently circle to the side and rear. He chose the female boar slightly further from the male, lowered his body, tensed his muscles, and [Power Burst] was already prepared.

Wang Keke held her breath, her telekinetic power locking onto the other female boar, her flying daggers ready to strike.

Now!

Lin Mo pushed off the ground with his hind legs, his body shooting out like an arrow from a bow! His speed was pushed to the limit, even stirring up a light breeze!

The female boar had just sensed something was wrong and hadn't even had time to sound an alarm when a white shadow appeared at its side, accompanied by a gust of wind! Sharp tiger claws flashed with cold light, aiming straight for its relatively vulnerable neck!

Squelch!

The sharp claws precisely tore through fur and muscle! The female boar only had time to let out a short, mournful cry before it collapsed heavily to the ground, blood gushing out.

"ROAR!" The male boar was instantly enraged, its eyes turning red. Like an out-of-control heavy truck, it lowered its head, bared its hideous tusks, and charged violently toward Lin Mo! The ground trembled slightly under its hooves!

The other female boar also shrieked, attempting to charge at Lin Mo.

"Your opponent is me!" Wang Keke shouted sharply. Two flying daggers shot out like silver snakes, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, aiming straight for the female boar's eyes and abdomen, forcing it to stop and dodge in a panic.

Facing the charging male boar, Lin Mo was completely fearless. His four limbs gripped the ground, and [Tough Skin] gave him the confidence to withstand the impact! The moment the boar was about to collide with him, he leaped to the side, his tiger paw striking the boar's flank with the force of a thousand pounds!

BANG!

A muffled thud, like striking a cowhide drum! The male boar's momentum stalled, and several shallow claw marks appeared on its mud-armor, but it didn't break through! Its thick skin and flesh were well-deserved!

"Snort!" The male boar turned its body, its tusks sweeping across like a bulldozer!

Lin Mo nimbly jumped back to avoid it, his wings flapping slightly to adjust his balance as he looked for the next attack opportunity. He wasn't in a hurry; against such a clumsy opponent, as long as he wasn't hit head-on, he had plenty of ways to wear it down.

Sharp claws landed repeatedly on the boar's back and flanks; although they couldn't deal a fatal blow, they left streaks of blood, inciting the male boar to become increasingly manic.

On the other side, relying on the flexibility of her flying daggers, Wang Keke had completely suppressed the other female boar. The female boar was already covered in wounds, and its defeat was only a matter of time.

The battle situation seemed excellent, and victory was in sight! Lin Mo had even started calculating in his mind whether he should gnaw on the pig's trotters first or taste the loin? He heard the meat of this Thick-Armored Boar was particularly chewy...

However, the heavens (or rather, the old foxes who designed this trial ground) seemed unable to stand seeing them have it too easy.

Just as the male boar was sent stumbling back by a powerful, heavy-hitting strike from Lin Mo, and the moment Wang Keke's flying daggers were about to pierce the skull of the female boar—

"Squeak, squeak, squeak!!"

"Flap, flap, flap—!"

An extremely sharp, dense screeching sound, accompanied by the noise of countless wings flapping, descended from the sky like the wailing of ghosts and wolves!

Lin Mo and Wang Keke's hearts sank simultaneously as they looked up!

The sky, which had been quite bright, seemed to be instantly obscured by a massive "dark cloud"! The "cloud" was composed of dozens, if not hundreds, of fist-sized, pitch-black monsters with blood-red eyes and hideous mouthparts—they were Vampire Bats! Beast Soldier Rank; their individual strength wasn't high, but their numbers were massive, and they excelled at sonic interference and blood-sucking!

They had clearly been attracted by the strong smell of blood below! Like they had discovered a supreme delicacy, they dove crazily toward the battlefield!

"Oh no! It's a swarm of Vampire Bats!" Wang Keke's face turned pale with fright.

Lin Mo also cursed under his breath, "Damn it! Kill-stealers are here! And they're the air force, for fuck's sake!"

These uninvited guests didn't distinguish between friend or foe, sweeping into the battlefield like a black whirlwind! A portion of them dove straight for the carcass of the female wild boar on the ground and the other struggling female, their sharp teeth easily piercing through fur to frantically suck the blood!

More of them charged toward the largest, most vigorous male wild boar, as well as... Lin Mo and Wang Keke, who looked quite "delicious" to them.

The male wild boar had thick skin and could hold them off for a while, but it was covered in bats and shook its head in irritation. Although Wang Keke's flying daggers could easily kill the bats, there were simply too many to handle, and she was soon thrown into a panic, her focus disrupted and her control over her psychokinesis wavering.

Lin Mo bore the brunt of the assault, with over a dozen bats clinging directly to his white fur, searching for a place to bite.

Although his Tough Skin made it difficult for their teeth to penetrate, the slimy, cold sensation and the "chitter-chatter" noise were truly disgusting and maddening! He had to divide his attention to swat at them with his claws and lash out with his tail.

Seeing the cooked wild boar about to fly away while he was being harassed by this swarm of "mosquitoes," Lin Mo was so angry he nearly coughed up blood.

Damn it! These bastards are stealing my kills! No sense of sportsmanship! He roared internally, but the situation was dire. If they stayed any longer, let alone hunting the wild boar, they might be drained to death by these bats themselves.

"Mimi! Retreat!" Wang Keke made a split-second decision, clearing a small area around her with her flying daggers before shouting at Lin Mo.

Lin Mo took one last unwilling look at the male wild boar, which was already covered in bats and struggling in vain. He let out a roar that sent the bats clinging to him flying, activated Power Burst, smashed through the bats blocking his path, and rushed to Wang Keke's side.

"Let's go!"

The human and the tiger no longer cared about their spoils. Braving the swarm of screeching, frenzied bats, they fled for their lives into the depths of the complex building ruins in a sorry state. Behind them, the shrill cries of the wild boar and the excited shrieks of the bats echoed.

Twisting and turning through narrow, difficult gaps, they finally managed to shake off the persistent swarm of bats.

Hiding at the entrance of a dark, damp basement, Wang Keke leaned on her knees, gasping for air. Her light armor was covered in bat saliva and dust, and her face was deathly pale—partly from exhaustion, and partly from anger.

Lin Mo was no better off; his white fur was filthy, and he felt as disgusted as if he had swallowed a fly.

Worked hard for half a day, only to end up back at square one! The pork that was already in my mouth was ruined by a bunch of feathered beasts! Lin Mo cursed internally. The designer of this trial ground must be a total psychopath!

He and Wang Keke locked eyes, both seeing the same frustration and helplessness in each other.

Well, time to rest up and continue being their "Wild Hunter." Only this time, they would have to be on constant guard against the "mantis stalking the cicada" from the sky.