After taking care of the three troublesome Tiger-Headed Cats, Lin Mo looked at their still-warm corpses on the ground. His urge to devour them began to stir again. They were mid-rank Beast Soldier feline monsters, after all. Maybe he'd get lucky and gain a useful talent, like enhanced [Agility] or [Night Vision]?
No sooner said than done! He walked over to the Tiger-Headed Cat whose neck he'd bitten through, activated his [Combat Devour] talent, and began to feast.
Cat meat... Hmm, it was more tender than boar, and leagues better than Iron-Wire Snake. It had a distinctive gamey, musky flavor, but it was still within the bounds of acceptability. Waves of searing energy flowed into his body, strengthening his muscles and sharpening his reflexes.
However, after eating less than half of it, Lin Mo started to feel something was wrong. A heavy, overfull sensation settled in his stomach, and the flow of energy grew sluggish. It wasn't as smooth as when he devoured rabbit or ordinary beast meat.
Clearly, with his current Beast Soldier Rank digestive capacity and physical strength, devouring a monster of the same rank all at once—even one at mid-rank, close to his own early-rank peak—was still a bit too much.
Damn! I'm stuffed! Lin Mo stopped reluctantly and glanced at the remaining cat meat. If he kept eating, forget inheriting a talent—he'd probably be full to the throat, which would affect his agility in a fight.
"Mimi, what's wrong? Can't eat anymore?" Wang Keke had recovered some of her strength. Seeing his expression, she asked curiously.
Through their mental link, Lin Mo sent her a dejected thought: It's too nourishing. I've got indigestion.
Wang Keke understood. "Then stop eating. We need to get out of here! The smell of blood is too strong!"
Lin Mo nodded. He resisted the urge to pack up the rest of the cat meat and take it with them, then expertly sliced off the three pairs of cat-ear proof tokens with his claws. The girl and tiger quickly left the battlefield, still thick with blood, and searched for a new place to settle.
This time, they'd learned their lesson and deliberately chose an abandoned office building dozens of stories tall. They climbed the dusty, rubble-strewn stairs and eventually found an ideal base on one of the floors in the teens. A huge hole in the outer wall, caused by an explosion or impact, offered a wide view of several surrounding streets.
Most importantly, if they were ever trapped at the entrance, they could jump straight out through the hole and use Lin Mo's gliding ability to escape!
"This place is nice!" Wang Keke was pleased with their "safe house."
The two—one human, one tiger—hid in the shadows just inside the hole and began to rest. Wang Keke meditated to restore her greatly depleted Psychic Power. Lin Mo lay nearby, doing his best to work his Devour Talent and digest the "half-finished" Tiger-Headed Cat in his stomach, all while keeping a wary eye on his surroundings.
About two hours later, Wang Keke opened her eyes, refreshed. Lin Mo also felt most of the fullness in his stomach fade. His strength seemed to have improved a little, but unfortunately, his [Combat Devour Talent] hadn't triggered an inheritance notification.
"Come on, Mimi! Let's keep going! This time, we'll look for one that's alone, or one we can take down easily!" Wang Keke's fighting spirit rekindled.
Lin Mo gave an approving growl. The girl and tiger slipped back into the ruins, searching carefully for prey like seasoned hunters.
Soon, Lin Mo's keen nose caught a strong, earthy, musky stench. He signaled for Wang Keke to hide, then quietly crept behind a broken wall and peered out.
In an open space that had once been a street-side garden, a Thick-Armored Boar the size of a small tank was rooting around for plant roots. It was covered in heavy mud armor, and its tusks curved like a pair of scimitars.
Its muddy armor gleamed gray-brown in the sunlight. It was clearly highly defensive. Advanced Beast Soldier—a tough opponent!
Two slightly smaller sows with equally thick hides milled around it. Their auras were at mid-rank Beast Soldier.
A family of three? Do boars have team-building activities too? Lin Mo grumbled inwardly, but his eyes sharpened. He was very interested in the male boar's [Thick Armor] talent! Besides, three boars would make a perfect opportunity to practice their tactics against a small group of beasts.
He returned to Wang Keke's side and quickly worked out a plan through their mental link and simple gestures: launch a surprise attack and take out one sow first to reduce the pressure; then he'd keep the boar occupied while Wang Keke quickly dealt with the other sow. Finally, they'd team up against the boar.
Perfect plan!
Like a white phantom, Lin Mo used the ruins for cover as he silently circled around to the side and rear. He picked the sow a little farther from the boar, crouched low, and tensed his muscles. [Power Burst] was ready.
Wang Keke held her breath, locked onto the other sow with her Psychic Power, and readied her throwing knives.
Now!
Lin Mo kicked off powerfully with his hind legs and shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow! He moved so fast he even stirred up a gust of wind!
The sow had only just sensed something was wrong. Before it could sound the alarm, a white blur was already at its side, charging in on a gust! His sharp Tiger Claws glinted coldly, aimed right at its relatively vulnerable neck!
Thwack!
His claws tore through fur and muscle with pinpoint accuracy! The sow managed only a brief cry before collapsing heavily to the ground, blood gushing from the wound.
"Roar!" The boar flew into a rage. Eyes red, it charged at Lin Mo like an out-of-control truck, head lowered and fearsome tusks bared! The ground trembled beneath its hooves!
The other sow squealed and tried to charge at Lin Mo, too.
"Your opponent is me!" Wang Keke cried. Two flying daggers darted out like silver snakes, whistling through the air toward the sow's eyes and belly. It had no choice but to stop and dodge clumsily.
Facing the charging boar, Lin Mo wasn't the least bit afraid. He dug in all four paws. [Tough Skin] gave him the confidence to meet it head-on! The instant the boar was about to hit him, he leaped sharply to the side and slammed his paw into its ribs with tremendous force.
Thud!
The blow landed with a muffled sound, like a strike on a bullhide drum! The boar's charge faltered, and several shallow claw marks appeared on its muddy armor—but they hadn't broken through! Its thick hide was no exaggeration!
Snort! The boar wheeled around, sweeping its tusks across like a bulldozer.
Lin Mo leaped nimbly backward to avoid them, fluttering his wings slightly to keep his balance as he searched for another opening. He wasn't in a hurry. Against such a clumsy opponent, as long as he avoided a direct hit, he had plenty of ways to wear it down.
His claws kept striking the boar's back and flanks. Though the blows weren't lethal, they left streaks of blood, making the boar increasingly frenzied.
On the other side, Wang Keke's agile throwing knives had completely suppressed the sow. It was covered in wounds, and its defeat was only a matter of time.
The battle seemed to be going perfectly. Victory was close! Lin Mo had already started wondering whether he'd eat the trotters first or try the tenderloin. He'd heard Thick-Armored Boar meat had quite a chew to it...
But it seemed Heaven—or the sly old foxes who'd designed this trial—couldn't stand to let them have things too easy.
Just as a powerful charge from Lin Mo sent the boar stumbling backward, and Wang Keke's flying dagger was about to pierce the sow's skull—
"Eek! Eek! Eek!"
Flap, flap—!
A shrill, dense chorus of squeals came from the sky, accompanied by the sound of countless wings beating. It was like wailing ghosts!
Lin Mo and Wang Keke both tensed and looked up!
The sky, which had been fairly bright, seemed to be covered in an instant by a huge "dark cloud"! The cloud was made up of dozens, perhaps hundreds, of fist-sized creatures. They were pitch-black, with blood-red eyes and hideous mouths. Vampire Bats! Individually, they were only Beast Soldier Rank and not very strong, but they came in huge numbers and specialized in sonic interference and sucking blood!
They'd clearly been drawn by the thick stench of blood below! As if they'd found the most delicious feast in the world, they dove toward the battlefield in a frenzy!
"Uh-oh! It's a swarm of Vampire Bats!" Wang Keke cried, her face pale with alarm.
Lin Mo cursed as well. "What the hell! They're stealing our kills! And they're freaking flying cavalry!"
These uninvited guests made no distinction between friend and foe. Like a black whirlwind, they swept into the battlefield! Some swooped straight toward the dead sow and the other sow still struggling, their sharp teeth easily piercing fur as they frantically sucked blood!
Even more rushed toward the largest and most vigorous target—the boar—and... Lin Mo and Wang Keke, who looked "delicious" too!
The boar's thick hide protected it for now, but bats were already swarming over its face, and it tossed its head irritably. Wang Keke's flying daggers could easily kill the bats, but there were too many to count. The swarm quickly threw her into disarray, even interfering with her control of her Psychic Power.
Lin Mo took the brunt of the assault. More than a dozen bats landed directly on his white fur, trying to find a spot to bite.
His [Tough Skin] made it difficult for their teeth to pierce him, but the cold, slick touch and their constant "squeaking" were revolting and irritating! He had to keep swatting them with his paws and lashing at them with his tail.
The boar they'd nearly had in the bag was about to get away, and now he was being harassed by a swarm of "mosquitoes." Lin Mo was so angry he could've spat blood.
Damn it! Those bastards stole our kill! No honor! He raged inwardly, but the situation was against them. If they stayed, they wouldn't just lose the boar—they might be worn down and killed by the bats themselves.
"Mimi! Fall back!" Wang Keke made the call at once. She cleared a small space around them with her flying daggers and shouted to Lin Mo.
Lin Mo shot an unwilling glance at the boar, now covered in bats and still struggling in vain. He roared, shook several bats off himself, activated [Power Burst], and charged through the bats in his way to reach Wang Keke.
"Go!"
The girl and tiger forgot all about the spoils and fled desperately into the depths of the tangled ruins, with the sky filled with frenzied, shrieking bats overhead. Behind them, the boar let out a mournful squeal, mingling with the bats' excited cries.
They wound this way and that, squeezing through every narrow, difficult gap they could find. Only after a desperate scramble did they finally shake off the bats, which had clung to them like a curse.
At the entrance to a dark, damp basement, Wang Keke braced her hands on her knees and panted heavily. Her light armor was smeared with bat saliva and dust, and her face was pale—not just from exhaustion, but anger too.
Lin Mo wasn't doing much better. His white fur was filthy, and he felt as disgusted as if he'd swallowed a fly.
We'd worked our tails off all day, only to end up back where we started! The pork was practically in our mouths, and a flock of winged vermin had ruined everything! Lin Mo fumed. The person who designed this trial must be a total sadist!
He and Wang Keke exchanged a glance. They saw the same frustration and helplessness in each other's eyes.
Well, they'd rest for a while, then get back to being "Wild Hunters." This time, though, they'd have to keep an eye out for "orioles" swooping in from the sky.
Before you continue