Meow? I am a fierce tiger!

The wound on his leg still throbbed with pain, but the sensation brought by that strange, warm current left Lin Mo even more shocked.

He mechanically licked the remaining beast milk in the stone trough while frantically analyzing the situation in his mind.

Devour and recover? After being injured, I can plunder a sliver of energy from food to repair my wounds!

This discovery allowed him to temporarily suppress the panic regarding his predicament. A golden finger! This was truly the standard equipment for a transmigrator! Although it seemed pitifully weak, it was at least a glimmer of hope.

However, reality soon dealt him a heavy blow.

The sturdy tiger cub that had bitten him seemed to have tasted the sweetness of "victory," or perhaps it simply didn't like the look of this white outsider. Seeing him still licking the milk, it bared its teeth again, growled low, and approached, assuming a clear attack stance.

Damn it, you're not done yet, are you!

Anger flared in Lin Mo's heart; the pride belonging to a human made him want to fight this beast to the death! He arched his thin, weak back, mimicked the other's posture, and let out a "woof" that he considered fierce, baring his baby teeth which lacked any real intimidation.

However, the gap in size and strength was an objective reality.

The other side simply pounced and bumped into him casually, and Lin Mo felt as if he had been hit by a small cannonball. He stumbled back several steps, landing hard on his backside in the pile of hay, feeling completely dazed.

The sturdy tiger cub flicked its tail triumphantly, walked to the stone trough, occupied the best spot, and even turned back to let out a provocative growl at Lin Mo.

Roar... (You just wait for me, you bastard...) Lin Mo cursed internally, but his body was very honest; he didn't go back up to engage in a hard fight.

A wise tiger doesn't fight when the odds are against him! Lay low!

He admitted defeat. He hung his head, flattened his ears, and let out a few whimpering sounds of weakness, tinged with grievance. He even tried hard to wag his disobedient tail tip—a gesture of submission he had learned by observing the interactions of the other cubs.

Sure enough, seeing this, the hostility in the sturdy tiger cub's eyes faded significantly, replaced by a condescending, haughty sense of triumph, as if it were saying, "You know your place." It then ignored him and focused on the beast milk in the trough.

Lin Mo silently kept a tally against this guy in his heart. Then, spotting an opportunity when the strongest ones had drunk their fill and started playing with each other, he stealthily squeezed in from the edge, buried his head in the stone trough, and frantically licked the last layer of milk at the bottom.

This time, no other cub came to drive him away.

Gulp... Gulp...

The warm beast milk, carrying strange energy, surged into his throat and flowed into his stomach. At first, he didn't feel much, but after a while, a distinct warmth rose from his lower abdomen. It was much stronger than the faint current he felt when he was injured, like warm sunlight slowly permeating his limbs and bones.

He could clearly feel the weakness being dispelled. His previously hollow stomach seemed to fill up a bit, and even his limbs felt as if they had gained some strength. Although he was still far from being "strong," at least he wasn't as fragile as before, ready to topple at the slightest breeze.

This beast milk... it's no ordinary item! Lin Mo was secretly shocked. This world is truly not simple.

Satisfied, he retreated to the furthest corner of the Animal Pen, found a relatively clean spot to lie down, carefully licked the wound on his front leg, and began to squint his eyes to digest the food while observing this "Nursery."

Just as he was half-asleep, contemplating whether his future would be to dominate the mountains and forests or to be turned into a tiger-skin rug, a commotion came from outside.

Footsteps, laughter, and the fawning, cautious voice of the keeper.

"Young Master Wang, Young Master Li, Miss Keke, please, this way! This litter is the purest-blooded batch of Winged Tiger cubs this year, with huge potential!"

Lin Mo immediately pricked up his ears, lifted his head vigilantly, and peered through the gaps in the hay with his amber eyes.

He saw the gate of the Animal Pen open, and several people walked in. Leading them were three teenage boys wearing exquisite combat suits, along with two girls of similar age. Behind them followed the base keeper, nodding and bowing.

One of the boys, tall and sturdy with a hint of arrogance between his brows, was pointing at the tiger cubs in the pen, bragging to the two girls beside him:

"See that? This batch is pretty good! I told my dad long ago that if you want to challenge a battle pet, you have to come to a breeding base with a military background! How could the trash in those pet markets be worthy of our status?"

He patted his chest and said proudly, "Like me, I passed the Junior Warrior assessment last year! This time, I must pick the fiercest one so I can sweep through the Wilderness Zone with it in the future!"

The other boy and the two girls beside him showed varying degrees of envy and flattery.

Only the girl walking at the very end, wearing a light blue combat suit and a neat ponytail, seemed somewhat distracted. She looked to be about fourteen or fifteen, with fair skin and features as exquisite as a porcelain doll, but deep within those clear eyes, there seemed to be a calmness and agility that belied her age.

She didn't echo the arrogant boy's bragging, and her gaze swept lightly over the strongest and most active tiger cubs in the pen, seemingly without much interest.

Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat.

Wang Family? Convoy? Choosing a battle pet?

Late Great Nirvana! Battle beasts! These keywords instantly connected in his mind!

Damn it, the buyers are here! Am I going to be chosen as a pet?!

He immediately buried his head lower, trying hard to minimize his presence, praying frantically: Don't pick me, don't pick me! I'm meant to lay low and develop until I become the king of men; how can I be someone's pet! Pick those muscle-heads, yes, pick the one that bullied me earlier!

The arrogant boy, the so-called "Young Master Wang," indeed took a fancy to the sturdiest tiger cub, pointing at it and telling the keeper, "That one! It looks energetic!"

The keeper hurriedly apologized and agreed.

The other boys and girls also each chose a cub that looked healthy and lively.

At this moment, the arrogant Young Master Wang looked at the ponytail girl trailing at the back, his tone carrying a hint of ingratiation: "Keke, why don't you pick one too? I think that one is pretty good; the 'Wang' marking on its forehead is the clearest!"

The girl named Keke shook her head gently. Her gaze continued to wander through the pen until, suddenly, it fixed on the tiny white figure in the corner, curled into a ball and trying hard to pretend to be invisible.

The other tiger cubs were curiously sizing up these two-legged creatures or playing with each other, but only this white one, with its ears drooping and its eyes... how to put it? It wasn't as ignorant or fierce as the other cubs; instead, it exuded a sense of world-weary decadence and a... indescribable agility?

Wang Keke walked over as if drawn by a mysterious force, squatted down, and looked at Lin Mo through the fence.

Lin Mo's internal alarm bells rang! It's over, it's over! Why are you looking at me? I'm not cute! I have no energy! I'm dying! Go look at those orange ones!

Seeing this, the keeper hurriedly explained, "Miss Keke, this one... its fur color is a mutation, its constitution is weak, and it's not very social. I'm afraid its potential is limited..."

Wang Keke seemed not to hear him; she stretched out her slender fingers and tapped the fence lightly.

Lin Mo subconsciously lifted his eyelids to look at her.

At that one glance, Wang Keke's eyes lit up instantly. In those amber eyes, just for that split second, there seemed to be a flash of extremely human-like... helplessness and a breakdown?

"It's so special," Wang Keke said softly, her voice crisp and melodious.

She walked straight up and opened the gate to the Animal Pen (clearly possessing an extraordinary status, as the keeper dared not stop her), ignoring the other tiger cubs as they scurried away, and went directly to Lin Mo.

Lin Mo wanted to run, but his body felt a bit sluggish after just eating, and there was something about this girl that made him feel inexplicably unbothered.

Wang Keke carefully reached out her hand, not grabbing him by the scruff of his neck like the others, but instead gently stroking Lin Mo's head before sliding her hands under his front legs and lifting him up entirely.

"Awooo... (Let me go...)" Lin Mo struggled in vain, but she held him very securely.

Wang Keke held this light, fluffy little white tiger cub, feeling the "quietness" that set him apart from the other cubs (which was actually him having a mental breakdown and being too lazy to move), and the more she looked at him, the more she liked him.

She happily rubbed her cheek against the soft down on top of Lin Mo's head and announced to Young Master Wang and the others who were walking over:

"I want this one!"

Then, she lifted Lin Mo up, looked into his amber eyes—which were currently filled with the expression of "Who am I, where am I, and what am I doing"—and smilingly bestowed a name upon him:

"From now on, you shall be called 'Mimi'!"

"Mi... mi?!"

Lin Mo's tiger body stiffened abruptly, and the roar in his heart surged like a tsunami, nearly bursting through his throat:

"ROAR--!! (Mimi, your head! I am a fierce tiger! A winged, fierce tiger! A being destined to become a king! You call me Mimi?! Can't you little brat come up with a better name! I'll fight you to the death!!)"

However, what came out was only a series of weak and desperate:

"Awoo... awoo-woo..."

It sounded, instead, like he was acting cute.

Wang Keke was overjoyed, hugging him even tighter: "Look, he agreed! How adorable!"

Lin Mo: "..."

(Internal monologue: I didn't agree to anything! This is a protest! A tearful accusation!)

Amidst the surprised gazes of her companions and the keeper, who wanted to say something but held back, Wang Keke left the Animal Pen, feeling completely satisfied with her new battle pet, "Mimi."

Only Lin Mo remained, hanging his head in the crook of Wang Keke's arm, feeling the ruthless mockery of fate.

Life as a tiger is hard; not only did he start out as a pet, but he was also named "Mimi," for heaven's sake!

It was over. His reputation, before it had even begun, was ruined by this name.