The Blood Wolf's Peculiar Loyalty Test

The cage was filled with the scent of blood and despair. Wang Keke clung tightly to the scarred and battered Lin Mo, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest as she listened to the cruel laughter and heavy footsteps of the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group outside.

"Clang!"

The sound of the heavy iron door slamming shut echoed through the vast, abandoned factory, locking Wang Keke, Lin Mo, and several other captured youths from the Wang Family and Li Family inside a massive, rusted iron cage.

The air was thick with the smell of blood, rust, and a nauseating aura of terror. Wang Keke's face was deathly pale, her small hands gripping the still-soft white fur on the side of Lin Mo's neck as if it were her only lifeline.

Lin Mo lay beside her, his entire body wracked with pain; even his Tough Skin could not withstand the impact of the beating he had just endured. Yet, his amber eyes remained remarkably clear as he vigilantly observed the situation outside the cage.

Scarred Blood Wolf—the one-eyed, War General-level brute—paced in front of the cages like a lion patrolling its territory, his cruel gaze sweeping over every terrified young face and their battle pets inside.

"Lone Wolf, begin." He waved his hand, his tone carrying a casual cruelty. "Let's see just how much 'true loyalty' these pets, so carefully cultivated by the great families, actually possess."

"Hehe, Boss, I've been ready for a long time."

The lean, ape-like strategist known as Lone Wolf chuckled sinisterly. With a wave of his hand, several mercenaries immediately lifted some strange objects from a modified vehicle—not common torture devices, but instruments emitting faint energy glows, several massive one-way mirrors, and even a set of equipment that appeared to be for measuring vital signs.

What are these people... trying to do? Lin Mo's internal alarm bells rang. This setup didn't look like typical kidnappers demanding a ransom; it looked more like they were conducting some kind of... experiment?

The first test began quickly in a smaller, isolated area. The ones brought in were a cadet from a branch of the Li Family and his battle pet—a Tracking Hound known for its keen sense of smell.

Lone Wolf held an instrument and sprayed some colorless, odorless gas at the Li Family youth. A few seconds later, the boy's face turned blue. He clutched his own throat, emitting painful wheezing sounds as he curled up on the ground, his body convulsing violently as if enduring immense agony!

"Ah Huang... save... save me..." He reached out toward his Tracking Hound, his eyes filled with desperate hope.

The Tracking Hound had initially been startled by its master's sudden change and had backed away a few steps, barking uneasily. But when a mercenary deliberately tossed it a piece of raw, bloody meat, its attention was instantly captured.

It looked at its master struggling in pain on the ground, then at the food within reach. Its nose twitched, its tail wagged hesitantly, and finally... it cautiously crept over, snatched the meat, and ran to a corner to devour it greedily, turning a deaf ear to its master's "miserable state," even occasionally looking up with an almost numb expression.

"Record," Lone Wolf said expressionlessly to a mercenary in charge of logging data. "Tracking Hound, low-level Beast Soldier. Faced with the sudden 'life-threatening' situation of its feeder, it showed no clear intention to rescue, prioritizing food instead. Preliminary judgment: No effective instinct to protect the master."

Inside the cage, Wang Keke trembled with rage as she watched this scene: "How... how could they do this! It's too cruel!"

Lin Mo's heart, however, sank. The Blood Wolf Mercenary Group was despicable, but their objectives were highly focused. They seemed to be screening for something.

The second test was even more bizarre. Wang Xiao and his Iron-Claw Wolf were brought in. Wang Xiao was forced to kneel on the ground, and a mercenary held a stun baton—not to shock him directly, but to repeatedly strike the already half-dead Iron-Claw Wolf right in front of him!

"Awoo—!" The Iron-Claw Wolf let out a shrill, agonizing howl, each shock causing its body to convulse and its fur to singe.

"Stop! You bastards! Come at me! Come at me!" Wang Xiao's eyes were bloodshot, his face streaked with tears and grime as he struggled desperately and roared. He tried to pounce forward to protect his battle pet, only to be pinned down by the mercenaries behind him.

However, after enduring such inhuman pain, the look the Iron-Claw Wolf gave Wang Xiao shifted from dependence to... a kind of insane resentment!

When the mercenaries deliberately loosened some of its restraints, it actually bared its teeth, let out a low, threatening growl, and dragged its broken body, attempting to lunge at the master who had failed to protect it!

"Tsk, venting anger on the feeder due to pain; strong tendency to turn on its master," Lone Wolf evaluated calmly, signaling the mercenaries to drag the crazed Iron-Claw Wolf away. "Record: Iron-Claw Wolf, mid-level Beast Soldier. Extremely low loyalty. Unusable."

"No... it's not like that... Little Black..." Wang Xiao watched his battle pet being dragged away, muttering in a daze as if his entire belief system had collapsed.

The subsequent tests left everyone (and every beast) in the cage feeling chilled to the bone.

There was a Flame Hound that, when its feeder was shoved into a deep pit, not only failed to attempt a rescue but instead tucked its tail in terror and hid in a corner, shivering, ignoring the desperate calls of its master from the bottom of the pit.

Then there was a Phantom White Fox, whose feeder was a sweet-looking girl from the Li Family. When Lone Wolf held a sharp dagger and pretended to carve it into the girl's face, the white fox actually tilted its head, blinked those "innocent" eyes, and then... licked its lips, staring at the pulsing blood vessels in the girl's neck with an almost greedy gaze! It had treated the scene as a prelude to feeding!

"Appetite overrides fear, even showing signs of wanting to devour the master." Lone Wolf's tone carried a hint of sarcasm. "These pampered 'treasures' really are full of 'surprises'."

Upon hearing this evaluation and looking at the battle pet she had pampered daily, the Li Family girl rolled her eyes back and fainted on the spot.

Damn it... what kind of freakish battle pets are these?

Lin Mo complained wildly in his mind. Usually, they look all decent and well-behaved, but when it counts, they're either gluttons, traitors, or cowards! No wonder these Blood Wolf people are running this test. Are they looking for... battle pets with the heart to protect their masters?

The strange feeling in his heart grew stronger. A notorious mercenary group going to such lengths to infiltrate a heavily guarded trial zone, jamming signals, and capturing family youths just to test the loyalty of battle pets? This sounded even more absurd than hearing a husky solve calculus!

Scarred Blood Wolf seemed to be growing impatient with these "failures." His one eye swept over the remaining cages and finally settled on Wang Keke and Lin Mo.

"Bring that Wang girl and that white tiger out," he ordered in a raspy voice.

Wang Keke's body stiffened, and she instinctively hugged Lin Mo tighter.

Lin Mo took a deep breath, knowing it was their turn. He licked the back of Wang Keke's cold hand, transmitting a thought of as much composure as possible through their mental link: Don't be afraid. Follow my lead and act according to the situation.

Several mercenaries opened the cage door, roughly dragged Wang Keke and Lin Mo out, and brought them to the isolated area.

Lone Wolf looked at Lin Mo, a glimmer of interest flashing in his cunning eyes: "Mutated Winged Tiger, mid-level Beast Soldier. Looks quite intelligent. Boss, this one might be a bit different."

"Begin." Scarred Blood Wolf folded his arms, preparing to watch with interest.

The test began. The mercenaries first pretended to beat Wang Keke. Lin Mo immediately cooperated by letting out a threatening growl, blocking Wang Keke's path with his muscles tensed and his body in a defensive stance.

Next, Lone Wolf took out the suspected hallucinogenic gas, preparing to use it on Wang Keke.

This trick again? Lin Mo's mind raced. He knew he had to show a certain level of "loyalty," but he couldn't let Wang Keke actually get hurt, nor could he allow himself to fall into an uncontrollable state.

Just as Lone Wolf approached, Lin Mo suddenly stood on his hind legs and let out a deafening tiger roar!

"ROAR—!!"

The sound waves rolled out, carrying the pressure of a top-tier predator and a strange fluctuation contained within his Combat Devour talent, causing Lone Wolf to pause in his tracks, nearly dropping the spray device in his hand! Even Scarred Blood Wolf, not far away, narrowed his one eye slightly.

Lin Mo did not attack; he simply shielded Wang Keke tightly with his massive body, his amber eyes flashing with a clear warning—do not hurt her.

Lone Wolf laughed instead of getting angry, saying to Scarred Blood Wolf: "Boss, did you see that? Proactive protection, intense but rational reaction, no blind attacking. This tiger is interesting."

Scarred Blood Wolf nodded, a glimmer of light appearing in his one eye for the first time that wasn't purely cruel. But that light made Lin Mo feel even more uncomfortable; it was the look of someone... finding a suitable tool.

For the subsequent tests, Lin Mo carefully gauged his actions. He showed extreme concern for Wang Keke, growling in anger when she was subjected to mock strikes and appearing restless when she was shoved, yet he always restrained himself from making any excessive counterattacks, perfectly playing the role of a "loyal and powerful, yet controllable" excellent battle pet.

Through their mental link, he constantly soothed the terrified Wang Keke, instructing her to cooperate with his performance.

Finally, when Lone Wolf pretended to drag Wang Keke away and Lin Mo let out a roar of near-desperate fury, slamming himself against the energy barrier of the isolation zone (without using his full strength), Scarred Blood Wolf finally spoke.

"Enough."

He walked up to the isolation zone, looking at Lin Mo through the barrier as if admiring a precious piece of merchandise.

"High spirituality, a strong desire to protect its master, and high potential for growth in strength." He said to Lone Wolf, his tone carrying a hint of satisfaction. "This mutated tiger is different from those previous pieces of trash. Keep a close watch on it, don't hurt it; it... is very valuable."

Lin Mo stopped his "performance," panting heavily while still standing in front of Wang Keke, though his heart was ice cold.

He had guessed part of it correctly. The goal of the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group seemed to be searching for and capturing powerful battle pets that were loyal to their masters.

But what did they want these battle pets for? Would ordinary mercenaries go to such great lengths for a few battle pets, even at the risk of offending both the Wang and Li families?

Looking at the meaningful gaze of Scarred Blood Wolf and the calculating smile on Lone Wolf's face, Lin Mo felt more and more that behind this Blood Wolf Mercenary Group, there likely lay a secret deeper and more bizarre than what appeared on the surface.

He and Wang Keke were escorted back into the iron cage, where their treatment seemed to have improved slightly; at least no one was kicking or punching them anymore.

Wang Keke, still shaken, hugged him and sobbed softly: "Mimi... what on earth do they want to do..."

Lin Mo rubbed his head against her, his inner state far less calm than his outward appearance.

Damn it, just escaped the tiger's den (the trial), only to fall into a wolf's lair! And a pack of weird wolves with peculiar tastes who specialize in testing loyal dogs at that! He cursed inwardly. I have to find a way to figure out their background, or I won't even know how I died!

He watched the busy mercenaries outside the cage, dressed in dark red combat uniforms, and a strong premonition welled up in his heart—this kidnapping was definitely not as simple as just a ransom. These "captives," especially him, this "loyal" white tiger, were likely going to be used for some much more specific purpose...