The iron cage reeked of blood and despair. Wang Keke clung tightly to the battered Lin Mo, listening to the Blood Wolf Mercenaries' sinister laughter and footsteps outside. Her heart felt ready to leap out of her chest.
"Clang!"
The heavy iron door slammed shut, its sound echoing through the empty, abandoned factory. Wang Keke and Lin Mo, along with several other captured youths from the Wang and Li Families, were locked inside the enormous, rust-covered cage.
The air was thick with the stench of blood and rust, along with a nauseating sense of fear. Wang Keke's face was pale. Her small hands clutched the still-soft white fur at Lin Mo's neck, as if it were her only lifeline.
Lin Mo lay beside her, his whole body aching. Even [Tough Skin] couldn't withstand the force of the beating he'd just taken. But his amber eyes were exceptionally clear as he warily watched what was happening outside the cage.
Scarred Blood Wolf—the one-eyed, burly War General Level man—paced in front of several cages like a lion surveying its territory. His cruel gaze swept over every terrified young face inside, and their battle pets.
"Lone Wolf, let's begin." He waved a hand, his tone casually cruel. "Let's see just how much genuine affection these 'partners' raised so carefully by the great families really have."
"Heh heh, Boss. We're all set."
The gaunt strategist called Lone Wolf, who looked like an ape, gave a sinister chuckle and waved. Several mercenaries immediately unloaded some strange equipment from a modified vehicle—not the usual instruments of torture, but devices that glimmered with faint energy, several huge one-way mirrors, and even a set of equipment that looked designed to measure vital signs.
What are these people... planning? Alarm bells rang in Lin Mo's mind. This didn't look like a regular kidnapping for ransom. It looked more like they were going to conduct some kind of... experiment.
The first test soon began in a smaller, isolated area. The subjects were a branch-family member of the Li Family and his battle pet—a Tracking Hound renowned for its keen sense of smell.
Lone Wolf held up a device and sprayed the Li youth with some kind of colorless, odorless gas. A few seconds later, the boy's face suddenly turned blue. He clutched his throat with both hands, making painful choking sounds, then curled up on the ground, his body convulsing violently as if he were in terrible agony!
"Ah Huang... save... save me..." He reached out to his Tracking Hound, his eyes full of desperate hope.
At first, the Tracking Hound backed away several steps, startled by its master's sudden distress, and barked uneasily. But when a mercenary deliberately tossed it a piece of bloody raw meat, its attention was immediately drawn to the food.
It looked at its master writhing in agony on the ground, then at the food within easy reach. Its nose twitched, and its tail wagged hesitantly a few times. In the end... it cautiously went over, picked up the meat, and ran to a corner to devour it, paying no attention to its master's "pitiful state." Every so often, it even looked up at the scene with an almost numb expression.
"Record this," Lone Wolf said expressionlessly to the mercenary keeping notes beside him. "Tracking Hound, early Beast Soldier. When its keeper faces sudden 'mortal danger,' it shows no clear intent to rescue and prioritizes food. Initial assessment: no effective instinct to protect its master."
Inside the cage, Wang Keke trembled with anger as she watched. "How... how can they do this? It's so cruel!"
Lin Mo's heart sank. The Blood Wolf Mercenary Group was unscrupulous, but they had a clear purpose. It seemed they were screening for something.
The second test was even stranger. This time, they brought in Wang Xiao and his Iron-Claw Wolf. Wang Xiao was forced to kneel on the ground. A mercenary held an electric baton, but instead of shocking him, he repeatedly used it on the Iron-Claw Wolf, which had already been beaten half to death, right in front of him!
"Awooo—!" The Iron-Claw Wolf let out a heartrending howl. Each shock made its whole body convulse, its fur scorching.
"Stop! You bastards! Do it to me! Do it to me!" Wang Xiao's eyes were bloodshot as he struggled and roared hoarsely. Tears ran down his face, mixing with the blood and grime. He tried to rush over and protect his battle pet, but the mercenary behind him held him down with a foot.
After enduring inhuman agony, however, the Iron-Claw Wolf's gaze shifted from dependence to... a crazed hatred for Wang Xiao!
When the mercenaries deliberately loosened some of its restraints, it bared its teeth and let out a threatening growl. Dragging its battered body along, it tried to pounce on the master who had been helpless to protect it!
"Tch. It blames its keeper for its pain and shows a strong tendency to turn on him." Lone Wolf calmly assessed it, then gestured for the mercenaries to drag the frenzied Iron-Claw Wolf away. "Record this: Iron-Claw Wolf, mid-level Beast Soldier. Extremely low loyalty. Unusable."
"No... that's not how it is... Little Black..." Wang Xiao watched his battle pet being dragged away and murmured in a daze, as if his faith had completely crumbled.
The next few tests chilled everyone—and every beast—in the cage to the bone.
When its keeper was supposedly pushed into a deep pit, a Flame Hound didn't even try to rescue him. Instead, it fled in terror with its tail between its legs and trembled in a corner, no matter how much its keeper called its name from the bottom of the pit.
Then there was a Phantom White Fox whose keeper was a pretty young girl from the Li Family. Lone Wolf held a sharp dagger and pretended he was about to slash the girl's face. The fox tilted its head and blinked its "innocent" eyes. Then... it licked its lips and stared at the pulsing veins in the girl's neck with an almost ravenous gaze! It seemed to think this was the prelude to a meal!
"Appetite outweighs fear. It even shows signs of wanting to devour its master." Lone Wolf's tone carried a hint of mockery. "These pampered 'treasures' just keep finding new ways to 'surprise' us."
The Li girl heard his assessment and looked at the battle pet she had doted on. Her eyes rolled back, and she promptly fainted.
What the hell... are these freakish battle pets?
Lin Mo ranted inwardly. They all look so respectable, but when it matters, they're either gluttons, traitors, or cowards! No wonder these Blood Wolves are running tests like this. They're looking for... battle pets that want to protect their masters?
That strange feeling in his heart grew stronger. A mercenary group notorious for its brutality had gone to all the trouble of sneaking into a heavily guarded trial zone, blocking communications, and kidnapping members of the great families just to test their battle pets' loyalty? That sounded even more ridiculous than hearing that a Husky could do calculus!
Scarred Blood Wolf seemed to be growing impatient with the "failures" before him. His single eye swept over the remaining cages, finally settling on Wang Keke and Lin Mo.
"Bring out that Wang girl and the white tiger." His voice was hoarse as he gave the order.
Wang Keke stiffened and instinctively hugged Lin Mo tighter.
Lin Mo drew a deep breath. Their turn had come. He licked Wang Keke's cold hand and sent her as calm a thought as he could through their mental link: Don't be afraid. Play along with me, and wait for the right moment.
Several mercenaries opened the cage and roughly dragged Wang Keke and Lin Mo out, taking them to the isolated area.
Lone Wolf looked at Lin Mo, a spark of interest flashing in his shrewd eyes. "Mutated Winged Tiger, mid-level Beast Soldier. It seems quite intelligent. Boss, this one might be different."
"Begin." Scarred Blood Wolf folded his arms, looking forward to the show.
The test began. First, the mercenaries pretended they were going to beat Wang Keke. Lin Mo immediately let out a threatening growl and stepped in front of her, muscles tense as he assumed a defensive stance.
Next, Lone Wolf took out the suspected hallucinogenic gas and prepared to use it on Wang Keke.
This trick again? Lin Mo's thoughts raced. He knew he had to show a certain degree of "loyalty," but he couldn't let Wang Keke get hurt or lose control of the situation himself.
The moment Lone Wolf approached, Lin Mo suddenly rose onto his hind legs and let out a deafening tiger's roar!
"ROAR—!!"
The roar rolled through the air, carrying the pressure of an apex predator and a strange vibration imbued with the [Combat Devour] talent. Lone Wolf's movements faltered, and the spray device nearly slipped from his hand! Even Scarred Blood Wolf, not far away, narrowed his single eye slightly.
Lin Mo didn't attack. He simply shielded Wang Keke with his massive body, his amber eyes shining with a clear warning: don't hurt her.
Lone Wolf laughed instead of getting angry and said to Scarred Blood Wolf, "Boss, did you see that? It protects its master on its own. Its response is fierce but rational, and it doesn't attack blindly. This tiger's interesting."
Scarred Blood Wolf nodded. For the first time, a glimmer that wasn't quite cruelty appeared in his single eye. But that glimmer made Lin Mo even more uncomfortable. It was the look of someone... who had found a suitable tool.
For the rest of the tests, Lin Mo carefully maintained the right balance. He showed how deeply he cared for Wang Keke, growling furiously when he took pretend blows meant for her and becoming agitated when she was shoved, but always holding back from striking too hard. He played the part of an excellent battle pet—"loyal and powerful, but still within control"—to perfection.
Through their mental link, he kept soothing the terrified Wang Keke and helping her play along.
Finally, Lone Wolf pretended he was going to take Wang Keke away. Lin Mo let out a roar of near-despair and fury, desperately ramming his body against the energy barrier around the testing area—not with all his strength. At last, Scarred Blood Wolf spoke.
"That's enough."
He walked up to the barrier and looked at Lin Mo as if admiring a valuable piece of merchandise.
"Intelligent, fiercely protective of its master, and with great potential to grow stronger." He spoke to Lone Wolf, sounding somewhat pleased. "This Mutated Winged Tiger is different from the other trash. Keep a close eye on it. Don't hurt it. It's... valuable."
Lin Mo stopped "acting" and panted heavily, still standing in front of Wang Keke, but his heart was ice-cold.
He'd guessed part of it right. The Blood Wolf Mercenary Group seemed to be looking for and capturing powerful battle pets that loyally protected their masters.
But what did they want with these battle pets? Would ordinary mercenaries go to such lengths for a few pets, risking the wrath of both the Wang and Li Families?
Looking at Scarred Blood Wolf's meaningful gaze and Lone Wolf's calculating smile, Lin Mo became more and more certain that the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group had a secret far deeper and stranger than it appeared.
He and Wang Keke were locked back in the iron cage. They seemed to be treated a little better now; at least, no one was punching or kicking them anymore.
Still shaken, Wang Keke held him and sobbed softly. "Mimi... what do they want?"
Lin Mo rubbed his head against her. Inside, he was nowhere near as calm as he appeared.
Damn it, I just got out of the tiger's den—the trial zone—and landed in a wolf's lair! And these weird wolves have a thing for testing loyal dogs! he cursed to himself. I have to find out what they're really after, or I won't even know what killed me!
He watched the busy mercenaries outside the cage, dressed in dark red combat uniforms, and a strong premonition rose in his heart: this kidnapping was about far more than ransom. These "prisoners," especially him—the "loyal" white tiger—would probably be put to some even more unusual use...
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