The Hunger Games

When food becomes the only desire, loyalty and instinct engage in a life-or-death struggle, and the iron cage becomes the most brutal testing ground.

"Clang—"

As the final iron gate slammed shut, Lin Mo and Wang Keke were separated into a slightly smaller isolation cage. Immediately after, the young disciples and their battle pets in the other cages were separated in the same manner.

"Listen up, you little brats!" The voice of Scarred Blood Wolf came through the loudspeaker on the cage, carrying a hint of mockery. "The next program is called 'Sharing Weal and Woe'! Don't worry, there's plenty of water; I guarantee you won't die of thirst."

Before he finished speaking, several mercenaries carried buckets and crudely poured murky, cold water through the gaps at the bottom of the cages into the single, dilapidated trough inside each isolation unit. The water splashed everywhere, carrying a scent of rust and dust.

Then... there was nothing else.

No food. Nothing else at all. Only cold iron cages, murky drinking water, and battle pets beside them who were beginning to grow restless from hunger.

On the first day, the atmosphere was still "harmonious."

Most battle pets, though their stomachs were growling with hunger, could still barely manage to lie beside their masters or pace uneasily within the cramped cages. They looked at their owners with eyes still filled with dependence and confusion.

Wang Keke hugged Lin Mo's neck tightly and whispered, "Mimi, are they trying to starve us to death?" Her voice trembled.

Lin Mo licked her cold hand and sent a soothing thought through their mental link: They are testing. Testing how a battle pet will treat its master in the face of hunger. He sneered inwardly; such tricks were transparent to someone with the soul of an adult.

He noticed that most battle pets had been fitted with special metal collars that suppressed energy, or their limbs were restricted by loose but tough leather straps. It was clearly intended to prevent them from attacking while still leaving them a certain degree of "freedom of movement."

On the second day, the restlessness began to escalate.

Hunger gnawed at the sanity of every creature like a maggot in the bone. Low growls and whimpers of dissatisfaction and hunger began to echo from the cages. The way they looked at their masters was no longer pure; it held a hint of scrutiny, a hint of... calculation.

The Tracking Hound belonging to the Li Family began to dig at the ground incessantly with its claws, drool dripping from its jowls, its eyes fixed intently on its master—the boy who had fainted earlier. The boy shrank into the corner in terror, pushing his own meager portion of water toward the Tracking Hound, his voice tearful: "Ah Huang, you drink, drink more... don't, don't look at me like that..."

Another Flame Hound let out a threatening growl at its master—a relatively composed disciple of the Wang Family—as if blaming the other for not being able to conjure food.

Wang Xiao's situation was even worse. His Iron-Claw Wolf was already filled with resentment from the previous electric shock test, and now, driven by hunger, it bared its fangs at Wang Xiao, its throat emitting a continuous, hostile rumbling. If not for the suppression of the collar and the restriction of the straps, it would have likely pounced long ago.

Wang Xiao's face was deathly pale, and his futile attempts to soothe it with words were met only with fiercer growls.

On the third day, the veil of humanity and the facade of domestication began to be ruthlessly torn away in the face of extreme hunger.

An atmosphere of despair permeated every isolation cage.

"Ah—!" A shrill, miserable scream erupted from one of the cages.

It was the Li Family girl who owned the Phantom White Fox! The white fox had somehow managed to partially break free from the restraints on its front limbs, and like a white ghost, it lunged at the girl!

It was no longer the pet that only knew how to act cute; its eyes flashed with wild, greedy light as it opened its mouth, revealing sharp teeth, and bit down hard on the girl's shoulder!

It had treated its master as food!

"Help! Let go of me! Little White! It's me!" The girl struggled desperately, her crying and screaming heart-wrenching.

The mercenaries outside the cage watched with cold eyes until blood seeped from the girl's shoulder, at which point Lone Wolf finally waved his hand. A mercenary quickly opened the cage door, used an electric baton to beat back the crazed white fox, and reinforced the restraints.

"Record: Phantom White Fox, under hunger, exhibited clear behavior of attacking its master." Lone Wolf's voice was devoid of emotion.

This scene acted like a fuse, igniting conflicts in the other cages.

The Tracking Hound finally could not hold back and lunged at its master. Although restricted by the collar, it still knocked the boy to the ground, frantically licking and gnawing at his clothes and skin, trying to find a place to bite.

The Flame Hound let out a faint growl at its master; although weakened by the suppression collar, it still terrified the owner.

Wang Xiao's Iron-Claw Wolf was slamming against the cage frantically, its target fixed on Wang Xiao. That look in its eyes clearly meant it wanted to tear him to shreds!

Cries for help, pleas for mercy, the roars of battle pets, the clanging of iron cages... all intertwined into a symphony of despair.

Only the cage containing Lin Mo and Wang Keke seemed out of place.

Wang Keke was equally famished, her small face pale and her lips chapped, but she still clung tightly to Lin Mo. As for Lin Mo, although his stomach was burning like fire, his powerful willpower was enough to suppress his instincts.

Not only did he show no aggression, but he also protected Wang Keke even better under the shelter formed by his body and wings. He would even lick Wang Keke's chapped lips from time to time and push his own share of water toward her with his nose, his amber eyes filled with comfort and determination.

When Wang Keke became delirious from weakness, he would wake her with a low purr, sending a simple thought through their mental link: Hold on, I am here.

His performance stood in stark contrast to the battle pets around them who had fallen into madness and betrayal.

The Blood Wolf Mercenaries outside the cage focused their gaze on their cage more and more.

"Boss, did you see that?" Lone Wolf pointed at Lin Mo and whispered to Scarred Blood Wolf, "Three days of hunger, facing a weak master, yet no intention to attack or abandon her, even showing clear protective behavior. This Winged Tiger's loyalty is shockingly high! This can no longer be explained by simple domestication; it is simply... human-like!"

Scarred Blood Wolf's single eye burned as if he had discovered a rare treasure: "Very good! This is the 'seed' we truly need! Record it, mark it as a priority!"

While "performing" his part, Lin Mo watched the reactions of the mercenaries outside with cold eyes. He noticed that when these mercenaries recorded the "misconduct" of other battle pets, their eyes held disdain and disgust, but when they observed him, their eyes were fiery, as if looking at a perfect masterpiece.

Seed? Doubts swirled in Lin Mo's mind. What exactly do they want to do with these "loyal" battle pets? It definitely isn't just about selling them for money or using them themselves!

Just then, Wang Keke swayed, nearly fainting from extreme weakness and dehydration.

Lin Mo immediately let out an anxious, low growl, using his head to prop her up so she wouldn't fall, while simultaneously raising his head to let out an angry, urgent roar at the mercenaries outside. The meaning was clear—she needed food and water! Immediately!

His reaction once again drew the attention of Lone Wolf and Scarred Blood Wolf.

"That's enough." Scarred Blood Wolf waved his hand. "Give that girl and that white tiger something to eat and drink. Don't let them die; these are 'honor students'."

Soon, a small piece of compressed dry rations and a small bottle of clean water were thrown into their cage.

Lin Mo did not eat immediately; instead, he used his nose to push the rations to Wang Keke's hand and used his claw to nudge the water bottle toward her, signaling her to eat and drink first.

Wang Keke looked at the life-saving food and water before her, then looked at Lin Mo, who was covered in scars but still guarding her, and tears fell in large drops, mixing with the dry rations as she swallowed with difficulty.

Outside the cage, Lone Wolf watched this scene and wrote heavily in his notebook:

[Mutated Winged Tiger, hunger test performance: Perfect. Master-prioritizing, strong willpower, loyalty SS-rank. Recommendation: Prioritize training, deep observation.]

As Lin Mo carefully licked the small sip of water Wang Keke shared with him, he swept his gaze over the hellish scenes in the other cages and the indifferent faces of the recorders outside.

The unease in his heart grew stronger. This test was far from over. And he and Wang Keke, because of his "excellent" performance, seemed to have been drawn into a deeper vortex.

He lowered his head, looking at Wang Keke in his arms, who was weak but whose eyes were reignited with hope, and thought to himself: Girl, it seems like it's impossible for us to keep a low profile and just survive. These guys have set their sights on us.