When loyalty became a rare commodity, hope became all the more precious.
Inside the enormous command room, the earlier arguments—some angry, some doubtful, others calmly analytical—had all fallen silent. A heavy, almost stagnant atmosphere hung over the room like an invisible leaden cloud, weighing on the hearts of everyone watching.
On the vast curved screen, clips from the "Loyalty Trial" flashed by at breakneck speed, each more shocking than the last:
The Tracking Hound ignored its handler, who was writhing in pain, and buried its muzzle in the chunks of meat thrown to it;
After enduring electric shocks, the Iron-Claw Wolf turned its fangs on Wang Xiao, who was powerless to protect it;
The Phantom White Fox licked its lips, greedily eyeing the veins in its handler's neck;
The Flame Hound spat a feeble flame at its owner—a small but unmistakable sign of betrayal;
In dozens of isolation cages, on the third day without food, battle pets lunged at their handlers, treating their former companions as food in one desperate scene after another...
Screams, struggles, snarls, biting... Calmly captured by high-definition cameras, the scenes were magnified and presented without a shred of mercy to the powerful figures who controlled the Base City's authority and resources.
There was no commentary, only images flowing silently across the screen, yet they hit harder than any roar.
At last, every image froze. A concise but painfully stark statistical report appeared in the center of the screen:
[Preliminary "Loyalty Trial" Assessment Report] Total test subjects: 271 (human-beast pairs) Assessment criteria: Protective instinct, pain tolerance, hunger tolerance, overall loyalty Results: · Grade D (serious risks; culling recommended): 219 cases · Grade C (mediocre performance; extensive observation required): 42 cases · Grade B (worth cultivating; resources may be allocated): 5 cases · Grade A (excellent; intensive cultivation recommended): 0 cases · Grade S (outstanding; recommended as a core seed): 1 case Core seed ID: XT-07 (Mutated Winged Tiger) & handler: Wang Keke Assessment: Strong will; proactive and rational protective behavior; maintained considerable restraint and protectiveness while hungry. The bond between human and beast far exceeded the norm, demonstrating exceptional research and development potential.
"Clack."
An elderly expert in a white research institute coat dropped the electronic pen in his hand onto the table. Its sharp click sounded especially jarring in the deathly silence. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but in the end, all that came out was a helpless sigh. He slumped back against his chair.
Two hundred and seventy-one pairs! They were the battle pets and handlers carefully selected from among this generation's young people in the Northeast Base City, all believed to have the greatest potential! The resources invested in them had been staggering!
And the result?
Only five pairs were Grade B, worth intensive cultivation!
And Grade A—the rank deserving of core resources and seen as the hope for the future—had turned out to be a grand total of zero!
The only Grade S belonged to that little girl from the Wang Family and the discount Mutated Winged Tiger she'd picked up!
The result landed like a heavy blow to the head of everyone present.
The Li Family head's ruddy face had turned ashen. He stared at the red "219" on the screen. Among those cases were many of his family's descendants and battle pets purchased at enormous expense. His lips trembled, but he couldn't manage a word.
The fat vice president of the Chamber of Commerce Alliance twitched with pain as he quietly calculated the losses. "Two hundred and nineteen pairs... The resources and purchase costs we invested up front... This... How much are we going to lose?"
Even the bald, burly man from Thunder Martial Hall, who had always supported the trial, folded his arms and furrowed his brow into a knot. "Damn! I knew it might look bad, but I didn't think it'd be this bad! This is a complete rout!"
Wang Qingtian slowly closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. His hands, resting on his knees, clenched into fists until his knuckles went white. The result had exceeded his expectations too. He'd thought at least one in ten pairs, perhaps even more, would show an acceptable level of loyalty. The reality was simply too cruel.
He opened his eyes and looked at the sole "Grade S" rating, at the frozen image: the white Winged Tiger, covered in wounds, still shielding the girl beneath it, its amber eyes unwavering. His feelings were tangled. He was proud and relieved for his daughter and Mimi, but a deep worry for the future of Beast Taming weighed on him as well.
General Qin Zhan broke the silence. His voice was still steady, but carried a metallic hardness. "You've all seen the data."
He stood and walked to the big screen, pointing at the lopsided figures. "Two hundred and seventy-one to five. You could even say two hundred and seventy-one to one. What does that tell us?"
His gaze swept over the room, sharp as a blade. "It tells us that, to a great extent, we've been following the wrong path! We've focused too much on our battle pets' bloodlines, ranks, and combat strength, while neglecting the most fundamental—and most fragile—elements: bonds and trust!"
"Without an unbreakable bond, even the strongest battle pet is just a weapon that could turn on us at any moment! The more we invest, the greater the risk!" His voice echoed through the command room. "These two hundred-plus failed pairs are the bloodiest lesson we could ask for!"
"But!" He shifted his focus to the frozen image of Lin Mo and Wang Keke. "This one and only Grade S proves that a right path exists! Humans and beasts can build a true partnership that transcends instinct and domestication!"
"These five Grade B pairs are sparks we can try to save and cultivate. And this one Grade S..." Qin Zhan's gaze turned unfathomably deep. "This is the hope we must protect, study, and try to replicate at any cost!"
The command room fell silent once more. But this time, the silence held more than weight and disappointment. It carried complex contemplation, and... a burning focus on that faint glimmer of hope.
Wang Qingtian slowly spoke. "General Qin, what happens next? The children and their battle pets..."
"The trial is over," Qin Zhan said gravely. "The Blood Wolf will withdraw immediately. Medical and psychological support teams are standing by to treat and assess all participants and their battle pets. Grade B and Grade S subjects are to be placed under special observation and protection."
His orders were quickly relayed.
Everyone understood that although this brutal trial had produced a disheartening pass rate, the truth it had laid bare—and the one radiant Grade S—would utterly change the future direction of the Beast Taming system.
Resources would be concentrated further, standards would become more stringent, and uncovering the secrets of a true "bond" would become the new central focus.
Wang Qingtian watched the image of his daughter nestled beside the white tiger, and silently thought:
Keke, Mimi, you've proved your worth, but you've also put yourselves in the eye of the storm. The road ahead will probably be even harder.
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