The "heartwarming" speech at the commendation ceremony still seemed to echo in the air. Lin Mo was already being led along by Wang Keke—or rather, he was striding forward with steady tiger steps while Wang Keke walked beside him—as they left the training ground, still thick with complicated emotions and filled with envious, jealous, and curious gazes.
They weren't taken back to the communal dormitory they'd been assigned earlier. Instead, they were led to a detached two-story building inside the military camp, set apart from the others and guarded even more heavily.
This was special treatment for an "S-Rank Core Seed." The rooms were bright and spotless, with all the amenities. Lin Mo even had a private resting area lined with soft beast hide.
But Lin Mo had no interest in enjoying any of it.
As soon as they entered the room, he made sure there were no obvious surveillance devices—at least none in plain sight—then immediately pulled free of Wang Keke's hand as she tried to smooth his fur. He paced irritably around the spacious living room. His white tiger paws made dull thuds against the polished floor, betraying how unsettled he felt.
You bunch of scheming old bastards! He'd already cursed Qin Zhan, Wang Qingtian, and all those people lurking behind the scenes and watching him eight hundred times in tiger language. You treat me like a performing monkey, then expect me to be grateful and let you use me as a model project? Dream on!
You want to study me? Raise me? Hah! You just saw my "loyalty" and potential and want to make me into a blade you can control.
Thinking of the way those people onstage had looked at him and Wang Keke—as if they were rare objects or perfect experimental subjects—made his skin crawl. The feeling of being controlled and having his future mapped out for him infuriated him.
No! I absolutely can't follow their script! Lin Mo stopped abruptly, a ruthless resolve flashing in his amber eyes. I have to get stronger, fast! Strong enough to shatter every scheme, strong enough to take Keke and flip the table whenever we want!
How could he get stronger quickly? The answer was obvious—devour! Devour like crazy!
But ordinary devouring and steady growth were too slow! And that would leave him under surveillance and at their mercy the whole time.
A bold—and shameless—plan quickly took shape in his mind.
You people value me, don't you? You're going to funnel resources my way? Great! I'll give you exactly what you want! Lin Mo sneered inwardly. I'm going to "order off the menu"! I'll pick monsters with great talents and delicious meat—and, most importantly, outrageous price tags! I'll eat you broke! Let's see how much that hurts!
It was like a company boss dangling promises of a bright future to make you work yourself to the bone. So you took the opportunity to put in expense claims like crazy, choosing the most expensive projects and seeing who cracked first!
The thought instantly lifted Lin Mo's spirits. He even felt a little excited. He went to a corner of the room, where Wang Keke's personal terminal and several books had been set down, including a thick volume titled Monster Bestiary: Food and Talent Analysis.
He dragged the book over with a paw, then let out an urgent growl at Wang Keke, who had just settled in and was about to wash up. He slapped the book cover insistently.
"Mimi? You want to look at this?" Wang Keke asked, puzzled, as she came over.
Lin Mo nodded firmly, then clumsily—deliberately pretending to—turned open the book. His amber eyes "focused" on the pages.
He wasn't really relying on the book to learn to read. With his memories of a previous life and powerful mental strength, learning this world's writing and knowledge wasn't difficult. He'd only been pretending to be clueless before. Now, for the sake of his "ordering off the menu" scheme, he couldn't afford to worry about letting a little of his intelligence show.
His paw moved over the colorful illustrations, his gaze quickly screening them.
Criterion one: good talents.
[Mimicry]? PASS! It didn't sound edible, and it wouldn't directly improve his combat power much.
[Venom]? PASS! Too risky. If he couldn't digest it and poisoned himself, that would be a joke. Besides, he doubted the meat tasted good.
[Mental Interference]? Not bad! But monsters with that kind of talent usually had powerful mental strength, making them hard to capture. They were also higher-ranked, so they weren't an option for now.
Criterion two: relatively small size and delicious meat.
Large monsters like Thick-Armored Boars and Lion Mastiffs might have good talents, but they'd be a pain to devour and could leave him overstuffed. Their meat was also coarse, hardly befitting his image as a "gourmet." He wanted delicacies—high-end ingredients packed with energy and exquisite in flavor!
Criterion three: expensive!
That was hard to tell from the bestiary alone, but he could make an educated guess. Monsters that were rare, difficult to capture, gifted with unique talents, or especially nourishing in some specific way were bound to cost a fortune!
His paw finally stopped on a few pages.
First target: [Moonlight Fox] (mid-Beast Soldier Rank)
Bestiary entry: Silver-white from head to toe, with fur that flowed like moonlight. It moved like a phantom and excelled at [Agility Enhancement] and [Minor Moonlight Healing]. Its flesh contained pure moonlight energy and was exceptionally delicious, nourishing the mind and strengthening the body. It was highly alert and elusive, making it extremely difficult to capture. Its market price was steep.
Lin Mo's verdict: That's the one! [Agility Enhancement] is exactly what I need to make up for the weaknesses of a feline's strength. [Minor Moonlight Healing] sounds nourishing, too! And if it's hard to catch and delicious, it's bound to be expensive!
Second target: [Lightning Marten] (mid-Beast Soldier Rank)
Bestiary entry: Small in size and the fastest of its rank. Its [Quick Attack] talent let it accelerate to incredible speeds over short distances. Its heart was a top-grade supplementary material for refining speed-based talents. Its meat was firm and springy, infused with lightning energy and boasting a distinctive flavor.
Lin Mo's verdict: A burst of speed! Combine that with my [Power Burst] and wings, and who could even touch me? Its heart is a top-grade supplementary ingredient, too? This thing definitely won't come cheap! I'm ordering it!
Third target: [Crystal Scorpion] (mid-Beast Soldier Rank)
Bestiary entry: Its entire body looked as if it had been carved from pale purple crystal. The stinger contained an unusual toxin—not lethal, but capable of numbing nerves and disrupting energy. Its [Crystallized Carapace] talent granted solid defense and some resistance to energy attacks. Its tail and roe were delicacies, rich in pure chitin and special energy that granted resistance, with a sweet and unusual flavor.
Lin Mo's verdict: [Crystallized Carapace]? Sounds like an upgraded version of [Tough Skin]! And resistance to energy attacks is a rare attribute! Besides, this thing looks like a luxury good. Its price must be beautiful!
Having settled on his initial targets, Lin Mo raised his head and tapped each of the three monster pictures firmly with his paw. Then he looked at Wang Keke, unmistakable "longing" and "determination" in his amber eyes.
Wang Keke stared at the three monsters in the bestiary. They looked dangerous, and she'd heard they were all expensive. Her mouth formed an O. "Mimi... you want to eat these?"
Lin Mo nodded hard, growling urgently as his tail swished in agreement.
"But... they're all really rare and expensive..." Wang Keke hesitated. Her family had promised to allocate resources to him, but ordering such pricey "dishes" right off the bat seemed a little...
Seeing her hesitate, Lin Mo immediately put on an award-winning performance. His massive body "weakly" collapsed to the floor, and he rested his huge head on Wang Keke's feet. His amber eyes instantly grew misty—he worked hard to squeeze out the tears—and he looked up at her pitifully, as if he'd suffered some terrible injustice. A faint, trembling whimper came from his throat.
As if to say, I just went through such a horrible ordeal. My heart is wounded, and I need something delicious to comfort me... Besides, eating these will help me grow stronger faster, so I won't let you down...
How could Wang Keke resist that combination? Her heart melted instantly.
"Okay, okay, Mimi, don't be sad. I'll tell Dad right now! If you want to eat them, we'll buy them!" Wang Keke hurriedly hugged Lin Mo's big head to comfort him, completely forgetting her earlier hesitation.
She immediately pulled out her communicator and called Wang Qingtian.
On the other end, Wang Qingtian fell silent for several seconds after hearing his daughter list the three monsters.
Moonlight Fox? Lightning Marten? Crystal Scorpion? Those were all top-tier "luxury goods" among Beast Soldier Rank monsters! Live specimens and fresh carcasses were especially costly—worth as much as their weight in gold! This kid... No, this tiger really knew how to pick them! Had he gotten carried away after his recent achievement, or was there something else behind it?
Wang Qingtian was a shrewd man. He immediately sensed there was something unusual about this. But then he thought about the intelligence and potential this mutated tiger had shown. It was certainly worth investing heavily in.
Besides, the talents of those three monsters were indeed well suited to the tiger's current needs. Perhaps... it really had instinctively chosen the food that would benefit it most?
"Fine," Wang Qingtian finally said in a low voice. "I'll have someone buy them. Tell it the family will meet its needs, but we also hope it won't let this investment go to waste."
"Thanks, Dad! Mimi's the best!" Wang Keke happily ended the call and told Lin Mo excitedly, "Mimi, Dad agreed! You'll have something delicious soon!"
Lin Mo sneered inwardly. The best? Not even close! This is a strategic plan to eat you out of house and home!
On the surface, he put on a delighted expression and rubbed his head against Wang Keke.
But a sly glint flashed deep in his eyes.
This was only the beginning. Once he'd digested these three "appetizers" and figured out how much the family could supply—and where its limits were—he'd start ordering pricier "main courses" and "desserts"!
What? The family might feel the pinch? Might refuse?
Heh. Would they dare? They were treating an "S-Rank Core Seed" like a treasure! This was the perfect time to fleece them... no, to make reasonable use of their resources!
Lin Mo could already picture countless rare monsters turning into pure energy and powerful talents that would merge with him. Meanwhile, on the books of the Wang Family and those hidden observers, the figures for resource consumption were spinning wildly...
Eat! I have to eat like my life depends on it! Lin Mo made up his mind. I won't just eat my way to strength. I'll eat with style, with flair, until it hurts them—yet they have no choice but to keep investing!
It seemed his path to Swallowed Star would begin with this first step: eating the family out of house and home.
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