The Art of Ordering and the Determination to Eat Them Into Bankruptcy

The lingering echoes of that "touching" speech from the commendation ceremony seemed to still resonate in his ears, but Lin Mo had already been led away by Wang Keke (or rather, he strode with steady, tiger-like steps while she followed alongside) as they left the training ground, which was still thick with complex emotions, under the gaze of those who were envious, jealous, or simply curious.

They did not return to the collective dormitory assigned earlier, but were instead led to a relatively independent, heavily guarded small building within the military camp.

This was the special treatment for an "S-Rank Core Seed"—the windows were bright, the facilities were complete, and there was even a dedicated rest area for Lin Mo covered in soft animal hides.

But Lin Mo was in no mood to enjoy such treatment at this moment.

Once inside the room, after confirming there were no obvious surveillance devices (at least none on the surface), he immediately shook off the hand Wang Keke used to try and stroke his fur, pacing irritably around the spacious living room. His white tiger paws struck the polished floor with dull "tap, tap" sounds, revealing his inner turmoil.

Old schemers! A bunch of old schemers! He had already cursed Qin Zhan, Wang Qingtian, and those hiding behind the scenes observing him eight hundred times over in his native tiger dialect. Treating me like a monkey, and then expecting me to be grateful and act as your model project? Keep dreaming!

Want to study me? Cultivate me? Pfft! Isn't it just because you've taken a fancy to my "loyalty" and potential, hoping to forge a weapon that's easy to control?

Recalling the way those people on the stage looked at him and Wang Keke—like they were appraising rare goods or viewing perfect experimental subjects—sent a chill down his spine. This feeling of being controlled and planned out made him extremely uncomfortable.

No! I absolutely cannot follow their script! Lin Mo stopped abruptly, a flash of ruthlessness and determination crossing his amber tiger eyes. I must get stronger as quickly as possible! Strong enough to shatter any scheme, strong enough to flip the table and walk away with Keke whenever I want!

How to get stronger quickly? The answer was obvious—devour! Devour like a madman!

But ordinary devouring, growing step-by-step, was too slow! And it would be easy to remain under surveillance and be manipulated.

A bold (and shameless) plan quickly took shape in his mind.

You value me, don't you? You want to pour resources into me? Fine! I'll give you exactly what you want! Lin Mo sneered inwardly. I'm going to "order from the menu"! I'll specifically pick those monsters that have great talents, delicious flavors, and most importantly—are insanely expensive to eat! I'll eat you into poverty! Let's see if your hearts ache then!

It was just like when a company boss paints a big picture to make you work yourself to death; you might as well take the opportunity to go on a spending spree, specifically targeting the most expensive project budgets! Let's see who breaks first!

Thinking of this, Lin Mo suddenly felt much better, even a little excited. He walked to a corner of the room where Wang Keke's personal terminal and some books were placed, including that thick Bestiary (Edible and Talent Analysis Edition).

He extended a paw, dragged the Bestiary in front of him, and let out an urgent low growl at Wang Keke, who had just settled in and was preparing to wash up, while vigorously patting the cover of the book with his claw.

"Mimi? You want to look at this?" Wang Keke walked over, puzzled.

Lin Mo nodded forcefully, then clumsily (deliberately feigned) flipped open the pages with his paw, his amber eyes "focusing" on the content above.

Of course, he didn't really need the Bestiary to learn how to read; possessing the memories of his past life and powerful mental strength, learning the language and knowledge of this world wasn't difficult—he had just been hiding his light. Now, for the sake of his "ordering" grand plan, he couldn't afford to worry about exposing a little "intelligence."

His claws slid across the color illustrations on each page, his gaze quickly filtering through them.

Selection Criteria One: The talent must be good.

[Mimicry]? PASS! It doesn't sound like something edible, and it doesn't provide a direct boost to combat power.

[Venom]? PASS! The risk is too high; it would be a joke if I couldn't digest it and ended up poisoning myself, and the meat quality probably isn't great either.

[Mental Interference]? This is good! But monsters with this type of talent usually have powerful mental strength, making them hard to capture, and their ranks are generally too high—not very realistic for now.

Selection Criteria Two: The body size should be relatively small, and the meat should be delicious.

Large monsters like the Thick-Armored Boar or the Lion Mastiff, while their talents might be decent, were too much of a hassle to devour, easy to overeat on, and the meat was coarse—not fitting his "gourmet" persona. He wanted high-quality goods, the kind of high-level ingredients that were concentrated in energy and had excellent texture!

Selection Criteria Three: The price must be expensive!

This was a bit hard to tell directly from the Bestiary, but he could infer it! Usually, monsters that were rare, difficult to capture, possessed unique talents, or had great nourishing effects on specific aspects were definitely not cheap!

His claws finally stopped on a few pages.

First Target: [Moonlight Fox] (Mid-level Beast Soldier)

Bestiary Description: Entire body is silver-white, fur flows like moonlight, moves like a ghost, excels in [Agility Enhancement] and [Minor Moonlight Healing]. Its flesh contains pure moonlight energy, the taste is extremely delicious, and it has the effect of nourishing the mind and strengthening the body. Because of its high alertness and secretive movements, it is extremely difficult to capture, and the market price is exorbitant.

Lin Mo's inner commentary: This is the one! [Agility Enhancement] is exactly what I need to make up for my shortcomings outside of feline strength. [Minor Moonlight Healing] also sounds very nourishing! The key is that it's hard to catch and delicious, so it must be expensive!

Second Target: [Lightning Marten] (Mid-level Beast Soldier)

Bestiary Description: Small in size, speed ranks top among its peers, talent [Quick Attack] (extremely fast short-distance burst speed). Its marten heart is a top-tier auxiliary material for tempering speed-type talents; the meat is firm and springy, contains lightning-attribute energy, and has a unique texture.

Lin Mo's inner commentary: Speed burst! Combined with my [Power Burst] and wings, who could touch me? The marten heart is a top-tier auxiliary material? This thing's price definitely won't be low! Order it!

Third Target: [Crystal Scorpion] (Mid-level Beast Soldier)

Bestiary Description: Entire body looks like it was carved from pale purple crystal, the tail stinger contains a strange toxin (non-lethal, but can paralyze nerves and dissolve energy), talent [Crystallized Carapace] (impressive defense, and has a certain resistance to energy attacks). Its scorpion tail and scorpion roe are delicacies, containing pure chitin and special resistance energy, with a unique sweet taste.

Lin Mo's inner commentary: [Crystallized Carapace]? Sounds like an upgraded version of [Tough Skin]! Energy resistance is an even rarer attribute! The key is that this thing looks like a luxury item; the price must be beautiful!

Having selected his initial targets, Lin Mo raised his head and used his paw to point heavily at each of the three monster pictures, then looked at Wang Keke, his amber eyes revealing an incomparable "longing" and "determination."

Wang Keke looked at the three monsters in the Bestiary, all of which looked intimidating and were said to be quite expensive, and her small mouth formed an "O" shape: "Mimi... you, you want to eat these?"

Lin Mo nodded forcefully, letting out an urgent purr from his throat, his tail wagging in coordination.

"But... these are all very rare and very expensive..." Wang Keke hesitated. Although the family said they would tilt resources toward him, starting off by ordering such expensive "dishes" felt a bit...

Seeing this, Lin Mo immediately went into full acting mode. His massive body collapsed "weakly" to the ground, resting his big head on Wang Keke's feet. His large amber eyes instantly clouded with a layer of moisture (squeezed out with effort), and he looked at her with a pitiful, deeply wronged expression, letting out a faint, trembling whimper from his throat.

It was as if he were saying: I just went through such terrifying torture, my heart has been severely traumatized, and I need something delicious to comfort myself... Besides, isn't eating these to get stronger faster and not let your expectations down...

After this combination of moves, how could Wang Keke resist? Her heart melted instantly.

"Alright, alright, Mimi, don't be sad, I'll go 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 took out her communicator and contacted Wang Qingtian.

On the other end of the communicator, Wang Qingtian remained silent for several seconds after hearing the names of the three monsters his daughter reported.

Moonlight Fox? Lightning Marten? Crystal Scorpion? These were all top-tier "luxury goods" among the Beast Soldier rank! Especially if they were live or fresh carcasses, the price was comparable to their volume in gold! This kid... no, this tiger, really knew how to pick them! Had he started getting cocky just after making a contribution? Or was there another motive?

Wang Qingtian was a seasoned veteran; he instantly caught a scent of something unusual. But then he thought, the intelligence and potential displayed by this mutated tiger were indeed worth a heavy investment.

Furthermore, the three types of monsters it selected truly possessed talents perfectly suited for its current stage of development. Perhaps... it really was just instinctively choosing the "food" most beneficial to itself?

"Very well." Wang Qingtian finally said in a deep voice, "I will have someone procure them. Tell it that the family will satisfy its needs, but I also hope it won't let this investment go to waste."

"Thank you, Daddy! Mimi is the best!" Wang Keke happily ended the call and said excitedly to Lin Mo, "Mimi, Daddy agreed! You'll have delicious food soon!"

Lin Mo let out a cold snort in his heart: Best my foot! I'm strategically eating you all into bankruptcy!

On the surface, however, he cooperated by putting on a "joyful" expression and rubbed his head against Wang Keke.

Yet, a trace of cunning flashed deep within his eyes.

This was only the beginning. Once he digested these three "appetizers" and figured out the family's supply capacity and bottom line, he would start ordering more expensive "main courses" and "desserts"!

What? You say the family will feel the pinch? That they will refuse?

Heh, do they dare? They are currently treating this S-Rank Core Seed like a precious treasure! This is the best time to fleece them... ah, no, to reasonably utilize resources!

Lin Mo seemed to already see countless rare monsters transforming into pure energy and powerful talents, merging into his own body. And on the ledgers of the Wang Family and those observers behind the scenes, the numbers representing resource consumption were jumping wildly...

Eat! I must eat until I kill them! Lin Mo made up his mind, Not only must I eat my way to strength, but I must eat with style and finesse, eating until their hearts ache, yet they are still forced to continue investing!

It seems his path of Swallowed Star would have to start with this first step: "eating the family into bankruptcy."