The Front Lines? Sounds Good to Me!

During the strike, Lin Mo's days were equal parts frustrating and leisurely.

The frustrating part was watching his path of evolution seem to hit a hard wall. The feeling of having strength but nowhere to use it drove the tiger crazy. The leisurely part was finally being free of those annoying cameras and instructions. Every day, all he had to do was eat—though the ordinary Beast Soldier meat wasn't very satisfying—sleep, flap around in the training room, hone Lightning Strike, and spar with Wang Keke.

During this time, he'd also gained a much clearer understanding of his own strength. After advancing to Advanced Beast Soldier, his physical abilities had improved across the board. Tough Skin offered stronger defense, Power Burst packed a harder punch, and the newly acquired Lightning Strike gave him terrifying short-range acceleration. Combined with his now-practiced ability to fly close to the ground...

I'm not bragging, but with this setup, I could probably take on two versions of myself from three months ago without much trouble.

Wang Keke's progress was just as impressive. Under her control, four Flying Daggers moved like venomous snakes brought to life, their trajectories unpredictable and their speed lightning-fast—enough to give most Warrior Rank martial artists a serious headache. The two of them worked together with ever-greater ease, their mental link making words unnecessary. One thought was all it took for their attacks to surge forward like a tide.

During a routine spar with Wang Keke and her two veteran Warrior Rank bodyguards, Lin Mo finally cut loose.

When the bodyguard on the offensive charged with his Alloy Battle Blade, its sharp edge whooshing through the air, Lin Mo didn't try to block it. His four limbs tensed in an instant as Lightning Strike activated!

"Whoosh!"

A faint golden afterimage was all that remained where he'd stood. His real body had already appeared like a ghost behind the bodyguard's flank, his Tough Skin-covered tiger claw sweeping toward the man's wrist with a gust of wind. The bodyguard was startled and hurriedly changed his stance to block, but his wrist went numb, and he nearly lost his grip on the blade.

At the same time, Wang Keke's four Flying Daggers came at the bodyguard like sharks drawn to blood, sealing off every avenue of escape from four fiendishly tricky angles.

Seeing this, the other bodyguard rushed to support his partner, trying to disrupt Wang Keke. A glint flashed in Lin Mo's eyes. He snapped his wings open and skimmed low across the ground. It wasn't true flight, but his sudden burst of speed and strange way of moving threw the supporting bodyguard off balance. One of Wang Keke's daggers forced him into a hasty retreat.

The two-on-two spar ended with the veteran bodyguards suffering a "narrow defeat." They hadn't gone all out, and they'd also been cautious about protecting "the young miss and her precious battle pet," but the pressure Lin Mo and Wang Keke had put on them was undeniable.

The two bodyguards exchanged a glance, shock plain in both their eyes.

"Miss, Mimi... the two of you working together might already be a match for an ordinary Junior War General," the bodyguard who'd led the attack said with a wry smile, rubbing his numb wrist.

Wang Keke excitedly threw her arms around Lin Mo's neck. "Really? Mimi! Are we that strong now?"

Lin Mo held his head high, putting on a dignified front as he accepted her petting, but inside, a storm was already brewing.

Junior War General? Hm, looks like my judgment was right. I've become a top-tier fighter without even realizing it! Staying cooped up back here, messing around with those dumb props and ordinary Beast Soldiers, is a complete waste of my life!

A thought he'd been mulling over for ages suddenly became crystal clear—and urgent.

The family couldn't get high-grade ingredients? The supplies weren't enough?

Then he'd go get them himself!

That evening, Wang Qingtian happened to be home and came by to check on him—mostly because he was curious how long Lin Mo planned to keep up his strike. Lin Mo began his "performance."

Instead of giving him the cold shoulder, he did something rare: he went up to Wang Qingtian and rubbed his oversized head against the man's hand. The movement was a little clumsy and obviously calculated.

For the meat, I'll put up with it! Just think of it as rubbing up against a slab of pork belly!

Wang Qingtian was far too shrewd to miss it. He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Our big star's had a change of heart today? Not glaring at me anymore?"

Wang Keke chimed in with a grin. "Dad, Mimi's probably bored out of his mind. Look how hard he's been training lately, and how fast he's gotten stronger. If he just stays in the city taking... uh, just stays in the city, he can't put those abilities to use."

Lin Mo immediately played along with a low growl. He scraped a paw against the ground, then raised a wing and mimed flying toward the front lines. His golden tiger eyes fixed on Wang Qingtian, burning with purpose.

Wang Qingtian stroked his chin, thoughtful. "The front lines?"

Lin Mo gave a firm nod.

That's right! The front lines! There's no shortage of high-level Beast Soldiers there, and I might even find a Beast General Rank monster someone else has already weakened! That's where my Devour Talent can be put to its best use! Making money? What good is that? Strength is what matters!

Wang Qingtian didn't answer right away. He looked from his daughter's determined expression to the Winged Tiger, a creature whose formidable strength had been wasted as a "showpiece" for months, but whose eyes now burned with wildness and longing. After a moment's thought, he spoke slowly. "The front lines are dangerous. Even in the relatively safe Secondary Defense Zone, you could be ambushed by a Beast General Rank monster."

Lin Mo growled and thumped his sturdy chest with a paw, showing he wasn't afraid.

Wang Keke clenched her little fists, too. "Dad, Mimi and I can take on a Junior War General together now! And we're not going to the very front—we'll just go see what it's like and... improve Mimi's diet a little. We'll bring Uncle Zhang and Uncle Li, and follow every order!"

Wang Qingtian's gaze moved between his daughter and her battle pet. At last, a glint flashed in his eyes. Perhaps he'd been waiting for this day all along. A tiger raised in a greenhouse could never become a true ruler.

The Loyalty Trial had proved that "Mimi" was trustworthy, and now he was strong enough to protect himself to some extent. It was time to send him out to hone his skills. It might be an opportunity for him—and for the Wang Family.

"All right," Wang Qingtian finally relented. "I can arrange for you to go to Outpost No. 03. It's in the Secondary Defense Zone, where the pressure is relatively light, and your Uncle Thirteen is stationed there. But there are three rules. First, you'll follow every order from your Uncle Thirteen and from Uncle Zhang and Uncle Li. No acting on your own. Second, you'll stay within the designated safe area. Third, if anything changes, you'll retreat immediately!"

"Yeah! Thanks, Dad!" Wang Keke jumped up excitedly.

Lin Mo held back his joy and let out a low, composed growl to show his agreement.

Hahaha! It's happening! The front lines! Monsters, your genius glutton tiger dad is coming! Get ready to become fuel for my evolution! As for all that money I earned from filming... Hmm, maybe I could buy some better gear? No, actually, it wouldn't hurt to save it as pocket money!

At last, "Mimi" the worker tiger was officially off the clock. "Lin Mo" the hunting tiger was about to head for his battlefield! In his mind, he could already see a menu of countless running and flying creatures, all giving off delicious scents and glowing with the promise of talent!