Spreading Wings and Hints

The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, Wang Keke walked over, bleary-eyed as usual, ready to give her "Mimi" a morning hug and check if the water in his bowl needed refilling.

However, when she reached the soft nest and saw the situation inside, all her sleepiness vanished instantly, replaced by an irrepressible exclamation:

"Ah--!"

Inside the nest, Lin Mo was lying prone, stretching his body, seemingly still savoring the afterglow of last night's breakthrough.

And on his sleek, muscular back, where there had previously been only small bumps, two snow-white, downy, and delicate wings were now clearly unfurled! Although they were still small and somewhat fledgling in form, the distinct wing membranes and slender skeletal structure were unmistakable!

"W... wings! Mimi, you grew wings?!"

Wang Keke's voice trembled with excitement. She crouched down, carefully reaching out a hand, wanting to touch them but afraid of damaging these delicate, newborn organs.

Lin Mo had long since woken up and knew he couldn't hide it. He cooperated by lifting his head, emitting a comfortable "purr" from his throat, and even actively turned to the side, displaying one wing more fully to Wang Keke, as if to say, "Look, aren't I amazing?"

A warm and soft sensation came from her fingertips; the down was incredibly fine. A look of immense surprise and pride instantly bloomed on Wang Keke's face!

"Oh my god! You really... you really are a Winged Tiger! A mutated Winged Tiger! I knew it! I knew my judgment wouldn't be wrong! Eighty million... it's so worth it!"

She was so excited she almost jumped up, pulling Lin Mo into her arms and rubbing her face against his head vigorously, "Mimi! You really are a treasure! Let's see if Wang Xiao and the others dare to look down on you now!"

The slight anxiety she had felt due to family pressure and the approaching competition was mostly washed away by this unexpected surprise. A battle pet with flight capabilities, even if only for basic gliding, had strategic value and potential far beyond that of a ground-based pet!

"No, we must start adaptive training immediately!" Wang Keke was a woman of action; she immediately picked up Lin Mo and rushed to the training ground, not even bothering with breakfast.

In the days that followed, a crucial new item was added to Lin Mo's training regimen: wing adaptation training.

Wang Keke consulted a vast amount of training material on flying monsters and, combining it with her unique understanding of energy and muscle control as a Spirit Reader, developed a step-by-step plan for Lin Mo.

The initial phase took place in an indoor training ground covered with soft cushions. It was mainly to let Lin Mo get used to the existence of his wings, learn basic folding and unfolding, flapping, and sensing air currents.

Lin Mo possessed human-level comprehension and powerful soul control, so his learning speed was extremely fast. Within just a few days, he could skillfully control his wings to make adjustments at various angles, and his flapping became powerful and coordinated.

Next came low-altitude gliding training. Jumping from low platforms, using his wings to glide, and controlling his landing point and posture.

Lin Mo quickly mastered the technique, even managing to make small turns in the air. He could feel that with the daily consumption of monster meat and the nourishment of his own energy, these wings were becoming stronger at a visible rate, and his wingspan was slowly increasing.

Then came comprehensive training for body coordination. Suddenly spreading his wings to glide while running, using them to assist in changing direction, balancing, and even attempting short-range pounces.

Lin Mo integrated his human combat thinking into this, contemplating how to combine the mobility provided by the wings with the pouncing and clawing inherent to a tiger.

Watching Lin Mo adapt to his wings at an astonishing speed and display "combat intelligence" far exceeding that of an ordinary tiger cub, the light in Wang Keke's eyes grew brighter. She became even more convinced that what she had picked up wasn't just a treasure, but a monster with infinite potential!

As for Lin Mo, while enjoying the improvement in his strength, he was secretly planning his next move.

The detailed information from his [Combat Devour Talent] made him realize that to gain stronger abilities, he couldn't just "eat randomly." He had to "eat" selectively and gamble on those extremely low probabilities.

He needed a target—one that possessed a talent he was interested in, was easy to obtain at his current stage, and wouldn't arouse suspicion.

In his tiger brain, he recalled a monster from the Basic Monster Illustrated Handbook that he saw Wang Keke reciting lessons from every day by her bed: the Iron-Wire Snake.

A Beast Soldier Rank monster with average strength, it was characterized by a body as tough as twisted iron wire, possessing the [Iron Bone] or [Tough Skin] talent, which could greatly enhance defensive capabilities. This was exactly what Lin Mo needed at this stage! He had claws and teeth for offense and wings for mobility; only his defense was relatively weak.

Moreover, the Iron-Wire Snake was small in size, making it easy to devour, and it was perfectly reasonable to provide it as a "snack" for a battle pet.

But how could he let Wang Keke know that he "wanted" to eat an Iron-Wire Snake?

Speaking directly was impossible. He could only rely on gestures and expressions.

That day, after finishing a round of high-intensity training, Wang Keke brought out some prepared Beast Soldier Rank meat to reward him as usual.

Lin Mo didn't pounce on it immediately as he usually did. Instead, he sniffed the meat with his nose, then lifted his head to look at Wang Keke, his amber eyes revealing a hint of "dissatisfaction" and "longing."

He first used his paw to nudge the piece of meat, then turned around and pointed his claw precisely at the illustration of an Iron-Wire Snake on a chart hanging next to the training ground (which Wang Keke used for his cognitive training)!

"Awoo~" he called out, looking back at Wang Keke, and then tapped the Iron-Wire Snake pattern firmly with his paw.

Wang Keke was stunned: "Mimi? You... you want to eat this?" She looked at the chart, then at Lin Mo.

Lin Mo nodded vigorously, his tail wagging rapidly, showing a strong sense of "wanting." He even ran to his food bowl, pawed out the original piece of meat, and then looked longingly at the Iron-Wire Snake on the chart, then back at Wang Keke.

"You don't like the meat you have now? You want to eat... an Iron-Wire Snake?" Wang Keke tried to understand.

Lin Mo nodded again, emitting an urgent whimper from his throat, his front paws stomping on the ground incessantly.

Wang Keke looked at his "anxious" and "longing" appearance. Although she found it strange—the meat of an Iron-Wire Snake wasn't known for being delicious; it was actually quite tough and stringy—she thought that perhaps a mutated beast had unique tastes, and since Lin Mo had just broken through, he needed to replenish various types of energy. Maybe some trait of the Iron-Wire Snake attracted him?

"Alright, alright," Wang Keke was amused by him, "Since my Mimi wants to eat it, I'll get it for you! But Iron-Wire Snakes aren't easy to process. Do you need it whole? Or cut into pieces?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo immediately stood on his hind legs, his two front paws frantically gesturing a "whole" shape, then he made a motion of swallowing it in one "gulp" (even though that was unlikely given his current size), and finally stared at Wang Keke with an incredibly expectant gaze.

"You want... the whole thing?" Wang Keke understood his meaning. Although she felt the request was even stranger, out of love and trust for her battle pet, she agreed, "Fine! I'll have someone prepare it right away! I guarantee it will be a fresh Beast Soldier Rank Iron-Wire Snake!"

Watching Wang Keke turn to instruct her servants, Lin Mo felt a surge of joy.

Step one, accomplished!

He felt as if he could already see that Iron-Wire Snake, containing the [Iron Bone] or [Tough Skin] talent, becoming the first true "whetstone" on his path of devouring evolution.

He lay back down, licked his lips, and a hunter-like sharpness and anticipation flashed in his amber tiger eyes.