The white fox lay curled up in Sita King's arms, barely clinging to life.

Tears streamed down Sita's face as she gently caressed the fox's wound. "Snow Fox, it's all my fault! If I hadn't made you go out hunting every day, you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

The white fox weakly lifted its head and licked Sita's palm, as if trying to comfort her.

At that moment, a group of men and women gathered from the shadowy, mist-filled hallway.

Leading them was a tall, thin man named George, his hair greasy from weeks without washing. "Where's the prey? If it didn't catch anything, why did it come back?" George said anxiously.

Sita King replied sadly, "Snow Fox is injured!"

"Injured?" George leaned in to take a look. "So it really is hurt!"

Everyone in the building knew how impressive this fox was. Without its frequent hunting expeditions, the residents would have starved long ago.

Others crowded around, inspecting the fox's injuries and muttering among themselves. "When will it recover?" "If it can't hunt, what will we eat?" "Damn, this fox is so careless—it probably got hurt wandering around aimlessly!" "Enough with the chatter. What do we do now?" "It's just an animal; why are we making such a fuss? It's just a scratch. Sita, you're being way too dramatic, hahaha!"

Some of the older folks even took pleasure in Sita's predicament.

This young girl had relied on the white fox's hunting skills to act superior, ignoring everyone else.

She even had the audacity to take charge of distributing the meat!

A little girl, and a woman at that, presuming to handle such an important task? How ridiculous!

What did she know about fairness? Wasn't it common sense to prioritize the elderly and children?

Now that the fox was injured, let's see how arrogant she could be!

A middle-aged woman holding a child, Mrs. Sanches, chimed in, "It's fine if you don't eat, but my child is only six years old and hasn't eaten in three days. How is he supposed to grow? Sita, can your fox go out tomorrow?"

Sita listened to the group's complaints, her heart growing colder with every word. Tears welled up in her eyes.

At that moment, the white fox stopped even trying to open its eyes.

George noticed something was wrong. The fox appeared gravely injured.

Growing worried, he reached out to grab the fox. "Let me see."

Sita turned away protectively. "What are you doing?!"

The white fox suddenly lifted its head, baring its teeth and letting out a threatening growl.

George flinched and awkwardly said, "I'm just concerned, okay?"

The fox collapsed again, the effort clearly draining its energy. Its breathing became labored.

By now, everyone could see the fox's injuries were severe.

The atmosphere shifted. Sarcasm gave way to panic.

If the fox died, everyone would lose their main source of food!

Sita King, seeing the fox's condition, began sobbing again. "Snow Fox! Snow Fox! What's wrong with you?!"

In desperation, she called out, "Does anyone have alcohol or bandages? I need them to stop the bleeding!"

The crowd hesitated. "I don't have any." "Me neither. I'm single; why would I have that stuff?" "Mrs. Sanches probably has some. She has a kid, and kids are always getting scrapes."

Sita immediately turned to Mrs. Sanches, pleading, "Mrs. Sanches, please, I need some alcohol and bandages!"

Mrs. Sanches hesitated awkwardly.

She only had a small amount of alcohol left and not much bandage material either. Medical supplies were life-saving resources now—she couldn't afford to give them away.

If the fox had a chance of recovery, she might have helped, if only to gain Sita's favor.

But looking at the fox now, barely clinging to life, it was clearly on its last breath.

Giving away her supplies would be a waste.

Besides, without the fox, Sita King would lose her only advantage. She'd be just another powerless girl, not worth repaying.

Mrs. Sanches quickly said, "I'm all out! Really!"

Sita didn't believe her. Furious, she said, "Mrs. Sanches, I've always made sure your child gets the best meat—meat that Snow Fox risked its life to hunt! And now you can't spare a little alcohol or bandage?"

Embarrassed, Mrs. Sanches snapped, "Hey, don't accuse me of lying! At my age, would I lie to you? If you don't believe me, come to my house and check! Go on, check!"

Sita was on the verge of tears.

The fox was dying; she didn't have time to argue with Mrs. Sanches.

The rest of the crowd grew restless. If the fox died, this small settlement wouldn't last much longer.

Everyone would have to fend for themselves.

George exchanged a look with a few other young men. They silently moved closer, whispering amongst themselves and casting lecherous glances at Sita King.

Without the fox to protect her, Sita King was just an ordinary woman—no, a beautiful woman.

Petite and cute, with two little tiger teeth, she was irresistible to men.

After some discussion, George and his group approached Sita King.

George smirked, extending a hand. "Little sister, let me take a look at the fox."

Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, Sita King panicked. "What are you doing?!"

George ignored her protests, reaching out to touch the fox.

This time, the white fox couldn't lift its head or protect its master. It was clearly on the brink of death.

"Don't touch my Snow Fox!" Sita said anxiously.

George, now confident, grinned wickedly. "The fox didn't catch anything today. What are we supposed to eat? It's dying anyway—why don't we eat it instead?"

This wasn't just George being cruel; he genuinely believed eating the fox might grant them its powers.

Over the past few weeks, the fox had hunted various mutated animals. After eating the meat, many people felt their strength improve noticeably.

It wasn't just one or two people; several had experienced this.

If eating weaker mutated animals made them stronger, what would eating this powerful fox do?

Maybe it would make them even stronger—maybe they'd even gain abilities!

This settlement was relatively isolated.

No one here knew the fox's powers came from an ability fruit. They thought it was a natural mutation.

Hearing George's suggestion, the crowd's expressions turned ruthless.

"Yeah, if it's going to die, why waste it?" "Food is so scarce—don't let it go to waste." "The fox isn't that big, but if we divide it up, everyone can get a taste."

Sita King couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What are you saying?!"

This fox had practically fed everyone here.

Now that it was injured, they wanted to eat it?

Suddenly, a powerful male voice boomed through the room: "What do you think you're doing to my niece?!"

A burly, dark-skinned man charged in, waving a cleaver.