Nightmare Light

Chapter 199 A Leaf

Lin Wang and Dog Brother walked up to the high platform in the town.

This place is less like a high platform and more like a collapsed building—a few lonely stone pillars surrounding a collapsed roof.

Because the damage is so severe, it is difficult to tell from the outside what kind of building it originally was. It may have been a sacrificial site or a beacon tower.

Looking through the stone pillars, one can see that the interior of the building is shrouded in a hazy black mist, obscuring the details of the building's interior.

[Recyclable material distance: 12 meters.]

"That thing is in here." Based on the distance, Lin Wang determined that what the tree fern wanted him to retrieve was inside.

Lin Wang took out his tree spear, remaining on guard, and took a step towards the building, towards the direction of the black mist.

"You can't take it," the child behind him said again, his tone even becoming more urgent.

Lin Wang glanced at the child, smiled at him, and made a "pat on the head" gesture. Then he turned back, raised the tree spear, and thrust it into the mist.

The instant the spear pierced the mist, a strange change occurred!
A piercingly loud sound erupted.

As the sound arose, the black mist began to writhe wildly, carrying endless malice and treachery, condensing into a viscous, twisted, and indescribable form.

As the shape writhed, hundreds of eyes and mouths grew on its surface, and hundreds of sharp teeth extended from its mouths. The hundreds of eyes stared at Lin Wang, and the mouth once again emitted a piercing howl.

Lin Wang sensed that the voice carried endless malice and malevolence—when a person hears a howl, malice floods their mind.

Even Lin Wang felt a surge of resentment in his mind at that moment.

He hurriedly protected his soul space and turned his head to look.

Behind him, Dog Brother's eyes were wide open, his expression ferocious, and he stared at Lin Wang with a vicious look, gritting his teeth.

Dog Brother glared menacingly at Lin Wang, gritting his teeth, and slowly raised the stilts, aiming them at Lin Wang.

Then, he forcefully slapped himself on the forehead.

He didn't faint.

Lin Wang: "...What are you doing?"

"Boss... Boss!" Dog Brother's expression was ferocious and his voice was hoarse, "I... I can't hold on much longer! Right now, I keep having evil thoughts running through my mind, wanting to attack you!"

"I mean, why did you tap yourself?"

"I want to knock myself out so I won't attack you!"

"Then why didn't you faint?"

"I... didn't dare to use my strength."

Lin Wang rolled his eyes. In this state, even if he was left to his own devices, he probably wouldn't be ruthless towards himself.

He turned around, focused his mind, and prepared to deal with the monster formed from the black mist in front of him.

This thing is so sinister... The guy I encountered when I was mending the heavens... the power within him seemed very similar to this thing... it was also this kind of pure evil...

Lin Wang felt a heavy heart. He didn't intend to wait for the other party to fully take shape, but decided to take the initiative.

Lin Wang took a step forward, his spear blazing with white flames, and thrust it at the monster.

Just then, a figure brushed past him.

The little boy, who had already turned to ashes in the flames, had his lower body writhing in ash while his upper body remained in the shape of a little boy. He brushed past him and pounced on the black mist monster!

"Back!"

Lin Wang was shocked. The little boy went to fight that monster?
A flash of lightning struck his mind.

Only then did Lin Wang finally understand that, from beginning to end, the children's goal was to prevent him and Dog Brother from getting close to this place—

Because they knew there was danger here.

Are these kids... protecting us?
From beginning to end, they were a group of people... who wanted to protect our children?
Lin Wang recalled the words those children had said when they coalesced into a giant monster—

"Are we good kids?" Lin Wang took a deep breath: "You are indeed good kids."

A faint golden light shimmered in his hand. Without saying a word, he grabbed the child by the back of the collar and put him behind him.

"But fighting is an adult thing."

He said to the little boy in the ashes, "I'll do it."

After saying that, he raised his hand, and a ball of white flame surged up and shot out from his hand, enveloping the entire cloud of black mist.

The scorching heat began to burn the black mist monster.

At first, the black mist remained completely still.

A few seconds later, it suddenly began to struggle wildly, its countless eyes and mouths opening and closing, emitting harsh and malicious sounds, and black, viscous mist rising from its pale eyes.

But no matter how much it struggled, Lin Wang maintained steady control of the white flame, scorching the black mist.

The black mist twisted and struggled for about half a minute before the last bit of black mist completely disappeared, turning into wisps of smoke.

Apart from a faint stench, there seemed to be no black fog in the air.

Deep within the building, nestled among the stone pillars, lies a stone platform, upon which the objects emanate a warm and sacred aura.

[Recyclable materials should be kept at a distance of two meters.]

It seems that thing... is the target of this trip.

A sudden realization flashed through Lin Wang's mind.

He walked up to that thing.

On the stone platform in front of him, there was something that emitted a faint, sacred light that Lin Wang was very familiar with; he could even see it every day.

A leaf.

The leaves of the tree fern.

The truth has come to light: back then, someone closely associated with the tree fern—likely the tree fern's previous caretaker—left a leaf at this spot in a very urgent situation.

His purpose was likely to protect these children with this leaf, but for some reason, the leaf was contaminated by some evil spirit.

That's why these children...

“The gods said that if we guard this thing well, Mom will come back,” the little boy beside him suddenly said.

Lin Wang glanced at the little boy beside him.

The little boy wriggled a few times, and the ashes beneath him gathered together, transforming into a complete lower body.

He looked up at Lin Wang and asked, "Why don't the gods save us?"

Lin Wang pondered for two or three minutes, then squatted down in front of the little boy, raised his hand, and gently poked the little boy's chest.

"Because we shouldn't wait for the gods to save us."

The little boy tilted his head, seemingly not quite understanding what Lin Wang was saying.

Lin Wang poked the little boy's chest again: "A brave and good child will always find a way to save himself, right? Just like you did."

"Like... what I did?" He tilted his head and slowly repeated Lin Wang's words, his expression gradually changing from confusion to thoughtfulness.

“Yes, just like you did.” Lin Wang nodded very seriously at the little boy and gently patted his head.

"No one should expect gods to save us when we are in danger. Brave, good children need them even less."

"I understand." The little boy nodded, then said, "I miss my mom."

Lin Wang said to the little boy, "Your mother passed away many years ago... I don't know if I can find her."

"Then I'll wait for her here."

(End of this chapter)