Nightmare Light

Chapter 255 We, Steel Bones

"Citizens, hurry up and leave."

When that twisted and bizarre monster uttered those words with some strange cavity resonance, not only Lin Wang, but everyone present was stunned and shocked.

"Ah! This monster... is protecting us?" Dog Brother exclaimed.

“They’re not monsters, they’re soldiers of the Steelbone Army.” Lin Wang corrected Dog Brother’s statement with a serious expression.

He asked the enormous aggregate monster, "You... still retain consciousness?"

"We just woke up." The monster's body trembled, and a new cavity grew from its wound, which looked like a perfectly round mouth.

It, or rather they, spoke with a certain clarity.

"After we are contaminated, our thoughts fall into chaos, and all that remains in our minds is a mad clamor and an instinct filled with destructive desires."

"Then we fell into a deep sleep." The aggregate monster paused. "It was a long, cruel dream, filled with killing, but also somewhat pleasurable."

Everyone glanced at the big yellow rat, who was perched on Dog Brother's shoulder, wagging its tail and striking a "hands on hips" pose.

The aggregate monster then said, "And then... we suddenly woke up."

"Suddenly? Since when?" Lin Wang asked.

"After turning into this terrible form, our sense of time has become much worse..." the aggregate monster mumbled, with a hint of "thought." After a few seconds, it said, "It should be, an hour? Half an hour? Probably around that time."

"Half an hour... Boss, could it be that ball of fire you just had?" Dog Brother glanced at Lin Wang.

The Aggregator said, "Oh, speaking of fire, before we woke up, there was indeed a period of time when we felt like we were being roasted by fire, like a sheep on a grill."

Could it really be my White Flame?

Lin Wang said, "But that doesn't make sense... The fire was in the military camp, how did it spread here?"

The Aggregator grumbled, "If you're curious about this... we might be able to answer your question."

After saying that, a dozen arms on its huge body stabbed into its own body at the same time!
puff!
"Ah!" Bai Xiaoxiao exclaimed in surprise upon seeing this astonishing scene.

The aggregate monster trembled.

With a combined effort, those arms tore a huge wound open on its body.

Amidst the dripping blood from the wound, a large tortoise shell was exposed.

The patterns on the back of the tortoise shell are ancient and unique.

It looks a bit like a radiant sun, but it's broken into pieces by the tortoise shell.

Lin Wang mentally called out to the server: Is this some kind of recyclable material?
Servo function response:

[It is a special sacrificial object]

After receiving confirmation, Lin Wang understood the situation.

The Aggregator said, "This sacrificial offering is the key item that brought us together."

“I think that some of the Dragon Head Lord’s power is related to this sacrificial object—all the people He corrupted formed a kind of ‘aggregate’ under the influence of this sacrificial object. When your flames burned my comrades, we were also affected.”

After a pause, Polymer added, "Also, were my comrades burned to death by you?"

“They are all healthy and have been freed from pollution,” Lin Wang said.

"In that case, we can rest assured." The Aggregator sighed and then fell silent.

Half a minute later, it said again, "Why aren't you leaving yet?"

“We’re not planning to leave,” Lin Wang said. “We’re here to resolve the problem.”

“Citizens, we feel it is necessary to remind you,” the Aggregator said, “that what is awakening inside is a powerful immortal, extremely strong, and corrupted.”

After a pause, it added, "I can only hold it off for a little while."

A composite monster formed by the steel-boned military divisions and officers.

Even after he had become a monster and died, the only thing he thought about was still fighting the enemy.

They remained citizens protecting Tang Shengcheng. Once they understood this, a complex and indescribable emotion arose in their hearts.

Just then, a violent tremor came from deep within the tomb.

Accompanied by the tremor, an overwhelming evil aura surged forth from the depths of the tomb.

...But why does it still smell like cooked food?

"Citizens, hurry!" The aggregate monster's strange, gurgling voice carried a hint of urgency.

Lin Wang showed no intention of leaving. He took another step forward, getting closer to the Gathering Monster: "We're here to solve the problem, so we're not leaving."

"Furthermore, you...you don't necessarily have to keep fighting to the death. You should know very well that I have a way to purify your pollution—you have a chance to survive."

After a few seconds of silence, the aggregator spoke again, but its answer was somewhat unexpected.

"Citizen, thank you for your kindness, but we refuse."

The aggregate monster gurgled as it moved towards the deeper passage of the tomb.

The dog asked it, "Why?"

The Aggregator said, "This world doesn't need a ferocious monster, but a defensive line needs a group of real soldiers."

Everyone fell into silence.

In the distance, deep within the tomb, the rumbling tremors grew ever closer.

People could also discern footsteps resembling drumbeats within the sound.

And that overwhelming aura of evil.

It still smells like rice.

The aggregated monster took a few more steps toward the passage.

“Citizen…Northerner. Although we don’t understand why you insisted on staying, we must thank you for saving my comrades.” It said to Lin Wang, “This is for you…we won’t need it for long.”

After saying that, the arms near its wound once again stretched into its body.

He gripped the tortoise shell with his arms and exerted force together.

With a sickening, tearing sound, the tortoise shell was ripped out of the aggregate monster's body.

Although it was just an ugly and ferocious monster, the terrifying aura it exuded when performing this action still made everyone turn pale.

The monster held the tortoise shell in two of its hands and handed it to Lin Wang.

Although the tortoise shell was covered in blood, Lin Wang still took it very seriously.

[Special sacrificial items have been retrieved.]

[You have obtained the "Aggregation" trait, esteemed administrator.]

[Note that sacrificial offerings differ from ordinary items; please explore their usage on your own.]

Lin Wang didn't pay much attention to this information.

He casually tossed the tortoise shell into the tree fern space, walked over to the aggregate monster, and looked at the cave entrance with it.

The footsteps were getting closer and closer at the cave entrance.

The voice of the aggregator rang out beside Lin Wang.

“Citizens, please allow us to lead the charge… We are soldiers, let us fulfill our duty one last time.”

Lin Wang was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."

He said, "What should I call you? You should have a name."

"Then let's call ourselves Steel Bones."

(End of this chapter)