Chapter 135: Combustion

The Xenomorph sank its teeth into the zombie's torso, then drove its tail clean through the corpse's shoulder blade, dragging it away with a rhythmic, swaying motion.

As a beast-type monster, it faithfully executed every command issued by Fan Li, such as... taking out the trash.

With dozens of zombies killed, the area right in front of the building, once neat and tidy, now resembled a mass grave. Waking up every morning, opening the window with the intention of enjoying the scenery outside, only to be greeted by a ground littered with severed limbs and broken bones—who could possibly stomach that?

The button lacked the necessary strength, and Ellie had gone on strike ahead of time, leaving the entire burden of street cleaning resting squarely on the Xenomorph's shoulders.

Meanwhile, back inside the room, Fan Li was far from idle. He took out a whistle and placed it atop the Monster Manual.

A whistle was used for gathering, making it the most suitable medium to represent the deformed zombie.

However, before finalizing the medium, Fan Li let out a slightly distressed sigh. Every time he sealed a new monster, he had to visit the Monster Cottage in person.

The reason Fan Li found this distressing was that every time he entered the cottage, he was invariably met by a group of restless, eager monsters.

Faint, indistinct murmurs drifted into his ears, a chaotic cacophony brimming with madness and anomaly!

Every time, Fan Li felt like an innocent, pristine young maiden stepping into a closed military camp, surrounded by countless pairs of eyes gleaming like ravenous wolves, yearning to tear him apart and devour him alive—a gaze truly chilling enough to make anyone hesitate.

On second thought, however, this might well be the thoughtful intention of the Monster Manual, designed to allow him to make intimate contact with the monsters destined to be summoned in the future.

Dwelling on it no longer, Fan Li silently chanted in his heart to the Monster Manual: "I designate the whistle as the medium for the monster!"

No sooner had the words fallen than ripples of water spread across his field of vision. The previously sunlit room once again plunged into a gloomy, oppressive darkness, while the familiar decorations around him gradually shifted and warped, giving way to countless ancient and bizarre objects.

Ranging from coffins as large as furniture to ballpoint pens as small as trinkets, the items here were even more numerous than those in a general store.

Drawing upon his experience from the past few times, Fan Li swept his gaze rapidly around the room, trying to locate the whistle.

He could not stay here for long!

Fan Li was well aware of the dangers lurking here. He remembered that when he had sealed the obsession textbook previously, he had even encountered a materialized monster.

That entity possessed an indescribably beautiful face. Every inch of skin, every single expression, and even every strand of hair emanated an unimaginable allure.

That allure was no longer a simple sense of liking; it had morphed into a distorted desire for possession.

When he first laid eyes on her, the feeling had not been particularly intense. Yet, after lasting for merely a few seconds, a voice had surfaced in the depths of Fan Li's mind—an evil impulse urging him to kill her with his own hands and keep her by his side forever.

It felt akin to guarding a precious treasure, locking it away behind layers of vaults so that no one else could ever see or touch it. Only he was worthy of possessing her; only he was worthy of taking her out from time to time to gaze upon and admire.

Reflecting on it afterward, Fan Li still felt a lingering sense of dread. The monsters stored within the Monster Cottage were varied and strange, including humanoid beings like Ellie and the Butcher, as well as beast-like forms such as the Xenomorph. With his continuous sealing and creation, three more mediums had now been added here: the button, the obsession textbook, and the whistle.

Compared to the combat-oriented zombies he was familiar with, this room even housed certain monsters capable of corroding the human psyche.

He had merely glanced at that young girl for a fleeting moment, yet he had already desired to claim her entirely. Considering that the total duration was barely a few seconds, such wicked thoughts had sprouted like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. Fan Li had no doubt that if she were ever truly summoned and merely displayed in front of Yang Shuo and the others, it could easily trigger a tragic massacre born of mutual slaughter.

Treasures were always meant to be kept strictly for oneself; how could they ever be shared?

Pondering this, Fan Li concluded that Ellie was much better after all. At least, aside from being immune to casual scrutiny, she added a layer of deterrence to his side, unlike that young girl who was the absolute embodiment of calamity!

Lost in thought, Fan Li swept his gaze swiftly across his surroundings. Just as he scanned a full circle and his eyes landed on a corner, he spotted the whistle lying on the floor, accompanied by the intimately familiar single button.

Well then... these two companions in misfortune had ended up together.

Wherever there were people, there was a martial world. Monsters might not be human, but they were still divided into different strata. Compared to the obsession textbook, which could at least claim a spot on the edge of a shelf by virtue of its strength, the button and the whistle were absolute disgraces in the monster world, occupying the very bottom of the food chain. They had no place whatsoever on tables or shelves and could only be pitifully banished to the corner.

Fan Li could even vividly picture a circle of bizarre monsters standing around, constantly terrorizing the two little zombies. Entities that ordinary people would regard as terrifying urban legends could only tremble in this cottage, huddling in the corner and too afraid to make a sound.

At this thought, Fan Li felt an unbidden surge of pity, and he began walking toward the corner.

"Let nothing go wrong..."

Fan Li muttered a few words to himself, yet reality proved that whatever one feared most was bound to happen.

Just as Fan Li grasped the whistle, attempting to return to the human world, he realized to his shock that he had not left the cottage this time. Instead, he was still standing right there in the gloomy room.

"What is going on?"

As confusion gripped Fan Li, he suddenly sensed some movement behind him. He took a deep breath and slowly turned around.

To his astonishment, crouching halfway in the exact spot he had occupied earlier was a young girl. Her hair hung loose in disarray, and she wore a damaged school uniform stained with gray smudges, resembling coal dust.

In any normal environment, a normal person would extend a helping hand upon seeing such a helpless child, but not here!

This was the Monster Cottage!

A place holding god knows how many mediums sealing terrifying monsters.

Fan Li had felt pity for the button because it remained entirely within his control, but the young girl before him—who on earth knew what terrifying tier of existence she belonged to?!

Perhaps sensing Fan Li's gaze, the young girl turned her head. Her skin was pale white, as if from long-term malnutrition, yet even so, one could not ignore her striking facial features—long eyelashes and a high bridge of nose. With proper dressing, she would look precisely like a real-life Barbie doll.

Yet, her eyes were extraordinarily cold, seemingly filled with hostility toward all life. She stood up, spread her arms wide, parted her lips slightly, and spoke in a voice devoid of all emotion: "Look at me... I am burning..."

The moment her voice trailed off, a sheet of roaring flames ignited, instantly enveloping the young girl and transforming her into a living human torch!