Gargoyle Supremacy-Chapter 62: Florida Protester Blocks Expressway with Gargoyle Statues and Demands Better Health Care and Insurance Coverage from… Whoops, Am I in a Wrong Story?

The gargoyle troops marched along the shoulder of the expressway. Normally, traffic in this area was light, but the sight of these towering, stone-skinned creatures caused widespread fear and panic in the surrounding community.

Some drivers sped away, desperate to avoid whatever catastrophe seemed to be brewing. Others, more curious or reckless, slowed their vehicles to a crawl to capture videos and photos on their phones. Their gawking caused a major traffic jam, with honking cars piling up behind them.

Carn’s frustration grew as more eyes turned toward his procession. The increasing attention was exactly what he didn’t want. He sighed heavily and turned to Gawain, his undead companion, eyeing the gleaming helmet firmly attached to the knight’s spectral body.

"Hey, let me borrow your helmet for a bit," Carn said, his tone casual but firm.

Gawain blinked, or at least gave the impression of blinking at the sudden request. "Huh?"

Before Gawain could respond, Carn reached over and yanked the helmet from his companion’s shoulders, sliding it over his own head. Almost immediately, a swirling black mist seeped through the helmet, enveloping Carn’s face. The mist, part of Gawain’s ghostly essence, made itself known.

Gawain’s voice echoed in Carn’s mind. "Demon Lord Pebble, this helmet is part of my body. Having another man inside me feels…unsettling."

Carn cringed. "Don’t make this sound gayer than it is. I just need to hide my face from the public."

"Why not just transform into one of the gargoyles?" Gawain retorted.

"Because the enhanced version of my transformation costs 100 silver marks. And if I use the economic version, I’ll need at least a hundred Aether to move around while being watched. How many eyes do you think there are around here?"

"…"

With the helmet firmly in place, Carn resumed leading the gargoyle march, blending more seamlessly with his troops. Together, they advanced toward the ECD base 20 kilometers away.

.

The growing public attention turned out to be a double-edged sword. While it allowed Carn to instill fear and secure a path for his troops, it also handed the government and the Eldritch Containment Division an easy lead on his location.

Learning from past encounters, ECD operatives avoided direct engagement, opting instead to deploy swarms of surveillance drones to track the gargoyle army. The hum of their motors filled the otherwise quiet neighborhood, blending with the heavy, rhythmic footfalls of the marching gargoyles.

The first few drones didn’t last long as angry flying gargoyles quickly plucked them from the air. However, the ECD had anticipated this and flooded the area with cheap, replaceable units. Hovering at a safe distance, the drones relayed high-definition images and video feeds back to the ECD command.

Within five minutes of the initial discovery, the authorities closed off the expressway, diverting all civilian traffic. An eerie stillness fell over the area as the gargoyle procession continued uninterrupted, shadowed by a growing swarm of mechanical observers.

At the ECD headquarters, Lt. Gen. Ferdinand leaned over the live drone feeds, analyzing every detail of the scene.

Unlike their earlier encounters, Carn’s forces showed a clear intent to avoid civilian casualties. They also appeared to be cooperating with ECD-333, a "Safe-Class" entity known for its non-hostile interactions. Ferdinand jotted down his observations. After a moment’s deliberation, he made his decision.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

"Deploy a negotiator," he ordered.

.

Roughly fifteen minutes later, a military jeep pulled up some distance from the advancing gargoyle troops. From it stepped a light-haired woman in her early fifties, dressed in a plain white dress.

The jeep’s driver retreated, parking the vehicle nearly 300 meters away. Left to face the gargoyle army alone, the negotiator took her first hesitant step forward.

She was Anna White. She worked as a monster tamer and an entity negotiator because of her special power.

As Anna approached, the sight before her made her sweat. A formation of two-meter-tall stone gargoyles stared at her and bore their fangs. At the front of the army stood a headless black knight, ECD-333. Next to him was a strange man wearing the black knight’s helmet.

Seeing the intimidating monsters, Anna’s hands trembled slightly. She took a deep breath to steady herself. She had been briefed on the dangers of her mission, and she knew what she had gotten into.

Suppressing the trembling heart in her chest, Anna forced herself to continue walking. She stopped 50 meters in front of the crowd and began negotiating.

"I’m Anna White, head negotiator of the ECD. I would like to speak with your leader, please."

Carn studied the woman and recognized her holy aura. She was the same saintess candidate he had encountered at the church. Though he believed that she might be trustworthy, he chose to maintain his caution and kept the helmet on. Stepping forward, he introduced himself under an alias.

"I’m Pebble, the King of the Stone Mausoleum. What do you want?"

Anna was taken aback by the title. However, she couldn’t recognize Carn’s voice as she didn’t pay attention to Carn at the church.

She cleared her throat and proceeded with her diplomatic agenda.

"Ahem. W-We would like to express our deepest apologies for the misunderstanding and prior transgressions. We hope to cease any further bloodshed and work toward resolving our differences. If there’s anything you need, we’re prepared to offer assistance."

Carn smirked beneath the helmet, satisfied with the offer. Deciding not to hold back, he stated his demands.

"I heard about ECD-7 and ECD-8888 from the friendly knight over here." He jabbed Gawain’s black armor plate. "I’d like to borrow them for a year or two. Also, I’ll need a supply of criminals for sacrifice. Death row prisoners are preferable. And lastly, I want all the information you have on the entities that you’ve currently imprisoned in your facility."

Anna’s professional demeanor faltered as she processed the boldness of his requests. The mention of borrowing two powerful ECD entities and access to classified information was well beyond her authority to grant. The criminal request, though morbid, seemed oddly more manageable in comparison.

While she was in a dilemma, a voice crackled through the discreet in-ear communicator that she wore.

It was Lt. Gen. Ferdinand, who had been monitoring the exchange. His calm but firm instructions came through.

"Ask them why they want those two ECDs. As for the criminals, we have no issues. We can reroute death row prisoners slated for ECD-6677 to Carn Yunho, but we need a clear reason for their interest in ECD-7 and ECD-8888. Oh, try to probe why they need the death-row prisoners."

Anna pretended to scratch the back of her ear, adjusting the volume. She then relayed the message.

"Regarding the tribute request, we have no problem allocating the prisoners. However, my superior officer would like to know why you need ECD-7 and ECD-8888. Could you explain your goals? Is there something specific about those entities?"

Carn decided to reveal the gravity of the situation to ensure cooperation. He wanted the U.S. military to grasp the scale of the impending threat.

"By the end of the year, China will face an invasion of undead monsters. When that happens, a billion people will be instantly transformed into zombies or skeletons, while those with supernatural abilities will be turned into undead knights like this guy here." He poked Gawain, who stood silent but imposing beside him as if to emphasize his point.

Carn continued, ""And I need those two ECD entities to help me close the rifts before it’s too late. Without their assistance, this world won’t survive what’s coming."