Sun Hang took two steps back, and the mycelium slowly crept toward the spectral wraith along the ground.

He was unsure of the spectral wraith's combat abilities. If a fight broke out at this moment, failing to swiftly finish it off would easily attract those NPCs designed for the trial—without the ability to kill them, Sun Hang couldn't ensure he would escape unscathed from an attack by a group of Hunters.

The spectral wraith staggered forward another step, its movements reminiscent of a candle flickering in the wind, as if it might fall apart even without any interference... But in the next second, this flickering candle suddenly burst into fierce flame!

The speed of the spectral wraith abruptly increased, its form no longer wobbling. In the blink of an eye, it was upon Sun Hang, its five sharp-clawed fingers striking toward his face at a tricky angle!

Meanwhile, the aura emanating from this spectral wraith surged suddenly, no longer resembling the faint presence it had moments before.

"Damn it, even spectral wraiths play dumb to catch prey?"

Sun Hang swiftly retreated, while a dozen strands of mycelium flanked from both sides, piercing towards the spectral wraith's body!

With the current intensity of the spectral wraith's aura, this creature was like a Ten-Perfect Replenishing Elixir to Sun Hang. If he could devour it, Sun Hang's mana bar might rise a notch.

The trial only stipulated not being allowed to harm NPCs; it didn't say anything about not hunting the wild spectral wraiths wandering the city.

However, the scene of mycelium piercing the spectral wraith's body did not occur—the spectral wraith's flesh was far tougher than steel, with the mycelium that could penetrate a ten-centimeter-thick concrete wall merely leaving a few pale scratches on its surface before sliding off.

The spectral wraith let out a hoarse roar, opening its mouth to bite Sun Hang.

Its mouth extended to the ears, much like the classic horror "slit-mouthed woman," with the foul-smelling blood-red gaping maw full of sharp teeth—this was no longer a human mouth, but more akin to the oral apparatus of some giant worm.

"Bad breath—just don't point your mouth at others!" Sun Hang enveloped his fist with mycelium, forming a large glove, and swung hard, accompanied by a loud "bang" as the spectral wraith flew sideways, knocking over a trash bin by the wall.

Perhaps due to significant moisture loss, the spectral wraith itself wasn't heavy. According to Sun Hang's estimation, although the spectral wraith was 1.7 meters tall and slender, it only weighed over twenty kilos, having strong physical defenses but fatal weak points due to its lightweight and human-like body structure.

The mycelium swarmed and wrapped tightly around the spectral wraith's limbs, dragging it from the heap of trash, first hurling it into the air and then violently slamming it to the ground!

"Boom!!!"

An irregular shallow pit formed on the asphalt road, with the loud noise alarming the shoppers in the mall. Many rushed over, staring in shock through the glass at the battle in the alley.

No, it shouldn't be called a battle; it should be termed a one-sided beating.

Sun Hang could no longer worry about hiding his traces. He decided to quickly resolve this spectral wraith and then rely on his high mobility to escape the scene—he could just change to a new face and body later.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The pit in the ground grew deeper with each slam, the spectral wraith's aura weakened considerably since moments before, but the piercing sound of sirens also appeared outside the alley.

Several onlookers inside the mall had already taken out their phones to call the police—although the spectral wraith looked zombie-like, Sun Hang appeared more like an evil BOSS with hundreds of mycelium extending from his body. In the eyes of these citizens, this didn't look like a Hunter removing hidden threats for city safety, but rather like two monsters fighting for territory.

Mall security brought out stun batons and tear gas, but they didn't dare open the doors, only watching from behind the glass. Some trendy youngsters, however, were bolder, holding phones closer to film Sun Hang and the spectral wraith while excitedly chatting.

"Damn it... These guys are so desperate for views?" Sun Hang glanced at them from the corner of his eye, knowing that his fight with the spectral wraith would soon be all over the short video platforms.

What worried Sun Hang more was the spectral wraith's formidable defense; although he easily beat it without resistance, he couldn't break its defense—the pit in the ground was nearly half a meter deep, yet the spectral wraith's body showed no significant damage.

Sun Hang also tried to directly devour it through the mycelium, but the spectral wraith's skin seemed to have strong blocking abilities, like a hard coconut shell that couldn't be cracked to enjoy the sweet coconut milk inside.

"This is too tough..."

Just as Sun Hang considered whether to give up, two individuals in orange cleaning uniforms walked up to the glass wall inside the mall, and the crowd began to scream sharply.

Sun Hang glanced over and was astonished to find that those two cleaning staff were not humans but two other spectral wraiths!

The two wraiths punched through the glass wall and emerged from the mall.

Sun Hang suddenly realized something; it seemed these were not wild spectral wraiths...

He recalled Ye Jiu mentioning the Deceitful Equipment and qualified individuals, noting that the Chunming City had a candidate with the codename "Puppet Master," and her Deceitful Equipment were dozens of mindless spectral wraiths.

So it seemed his opponent was likely this "Puppet Master."

This meant his enemy was not just these three spectral wraiths... there were likely more wraiths lurking around, waiting for the right moment to jump out and deliver a fatal blow.

To defeat such foes, the quickest method was to find and eliminate the "Puppet Master" herself... But the problem was, the "Puppet Master" would not directly appear; she only needed to hide in the shadows, constantly manipulating these wraiths to attack Sun Hang.

The thought of fleeing arose in Sun Hang's mind but was swiftly dismissed.

Only three wraiths appeared, where were the remaining ones?

The opponent likely calculated that he would choose to flee when unable to finish the fight quickly, so the remaining wraiths were probably lying in ambush along his escape routes...

Perhaps next to the "Puppet Master," the defenses were currently weak...

Strike at the heart, capture the leader—Sun Hang immediately set a new target for himself.

Then, where is this "Puppet Master" hiding?

Not too far away, as if she could control the wraiths from several kilometers away, that would be overly extraordinary. Moreover, since she planned to control the wraiths to battle him, she should be constantly monitoring the fight—He had already hacked the cameras in the alley and the mall that could film the scene, and these wraiths were all eyeless, seemingly without sight, so the "Puppet Master" ought to have only her own eyes for observation...

"Think from her perspective, if I were the 'Puppet Master,' where would I hide..."

Sun Hang swung the mycelium, throwing the first wraith towards the other two rushing at him. In that instant, his gaze swept over the crowd inside the mall...

"If it were me, I would disguise myself as an ordinary citizen and hide among these spectators!" A flash of inspiration hit Sun Hang, "According to trial rules, Hunters participating are strictly forbidden to harm civilians, so within the crowd is the safest place!"

[P.S. My body is fully recovered now, and I should be able to resume two updates a day. I hope everyone can subscribe, read, and vote to support me. The current subscription count is only just above 200, far from the full attendance mark of 500.]

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