Chapter 13: Nine-Eyed Ghost
Below the apartment was a street that wasn't very wide. The commoners who could live here, even if not in dire poverty, were mostly laborers from the South Port. Expecting them to keep the street clean was unlikely.
Several Awakeners climbed up from the ground. These people were like drunks, not because they were careless, but due to the peculiarity of that Ghost.
"Bleed it off, all of you get up!"
A man in a tailcoat, about thirty years old, staggered to his feet. He was the captain of a team called the "Banquet Squad."
The squad leader raised his arm and bit down above his elbow. Blood splattered from the corner of his mouth, and the dizziness in his head quickly faded. A faint smell of alcohol vaguely emerged in the air.
The other Awakeners followed suit. To quickly regain their balance, they either bit open their veins or cut their armpits.
The squad leader's expression was extremely grim. Today, they had been utterly humiliated. They were on a secret mission with the Vice Legion Commander, yet in a single encounter, they had been scattered by a Ghost, and some were even severely injured.
Boom!
A roar came from a distance. The squad leader, who had just recovered, saw something flying over from afar, smashing straight through a broken carriage by the street, sending wood chips flying.
A figure over three meters tall stood up from the shattered wood. Its skin was a dark brown, rough and bumpy like a lizard's hide, giving a sense of toughness. Beneath its bloated abdomen, muscle contours were clearly visible. Inside its pale white exoskeleton faceplate were nine pure black pupils. Below were over a dozen breathing holes and a horizontal slit. Judging by the length of the slit, if this Ghost opened its mouth, it could at least split its face to the cheeks.
Strong, cruel, twisted—that was the feeling the Ghost gave off. Its eyes scanned around, and when it looked at those Awakeners, it saw them as both enemies and food.
"So this is... a living Ghost."
In front of the broken apartment window, Bonnie stared intently at the Ghost below. Just seeing this thing filled her with fear. Her clever mind couldn't understand one thing: how could humans have the courage to fight such a monster?
"Kukulin Bai Ye."
The three-meter-tall Ghost wiped the blood off its faceplate. There was a clear crack on the lower jaw of the faceplate, and blood slowly seeped out. Ghost blood was also red. This was the result of Su Xiao's kick.
"Oh? So you're a member of the Ghost Ring?"
Su Xiao walked slowly from the other side of the street. Seeing Su Xiao's position, the few Awakeners leaped back, blocking the other side of the street. Two of them even climbed up the apartments on both sides like geckos, surrounding the Ghost. No orders were needed from Su Xiao; these were professionals.
Seeing the actions of these Awakeners, Su Xiao nodded slightly, forming an initial judgment of their competence.
The Ghost with the broken faceplate stood still in the center of the street, all nine eyes fixed on Su Xiao. The sense of crisis Su Xiao gave it was too strong. In its special vision, faint red blood aura drifted around Su Xiao. This blood aura slowly formed a ferocious beast above Su Xiao's head, seemingly grinning at it.
Su Xiao stopped ten meters away from the Ghost. His right calf was a bit numb. Earlier, he had used Dragon Shadow Flash to instantly catch up to that Ghost, delivering a straight kick with Wood Spirit + Kinetic Boots. Unfortunately, this Ghost's head was incredibly hard. Instead of having its head kicked off, it had jarred his calf painfully.
Su Xiao was paying the price for having zero experience dealing with Ghosts. The memories of the former Vice Legion Commander about dealing with Ghosts were all glossed over. Clearly, how to handle Ghosts was beyond the scope of that identity's rewards.
The head was the hardest part of a Ghost. The Ghost's shock at having its faceplate cracked by Su Xiao's kick was almost as bizarre as two ordinary people fighting, with one shattering the other's skull with a fist. This Ghost was full of disbelief, repeatedly touching the broken part of its faceplate with its claws.
Su Xiao gripped the hilt of Dragon-Slaying Flash. After a moment of hesitation, he decided not to use his blade to end the fight. If it really came to a bloody battle, holding a long blade, his chances of taking a prisoner were very low. This Ghost was the only lead to finding the Ghost Ring organization.
Finding the Ghost Ring organization was clearly not Su Xiao's mission alone. Judging from the content and rewards of the promotion mission, other contractors' missions might also be to find the Ghost Ring.
How many Ghost Ring members could be eliminated would determine the completion rate of the first part of the promotion mission and the priority of subsequent missions. The higher the completion rate, the greater the advantage in later missions.
Moreover, once Su Xiao found the Ghost Ring organization and fought them, other contractors would surely find traces of the Ghost Ring from the clues. Su Xiao never thought other contractors were fools. No, some might be smarter and find the Ghost Ring before him.
Because of this, Su Xiao urgently needed this prisoner. Besides, from the previous exchange, the Nine-Eyed Ghost wasn't too strong for him to handle. If Su Xiao wasn't mistaken, his combat power was close to that of a Twelve-Eyed Ghost. Anything with thirteen eyes or more would be a Ghost he couldn't easily deal with, unless he activated Demon Hunting Hour or used Blood Beast to greet it.
Crack, crack, crack...
A layer of pale blue crystals spread over Su Xiao's fists. His training in close combat specialization with Sha wasn't just for show; it was just a different direction. Sha was good at grappling and restraining, while Su Xiao was better at smashing enemies to pieces.
A beast-like low growl came from the Nine-Eyed Ghost. It slightly hunched its body, and a transparent liquid dripped from its sharp claws. This liquid wasn't corrosive, but its smell alone would cause severe drunkenness—an excellent ability for feeding.
Zzzz~
A metal wire shot out from Su Xiao's sleeve. How could capturing an enemy be done without the help of Realm Severing Thread?
The three-meter-tall Nine-Eyed Ghost sidestepped, displaying agility that belied its size, dodging the Realm Severing Thread.
Whoosh! A cloud of blood-red mist spread from Su Xiao as the center point. Where the blood mist filled, the air seemed to twist slightly.
Panic State: If an enemy enters a Panic State, Stamina consumption speed +40%, Physical Defense -39 points. When the enemy releases a skill, there is a 12% chance of failure.
...
A faint stinging sensation came from all over the Nine-Eyed Ghost's body. In an instant, it felt a prickling on its skin. Its originally hard skin seemed to lose its vitality, and its muscles were abnormally relaxed.
Su Xiao stepped forward toward the Nine-Eyed Ghost. The closer he got, the faster he moved, until he was sprinting at full speed. As for those Awakeners, they maintained their encirclement but were ready to support Su Xiao at any moment.
Su Xiao and the Nine-Eyed Ghost closed in instantly. The Nine-Eyed Ghost didn't strike first. Instead, it crossed its arms, which were much longer than a human's, in front of its body, observing Su Xiao's every move through the gaps between its arms.
Su Xiao's arm bent, his right fist clenched tightly. When he was about two meters from the Ghost, he leaped up slightly and punched toward the Nine-Eyed Ghost's face.
The Nine-Eyed Ghost was stunned for a moment. Its inner thought was: Does the Vice Legion Commander of the Execution Agency really know how to fight? Who was it that kicked me earlier?
Despite its confusion, this didn't affect the Nine-Eyed Ghost's determination to tear Su Xiao apart. The muscles on its arms instantly bulged, its arms swelling several times in thickness.
Claws like curved blades shot toward Su Xiao, so fast they left afterimages in the air. But the next moment, Su Xiao suddenly vanished from in front of the Nine-Eyed Ghost.
Bang!
A fist wrapped in crystal layer made intimate contact with the back of the Ghost's neck. The Ghost's dark brown skin caved in. Su Xiao even heard the crack of a dislocated spine. The feedback from his fist was clear: he hadn't shattered the enemy's spine, but it was close.