Hunter of Mysterious Creature

"Team leader, the other party refused..." the subordinate said weakly, "This Hunter is his own boss. After obtaining the rank Hunter's certificate, he started a private mysterious creature handling company. We currently have a purely commercial relationship... A week ago, we signed a contract with this company to hire them to 'surround and hunt' Hunters participating in the rank-up trial. But in this contract, it only mentioned they should try to cooperate with our actions and not harm the Trialist's life. It didn't state they must fully obey our commands..."

"Damn... it's always this group of mercenaries who are the most disobedient!" The team leader cursed with colorful language, "Tell them the contract is void, have this person withdraw from the trial immediately, we'll pay any penalty! Damn it, can't these people do anything right other than cause more damn trouble!"

"We've already communicated. The other party says money isn't the issue, and he doesn't need us to compensate for the breach... his aim is simply to witness the target's abilities." The subordinate's voice dropped, "What happened in the mall has spread among the Hunter's circles. It's the first time in so many years that anyone's used hostages as leverage... To those Hunters, Sun Hang's actions are like a hard slap in their faces..."

"Are they idiots? Isn't he slapping the face of our Dubhe Tower, not those guys?"

"Team leader, don't you understand yet? In the current situation, Dubhe Tower and all of Chunming City's Hunters are on the same side." The subordinate explained, "In the eyes of those Hunters, our performance was too 'cowardly,' which means the Hunters of Chunming City lost face... and this Hunter's actions, in street terms, are 'looking to save face'."

"A bunch of brutes! Do they have no sense of the big picture?" The team leader angrily crushed a paper cup on the table and forcefully threw it against the wall.

"But this might not necessarily be a bad thing..." The subordinate suggested softly, "We've done our best to stop that Hunter and fulfilled our responsibilities. If the Puppet Master really gets hurt in the conflict, the responsibility would lie with the disobedient Hunter... Team leader, don't you agree?"

...

...

Yi Su District, Shu River Lane, a certain convenience store.

"Has a mysterious entity been following us all this time? I didn't sense it at all... By the way, can you control a mysterious entity even when it's out of your sight?"

"Only she can." The Puppet Master said softly, "Other mysterious entities have been retrieved by Dubhe Tower, but she's different... Even if I don't control her, she'll always follow me."

"It seems different species of mysterious entities have different traits and abilities..." Sun Hang muttered, for some reason recalling the woman he saw lying in the hospital bed in the Puppet Master's memories.

As the aura approached, a tall man clad in a black cloak, wearing a "Steel Fork Matchless" mask, appeared in Sun Hang's field of vision.

"Do you know him?"

"Level four Hunter, codename 'Overlord,' owner and main Hunter of 'Xiang's Mysterious Creature Hunting Company.'" The Puppet Master said, "We collaborated on several northern missions."

"Mysterious Creature Hunting Company?" Sun Hang was momentarily stunned, "Aren't Hunters supposed to be under the Federation Government's control? This company sounds like a private institution."

"One of the permissions of rank Hunters, after five years of service in an official institution and passing a special review, they can apply to leave official institutions, choose to retire, or pursue other careers. Some Hunters choose to start private hunting companies, which mainly serve the elite class, but most maintain cooperative relations with the Federation."

After saying this, the Puppet Master turned to glance at Sun Hang, who was looking at him in surprise. A hint of confusion appeared on his expressionless face, "What's wrong?"

"I'm just surprised... you actually said such a long piece in one breath." Sun Hang said.

"..."

"Following this logic, as long as I pass this trial and then work for five years, I can regain my 'freedom,' right?" Sun Hang asked.

"Yes, you just need to report to Dubhe Tower regularly." The Puppet Master nodded.

Sun Hang glanced out the window; it was clear the other party had already noticed him and was walking towards the convenience store.

"Getting back to the topic, this guy, is he strong?"

"Strong."

"What's his ability?"

"I don't know."

"Don't know? Haven't you worked together?"

"I've never personally seen him fight with mysterious creatures." The Puppet Master shook his head, "He's responsible for hunting targets; my responsibility is to clear the surrounding areas of the battlefield."

"Then how do you know he's strong?"

"Three eradication missions, none took more than ten minutes."

"Hiss... sounds like a tough nut to crack." Sun Hang glanced at the convenience store clerk, who had absolutely no idea what was happening, and said, "Then I'd better go out and fight, or else this guy might break the store."

'Overlord's' appearance attracted a crowd of onlookers... To Sun Hang's surprise, some recognized his identity, shouting the codename 'Overlord' while taking numerous pictures with their phones.

Sun Hang had heard from Yang Qi before that powerful, accomplished mysterious creature Hunters had many fans, whose fervor doesn't lag behind idol chasers—some personal signed memorabilia or souvenirs by top Hunters can fetch astonishing high prices.

In the Xiazhou Federation, there exists a strange phenomenon: the farther from the borders, the lower the frequency of mysterious creature appearances, the lighter the discrimination against infected individuals and Hunters; conversely, in places frequently afflicted by mysterious creature disasters, people tend to keep their distance from Hunters, respecting them from afar.

In cities like Chunming, it's difficult for people to feel the threat of mysterious creatures firsthand; in their eyes, mysterious creature Hunters are like superpowered superheroes, who uphold justice and are omnipotent. The Xiazhou Federation also promotes and publicizes this to build public confidence.

But in border cities like Tianfu City, the situation is entirely different.

Mysterious creature invasions are routine occurrences, and Hunters are no longer just "celebrities" appearing on stage and screen; a "perfect hero" only exists in promotional footage, never in reality.

Every mysterious creature attack event results in numerous casualties, some from the creatures, others from the Hunters.

These casualties eventually become mere numbers on records. To the Federation, they may be insignificant, but to themselves, it was the end of everything.

Sun Hang suddenly somewhat understood why Dubhe Tower would build a specialized school for studying mysterious creatures in Tianfu City.

Sun Hang pushed open the door and walked out of the convenience store.

And, dozens of steps away from him, 'Overlord' also stopped.

Through the peep holes on the Peking Opera mask, a pair of black eyes scanned Sun Hang up and down.

"You're the one... who kidnapped the 'Puppet Master'?" 'Overlord' asked in a deep voice.