Dealt with
Lu Heng suddenly exerted force with his wrist, Rat King Miao Dao, wrapped in a cold light, slashed fiercely at the Cashier Wraith shoulder.
The blade cut in, but no blood came out. Instead, a grayish-black mist seeped from the wound, like torn cotton wool, its edges slowly wriggling and gradually receding.
The Cashier Wraith's body swayed slightly, staggering half a step, but her head remained motionless, and the stiff smile on her lips persisted.
"Where is your goods?"
Lu Heng gave it no chance to breathe, drawing his sword and slashing horizontally across its neck. The Cashier Wraith's head tilted to almost ninety degrees, with only a layer of skin and flesh connecting it to its torso, and gray mist violently gushed from the wound.
Its body convulsed violently a few times, its withered, black arms fell limply to its sides, and the smile on its lips finally froze.
Your goods--
Before the last word was finished, the voice abruptly stopped. The Cashier Wraith body slowly went limp, and gray mist seeped from all over her body, spreading into the air.
Lu Heng sheathed his sword and stepped back, his gaze sweeping over the sealing runes buried at the base of the Checkout Counter Sealing Runes. A layer of dim gray light emanated from the surface of the runes, as if they were barely maintaining some kind of balance.
Three seconds later, the gray mist on the ground suddenly began to flow backward.
The gray-black mist that had been dispersing in the air seemed to be grasped by an invisible hand, and suddenly converged on the Cashier Wraith remains. At the severed neck, the flesh writhed and stitched together at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the crooked head slowly straightened.
The Cashier Wraith, stood up again.
"Where is your goods?"
Lu Heng's pupils contracted slightly. He had revived, but his reaction was a full three seconds slower than when he was first struck down.
Without hesitation, he brought his Miao sword down again. This time, he aimed straight for the waist, the blade cutting deeply into the creature's torso, a thicker gray mist erupting from it. The Cashier Wraith's body jerked, its movements noticeably slowing by half a beat.
It glanced down at the wound on its waist, its cloudy eyes fixed on Lu Heng.
"Where is your goods?"
Lu Heng drew his sword and retreated, his eyes fixed on the gray mist on the ground.
This time, the gray mist flowed back even more slowly. The Cashier Wraith's body twitched on the ground for nearly five seconds before it could barely stand up again. Moreover, its left arm had not fully recovered; the gray mist at the severed end churned but never reformed.
The resurrection interval is lengthening, and the recovery rate is decreasing.
A thought flashed through Lu Heng's mind— the Sealing Runes were being depleted. Every time the Cashier Wraith revived, it was drawing energy from the base runes. The runes wouldn't last much longer.
He glanced at the base of the Checkout Counter out of the corner of his eye; the gray light on the surface of the runes had dimmed by nearly 30% compared to the beginning, and even fine cracks had appeared at the edges.
The Cashier Wraith stood up for the third time, its movements noticeably slower than the previous two. Its head was tilted to the side, and the smile on its lips was distorted and deformed, like a crumpled piece of paper.
"Where is your goods...?"
The sound was intermittent, like an old cassette tape that had jammed.
Lu Heng did not give it a fourth chance to revive.
He activated the Starlight Breathing Technique with all his might, his Mental Energy surging from between his brows and flowing into the Miao sword along his arm. A faint silvery-white light shimmered on the blade. Lu Heng stepped forward, raised the Miao sword high above his head, and slashed down with all his might.
The blade sliced into the Cashier Wraith's neck, a silvery-white light bursting at the wound, the gray mist melting away instantly like snow meeting the blazing sun.
The Cashier Wraith's head rolled to the ground, while the body remained frozen in place, the smile on her lips finally freezing completely.
This time, the gray fog on the ground did not flow backward.
The Sealing Runes on the base of the Checkout Counter flickered twice before dimming completely and falling silent.
Lu Heng sheathed his sword and retreated, panting heavily.
Mental Energy has a strong restraining effect on strange creatures. The moment the silvery-white light cut in, he could clearly feel the resistance from the blade decrease sharply, like a hot knife cutting into butter.
He bent down to look at the spot where the Cashier Wraith had disappeared.
A dark red Soul Crystal lay quietly on the ground, emitting a faint glow.
Lu Heng picked up the Soul Crystal, Wristband automatically completed the appraisal.
[Soul Crystal (Bronze Tier): A crystal containing resentment energy. It can be used as an energy core to power equipment or formations, or it can be directly absorbed to restore Mental Energy.]
He stored the Soul Crystal in his Wristband Space, then continued to scan the Checkout Counter.
Beside the Soul Crystal lay a grayish-white towel. The edges of the towel were frayed, the surface was damp with dark water stains, and it emitted a faint scent of soap.
Lu Heng bent down to pick up the towel, Wristband popped up the authentication information again.
[Cashier's Towel (Black Iron Tier): Cashier always carry a damp towel to prevent their hands from drying out while counting money. This towel is constantly imbued with the aura of the supernatural entity; wearing it can mask one's own scent and reduce the probability of being detected by the supernatural.]
Lu Heng wrapped the towel around his wrist, the damp, cold touch against his skin. A faint gray mist seeped from the surface of the towel, enveloping his aura.
He took a deep breath and glanced behind the Checkout Counter.
A semi-transparent treasure chest appeared out of thin air, its surface swirling with dark purple patterns, as if a slumbering dream had been forcibly torn open.
[Nightmare Chest: Dropped after defeating the area's sealed monster; opening it grants a random reward.]
Lu Heng reached out and touched the treasure chest. The dark purple patterns suddenly lit up, and the treasure chest transformed into a stream of light, disappearing into his arms.
He turned and looked into the depths of the store.
The Stocker Wraith in the bulk market area, the Greengrocer Wraith at the fresh produce stalls, and the Patrolling Wraith that roamed back and forth in the main aisle remained steadfast in their original positions, neither turning their heads nor being disturbed by the sounds of fighting, showing no sign of coming to their aid.
The conjecture has been verified.
However, Lu Heng dared not relax for a moment. The Sealing Runes on the base of the Checkout Counter had been completely extinguished, which meant that the cashier area was no longer a restricted area. If the Sealing Runes of the other three monsters were also destroyed in the battle, the consequences would be unimaginable.
He has to be quick.
Lu Heng gripped his Miao knife tightly and walked towards the meat section.
The moment Lu Heng stepped into the fresh food section, the Butcher Monster had already turned around.
It kept its eyes on him.
From the moment Lu Heng stepped into the fresh food section, the Butcher's monstrous eyes never left him. It stood before the chopping board, its right hand gripping Deboning Knife, blade down. Its posture appeared relaxed, but its muscles were taut, like a lurking beast.
Lu Heng had no intention of testing the waters.
The Cashier Wraith had already verified the effectiveness of Mental Energy suppression, so there was no need to waste time on the Butcher. He gripped the Rat King Miao Dao tightly with both hands, his pace suddenly accelerated, and he charged straight at the Butcher monster with a sharp killing intent.
The moment the Miao sword slashed down, the Butcher's monster moved.
The Deboning Knife swung upwards at an extremely tricky angle, precisely meeting the blade of the Miao knife. The dull thud of metal clashing exploded in the narrow passageway, making Lu Heng's hands go numb.
The Butcher's Deboning Knife never stopped.
After the initial slash, the blade swept across Lu Heng's side. The aisle was too narrow, with the freezers on either side almost touching his shoulders, leaving Lu Heng nowhere to dodge. He could only forcefully twist his waist, using his Miao sword to defend, barely managing to block the attack.
Immediately afterwards, the Butcher's Creature's offensive was fully launched.
The Deboning Knife seemed to come alive in its hands, each cut precise and ruthless—slashing, chopping, stabbing, or slicing—its knife skills were extremely sharp, and its speed was a whole level faster than Lu Heng's. Lu Heng was forced to retreat step by step, his back almost pressed against the glass door of the freezer. His Miao knife could only barely parry, and each impact made his arm go numb.
The Butcher's Deboning Knife came down again, and Lu Heng raised his knife to block it, his feet leaving two wet, slippery tracks on the ground. The stench in the corridor was so thick it was suffocating, and the iron hooks hanging overhead swayed gently in the air, their tips brushing against Lu Heng's hair, sending a chill down his spine.
He couldn't find a chance to retaliate.
The Butcher's grotesque knife skills were too adept; every strike was aimed directly at vital points, and the slightest carelessness would result in a fatal blow. Cold sweat beaded on Lu Heng's forehead, and his back was already soaked with it.
He gritted his teeth and fully activated the Starlight Breathing Technique, his Mental Energy surging from between his brows and flowing down his arm into the Miao Blade. A faint silver-white light shimmered on the blade, and Lu Heng's block finally stabilized.
The Butcher's Deboning Knife came down again, and Lu Heng raised his knife to block it. This time, the Miao knife did not retreat, but steadily blocked the Deboning Knife.
The two sides were briefly locked in a stalemate.
The Butcher's Creature's attacks remained fierce, but with the boost of his Mental Energy, Lu Heng was finally able to barely cope. He parried while searching for the Butcher's Creature's weaknesses.
During the stalemate, Lu Heng's arm began to go numb, and each time he parried with the Miao sword, his hand on his hand was split and painful.
He knew he couldn't hold on for much longer.
Suddenly, a scorching heat emanated from the Geothermal Talisman in his left palm, as if sensing his mental state on the verge of collapse.
Lu Heng gritted his teeth, no longer hesitating, and took the initiative to communicate with the scorching energy contained in the Geothermal Talisman, forcibly guiding it to the Miao Blade.
Dark red flames ignited from the blade, radiating a scorching heat.
The Butcher's monster paused noticeably, a flicker of fear crossing its murky eyes. But it didn't retreat; the Deboning Knife slashed down again.
Lu Heng no longer hesitated, his Miao sword burning with dark red flames as he slashed down to meet the Deboning Knife.
The moment the two knives clashed, dark red flames spread from the Deboning Knife to the Butcher's monster's arm. It let out a shrill roar, a sharp and piercing sound like metal scraping against glass.
Lu Heng seized the opportunity, pressing down with his Miao sword, the blade slicing across the Butcher's monster's chest. Dark red flames scorched its body, and gray mist violently spewed from the wound, but could not stop the flames from spreading.
The Butcher's monster convulsed violently, the Deboning Knife slipped from its hand and clattered against the floor tiles. Its body gradually melted away in the dark red flames, gray mist dissipated, and finally it vanished completely.
Only a dark red Soul Crystal remained on the chopping board, lying quietly on the ground.
Lu Heng sheathed his sword and retreated, panting heavily. He looked down at the Miao sword in his hand; the dark red flames on the blade had extinguished, leaving only a faint warmth.
He bent down to pick up the Soul Crystal, and the Wristband automatically completed the identification.
[Soul Crystal (Bronze): Contains a small amount of resentment energy, which can be used to restore Mental Energy or enhance equipment.]
[Deboning Knife (Bronze): A deadly blade filled with murderous intent, extremely damaging to the supernatural, but its use requires killing.]
Lu Heng put the two items into the Wristband Space and glanced around.
There are no Nightmare Chest.
He understood. Nightmare Chest were unique; each monster could only drop one. He had already taken one from here last time, so the Butcher Monster wouldn't drop another one.
Lu Heng turned and walked out of the fresh food section, heading towards the bulk goods section.
The Stocker Wraith was still wandering around the loose goods area; he had to deal with it as soon as possible. The energy of the Sealing Runes was constantly dissipating, and he couldn't afford to delay any longer.
The moment he turned his back to the fresh produce section, all the surveillance cameras on the ceiling slowly rotated, their lenses all pointing at his back.
Deep within the lens, a series of eerie smiling faces slowly emerge.