[Soul Mimic: Through blood absorption, the Puppet Ghost can transform into anyone, possessing the behavior habits of the target. It must not last over 24 hours; otherwise, the Puppet Ghost will lose control and consider replacing the person.]
This is the only Fierce Ghost among the six held by Wu Liang that produces side effects.
Even if the Puppet Ghost transforms into one's own likeness, it's no exception. Once it exceeds 24 hours, it will immediately break free from its constraints, uncontrollably wanting to kill and replace the original.
Yet, the effects are naturally self-evident.
Creating out of thin air a living person with normal thinking and action capabilities can accomplish many unimaginable feats.
For instance, the mysterious Awakened behind him, who didn't exist before, now does.
"From now on, you are Wu Liang. Go out to work!"
As soon as the words fell, the Puppet Ghost happily pushed open the bathroom door and walked to the workstation, indistinguishable in appearance even to those most familiar.
As for the real Wu Liang, he casually summoned a pair of ordinary sunglasses using the Ghost Compendium and put them on.
A dark shadow materialized beside him, enveloping Wu Liang in an eerie dense fog.
This was undoubtedly the Mist Ghost that had trapped Lei Zhangming and others outside the crematorium previously!
[Heavy Fog: The fog emitted by the Mist Ghost can confuse all perception, trapping those within. The mist can freely control whether it can be sensed by the outside world.]
This seems to be a limiting ability.
But Wu Liang exploits it by enveloping himself in the mist, transforming it into a "cannot be sensed" state at the peak of concentration.
This can thus produce another unexpected effect—
"Now, those trapped cannot be perceived by the external world either, effectively erasing my presence."
Wu Liang watched another colleague enter the bathroom, casually passing by without any concern, deliberately muttering to himself.
The person appeared entirely unfazed, entering the stall as if not hearing the odd remarks.
"Perfect!" Wu Liang couldn't help but feel delighted.
Now, he was akin to an invisible man, shadowing the Puppet Ghost.
He happened to see the Puppet Ghost meet Jiang Min upon exiting.
Puppet Ghost: "Sister Jiang, you're looking so pretty today! If your skirt were just a bit shorter, it would be even better!"
Wu Liang: "?"
Something seemed off; is this really something he would usually say?
Come lunch time, the Puppet Ghost would abruptly leap from the workstation, startling his colleagues.
Then, he would dash to the cafeteria while chanting, "Not eager to eat, mind's in trouble!"
Colleagues stared at each other, puzzled by his sudden odd behavior.
Finally enduring until the end of work, while others still steadfastly continued overtime like old hounds, he would grab his bag and sprint out.
Shouting slogans like "Working past hours proves a paralyzed mind!"
Not true! Why does it seem like this guy is even cheekier than myself!?
After observing the Puppet Ghost acting crazed with his own face all day, Wu Liang felt somewhat desolate.
At last, he saw him get into the Official Awakened's car, Wu Liang's expression turned serious.
Now, on to the real business!
Before, the Nightmare had pinpointed the location of the Shouyi Ghost's body, and now the Puppet Ghost was leading them to verify.
Wu Liang quietly lay on top of the car like a ghost, following them.
"Over here, that grave! Quickly, dig it up!" As they reached the destination, the Puppet Ghost hastily led He Zhan and the others to a solitary hill beside a village.
He then pointed at a grave mound, vigilantly watching their surroundings.
He Zhan and Lei Zhangming frowned, asking, "If there's a Fierce Ghost in the grave, where's the Awakened you mentioned?"
It seemed Wu Liang had become somewhat excited after leaving work.
Or maybe... not entirely sound?
"Once the grave is dug, he'll appear. Let's dig quickly; if the villagers catch us digging graves, we'll get scolded!" The Puppet Ghost defiantly stated.
Others listened with a toothache.
Oh, so you know you'll be scolded for grave digging!
But at this point, to verify Wu Liang's claim, they had to open the grave and see.
Two Awakened team members shrugged and fetched a shovel from the car trunk, beginning to swiftly uncover the grave.
"Captain He, how come there's a shovel in the car? Do you make extra cash on treasure hunts?" the Puppet Ghost wondered.
He Zhan ignored his witty remark and expressionlessly watched the gradually exposed grave.
Before long, a shroud emitting ominous aura was excavated.
Yet at the moment of exposure, the shroud abruptly flew, rushing towards the village nearby with exceptional speed.
Everyone immediately realized this was the Fierce Ghost's body!
But the shroud soon ascended to an unreachable altitude.
He Zhan quickly assessed a somewhat towering tree nearby, calculating whether he could leap from its top to catch the shroud.
If he could touch it, the Palm Eye could suppress it...
Whoosh—
Before anyone could react, a dense mist appeared and enveloped the shroud.
Recognizing the familiar fog, Lei Zhangming shivered.
This thing trapped him for two hours yesterday! That kind of despair he never wanted to experience again!
"Is this the ability of that mysterious Awakened?" He Zhan and his team watched the mist attentively.
Unfortunately, they couldn't see the shroud's condition within the thick mist, unaware of several Fierce Ghosts pounding it inside.
Several minutes passed, with the mist still hovering; no shroud appeared, leaving everyone looking at each other.
As the crowd grew unsure, the shroud suddenly dropped from the mist.
With a thud, it fell to the ground, and several Awakened quickly gathered around defensively.
Upon closer inspection, the garment had turned into tattered rags.
It was more like a pile of colorful strips than a shroud; one couldn't imagine what it had gone through!
"I knew this mist wasn't simple!" Lei Zhangming couldn't help expressing relief, aware that if yesterday the opponent wanted to kill him, he wouldn't withstand it like a Fierce Ghost.
After the shroud was seriously damaged and fell, the mist gradually descended.
A person then emerged, with his face obscured by the mist, hiding any features.
He spoke softly, "Hey, strong guy over there, use your ability to burn this Shouyi Ghost. Make sure it's completely incinerated!"
Wu Liang hadn't forgotten the method to destroy the Shouyi Ghost outlined in the Ghost Compendium—only by burning!
There was conveniently someone with Lei Zhangming's awakened ability to generate flame with high temperature.
But Lei Zhangming didn't immediately ignite the fire; instead, he looked at He Zhan, waiting for his command.
Doing less means fewer mistakes!
He Zhan, being the captain of the official second department team, should he issue the command, any errors would be attributed to him, not Lei Zhangming.
But if he followed the mysterious Awakened's instructions, any mishaps would fall on him.
Lei Zhangming, well versed in gang dealings, demonstrated shrewdness in such matters.
Sure enough, He Zhan didn't immediately order Lei Zhangming to burn the shroud; instead, he clasped his hands towards the obscured face of the mysterious Awakened:
"My friend, I am Captain He Zhan of the Paranormal Handling Department's second team. I trust Wu Liang has informed you. Could you reveal your true identity?"
"No, I have my reasons."
"Could you explain your relationship with Wu Liang and why you closely shield him?" Captain He continued to probe with questions.
Surely, they couldn't meet and gain no insight!
Unexpectedly, the other spoke an identity no one anticipated with a chuckle: "Hehe, I'm his brother, Wu Ming."
Upon hearing this, He Zhan's expression tensed.
He had researched Wu Liang's background.
This guy is an only child!
Where did this brother come from?