Tracer bullets punctuated with a harsh silence skimmed over their heads, exploding into clusters of flames.

If one were to enter a stop-time perspective at this moment, they would see that along with these tracer bullets were numerous regular projectiles, equally deadly even though they lacked luminance, detonating at a fixed height with delayed fuses, the myriad flying shrapnel enough to destroy incoming jets.

Chen Xuan had never used the Divine Eye Technique so frequently before; while using two Qi Swords to sweep away the rapidly incoming ammo in front, he covered the remaining six swords over his and Elorie’s heads to prevent shrapnel from hitting them, adjusting the Qi Sword’s protective positions based on their movement direction every second.

Their descent was even faster than free fall.

Shrapnel pounded onto the Qi Swords like a torrential rainstorm, bursting into a string of fiery blossoms!

Just as Chen Xuan could feel the softness of a blade entering a body, he could now feel the lament of the Qi Swords—though the Thousand Thoughts Sword lacked a sense of pain, the actual feedback to Chen Xuan was that his internal Spiritual Qi was rapidly depleting.

Coupled with the consumption by the Divine Eye Technique, Chen Xuan began feeling dizzy in less than twenty seconds.

He never would have imagined that he alone could actually withstand the barrage from a heavy machine gun.

Twenty seconds was also enough for Liu Shuyue to plummet to ground level.

The sound of the machine gun abruptly ceased.

The numerous buildings lining both sides of the street served as barriers, causing the enemy’s attacks to lose their target.

Liu Shuyue noticed Chen Xuan’s pale face and immediately said, "Stop using spells, or you’ll harm your foundation if your Spiritual Qi runs out."

With that, she bent down, placed Chen Xuan’s arms over her shoulders, and carried him directly on her back.

The latter wanted to say that he could still walk, but seeing Liu Shuyue’s effortless manner, coupled with the fact that this was indeed much less taxing, he simply followed suit and put his arms around hers.

"What about you? You’re not hurt, are you?" Chen Xuan asked as he looked at Elorie.

The young girl nodded quickly; her expression seemed a bit startled, but she was unharmed.

It’s not every day one has the opportunity to experience high-explosive warheads continuously detonating overhead; it’s not surprising she’d be frightened.

Although they’d escaped the machine gun’s direct hit, the crisis had not been resolved, as if they couldn’t fly, the enemy held the advantage in speed, and the irritating buzzing sound ominously returned.

The three left the Avenue des Champs-Élysées and plunged into the winding street alleys, intending to use the complex terrain to shake off the enemy. Along the way, Liu Shuyue repeatedly set down arrays, including the Illusionary Array and the Hidden Dragon Array, yet those bug-faced people consistently locked onto their positions, even hiding inside buildings couldn’t work.

This realization struck Chen Xuan as troublesome.

While individually weak in combat, the sheer number of enemies meant mistakes would eventually catch up.

Taking flight again would make them a target for machine gun fire, potentially leading to a worse fate than ground combat.

Now, with bug-faced people all around the block intercepting them, aerial reconnaissance soldiers above limiting their movements, their options were dwindling.

The situation had become a bind for the three.

"We must break through one more time," Liu Shuyue suddenly halted, decisively saying, "While I still have Spiritual Qi, I should be able to protect you all."

"Let’s fly," agreed Elorie, "I’ll take care of myself as best I can."

Just then, the center of a small path had a rusty manhole cover lifted, and Chen Xuan almost powered his Qi Sword forward, only to realize the cover hid a person beneath!

A head wrapped in a gas mask emerged, beckoning towards them, "Viens ici, vite!"

Chen Xuan didn’t comprehend, but Elorie excitedly grabbed his hand, "He’s calling us over!"

French?

Seeing Chen Xuan hesitate, the person took off his mask and goggles, revealing human eyes.

"Je ne suis pas un ver!"

Even without angelic translation, Chen Xuan could probably guess the meaning—that this person was not a bug.

The pursuit’s wing beats were closing in.

Chen Xuan nodded to Liu Shuyue; the three approached together. Seeing them, the person quickly secured the mask, climbed out of the manhole, directing them to enter first.

The entrance wasn’t narrow; there was an iron ladder along the wall, making it easy to slide down. Once all three reached the bottom, the stranger covered the manhole, being the last to descend to the ground. He then took three rings from his waist pouch, handing them over, "Mettez-le!"

Elorie exclaimed, "Is this... the Ring of the Mind?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan understood; no wonder even an Invisibility Talisman or any Illusionary Array couldn’t shake off the tracking. The enemy was using not their sight, scent, or hearing, but rather a psychic tracking ability? 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

The rings were ordinary copper rings, with a small bump at the center that seemed to encase something.

Chen Xuan wore it, immediately feeling a faint coolness where it touched his skin.

Seeing all three had donned the rings, the man relaxed. He switched on a light overhead, pointing at himself.

"Viens avec moi."

Elorie took charge of translating, "He said, follow me."

They traversed the waterway in silence—perhaps once used for urban drainage, it had long dried up, plant roots piercing the walls randomly. Initially hunched, after about a hundred meters they came to a junction where the space vastly opened.

In the three to four meters high, ten meters wide channel sat a cable car.

"Get in," the man said.

Though lacking cables and wheels seeming impossible to move, Chen Xuan simply sat down, granting trust for having been aided.

Once everyone was aboard, the man operated at the front, soon prompting red lights to illuminate the walls as two thick steel doors rose from the ground, cutting off the channel!

Electricity here?

Chen Xuan raised an eyebrow at the unexpected sight, suggesting this facility didn’t belong to an abandoned city.

No... not even a pre-abandoned Paris would have installed such extravagant gates underground.

Clearly designed against the bug-faced enemies.

Soon, the cement beneath the cable car split open, revealing a vast tunnel below.

The cable car gently sank, locking mechanisms clicked from below.

Pulled by cables, the car gradually descended into the true underground realm!

By the indicator lights’ glow, it was clear that this sloped tunnel was anything but dilapidated—the concrete walls were sturdy, littered with pipes, inset lights creating a starry sky vista along the path.

Finally, the man took a deep breath.

He unveiled his face by removing the hood and mask.

Certainly of typical European appearance, Chen Xuan noted: light brown curled short hair, large nose, narrow eyes, roughly thirty years old, with an almost cheeky smile.

"I’m Raphael, and you?"

Courteously, they exchanged names.

"Finding living people in old Paris is a rarity," Raphael chuckled, "When I spotted you, my colleague wagered how long before you mutated."

"Mutated?" Chen Xuan queried, "Transforming into those bug-faced people?"

"Correct. Exposure above ground typically leads to changes in two hours max, especially near their nest," Raphael nodded. "I know you have many questions, and my people are equally curious about you—that’s why you’ve met me."

He implied his assistance wasn’t without reason.

Privy to exchanging intel, Chen Xuan asked, "Where does this cable car head?"

"Certainly our city," Raphael approached the window, arms spread—as the car emerged from the tunnel, space expanded a hundredfold, light levels abruptly rising, moving from night to day! Overhead, light strips resembling luminous dragons, numerous flying vessels weaving tirelessly; below stood tall skyscrapers, bustling vehicles and pedestrians coursing roads below.

"...Welcome to Second New Paris City," he declared, word by word.