Book 3: Chapter 22: Going Separate Ways

Death Notice

Seeing Qin Lun leave the team, Xiao Dao jumped off the vehicle without hesitation and followed him.

In reality, Xiao Dao was a gangster. He had little education and simple thinking. When he first entered the Phantom Demon World, Xiao Dao also had Lü Kuang’s ambitions and dreams. But he was much more realistic than the college student.

From today’s events, Xiao Dao realized that not following the three Veterans away earlier was a huge mistake. Without the help of Hill and Qin Lun, this newbie team was in grave danger. He was not generous enough to trade his life for others’ safety.

Although Qin Lun had let him take the blame before, as a gangster, taking the fall for the boss was nothing new. Besides, from a gangster’s perspective, Qin Lun was a good boss—ruthless and decisive. As long as he wasn’t sent to die, Xiao Dao didn’t mind following Qin Lun.

“Alright, we should leave too. I hope everyone stays safe until the mission ends!” Hill glanced briefly at Lü Kuang and ran quickly in another direction.

“You… aren’t you going with Father Hill?” Lü Kuang looked at Jonathan and Liza, his eyes avoiding theirs.

“No, I’m staying with Madame Liza!” Jonathan looked at the pale-faced Liza, his gaze dimming. He forced a smile and said, “We’ll find a place to hide first. Maybe things won’t be so bad!”

“You must survive!” Lü Kuang suddenly seemed to make a decision. He gritted his teeth and said, “On the seventh day of the mission, if I’m still alive, I’ll go to the original police station. Maybe I can gather a few Phantom Demon Pearls for you!”

Jonathan’s eyes lit up. He nodded firmly and said, “We will survive. You be careful too!”

…

Feeling the wind whistling past his ears, Qin Lun felt very cheerful. This was the first time he ran at full speed after his body was enhanced. If he didn’t have to avoid the scattered Phantom Demons in the distance, his speed would have been even faster.

When the Obelisk of Place de la Concorde just appeared in his sight, Qin Lun finally stopped. After a few minutes, Xiao Dao arrived behind him, panting heavily with his hands on his knees.

Qin Lun turned to look at the gangster. He was slightly surprised. He didn’t expect Xiao Dao to keep up with him. After receiving the Time-Space Core mission, these newbie Reincarnators became dispensable to him and Hill. With their strength, even using them as shields was not good enough—they couldn’t even stop one Blade Ashigaru.

“Doctor Qin, the gunfire ahead is getting more intense. It looks like the main battlefield in the city,” Xiao Dao caught his breath and reminded softly.

“Hmm,” Qin Lun responded faintly.

Place de la Concorde was in the center of Paris. To the east was Paris’s largest green park—the Tuileries Garden. A bit further were the Paris City Hall and the Louvre. Capturing this place meant capturing Paris.

Qin Lun estimated that no matter how strong the Phantom Demons were, they couldn’t break through the defense line set up by Paris’s armed forces here before nightfall.

As for the current situation at Notre-Dame de Paris, it was hard to say. Although Île de la Cité was opposite the Paris City Hall, this river island was just a tourist attraction. With only a few bridges connecting the two banks of the Seine River, it was difficult for armed forces to deploy. Plus, the Phantom Demons descended from the sky. The island might have already fallen.

“We need to avoid the battle at Place de la Concorde. We’ll cross the river directly from here, then go to Île de la Cité via the bridges on the south bank of the Seine River!” Qin Lun thought for a moment, then directly deviated from their original direction, leaving the main road and turning into a small alley.

“Doctor Qin, why do we have to go to Notre-Dame de Paris?” Xiao Dao asked, panting as he ran. “This Phantom Demon World is clearly different from the Oni Warrior game Lü Kuang mentioned. Since the Arc de Triomphe has changed so much, we might not even find Akechi Samanosuke at Notre-Dame de Paris.”

“Hmm, you’re quite right. The game plot Lü Kuang introduced can only be used as reference information.” Qin Lun looked at Xiao Dao and explained softly, “But we have no choice now. Do you know why it was so easy for us to avoid Phantom Demons all the way here?”

“Isn’t it because the Phantom Demons are gathered together, fighting Paris’s armed forces?” Xiao Dao was slightly startled and asked quickly.

“That’s only one reason. Another reason is that most of these Phantom Demons have entered the buildings along the street. They are hunting and driving out humans!” Qin Lun explained calmly.

“You mean, they are using their infectious ability to turn Paris citizens into Phantom Demons too?” Xiao Dao frowned.

“Hmm, the weapons the Phantom Demons hold are mostly cold weapons. Normally, they aren’t enough to deal with Paris’s armed forces. Take the Kirutosumu we encountered as an example. That large Phantom Demon was indeed powerful, but humans have tanks and armored vehicles too. Kirutosumu can block pistols, but not machine guns and artillery shells!”

“But the new Phantom Demons transformed from Paris citizens shouldn’t have the combat power of other Phantom Demons, right? Can they really rely on numbers to offset the advantage of Paris’s armed forces’ firepower?” Xiao Dao still found it hard to believe.

“Haha, of course not. The killing power of modern high-tech weapons can’t be overcome by numbers alone. That’s why I said the defense line of Paris’s armed forces will only be breached at night!” Qin Lun sighed and said with a bitter smile.

“The Phantom Demons hunt humans not only to increase their numbers but also to use humans as meat shields. When it gets dark, as long as they get close enough using the human shields, the human forces will collapse from within.”

“So you mean, by tomorrow, the streets and alleys of Paris will be filled with Phantom Demons, leaving us no space to move?” Xiao Dao’s face turned ugly as he understood.

“Not necessarily, but our space to move will be greatly reduced. We’ll probably have to crawl through sewers like rats.” Qin Lun curled his lip. “So, the best choice now is to follow the plot line Lü Kuang mentioned and see if we can meet an Oni Warrior protagonist.”

“I understand!” Xiao Dao replied calmly, quickening his pace to pass Qin Lun and walk in front. “Doctor Qin, I have a weapon. Let me walk ahead!”

“Be careful!” Qin Lun smiled indifferently.

Although Xiao Dao held a fire axe, he knew Qin Lun was stronger than him. His words were just to show loyalty. A sidekick should know his place. No matter if the boss was stronger or not, the sidekick should always charge first.

“Clang!” At that moment, crisp sounds of breaking glass came from the high parts of the buildings on both sides of the alley. Several black figures leaped down from the high walls of the buildings in sequence, blocking their path from the front and back.

“Three of them!” Qin Lun’s face darkened. It seemed their good luck along the way had finally ended.

The two Phantom Demons blocking Qin Lun’s rear resembled Japanese ninjas, but their eye areas were covered with silk cloth. There were three round holes in the silk cloth, emitting faint red light. Lü Kuang had mentioned information about this type of Phantom Demon called Three Eyes.

Different from Blade Ashigaru, Three Eyes had higher intelligence than Blade Ashigaru. They retained some martial skills from their past lives, making them much harder to deal with. Among these two Three Eyes, the one on the left tightly held a Horse-Cutting Saber, while the one on the right held a half-moon blade wheel.

The Phantom Demon blocking Xiao Dao’s front was not a Three Eyes, but another type called Fuyue. Fuyue stood three meters tall, wore armor, and had strangely large feet with only two huge toes. It wore a large iron helmet, and the iron mask covered its face completely. It was unclear how this Phantom Demon sensed the outside world.

This Fuyue held a huge spiked iron club. The spikes on it were covered with human flesh and blood fragments, looking terrifying.

Looking at the three Phantom Demons, Qin Lun’s heart sank. The alley was close to the buildings, making it more dangerous than the main road. It was easier to encounter small groups of Phantom Demons hunting humans inside buildings. Plus, the alley was narrow. If Phantom Demons approached from above, they would have no room to dodge.

“Doctor Qin, what should we do?” Xiao Dao bit his lip, his voice hoarse.

“Hold off that big guy for a few minutes. I’ll help you after I deal with these two Three Eyes!” Qin Lun said with a grim expression.

“I’ll try my best!” Sweat slowly trickled down Xiao Dao’s face.

“This alley is less than three meters wide. With Fuyue’s arm length plus the spiked club, it can’t swing effectively.” Qin Lun instructed softly, “Don’t be afraid. Sometimes desperate situations lead to survival. As long as you get close to Fuyue immediately, the spiked club won’t be able to hit you. Use your agility to maneuver around it.”

After saying this, Qin Lun stopped paying attention to Xiao Dao. With a flip of his hands, the FN-500 and Dagger of Sin fell into his palms. The three holes on the two Three Eyes’ head covers flashed red, and they silently pounced.

According to Lü Kuang, the Phantom Demons were originally foot soldiers, Japanese warriors, and ninjas under Oda Nobunaga during Japan’s Warring States period. Low-level Phantom Demons actually had low intelligence, only retaining some basic combat skills from their past lives. However, Phantom Demons felt no pain and had no fear of death, which enhanced their combat power from another angle.

Qin Lun did not activate the Combat Model. He still lacked detailed information about these two types of Phantom Demons. He also didn’t shoot immediately. Three Eyes were Japanese ninjas in their past lives, agile in movement. The FN-500’s instant shot skill had a twenty-second cooldown, so he had to make sure each shot hit.

“Clang!” The Dagger of Sin collided with the left Phantom Demon’s Horse-Cutting Saber, sparks flying everywhere. However, Qin Lun’s eyes lit up. He found that the Three Eyes’ strength was not much greater than his; it was even weaker. The clash between the dagger and the Horse-Cutting Saber shook both the human and the demon, halting their actions.

However, the Phantom Demon on the right took the opportunity to close in. With a cross-swipe of its blade wheel, blood immediately appeared on Qin Lun’s body…