I have a Tantric panel

The black-robed men guarding this place were more difficult to deal with than Xia En had anticipated.

Even after being hit on the head with a stick, he did not fall to the ground immediately. Instead, he tried to pull the trigger again, but was suddenly elbowed in the wrist by Xia En.

The pistol fell to the ground.

The man in black robes did not stop resisting. He pulled out a dagger from his waist and engaged in close combat with Shane in the narrow passage.

The battle was extremely dangerous.

The blade flashed, and a fierce wind whistled past their ears.

The sounds of weapons clashing rang out one after another.

With the support of [Rationality (2) · Calmness] and [Fighting (1)],

Finally, in a single moment.

Xia En seized the opportunity, using the curved end of the crowbar to jam the opponent's wrist holding the knife, then suddenly lifted it upwards and twisted it outwards.

The dull thud of a dislocated wrist was particularly clear in the confined space.

The dagger fell to the ground, and the man in black robes used his left hand to transform into a claw, thrusting it straight into his throat.

Xia En turned to the side, his knee slamming into the man's abdomen. Using the momentum, he switched hands with the crowbar, bent his head, and smashed it into the black-robed man's temple from below.

The man in black robes slid slowly down the wall, remaining motionless.

Xia En stood there, panting heavily.

Freya strode over, took out the pistol she had seized from the previous man in black, and fired a final shot.

—She had actually wanted to shoot for a long time, but she hadn't used it because she wasn't a good shot.

Are you injured?

Freya's gaze fell on Shane's shoulders and arms.

I did get a few wounds during the battle, but my [Health (2) - Self-Healing] talent is working its magic.

Within a few breaths, the wound began to heal and the bleeding stopped.

"I'm fine."

Xia En shook his head and looked at the iron gate at the end of the passageway, which was unlocked.

Both of them were rational people and knew that getting out of danger was the primary goal.

Without further ado, Shane forcefully pulled open the iron gate.

Behind the door was a downward spiral iron staircase.

The moment I stepped out the door.

Xia En immediately felt that the atmosphere around him had returned to normal.

The invisible, dark ether disappeared from sight.

They emerged from the crevice and returned to reality.

And at that very moment.

A deep, suppressed voice rang in both of their ears at the same time.

"Freya Adler... I will catch you..."

The spirit is trembling.

Just hearing the sound was like staring into a bottomless, deep red abyss.

Not a practitioner, not a seeker of the path.

And at least a rank above the Reincarnators.

Xia En guessed it instantly.

That person was probably the mastermind behind this etheric field and the mastermind behind the assassination attempt.

That's why they noticed when the two left.

Fortunately, the sound and the oppressive feeling quickly dissipated, and Shane pulled Freya downstairs.

"Hurry, they might catch up!"

Freya took a couple of steps, but suddenly stumbled.

She gasped slightly, finding it very difficult to walk.

When Shane looked down, he realized that Freya had been walking barefoot the whole time.

Looking back, she was wearing high heels on stage.

Later, to make movement easier and to avoid making noise, they naturally took off their shoes long ago.

By this time, her fair and delicate soles had been worn raw and bleeding.

But Freya remained completely silent throughout the entire journey.

Don't forget, she was shot from the very beginning!

Only now, after consuming a large amount of ether and suffering mental oppression, has Freya finally shown some of the vulnerability and pallor she should have shown.

Xia En bent down.

"Come up."

Freya was never a pretentious woman. After whispering "thank you," she climbed onto his back.

The weight behind me was very light, like carrying a cat on my back.

To become a stage star, weight management is an essential part.

"Hold me tight."

Feeling the arms around her neck, Shane descended the spiral staircase.

I ran all the way to the bottom of the steps and stepped onto a very thin layer of slowly flowing warm water.

Xia En then realized where the stairs led.

sewer.

Decades ago, a "terrible stench" incident occurred in the capital – the pollution of the Thames River made it impossible for the capital's buildings to operate normally.

This incident also led to the development of the world's first modern urban sewer system.

The sheer size of the underground sewer system in the capital city is an industrial marvel.

The huge egg-shaped pipe is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, and can accommodate seven or eight people walking upright side by side.

Shane had also heard Mr. Lucius mention it.

Some secret societies have their hideouts located in the deepest parts of the sewers.

Carrying Freya on his back, Shane used a crowbar to pry open the iron grille at the pipe entrance and quickly crawled inside.

I wandered aimlessly along the pipe for a while.

After confirming that there were no suspicious footsteps behind him, Shane breathed a slight sigh of relief and placed Freya on a platform to rest for the time being.

"We're safe, for now."

Freya calmed down for a while, her complexion improved, and she spoke softly.

"I've dragged you into this mess, I owe you one."

Xia En thought for a moment.

"When you killed the first man in black, were you trying to save me... that's why you intervened?"

Freya turned her head slightly: "I didn't know it was you at the time. I thought one of my audience members had been dragged into this—as a celebrity, how could I let my fans be killed right before my eyes?"

"But it seems that you can take care of him without me having to lift a finger."

"Anyway, we've had a fairly pleasant working relationship."

"Um."

Without Freya's help, it would undoubtedly be extremely difficult for Shane to escape the sealed-off area.

Similarly, without Shane, Freya would have had almost no chance of escaping.

Soon, the two of them quieted down.

A silent atmosphere filled the air.

After all, they weren't familiar with each other at all before this; they were just nodding acquaintances.

But perhaps this silence and darkness were too unbearable.

Freya hesitated for a moment: "Fire."

"Could I borrow your fire again?"

"sure."

Thanks to his ascetic lifestyle over the past two weeks, he still has a lot of "candles of truth" stored in his mind.

It's not a big deal.

The flame lit up, bringing a small circle of light and warmth.

Freya stared directly at the firelight, leaned forward, and moved a little closer to Shane.

"Actually... I'm very afraid of the dark, and I'm also very afraid of the cold."

It was a late autumn night, and the sewers were especially cold and damp, filled with the smell of decay.

Xia En silently increased the output power of the candle flame.

"To be honest, I can't tell."

"I can't believe that a university teaching assistant could be so skilled. Facing vicious cult members, he not only wasn't afraid, but he also dared to rush up and fight them."

"Same to you."

Xia En possesses the talent of calmness, which allows him to remain expressionless throughout.

However, Freya.

Despite being a young stage star, he remained rational after the assassination attempt and struggled to survive in the perilous situation.

Throughout the entire process, she didn't panic or scream like other girls her age.

It forced him to think about it.

What exactly happened in this girl's past?

The two exchanged a glance.

Their eyes were filled with curiosity and amazement.

But they maintained a certain tacit understanding, without exploring any further.

From this perspective, they are already accomplices who have mastered each other's secrets.

"Would you mind if I had a cigarette?"

"You smoke?"

"I get seizures when I'm stressed, and... it's too cold."

Xia En glanced at her face; it was even paler.

In the cold, damp environment, her previous blood loss made her even weaker, and nicotine could relieve the pain.

"Please go ahead."

Freya pulled a crumpled cigarette from her person and lit it with the candlelight.

"Don't tell anyone about this."

"it is good."

"Would you like one? I happen to have two on me."

Xia En thought for a moment and then took it.

He doesn't usually smoke, but now, the battle with the man in black robes is still replaying in his mind—this is his first time killing someone, and perhaps it won't be the last.

The firelight was dim.

Smoke swirled around.

Xia En's heart strangely calmed down.

Speaking of which... would you say these two are smoking in the sewer?

However, he hadn't even finished lighting the cigarette.

Suddenly, some unusual noises came from the silent sewers.