Because it involved relocating graves, many of the skeletons in the catacombs were incomplete. In the end, the priests could only stack the torsos and leg bones together to form walls, adding skulls as decorations to create patterns.
Yes, patterns. They arranged the skulls into various shapes—crosses, hearts, flowers—doing their best to make the eerie underground catacombs appear romantic.
And they succeeded. From that point on, the Paris Catacombs beca a popular gathering place for artists.
In the 19th century, French writers, musicians, and painters would consider it a badge of honor to have partied in the Catacombs with their friends, drinking among the 6 million dead. If they hadn't, they'd feel unqualified to call themselves mbers of the French art scene.
Back then, intellectuals called this rebellious behavior "romantic and free-spirited." Today, we'd probably call it "partying on graves."
During World War II, the headquarters of the Paris Resistance was also located in the catacombs. The place was like a labyrinth—Germans who entered often got lost. The overwhelming presence of bones made the atmosphere unbearable for most.
Su Ming's goal was to use the catacombs for covert operations. It was more hidden than the sewers, and there was a chance of encountering allies.
If he could find the French Resistance, he'd gain a valuable source of information and support.
In 1961, Paris would be divided into 20 administrative districts, but Su Ming knew this from future intelligence. He ntally mapped out the future districts to guide his current operations.
The Eiffel Tower, where they had previously surveyed, was in the 7th arrondissent of Paris. The location where the recent battle occurred was in the northern 17th arrondissent.
This 17th arrondissent was ho to one of the entrances to the catacombs. By moving 20 ters underground, they could secretly cross all of Paris and reach Su Ming's intended destination: the 4th arrondissent.
The 4th arrondissent was at the heart of the city, making it an ideal spot to access various locations equally. Its dense population would also provide good cover.
Su Ming suspected that the Resistance's headquarters might be underground in that area. After surfacing, he could even climb to the top of Notre Da Cathedral's bell tower to monitor the skies—killing two birds with one stone.
As long as they stayed oriented underground, they could dig towards the catacomb tunnels. After breaking through several layers of rock with the Godslayer sword, Su Ming was finally greeted by a sight of stark white.
Countless bones were stacked like firewood along both sides of the chamber, leaving only a narrow gap for a single person to pass through.
The X-n girls huddled together in fear, and even Magik edged closer to Su Ming.
Even though they had seen all kinds of monsters and demons in the Hell Dinsion, being surrounded by the dense white bones and hundreds of hollow-eyed skulls in this dark underground made their skin crawl.
"Alright, we've broken into the catacombs beneath the 17th arrondissent. Once we get in and find the plaques that mark the dates on the main passageways, I'll know which direction to take."
Su Ming sheathed his Godslayer, which still glowed with a golden light, though the sword's bloodlust had intensified. His symbiote was also itching for action.
Was it because of the previous killing spree?
Aside from Su Ming, who seed unaffected, the only other person who remained calm was Halloway. As a staunch atheist and dical professional, the sight of skeletons only triggered his clinical curiosity, prompting him to investigate their causes of death.
What was there to investigate? The remains under the 17th arrondissent were among the first to be relocated here. Most of them died either from the plague or smallpox, both diseases whose causes were well-docunted.
Back then, these viruses posed a serious threat to humanity. Now, thanks to modern vaccines, people were immune to smallpox, and there was a serum for the plague. Even if ancient viruses miraculously survived in these bones, people could still safely live in the catacombs today.
It was the atmosphere, not the science, that made this place so unsettling.
Su Ming understood this feeling well—it was the presence of dark energy. He had felt sothing a hundred tis stronger inside Barbatos, like a thick swamp of despair.
As he was about to make a snarky comnt to the doctor, gunfire echoed from above, in the sewers.
"German submachine guns... and Arican Thompson submachine guns firing back." Su Ming imdiately identified the source of the sounds. It was coming from sowhere within a few hundred ters.
It wasn't his own team. Cable's weapons made a much louder noise, and most of the others didn't even use guns.
The presence of Arican firearms suggested it might be the Paris Resistance, under attack by the Germans. They could be useful, and Su Ming instantly decided to lend a hand. He could use this opportunity to gain information and favor for future exchanges.
"You all hold your position here. I'll go check it out."
Drawing his sword, Su Ming climbed back through the tunnel into the sewers.
In the dark, damp sewer, flashlight beams flickered, and invisible bullets whizzed through the air. On the slippery, grimy surface, Nick Fury carried Steve Rogers, staggering forward.
Behind them, a group of soldiers in Arican uniforms and a few French Resistance fighters dressed as workers retreated, firing back at the pursuing German forces.
From ti to ti, soone would fall—sotis with a scream, other tis silently, collapsing into the filthy water. But Nick Fury was determined not to die in this dark, dank place.
With all his strength, he held onto Steve's hand, dragging him along. Earlier, they had seen an explosion sowhere in the city. That ant the Germans were fighting soone. Even if it was the enemy of their enemy, they needed backup.
Still, Nick had to admit, traveling through the sewers was a last resort.
He had no idea where the exit was, nor how long they could keep running, but there was no turning back now.
Their ammo was running low, while the Germans seed to have an endless supply of soldiers.
Peggy Carter was among the group. She wore a brown flight jacket and fired back with her submachine gun, but she could only shoot with one hand. Her other arm had been hit twice, and her makeshift bandage was doing little to stop the bleeding.
The blood loss and pain were making her dizzy, and her aim wavered.
"Nick, you need to get Steve out of here. He can't fall into German hands. I'll stay behind with the French Resistance and cover your retreat!"
Peggy gritted her teeth as she reloaded. She was done running. Steve had told her in the car on the way to his experint:
'Once you start running, they'll never let you stop. The only thing you can do is stand and fight.'
The Germans were relentless. She was a highly trained agent and was already exhausted. The Paris Resistance fighters, who struggled even to get enough food, were barely holding on.
Even without injuries, these fighters were on their last legs.
The German half-chanical soldiers knew no fatigue. They would chase them to the ends of the earth.
Nick Fury's face darkened even further. He was breathing heavily. "Steve can't lose you, Peggy. If he wakes up and finds out you sacrificed yourself, he might stop cooperating with the military. If that happens, we'll lose both you and him, and the Colonel will have a ltdown."
The other soldiers snickered as they fired back, agreeing with Nick. The Colonel was getting old, and he probably couldn't handle the stress. Losing their super-soldier would cause him more than just a ltdown—he'd probably explode.
Peggy fired into the darkness of the tunnel, then imdiately ducked behind a pillar. A volley of bullets hit her previous position, and the blast from the shots dislodged decaying bricks from her cover. A nearby French fighter collapsed in front of her, dead.
"You're too controlling, Nick. Steve's not a weapon, he's a person. He has his own judgnt. Even if I die, he'll keep fighting."
"Maybe. But for now, let and the Howling Commandos hold the line. You take Steve and the French and get out of here."
Nick tossed Steve to Peggy, then grabbed a fallen submachine gun and joined the fight.
Assessing the situation and cutting your losses was basic agent training.
The U.S.'s only super-soldier, his beloved agent, and their French allies were far more valuable than Nick and his Howling Commandos. The math wasn't hard.
Nick Fury was prepared to carry out his final mission: to buy three minutes of ti.
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