Waiting for You

No one present was spared from the outbreak of fungi.

Fugo lost both legs, Mista's neck was gnawed open, Abbacchio and Narancia each lost an arm, and Giorno and Bucciarati could only helplessly clutch their chests and abdomens, watching as the ever-spreading fungal carpet devoured their abdominal muscles.

Li Qing seemed to be fine.

The fungal attack seemed to be simply judged by the system as a "physical attack," and his digitized body would immediately recover the moment he was injured.

Li Qing maintained his intact body and full combat power, but this could not change the fact that his health was constantly decreasing.

Without a doubt, this is a desperate situation.

"Think!"

"Time is running out. Think quickly!"

Li Qing gritted his teeth, encouraging his companions in this desperate situation:

There may be innate differences in strength and abilities, but the human soul is certainly absolutely equal.

As long as we keep thinking, we have endless possibilities to bridge the gap and reverse the power imbalance.

At this moment.

Seven people, including Li Qing, were using what might be the last moments of their lives to contemplate that question:

Why can the enemy be immune to fungi?

Is it because the enemy's ability allows them to ensure 'teammates remain unharmed'?

Li Qing was the first to use the thinking process from the game to come up with an answer.

However, Bucciarati, who had dealt with various Stand User and summarized many patterns in Stand abilities, immediately objected:

"I don't think so."

"These fungi reproduce and spread spontaneously, with a range that is almost unlimited."

"If you can lock onto a moving target within such a large area of capability and keep it completely unharmed by the fungus, how powerful of a control would that require?"

In my experience

Bucciarati analyzed with great confidence:

"A stunt double is like an athlete in the Olympics; each has their own area of expertise, but they cannot have both."

"For example, shooting athletes have extremely high accuracy, but they can't possibly have the endurance and stamina of marathon runners."

"There are probably only one or two exceptional cases in the world of all-around athletes who can consistently rank among the top in terms of strength, speed, endurance, and precision."

"The same goes for Stands, like Fugo's Purple Haze."

"Stands with wide-range destructive capabilities generally do not have high precision control capabilities."

As Bucciarati stated, Jokulrat's Stand's panel data is "Precision E".

This level of precision is clearly insufficient for the delicate task of protecting teammates from harm amidst a vast army.

One idea was temporarily rejected.

But everyone had already started brainstorming.

Soon, someone else suggested a new possibility:

Is it possible that the "bodysuit"-like stunt worn by the other party has the isolation effect of a biochemical protective suit?

This conjecture was also quickly rejected, because Secco's "bodysuit" was not fully covered; half of his face was exposed, clearly offering no air insulation.

So

Did the other person receive some antifungal medication beforehand?

Is it possible that the other person has undergone human modification and has developed antibodies against certain fungi in their body?

"These ideas are useless!"

Seeing that his throat was about to be completely devoured by the fungus, Mista cried out anxiously in his hoarse and weak voice:

"Even if these conjectures are true, we absolutely have no way to replicate them."

"If this continues, the guy hiding in the ground will be up here soon to collect our bodies."

Even after thinking, I cannot find the answer.

The atmosphere grew increasingly heavy and deathly silent.

At this moment, Li Qing seemed to suddenly remember something and abruptly slapped his forehead:

"Hidden in the soil, hidden in the soil"

"The biggest difference between that guy and everyone else is that he's always walking in the dirt."

"Could it be that the secret to immune fungi is related to soil?"

Underground.

In that "liquefied" soil layer, Secco was swimming happily.

He swam in various styles—butterfly, breaststroke, doggy paddle—just like a tourist on vacation at a beach, enjoying himself and relaxing with different poses.

Because he no longer needed to worry about the battle.

The actions of Li Qing and the others jumping from a high place to a low place had already activated the fungus that infected their bodies.

The fungus will continue to multiply and spread until it devours the last piece of flesh and blood of the enemy.

Emerging from the ground might give the enemy an opportunity to counterattack. Secco needs to do is quietly wait in the soil, watching out for any moves the dying enemies on the surface might make, while preparing to collect the bodies of these dying guys.

What made things easier for him was...

Li Qing and the others on the ground seemed to have lost the courage to resist in this desperate situation. They did not move or run away. They only took two steps in a panic, let out a few cries, and then could not make any other noise.

Soon, the surroundings became completely quiet.

There's been no movement.

Secco listened intently to the sounds on the ground, only to suddenly realize that he could no longer hear anything at all.

"Dead. They should all be dead, right?"

"Hahahaha. The reward! I can get Jokulrat's reward now!"

He sniffed, stuck out his tongue, and muttered to himself like a dog in heat.

But this did not affect his beast-like, keen, and cautious instincts.

Secco first found a safe spot away from Li Qing and the others, then carefully floated to the ground. He then squinted and observed their current appearance closely:

Fear.

The appearance of Li Qing and the others could only be described as terrifying.

The greenish-white fungal carpet had completely covered their bodies from head to toe, making them look like rotten, moldy citrus fruits that had been misplaced.

They lay sprawled on the ground, their eyes wide open in deathly silence, like vengeful ghosts.

The breath was so faint, as faint as a candle flickering in the wind, as if it could be extinguished at any moment.

Even

The health bar above Li Qing's head has disappeared.

He seemed to have been tormented by the fungus to the point of losing consciousness, and was no longer able to activate his "Stand ability".

"It's a success!"

Secco shouted excitedly.

It was clear that Li Qing and the others had entered the final stage where their entire bodies were parasitized by fungi:

His skin was ulcerated and green, his muscles were out of control, his organs were failing and decaying, and his consciousness was blurred. Although he was still clinging to his last breath, that was all he had left.

In this situation, they are no longer capable of any resistance.

Secco instinctively wanted to move forward, but then cautiously stopped, driven by her beastly instincts.

"No, we need to be careful."

"Maybe they still have the energy to move around and are just lying to me?"

Hehehe

"Then let me give it a try!"

He suddenly scooped up a handful of soil from the ground, and without caring about the dirt and stench, stuffed it directly into his mouth, chewing it like he was chewing gum.

The soil liquefied into mud due to Secco's Stand ability, and became even finer and more malleable under the friction of his teeth.

Final.

Secco all his might, Sai Ke used his mouth, which had the firing power of a pistol, to forcefully spit the mouthful of mud forward and upward.

The mud was sprayed into the air above Li Qing and the others. It quickly hardened as it moved away from Secco, and under the influence of gravity, it condensed into sharp "rock needles".

And just like that, a shower of needles fell from the sky out of nowhere.

These hard, sharp, and densely packed rock needles mercilessly pierced through the bodies of Li Qing and the others from above.

Their bodies, covered in greenish-white down, were suddenly riddled with countless holes, and crimson blood gushed out.

But even so

Li Qing, Giorno, Bucciarati —none of them showed any sign of distress because of the pain.

"Just as I expected. Hahaha."

"Have you lost all feeling?"

Secco Ke grinned, immediately relieved.

The next task is simple: finish off the enemy and collect the loot.

He completely lowered his guard and approached without any precautions.

Finally, Secco boldly surfaced completely, raising its foot high towards Li Qing's face, which was covered in green and white mold.

However, just as he was about to stomp on Li Qing's head and smash it open.

"Ali Ali Ali Ali Ali Ali Ali!"

Steel Chain Fingers suddenly appeared in front of the "dying" Bucciarati.

A fierce barrage of punches suddenly erupted from the side of Sai Ke, right at arm's length, without Secco even noticing.

There's nowhere to hide, nowhere to avoid.

By the Secco realized he had been ambushed, Steel Chain Fingers' Riot Games had already landed squarely on his body.

Neck, shoulders, thighs, knees

Several vital parts and joints were instantly zipped up, and Secco's body immediately collapsed to the ground, unable to resist any longer.

At that moment, to his astonishment, shock, and bewilderment, Giorno, Bucciarati, and the others all stood up from the ground as if nothing had happened.

Li Qing went straight into Digitization Mode, revealing his health bar on the Secco:

After a long wait, the health bar not only didn't decrease, but it was fully restored.

With his health bar fully charged, Li Qing disdainfully kicked Secco's already immobile body:

"We've been waiting for a long time, you idiot."

"H-How is this possible?"

Looking at the greenish-white down that almost covered Li Qing and the others, Secco roared in disbelief:

"The fungus has clearly already broken out."

"Why... why are you all alright?!"