Magic Show

Bucciarati stood cautiously in the sunlight, tensely confronting the Black Sabbath standing in the shadows, while gazing across at Polpo hidden behind the surveillance cameras.

Polpo did not reappear, and Black Sabbath was unable to attack due to the sunlight, but the current situation was far from friendly to Bucciarati and his group:

"What to do?"

Are we just going to sit here and waste our time?

Fugo broke the silence first, presenting this harsh question to everyone:

"Bucciarati, you should know that although Mr. Polpo values promises, he never talks about chivalry with his enemies."

"Saying we'll be allowed to leave safely in ten minutes is clearly a delaying tactic. If we really wait here for ten minutes, and the organization's reinforcements arrive, we're doomed!"

"That's right."

From a rational perspective, Abbacchio echoed the analysis, saying:

"Not only that, Li Qing's current situation is also extremely dangerous."

"If we don't go to his aid in time, he might very well be killed by the boss hiding nearby."

"I see!"

Bucciarati's voice trembled slightly:

How could he not have thought of what Fugo and Abbacchio were saying?

However, it must be said that Polpo found his weakness.

On one hand, there's the safety of himself and his companions; on the other hand, there's the lives of dozens of innocent elderly people. This choice is incredibly difficult.

"Is it a willingness to sacrifice others?"

"Mr. Polpo, you're still 'lecturing' me at the very end."

Bucciarati pressed his lips tightly together, his expression revealing an unconcealable pain:

"That's right. Whether it's soldiers fighting in the war or civilians affected by it, they are all just pawns to be sacrificed in war. To achieve final victory and build that better world, death and bloodshed are inevitable."

"As long as we make some 'necessary sacrifices,' we can easily overcome the obstacles and move forward."

"But."

The struggle on his face gradually transformed into determination; Bucciarati's will remained steadfast.

"I refuse!"

"I, Bruno Bucciarati, have never liked taking the easy path!"

While Black Sabbath remained at the bridgehead to engage the enemy, the cautious Polpo had already escaped a full kilometer in his massive Hummer.

Only after completely getting his body away from the enemy did Polpo feel at ease enough to have the driver pull over to the side of the road. He then leisurely sat in the luxurious car, comfortably eating bananas and drinking tea while remotely monitoring the battlefield a kilometer away on his computer screen.

"They seem to be talking."

"What are you talking about? Are you discussing counter-attack tactics, or are you arguing about that 'multiple-choice question'?"

Polpo observed Bucciarati and the others very vigilantly.

The surveillance camera can only capture images, not sound.

However, although he couldn't hear the content of Bucciarati and the others' conversation, Polpo could still see with peace of mind that Bucciarati and the others had not taken any action so far.

They remained frozen in the sunlight, trapped in that invisible prison.

Until

A cloud drifted across the sky.

The cloud drifted at a moderate pace, and as it passed over this patch of sky, it cast its shadow on the ground at this intersection.

The drifting cloud shadows overlapped with the shadows of the buildings, instantly blocking out most of the originally large area of direct sunlight at the intersection.

"Oh?"

Polpo chuckled with amusement, looking at the screen:

"This is going to be interesting."

The Black Sabbath didn't attack earlier because the sunlight was blocked, but now that sunlight is temporarily obscured by the clouds in the sky, turning the entire intersection into a realm of shadows.

In other words, Black Sabbath is about to take action.

Polpo immediately turned his slightly expectant gaze to the monitoring screen on the computer.

However, he couldn't actually see the Stand battle.

Because what he is looking at now is surveillance footage, and the surveillance camera is not Stand User, it cannot capture those Stands formed from spiritual energy.

At this moment, Polpo couldn't even see his own Black Sabbath.

However, even so, he could deduce the battle situation from the actions and expressions of Bucciarati and others:

First, the instant the clouds blocked out the sunlight, Bucciarati and the others instinctively jumped backward to avoid them.

It was clear that Black Sabbath had resumed its activities.

It roamed freely in the shadows that had expanded to an enormous size, hunting its prey like a hungry wolf on a moonlit grassland.

Soon, the panicked look on Fugo's face told Polpo that he was the first prey targeted by the Black Sabbath.

In this vast shadow, he had nowhere to hide or conceal himself, and could only watch helplessly as the monster in the shadows pounced on him.

But then...

"Fugo!!"

Narancia let out a roar that was clearly very powerful just by looking at his mouth, and then he pushed his companion away without hesitation, standing in front of the Black Sabbath himself.

As a remotely controlled surrogate, Black Sabbath is not very intelligent.

He doesn't specifically target any particular objective; he only prioritizes attacking the mission objective that is closest to him.

Thus, Narancia, who had sacrificed himself for others, immediately took the place of his companions and was entangled by the Black Sabbath lurking in the shadows.

It emerged from the shadows and clamped Narancia's legs with its arms, which contained immense strength.

Narancia immediately lost his balance and fell heavily to the ground.

His legs twisted and deformed instantly under the immense force of the grip, and Polpo could hear the sound of bones shattering and flesh tearing even through the screen.

"Narancia!"

The crowd let out a heart-wrenching roar.

Bucciarati, Giorno, Fugo, three companions with power-type Stands, immediately rushed forward.

They each summoned their own Stands, allowing Steel Chain Fingers, Gold Experience, and Purple Haze to simultaneously pull and stop Black Sabbath from emerging from the shadows.

However, even in a three-on-one situation, the Black Sabbath's power, amplified by the shadows, is not at a disadvantage.

It was engaged in a tug-of-war with the three stand-ins, a struggle using Narancia's body as the "rope".

Narancia's legs were pulled so hard during the struggle that they were almost broken, and blood gushed out.

Seeing this, Abbacchio, whose strength was insufficient, could only step forward and use his Moody Blues to do his part.

Certainly

From Polpo's perspective, all he could see were four men standing side by side, their faces contorted as they yelled at the air.

However, this comical scene did not make him laugh out loud; instead, it aroused a strong sense of vigilance in him.

Because the surveillance cameras were blocked.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the four people who came to help —Bucciarati, Giorno, Fugo, and Abbacchio— formed a human screen, completely blocking Narancia from the camera's view.

Polpo could only see the bloodstains spreading across the ground, but he could not see Narancia's body.

"One second, two seconds, three seconds, four seconds. Narancia has been 'disappeared' from the screen for so long. Could it be that they are trying to take this opportunity to let Narancia escape?"

"The fact that the blood is still flowing into the distance means that Narancia's injured body is definitely still there."

Polpo was like an audience member watching a magic show, diligently searching for every possible flaw in the scene.

However, what disappointed him, but also reassured him was...

After disappearing from the surveillance footage for more than 5 seconds, Narancia reappeared on Polpo's computer screen.

By this time, the clouds had already drifted away from the sky.

The sunlight shone down again, and the Black Sabbath, which had been struggling against Stands like Steel Chain Fingers, melted away.

Bucciarati and his team achieved a brief victory.

Narancia's legs had already been crushed during that painful stalemate.

He lay there, barely alive, in a pool of blood, his eyes empty and numb, as if he had lost his mind in the agony.

"It is indeed him."

Polpo carefully observed Narancia's condition and confirmed that this was not a trick:

His body was still trembling, and his wounds were still bleeding; he was clearly alive.

Moreover, even if they could magically disappear from this surveillance, they still wouldn't be able to find Polpo hiding a kilometer away.

It's no exaggeration to say that he is absolutely safe now.

"Very good."

Polpo nodded in satisfaction, his gaze still fixed on the surveillance footage.

And what happened next was pretty much as he had guessed:

Bucciarati and the others helped the injured Narancia to his feet, then carefully hid in the sunlight, not daring to move or leave.

Soon, the third Black Sabbath sent out by Polpo arrived at the scene and stood in the shadows to confront them.

"Good, you'd better stay here obediently!"

Polpo felt increasingly confident of victory.

However, knowing his old subordinate Bucciarati well, he remained vigilant.

He stared intently at the computer screen, taking in every move Bucciarati and the others made.

Time passed second by second in this silent and tense standoff.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes

Polpo was so engrossed in watching the surveillance footage that he didn't even notice the movements around him.

Until this point

Bang bang bang!

Someone knocked heavily on his car door.

"Who?!"

Polpo seemed to wake up as he raised his head and looked out the car window.

Outside the car window, there was only a young man's angry face and a "toy airplane" pointing a miniature machine gun at his chest.

"Mr. Polpo."

Sweat beaded on Narancia's forehead, and his eyes burned with rage.

"I've found you."