Old Man in the Deep Mountains

Sam Sand is dead, and the valley returns to peace.

Giorno summoned Gold Experience and expertly treated his injured companions.

Through repeated practice and experience, his movements became as skilled as those of a top-notch surgeon.

The surgical Gold Experience without anesthesia was extremely painful, but everyone had been injured so many times that day that they eventually got used to it and became numb to it.

In this way, everyone quickly recovered and resumed their journey.

Half an hour later

"Damn it. When will this road ever end?!"

Fugo, stroking his aching legs, complained helplessly.

A person can recover completely, but a car that dies cannot be brought back to life.

Without a car as their means of transportation, the remote mountain roads they had previously chosen to avoid surveillance have become an inescapable obstacle for them.

The road winds and twists along the mountainside, stretching endlessly into the distance, seemingly without end.

The group hurried along the mountain path for over half an hour, barely managing to cross a few hills on foot.

"Let's keep going," Li Qing encouraged his companion, while not deliberately hiding the somewhat ominous truth. "I've looked at the map, and we estimate we still have dozens of kilometers to go before we can leave this valley."

"Tens of kilometers?"

Everyone's expressions were somewhat grim:

Walking dozens of kilometers not only depleted their physical strength but also wasted precious time for the attack.

The enemy is still lurking in the shadows, and the longer this drags on, the more dangerous their situation becomes.

"There's no other way." Li Qing shrugged helplessly. "Let's keep going; maybe someone will drive by."

This wishful thinking did not come true.

This remote mountain road seemed to have been forgotten by the world, with hardly any vehicles passing by from beginning to end.

Li Qing and the others climbed over what seemed like countless mountains on their own two legs.

But as far as the eye could see, there were still mountain roads, forests, and rivers. No matter how far they went, the scenery remained unchanged, as if they were forever trapped in this valley.

Finally, a glimmer of hope appeared ahead.

Just as the saying goes, "When you think you've reached the end of the road, a new path opens up," Li Qing and the others had given up their illusions and were preparing to honestly walk the dozens of kilometers of mountain road.

A house suddenly appeared beside the winding mountain road and among the dense forest.

The house was a typical European-style country villa, and it looked quite large and rather old.

The house is surrounded by tall, lush trees, and the spacious courtyard is filled with wildly growing flowers and plants. The pebbles on the stone path have been polished smooth and shiny by time, and the once bright and shiny wooden exterior walls now appear mottled and old.

People can see at a glance the glory this place once had, but at the same time, they can also sense its current desolation.

Of course, these are not the main points.

The key point is that there is a car parked in the yard, which is in very good condition and obviously usable.

"A car?" Fugo's eyes lit up. "Giorno!"

He instinctively beckoned Giorno to go up and demonstrate his skills, but Giorno cautiously refrained from doing so.

"Wait, let's observe first."

Giorno cautiously surveyed everything before him:

"How could there still be people living in this deep mountain forest? They might be enemies."

"That's true."

Fugo nodded, his expression becoming cautious.

He was almost blown to pieces by Sam Sand because he was too careless.

After some hesitation, Li Qing focused his mind and used his physical strength to detect any potential enemies in the house.

There was only one person in the room.

"Judging from the outline, it should be a male. He walks a bit slowly and is slightly hunched over. He should be quite old."

Li Qing revealed the results of his detection.

He had barely finished speaking when the owner of the house pushed open the door and came out:

Just as Li Qing had guessed, he was an elderly man who looked rather old.

He wore a very ordinary plaid shirt, his temples were gray, his back was slightly hunched, and his aged skin was dry and rough, but his blue eyes were bright and piercing.

Judging from his appearance, he was a fairly energetic old man from the countryside.

"Who are you? Why are you at my doorstep!"

The old man narrowed his eyes warily, a hint of hostility lurking within them.

This is not surprising: if so many strangely dressed young people appeared at his door early in the morning, any normal person would be wary, just like him.

And Li Qing and the others did not stand on ceremony with him.

Although the old man's age had reduced the likelihood that he was the tech group's assassin to some extent, once bitten, twice shy. Li Qing and his companions had encountered far too many actors along the way, so they had to approach everything with the utmost caution.

Stop pretending!

Fugo suddenly shouted, half-frighteningly and half-trickingly, "..."

"How could anyone live in this desolate place? I bet you're a member of the technology team too!"

"Technology group? What technology group?"

The old man pointed to his full head of white hair, then to his incredibly simple plaid shirt:

"How can someone like me be associated with the word 'technology'?"

"Besides."

His temper seemed even more volatile Fugo's; his tone gradually became agitated after only a few words.

"My family has lived here for generations, and this valley has been my family's private property for over a hundred years."

"So what if it's the middle of nowhere? I live on my own land, is that so strange?"

"But it's you guys..."

As he spoke, the old man seemed to get a little angry:

"They were all dressed in a shabby, disreputable manner, and they barged into my door early in the morning saying some nonsensical things."

"What exactly do you want?!"

"Is this really your own home?"

They exchanged glances, their eyes filled with lingering suspicion.

"Nonsense!"

The old man roared angrily:

"My full Fabio del Bruni."

"Go and ask around in the nearby villages and towns. Our Bruni family has always been the owners of this valley—this valley is named after our family name!"

"That's right." Li Qing said softly to his companions, "I remember the map says that this valley is indeed called Bruni Valley."

"Del."

Fugo remembered the "Del" in the old man's name, which, in Italy," symbolized that the man had noble lineage.

"If the name is real, then his ancestors were probably as wealthy as he claims."

What does "if it's true" mean?

The old man named Fabio seemed to feel offended:

"I am a descendant of the Bruni family, is there anything to doubt about that?"

"Hmm," everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

They found themselves seemingly caught up in a pointless argument.

They had no interest in how powerful the Bruni family had been in the past, and whether the other party was a descendant of the Bruni family was none of their concern.

Even if the other party is truly an enemy, it doesn't matter.

As long as they are careful not to give the old man a chance to harm them, they can simply drive away without a care in the world.

"Mr. Fabio, please forgive our rudeness."

Giorno nodded politely in greeting, his demeanor far more elegant and refined than that of the grumpy old man who claimed to be a descendant of nobility.

"To be honest, we have something we'd like to ask for your help with—"

"Our car broke down on the road, and there were no villages or passing vehicles nearby, so..."

"No way!" Fabio rudely interrupted Giorno before he could finish speaking, "I'm not handing over the car to you shady thugs!"

"Please don't get agitated."

Giorno, without batting an eye, made a hollow promise; he was still trying to resolve the issue through dialogue.

"Please rest assured, we will definitely return it."

"Even if the car is damaged while we are in charge, we will come to your door to compensate you in cash later."

If we were still alive then

Giorno silently added a sentence in his mind.

"Pooh!"

"That sounds nice, but I think you're just trying to get something for nothing!"

"Let me tell you, Fabio's things aren't so easy to take!"

The hot-tempered old man roared with great force, making himself so angry that his face turned red.

He braced himself against the doorframe, assuming a stance as if he were going back to his room to retrieve his weapon:

"Trying to rob me, huh?"

"I advise you not to make any rash moves. I have guns at home!"

"A gun?"

Li Qing suddenly asked out of the blue:

"Do you really have a gun at home?"

"Is it a shotgun or a pistol?"

"Huh?" Fabio seemed a little confused. "The pistol? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just wanted to say thank you."

Li Qing casually tossed aside his pistol, which was already out of bullets, and said with great gratitude:

"Mr. Fabio, you've come at just the right time."

Not feeling well. Only one update today. _(:з"∠)_