A Failed Retreat

Li Qing is moving forward with unwavering determination.

Contrary to his outwardly confident and certain demeanor, he was actually aware that his current situation was somewhat dangerous.

Because his aging process was accelerating.

Despite Li Qing's current imposing presence, resembling a reincarnation of Lian Po, he is actually a patient suffering from a serious illness.

His physical functions are declining every second. If he doesn't seize this opportunity to finish the job quickly, he will eventually grow old to the point where he can hardly move and is at the mercy of others.

Therefore, Li Qing launched a full-scale attack on Pesci.

The two were getting closer and closer, and Pesci's strength was no longer able to effectively hinder him.

If Li Qing can get the ice from Pesci, he will have the confidence to stay here and face the enemy head-on.

However.

"Big brother, save me!"

Pesci shouted in a panic.

But this urgent cry for help did not receive an immediate response:

"Big brother, big brother, where are you?"

"Help me!"

Two cries for help went unanswered.

But just as Li Qing was a few meters away from defeating Pesci, a figure suddenly darted out from the waiting area next to him.

"His companions have shown up?"

Li Qing abruptly stopped his all-out charge.

He instinctively twisted his fist, turning his still-powerful Riot Games towards the man who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

However, at this crucial moment, Li Qing's Riot Games hesitated instinctively.

Because of that man, no, I should say that old man.

His heart and blood flow had become incredibly slow due to aging, and his life seemed to be running out of steam at any moment.

This guy showed no murderous intent whatsoever; he didn't look like an enemy at all, but rather like an old, demented passerby.

Li Qing instinctively didn't want to attack such an innocent and vulnerable person, so before his mind could even process it, his body unconsciously stopped moving.

The old man, meanwhile, shuffled towards them, muttering incoherently to himself.

"Hey, hey, please help me."

"Please, please save me. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"I usually love eating greasy meat, but now I don't want to touch it at all. I want to eat something light."

He was babbling incoherently, vaguely reaching out his hands to Li Qing for help.

They look rather pitiful.

"Get out of here!"

Li Qing didn't have time to waste on this guy who already had dementia:

"Get lost, or I'll treat you to meat later!"

He waved his hand, trying to shoo the annoying old man away.

But the old man's brain seemed to have aged to the point that he couldn't understand human speech. Faced with Li Qing's fierce expression, he stuck to him like a con artist trying to extort money.

Finally, the old man's hand touched Li Qing's body.

A terrifying humanoid clone covered in eyes suddenly appeared before Li Qing:

"The Grateful Dead!"

Then, in the next instant.

Li Qing's body was visibly withering and shrivelding.

The aging process was accelerating at an alarming rate; his body aged to the point of resembling a dried-up corpse in a mere second.

"What?!"

Li Qing exclaimed in surprise, even the voice he uttered sounded incredibly old:

That dying old man was actually the real person!

The enemy's Stand ability can actually be used on themselves.

He kept pretending to be an old passerby, hiding nearby, and even fooled himself with his confused and pitiful appearance.

Li Qing felt a chill run down his spine. He immediately slapped away the strange old man's hand and then staggered back a few steps.

"Oh? You still have the strength to break free?"

"If my the Grateful Dead directly hits the target, it will greatly accelerate the aging process."

"Most people would be too exhausted to stand after being hit, but you can still retain physical strength similar to that of a healthy person."

"You're a monster, Li Qing."

The old man's cloudy eyes gradually turned sharp and cold.

His hunched back began to straighten rapidly, and his withered flesh instantly regained its fullness.

In just a short moment, the emaciated old man transformed into a tall, handsome young man.

"Brother Prosciutto!"

Pesci narrowly escaped death and was so moved she almost cried.

"You... you've been hiding right beside me all along!"

"Thank goodness my older brother was there, I was almost..."

He instinctively wanted to vent his fear, but Prosciutto glared at him fiercely.

"Shut up!"

"You're such a spoiled brat, Pesci."

"Why did you just ask for help? You were alerting the enemy, you know that!"

"Only a pathetic creature cries for help. I don't want to hear such weak words from your mouth again."

Prosciutto was giving his underlings a lesson in the essentials of being a rogue.

Pesci nodded timidly a few times, while Prosciutto immediately turned his murderous gaze to Li Qing:

"Li Qing, your body is indeed extraordinary."

"But that's where it ends."

"Accelerated aging has reduced you, this monster, to a level similar to that of an ordinary person."

"Before long, you will be just like those passersby, so old that you can barely walk."

"And your companions who are waiting outside the station probably won't be able to come and rescue you in time."

"It's all over."

Prosciutto slowly stepped forward.

The double, whose body was covered in eyes, the Grateful Dead, standing guard tightly in front of him like a loyal protector.

The speed at which the Grateful Dead was not fast, but it was not far from the speed at which he died, compared to the current aging and deteriorating Li Qing.

Its power (panel strength B) far surpasses that of Li Qing at this moment.

In other words, Prosciutto doesn't need to use any tricks now; he can simply push forward and quickly end the battle.

"We are the victors."

"Li Qing, you have nowhere left to go!"

Prosciutto and the Grateful Dead pressed forward together.

They are about to break through Li Qing's already fragile defenses, seize his billions in wealth, and take his life.

However, at this critical moment...

"That's right, I really can no longer confront you head-on."

"But, there's nowhere to go? Haha."

Li Qing suddenly raised his arm, and a glint of light shone from his withered Riot Games:

"Sonically Enhanced Wave!"

A dazzling white light shone in the air.

There was no time to stop it; it quickly pierced through the air, disappeared into the wall, and flew away into the distance.

Li Qing had been keeping his skills hidden so that he could "strategically shift course" at any time.

He had been using his hearing to pinpoint a passerby who was standing motionless outside the station, lost in thought.

Even though his hearing had deteriorated rapidly just seconds before, he was still 90% confident that he could use his memory to make the Sonically Enhanced Wave hit its target.

As expected, the result did not disappoint.

Li Qing's Sonically Enhanced Wave successfully hit the target nearly 300 meters away.

Such a long range of ability not only ensures that the enemy cannot catch up with him, but also allows him to get out of the influence range of the enemy's Stand in one fell swoop.

With such flexible and powerful movement ability, Li Qing can practically go wherever he wants.

Goodbye, both of you.

"I'll go borrow some ice first, we'll continue later."

Li Qing smiled at Prosciutto without any fear.

As he spoke, his figure vanished into nothingness, and he soared into the distance.

The speed of the Echoes Act did not slow down at all due to Li Qing's aging.

Prosciutto was powerless to stop it; he could only watch helplessly as Li Qing, carrying the trillion-dollar treasure, vanished into nothingness.

Li Qing swiftly crossed the waiting hall, through the walls, through the aisles, through the train platform next to the waiting hall, and through...

I can't wear them anymore.

Li Qing suddenly fell from mid-air.

He tripped and fell flat on his face on the train platform at an astonishing speed, almost falling into the tracks below.

Yes, Li Qing's Double Echoes Act, which he had never missed, was interrupted midway.

He didn't even manage to fly out of the station; he only flew less than fifty meters before falling halfway down and crashing into the train platform.

"How so."

"My body was completely 'ethereal' during the Echoes Act's displacement state, so how could I have been pulled down midway? Could it be..."

Li Qing's expression changed slightly.

He suddenly remembered the fishhook that had been stuck in his flesh, causing no pain or discomfort and making it feel like nothing at all.

So Li Qing immediately lowered his head and reached down to wipe his thigh:

Sure enough, the fishhook was still there.

The fishing line, taut behind the hook, pointed fifty meters away to the waiting hall where Li Qing had just fled.

The so-called "body etherealization" did not free him from the shackles of the fishhook at all.

At this moment, Li Qing understood:

Just like in the game, Echoes Act can be interrupted by various skills that force displacement.

This fishhook, generated by the Stand ability, is considered an "enemy hero skill" by the system and can affect Li Qing while he is in a displaced state.

In other words, Li Qing has no way to escape now, not even with his skills.

"This is a huge problem."

Li Qing's mood finally turned serious.

I'm rushing to finish this so I can post it early and rest for the New Year.

Happy New Year everyone!

Take care of your health, pay attention to epidemic prevention, and have a healthy 2020.