Dreams and Life

Inside the waiting hall.

Prosciutto was not shocked when Li Qing Sin soared into the air and passed through the wall.

The intelligence indicated that Li Qing possessed a certain ability to move quickly over long distances, which was precisely why he insisted on bringing Pesci, a rookie, into the fray.

The Beach Boy is a stand-in with immense potential; once he catches a fish, there's absolutely no chance of it escaping.

Therefore, Prosciutto believed that Li Qing was not going to escape.

And reality did not disappoint his faith in Pesci.

As Li Qing fled, the fishing line quickly straightened, from a curve to a straight line, and finally became a taut, transparent string.

The string is not broken.

"It's a success!"

After a brief moment of shock, Pesci's face lit up with delight:

"Brother Prosciutto, my Beach Boy has kept that bald guy."

"He's just 50 meters away, in that direction... at the train platform!"

"And"

Pesci carefully felt the strong vibrations coming from the fishing line.

Although he couldn't see clearly through the two walls, he could vaguely sense the enemy's condition by looking at the fishing line:

"Haha, that guy looks like he crashed into the platform."

"Judging from the speed and force of this vibration, he must have been seriously injured!"

"Very good."

Prosciutto's gaze held a timely hint of admiration:

The Beach Boy's fishing hook not only pierces deep into the target's flesh, but he can also remotely sense the enemy's presence according to Pesci's wishes, adapting flexibly and diving in as needed.

Even if you cut off hands or feet, it won't matter; that venomous hook will definitely burrow back into the human body immediately.

And

"Given Li Qing's current physical condition, he probably can no longer accurately lock onto targets using his senses."

"If that locating beam misses, let alone escaping the station, it will be very difficult for him to even make short-distance movements within the fishing line area using his mobility ability."

"Li Qing is now like a fish that can't escape!"

Prosciutto did not hesitate for a moment.

He left Pesci behind and turned toward the ticket gate leading to the platform:

"Pesci, he can only move within a 50-meter radius of you now."

"As long as you hold the fishing rod firmly and stand still, Li Qing's room to move will become very limited."

As they walked, Prosciutto didn't forget to earnestly instruct Pesci:

"I'm going to the platform to grab that box. You stay here and don't move."

"Big brother, wait!"

Pesci swallowed hard.

"Are you just going to leave me here alone in the waiting room?"

"Li Qing's companions are outside. If they come in now..."

Prosciutto's steps suddenly faltered.

He turned around, his eyes not filled with anger or impatience, but with a depth as vast as the ocean:

"Indeed, Li Qing's companions could come in to provide support at any time."

"Even though my the Grateful Dead has set up a 'defense line' covering the entire station, I cannot rule out such risks."

"But so what?"

"I've already told you everything I need to say. Do I have to repeat myself?"

Prosciutto's voice was powerful and resonant, each word piercing deep into the soul:

"It's time to show your true colors!"

"Bessie, Bessie Bessie, promise me—"

"No matter what happens, even if your hands are chopped off or your feet are severed, you must not let go of your fishing rod!"

"Yes"

Pesci's response remained as weak as ever.

But he still unconsciously gripped the fishing rod tightly, very tightly.

"I'm leaving this place to you."

"Wait for me for one minute. If I don't come back with the box in one minute..."

The calm voice rippled slightly:

"You come here!"

Prosciutto walked toward the platform without looking back.

Only his back was left behind.

Train platform.

Li Qing maintained his usual calm demeanor.

But at this moment, his heart was actually convulsing like an electrocuted pig on a slaughter line.

Even though his body had just aged, he wasn't in a hurry to run away. Instead, he stood there confidently, making sarcastic remarks to the enemy, displaying a truly arrogant demeanor.

But this is really not because he's being reckless.

On the one hand, as a reconnaissance vanguard, Li Qing's duty was to obtain as much intelligence about the enemy as possible during the first contact.

On the other hand, Li Qing is confident in his mobility skills, so even if he can't win a fight, he can always run away.

And now, unexpectedly...

The Echoes Act, which had never gone wrong before, was broken by a tiny fishhook.

We got the intelligence, but the person didn't escape.

"This is outrageous!"

Li Qing's expression flickered slightly.

The sharp fishhook, like a maggot clinging to a bone, slowly burrowed into his flesh.

The fishing line stretched taut and slender, putting Li Qing in a shackle he could not escape.

What's worse, what's even more suffocating, is...

My health points?!

Li Qing was horrified to discover that his health points had dropped to only 40%.

When he took off from the waiting hall, he still had more than 90% of his health. But after flying over two walls and landing on the train platform, he lost more than half of his health!

In other words, that collision on the platform just now cost him most of his life.

This is an incredible thing:

Indeed, given the speed of the Echoes Act, which surpasses that of a high-speed train, a plane crash mid-flight would certainly be very painful.

But Li Qing knew his body very well, and he knew that his "armor" attribute should be far higher than that of ordinary people.

This impact would normally have cost him some health, but it shouldn't have caused him such a high level of fatal damage, unless...

"Am I getting 'brittle'?"

Li Qing pinched his withered and emaciated arm with a grim expression.

The loose flesh no longer showed any trace of its former steel-like hardness.

With just a little effort, a shocking bruise would appear on that withered, yellow skin.

Even though the wound would disappear instantly under the effect of data processing, this small action, which would normally be completely ignored, now actually caused Li Qing to lose health points.

That's right, he's old, too old to take a beating.

As his strength and speed declined significantly due to excessive aging, his defense also dropped to a level comparable to, or even inferior to, that of an ordinary person.

What's even more terrifying is...

Li Qing's once-proud hearing has deteriorated.

Although he was still better than the average person, he could still faintly hear the sound of a train rolling on the tracks in the distance, and hear the painful groans of a few passersby in the vicinity as they aged, but that was all.

As the body ages and is further affected by the Grateful Dead, that mystical "sixth sense" gradually disappears.

Previously, Li Qing could perceive space and outlines through sound, but compared to normal people, he could not see colors and details—aside from not being able to see chakra, the effect was actually similar to the Byakugan.

But now, Li Qing has gradually gone from a "Blind Monk" to a "blind man".

Forget about fighting, if this continues, he'll even have difficulty walking.

"What to do?"

"With that fishing line I can't get rid of, I have no way to leave now."

"I was so weak that I had no power to resist, but the enemy was about to come from the waiting room, which was only fifty meters away."

"I was only focused on protecting the box, and my phone in my pocket just broke and I lost contact. I don't know how long it will take for Giorno and the others to arrive and provide support."

The situation suddenly reversed like an overturned hourglass, and Li Qing was caught off guard and placed in a situation where he had no chance of survival.

At that moment, a series of hurried footsteps could be heard from the waiting room.

Prosciutto is coming.

It's only 50 meters; you can finish it in a few seconds if you run fast.

Time is running out for Li Qing.

But he can't do anything now because he has lost his "superpowers".

Li Qing could only move slowly and aimlessly in the darkness, carefully exploring the terrain and trying his best not to fall off the platform.

This is of course futile.

Before he could take more than a few steps, Prosciutto had already run up to Li Qing.

Li Qing's unsteady gait was reflected in Prosciutto's eyes, but the measured man did not let his guard down at all because of the enemy's miserable state.

"Li Qing."

"You really have gotten old."

"Even the hardest stone will weather over a thousand years, and someone as powerful as you cannot withstand the erosion of time."

Prosciutto cautiously approached with his double, while simultaneously trying to disrupt Li Qing's mind with words:

"There's no way you can beat me right now."

"Look at your broken body and your pitifully short life."

Observing Li Qing's old and withered body, and the greatly reduced health bar above his head, Prosciutto continued to move forward boldly.

The box that Li Qing was clutching tightly in his hand also caught his attention at that moment.

"Isn't the feeling of aging terrifying?"

"You gave us a condition before, and now I'll give you one in return:"

Prosciutto drew closer.

With his extremely imposing voice:

"Give me what you want, and I might spare your life."

"Give you what you want?"

Li Qing's voice had become very old:

Is this the box?

"Hand over this box and I'll save my life, right?"

For Li Qing, this box was actually not important.

Because he doesn't love money; money has no meaning for him.

What's more, this money is in-game currency from the "game world".

But this box is more than just money.

It is a crucial mission item:

Only by obtaining this inheritance, which controls the organization's financial lifeline, can they truly control the organization, and only then can Giorno truly become a mafia superstar.

A gangster superstar, that's Giorno's dream.

Driven by this dream, Giorno risked his life without hesitation and embarked on a journey with Li Qing, whom he had just met.

And now, his companion's dream, his own life...

These two options have surprisingly become a choice.

"Hello"

Just as Prosciutto was about to close in, Li Qing suddenly asked out of the blue:

"If there were a well gushing lava in front of you, would you jump in to save someone you've only known for half an hour?"

"Um?"

Prosciutto's approaching figure did not stop.

But he still instinctively replied, "Of course not."

I didn't know how to do it before either.

Li Qing silently put the box back into her pocket and carefully packed it away.

He raised his head, his cloudy eyes shining brightly:

"If you want the box, kill me first."