The Last Life

The situation in a Stand battle can turn around at any moment.

The closer we get to victory, the less we can afford to be careless.

This is the experience Prosciutto accumulated through many battles.

So even though he was incredibly tempted by the box, he didn't rush in to rob it; instead, he cautiously approached step by step.

During those few short seconds, Prosciutto kept observing.

Observe Li Qing's will and his body.

Li Qing, however, was unusually energetic and had a will so strong that he didn't seem like an old man with one foot in the grave at all.

However, compared to his burning fighting spirit, his physical condition wasn't quite up to par:

The skin, covered with age spots, had begun to turn from yellowish to grayish, and the withered, shrunken muscles clung tightly to the bone like a burnt chicken leg.

Especially those intermittent and extremely weak breaths, the difficulty in panting, that's something no acting skill can portray.

Prosciutto finally realized that Li Qing was indeed getting old.

He's so old he can barely walk, and his hearing has deteriorated to the point of losing its special ability; he probably doesn't have any more trump cards left.

"The Grateful Dead!"

Prosciutto finally took a step closer.

The Grateful Dead, the sinister stand-in covered in eyes raised its Riot Games high at Li Qing at that moment.

The Riot Games moved slowly, but the force of the punch was visible to the naked eye.

But this punch contained the power to travel far and wide. With the support of this immense force, the Riot Games moved as slowly as a mountain pressing down.

This is especially true for Li Qing, who is now old and frail.

He had no chance to fight back at all.

Li Qing was struck directly in the chest and abdomen by the punch, and his hunched back arched high from the impact.

This aging body trembled violently, like a tractor, its fragile bones pulling at its dry skin, as if it might fall apart at any moment.

Li Qing's remaining health, which was only a little over 40%, was reduced to just 21% by this punch.

He is so fragile right now.

But

"He didn't fall to the ground?"

Prosciutto an eyebrow:

He originally thought Li Qing would collapse to the ground after that punch, but the opponent's performance was far more tenacious than he had imagined.

Even though he had aged to the point of resembling a dried-up mummy, Li Qing still persevered and did not collapse.

He desperately protected the box in his pocket, bracing himself to stop his staggering body and withstand the tidal wave of impact from that punch.

Then, Li Qing struggled to steady himself.

He gathered all his strength into one and charged headlong at Prosciutto with all his might.

This isn't a hidden trump card, nor is it any kind of trick.

It's just a matter of fighting desperately with sheer willpower.

"I see."

Prosciutto understood Li Qing's spirit of preferring to die rather than live in dishonor.

He knew that the edge of the platform was not far behind him, and he could clearly hear the sound of trains whistling on the railway.

"You want to bump into me and fall onto the tracks with me, right?"

"Even in this situation, they're still trying to fight back, wanting to use the incoming train to take me down with them."

"That's quite an impressive level of awareness, Li Qing!"

Prosciutto's gaze held a newfound respect.

Even an enemy will always be respected by a man of conscience.

"As expected, the person who can defeat the boss is definitely not simple."

"Your will is strong enough."

"It's just a pity that I'm still a little short of strength."

Prosciutto's remark echoed on the platform, but it was quickly drowned out by the increasingly loud whistling of the train.

And Li Qing did indeed crash into him.

But the speed is too slow, as if someone is watching a video at 0.5x speed.

When you get old, you get old. Even if you risk your life with all your might, you can't possibly encounter a young person who is agile and nimble.

Li Qing's desperate charge was not frightening at all, but rather pitiful and pathetic, like Don Quixote charging at a windmill.

"The Grateful Dead!"

Another powerful punch that couldn't be avoided.

Li Qing's figure, which had been rushing towards him, suddenly stopped.

The health bar dropped to 1%, and only a last sliver of stubborn red remained in the long rectangle.

Li Qing still stood there, standing before the Riot Games had led to his the Grateful Dead, standing before Prosciutto who seemed within reach.

"It's all over."

Prosciutto sighed softly.

Even if he doesn't make a move now, the fishhook that's already burrowed into Li Qing's waist and abdomen will soon take away his pitiful life.

The battle is finally coming to an end:

"Die!"

"I absolutely will not hold back—"

"This is the greatest respect I can show you."

Prosciutto's gaze sharpened.

The Grateful Dead, channeling all his strength into a single punch, which he aimed with all his might at Li Qing's chest and abdomen.

This punch.

What was sprayed was blood.

Li Qing's health bar vanished instantly, the last 1% turning into a phantom.

The withered, yellow skin on his chest and abdomen was suddenly torn apart by the heavy punch.

The Riot Games that led to his the Grateful Dead wasn't strong enough to pierce through a human body, but Li Qing's flesh and blood were severely aged, and his skin was as fragile and easily cracked as paper.

Therefore, with this full-force punch, a Riot Games- shaped gash was blasted open in his abdomen.

The light in Li Qing's eyes dimmed.

He collapsed to the ground, bleeding profusely.

Breathing stopped instantly, the body ceased trembling, and life came to an end.

"Take care."

Prosciutto silently glanced at Li Qing's body:

The "indestructible" body has reverted to a fleshly body that can be injured and bleed, and the last remaining blood groove on its head has disappeared.

Clearly, Li Qing's life had been lost to that final punch.

He won; he assassinated everyone in the Assassination Team and achieved his ambition.

The contempt and insults that the organization and boss had inflicted on them over the years were finally shed in a glorious manner at this moment.

From this day forward, they too will become superior beings.

A slight, uncontrollable ripple stirred within Prosciutto's heart.

Of course, he didn't waste any time, and after a brief moment of reflection, he quickly regained his senses.

"The boss's legacy will be inherited by our Assassination Team!"

Prosciutto quickly bent down and groped on Li Qing's corpse to retrieve his rightful spoils.

Li Qing indeed died a heroic death.

Even after his health bar was depleted and he died on the ground, he still tightly gripped the box in his pocket before he died.

Prosciutto hurriedly tried to pry Li Qing's hand off; it still retained the warmth of his life.

Soon, the hands were pried open.

However.

Li Qing's pupils suddenly moved.

His old, weak hands instantly rose and clung to Prosciutto's body, which was so close to his.

"What?"

Prosciutto's breath hitched.

His hair stood on end, and his heart, which had been pounding with excitement from the victory, suddenly clenched.

"You're still alive?!"

At this moment, time seemed to stand still.

But Li Qing's lips, stained with blood, subtly curled into a smile:

"You're right, my body is really too weak right now."

"How could someone with such a weak body possibly be your enemy? How could they possibly push you off the platform?"

"There's no way I could get close to you, so..."

"Then you'll have to come over by yourself."

As they spoke, the hands that were resting on Prosciutto began to exert force suddenly:

"No matter how you try to control it, people will let their guard down after a victory."

"This is human nature; no one can avoid it."

"The same as you."

Li Qing pushed forward with all his might.

Although he was old, weak, and had limited strength, Prosciutto still lost his balance irreversibly in this sudden turn of events.

His body began to lean backward, falling towards the railway tracks below the platform behind him.

There was simply no time to stop it.

Because Prosciutto's eyes were now filled only with horror:

"Why?"

"I've drained you of your life force, so why are you still alive?!"

Li Qing did his utmost to drag his battered body to help Prosciutto fall.

Seeing that the other person's descent from the platform was irreversible, he gave an answer with a strained smile:

"I actually have 'two bodies'."

"I will only die if one of them is definitely dead."

"You thought you emptied my health bar by yourself, but actually I deactivated my ability myself!"

"That last punch only hit my physical body."

Li Qing had long ago discovered a very convenient characteristic about himself:

When he transitions from his physical body to his digital form, the digital body automatically consumes blood to repair the injuries on his physical body.

When he de-digitizes and returns to his physical body, he will have an unharmed body.

Regardless of the amount of blood, his physical body remains completely intact after the data is deactivated.

This means that Li Qing actually has "two lives".

When his life as a data user is about to run out, he can simply quit data-based mode and use his second life to continue fighting.

Of course, for Li Qing now, this physical body is his last life.

Because the Digitization Mode's health has been reduced to only 1%.

And his body is now suffering from this disembowelment.

If the Digitization Mode is restarted, he will immediately die from the blood loss required to repair his injuries.

In short, Li Qing is now just an ordinary person who cannot use "Stand ability".

But it doesn't matter anymore.

"I've already won!"

"I used my last life to deceive your eyes."

Li Qing did his utmost to push forward.

Prosciutto's body fell backward uncontrollably.

The train roared into the station.