Baby Face

As Li Qing and his group hurriedly walked out of the station gate, they were completely unaware of the two hidden gazes projected from a distance.

But this does not mean they are unaware of the danger.

The distress call from Mista and the others was sufficient to explain the situation:

There were clearly still enemies lying in ambush outside the station.

Quantity unknown, capability unknown, location unknown.

These enemies could strike at any moment, in unpredictable ways, at unpredictable times—like a swarm of venomous snakes lurking in the shadows.

The bright morning suddenly lost its brightness, and the entire world outside the station seemed to be shrouded in a fog.

No one knows what else is hidden in the fog, or how much is hidden there.

However, in this perilous situation, Li Qing voluntarily abandoned the tactic of sticking together, which would have been the best guarantee of his own safety.

He proposed splitting up in an extremely serious tone:

"Let's split into three groups."

"Mista and the others are now scattered in different directions. Only by splitting up can we meet up with all our companions in the shortest amount of time."

"We are all physically fit, and we can handle even if we are ambushed."

"But if we don't reunite with Mista and the others as soon as possible, and these wounded soldiers who have completely lost their fighting ability encounter the enemy again, the consequences will be unimaginable."

The reason is very simple.

The wounded are scattered in three different directions, and unknown enemies are very likely lurking nearby.

They didn't have time to stick together and rescue people one by one, so they had to split into three groups again to carry out the rescue simultaneously.

"Okay, let's do it that way."

Giorno immediately agreed with Li Qing's assessment:

"Then I'll be in charge of the Mista area."

"Mista's injuries are the most serious, and I have to get there as soon as possible."

"Can."

Bucciarati readily and efficiently participated in the division of labor:

"I'm working with Abbacchio."

"Go and save Mista first. We'll bring Fugo and Narancia here for treatment as soon as possible."

"Then I'll go with Giorno."

Li Qing volunteered to be Giorno's bodyguard:

"Everyone's lives are now in Giorno's hands; he can't afford any more accidents."

"With me by your side, it'll be good to have someone to look after you on the road."

In this way, two of the three groups were quickly determined.

The last remaining direction is the direction in which Polnareff disappeared, and Jotaro is the only one left in charge of that direction.

Traveling alone will definitely involve greater pressure and risks.

However, when Li Qing and the others split up, they showed no intention of considering Jotaro's safety.

Because, without realizing it, in less than half a day in total, they had come to regard Jotaro as a god, a monster stronger than Dio—

After all, Dio has a weakness for light, which we can figure out if we can find a solution.

If Li Qing were to fight Jotaro now, he would rack his brains and still not be able to figure out how to break the deadlock.

Therefore, everyone instinctively believed that even if Jotaro went alone, he would be safe.

Jotaro, of course, was not unhappy about being "isolated".

"I'm going to find Polnareff."

Jotaro agreed without hesitation.

Then, as was his habit, he gently straightened the brim of his hat, turned around, and strode off with a nonchalant expression.

"Wait, Mr. Jotaro."

Li Qing called out to the guy from behind, whose face was practically screaming "Invincible":

"The capable should do more work; there's something I need your help with."

As he spoke, Li Qing pulled a blood-stained stainless steel box from his pocket.

That was an important "tool" that he had saved with his life.

This small box contains the shared dream of everyone except Li Qing himself.

"The enemy is after the boss's legacy, so we definitely need to find the most reliable person to safeguard it."

"You can keep this box with you for now."

After witnessing Star Platinum's unreasonable power, Li Qing frankly admitted that Jotaro was a stronger and more reliable being than him.

If Jotaro were to personally guard this box, Li Qing couldn't imagine how the enemy would manage to get their hands on it.

"No problem."

Jotaro readily agreed.

He took the box from Li Qing and carefully put it into his pocket.

"The box, it's that box!"

"Prosciutto told us before the war that the boss's legacy was in that stainless steel box!"

Melone observed Li Qing and the others at the station entrance from a distance, his voice trembling with excitement:

"Boss Risotto, look."

"The box was handed to the muscular man whose hair and hat were the same length."

"And judging from this, it seems that the muscular man is going to break away from the group and act alone!"

This is naturally a very unexpected piece of good news.

The number of enemies suddenly dropped from five to one.

If they can snatch the box from that one person, the Assassination Team's ambition can be realized, and the sacrifices of Prosciutto and Pesci will not have been in vain.

Therefore, Melone, who was already feeling sad and resentful about this rapidly deteriorating situation, immediately became uncontrollably agitated.

But Risotto's reaction was extremely indifferent.

While Melone was overwhelmed by this great news, Risotto maintained his most basic qualities as a leader: rationality and clarity.

"Calm down!"

Do you think this is good news?

"Do you think that your enemy can think of things that your enemy can't consider at all?"

"Or do you think these enemies who defeated the boss and Prosciutto are fools?"

Risotto frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure lurking in his calm tone:

"That tall guy wasn't even in our intelligence; everything about him is currently unknown."

"But since the enemy entrusted the box to him so confidently."

"If this isn't a trap, then it can only mean that this man possesses power that gives people absolute peace of mind."

"No matter which option you choose, the ending won't be good."

As he spoke, Risotto surprisingly sighed:

"Oh, Melone."

"I'll advise you one last time: retreat."

Risotto had already seen through the course of this war:

Prosciutto, who had the best chance of success, is dead, and there is still no news of the three men, Ghiaccio, who were sent to besiege the city and intercept reinforcements.

The enemy still has at least five members with full combat capabilities, including a mysterious character whose intelligence is unknown but who is suspected to be extremely powerful.

The odds of winning are already very slim.

With this in mind, Risotto was no longer willing to continue this war, which was almost a lost cause.

If we retreat now, at least we can save the lives of the remaining troops as much as possible.

"No, I won't retreat!"

Melone stubbornly wants to make one last attempt:

"I know the situation will be dangerous."

"So, Boss Risotto, you don't need to risk taking action yourself. Just let my Baby Face do the work!"

"That way, even if Baby Face fails, we won't suffer any losses."

He repeated his seemingly flawless logic once again.

Before Risotto could say anything more, Melone stubbornly released his Stand:

"Baby Face— "

"Hurry up, it's your turn!"

Unlike other scenes where Stands are summoned from the void, this Stand, named Baby Face, crawled over from the back seat of a car.

Because it is a special Stand that has a physical form, flesh and blood, and can be seen even by ordinary people.

The Baby Face device is actually an "incubation and prenatal education device" that looks similar to a laptop.

It can use any man's blood, combined with the body of a woman of childbearing age, to give birth to a special "baby" in just three minutes.

This "child" will grow rapidly after birth, learn quickly, and eventually become a powerful, remotely automated avatar with self-awareness.

To put it bluntly, Melone's Stand ability is to give birth.

A child born is essentially a disposable tool; once it's worn out, it can be replaced, and if it dies, no one feels sorry for it.

At that moment, the child named "Baby Face" climbed over from the back seat at Melone's call.

Its appearance is indeed hard to describe: a head full of spikes, a mouth full of sharp teeth, a short body with solid muscles, making it look as ferocious and grotesque as a miniature Cell.

However, when this terrifying-looking little monster peeked out and spoke, it showed absolutely no domineering presence; instead, it appeared somewhat timid.

"Dad."

It timidly called Melone "Dad".

Because Melone is indeed its biological father.

Unfortunately, the process of transforming Baby Face into a fighting force is extremely complicated.

Putting aside the time spent finding the mother, the forced childbirth plus "early education" alone would take at least ten minutes.

Such a long preparation time meant that Melone couldn't wait until they were on the battlefield to pair up and have a baby on the spot.

He had to give birth to the "child" in advance and then complete the education and training of the Baby Face before arriving at the battlefield.

This time, things happened too suddenly, and there was too little time on the road; Melone didn't even have time to find a suitable father or mother.

He had no choice but to provide paternal DNA with his own blood, and then, while stopping at a highway service area to refuel, he randomly grabbed a woman who looked to be of suitable age and in good health to be his surrogate mother.

Ultimately, this freak was born in a rather haphazard way.

"Don't call me dad!"

Melone was clearly very dissatisfied with this child, which was conceived at the last minute.

It's not that he doesn't want to be a father; the main problem is with how he raised this Baby Face.

Babies with "Baby Face" will instinctively learn their mother's behavior after birth.

Unfortunately, the woman temporarily chosen to act as the mother, despite having excellent physical qualities and a high degree of genetic compatibility with Melone, produced a remarkably powerful "child."

However, her personality was too timid and weak, which had a very bad influence on her Baby Face.

"Raise your head when you speak!!"

Melone was furious and reprimanded his "son".

If it weren't for the difficulty in finding a suitable match, he would have long ago abandoned this timid Baby Face and started over.

There was no other way; time was too tight. Considering that at least this child would be very capable, Melone simply endured it all.

How did I teach you along the way?

"You are a killing machine, understand? A killing machine has nothing to fear!"

"You were born to crush everything in your path like a steamroller; no one can withstand your butcher's knife!"

"I understand now!"

The cautious expression that instinctively showed on the Baby Face vanished instantly.

Instead, there was a kind of wild, beast-like rage.

This is thanks to Melone's later forced ideological education—

Under his instigation of his fanatical values, this Baby Face became a contradictory entity—inherently timid and cowardly, yet also violent and bloodthirsty.

"Very good... that's it."

"Believe in yourself—you are very capable and can kill anyone."

Seeing that her teaching had been effective enough to reverse the influence that wretched woman had had on the Baby Face, Melone finally calmed down a bit.

He then casually offered a few words of encouragement to the Baby Face.

Then, Melone pointed to the distant train station square.

At this point, Jotaro and Li Qing and the others had not completely separated, but Jotaro's tall and imposing figure was still easily recognizable:

"Did you see that?"

"That tall guy is your prey!"

"Hurry up and tear him to pieces like a pizza, then take what I want from his corpse!"

Melone gave the Baby Face orders in that menacing voice.

"Good!"

The Baby Face replied fiercely in a still-childish voice.

Melone's upbringing was indeed remarkably effective, to the point that this little monster, who was born with a timid nature, was now bursting out with a fierce killing intent like a tiger or a lion.

It is a predator, born to eat meat and drink blood.

The baby-faced Baby Face with such rage—

Its sharp teeth were already itching for more.

"Just wait, Dad."

"I'm going to kill that bastard right now!"

The Baby Face leaped out of the car and vanished in the blink of an eye.

PS: Substitute Panel

Stand name: "Baby Face"

Ontology - Melone

Destructive power: A

Speed: B

Range: A

Endurance: A

Precision of movement:? (depending on education level)

Growth potential:? (depending on education level)

(Computer) A keyboard-style computer with Baby Face. It can create "children" using male blood and female bodies. After birth, the children begin to learn their mother's actions and Melone's commands.

(Child) Remotely automated physical stand. It can break people and objects down into extremely small cubes and recombine them into objects of a different shape. It can use this ability to disguise itself as another object.

One update today. I finally chose the Euler route, but I'll have to think about the specifics of how to use Euler more later.