Tracking

Five minutes later.

With the matter on the bridge resolved, Jotaro and Polnareff immediately went to reunite with their scattered companions as agreed.

The two sides were not too far apart, so they quickly met up with Li Qing, Giorno and others who were in charge of the other direction.

The legendary healer Giorno is busy again.

Although the feeling of being hit by that golden Riot Games was still very subtle, Polnareff was very grateful to the Gold Experience for providing him with such impeccable treatment.

After the injuries were treated, everyone immediately began to tackle another problem:

It was a corpse that Jotaro and Polnareff had casually brought over.

This is the body of a "child," whose entire body is charred black and unrecognizable.

Even though it was roasted into a charcoal, Li Qing and the others could still clearly see the sharp teeth and claws that this "child" possessed—teeth that were definitely not human.

In other words...

"This little monster appeared out of nowhere next to you, and then inexplicably got burned to a crisp?"

Hearing such an unbelievable story, Li Qing became even more confused:

"What exactly happened?"

"Since it can sneak up silently, why doesn't it just launch a sneak attack?"

We don't know either.

Polnareff's expression was very strange.

A rare look of bewilderment appeared in Jotaro's eyes as he stood to the side.

When they discovered the little monster, it was already a humanoid torch dancing in the flames.

How this guy appeared before, and why he hid in that obviously leaking oil car, remains a complete mystery.

And there was always a hideous little monster lurking quietly beside them.

It feels like suddenly finding a cockroach in your usually clean home; thinking about it carefully, it's actually quite chilling.

"Although I don't know exactly what happened, this guy probably is some kind of Stand as well."

"However, it's strange—normally, a Stand disappears and disintegrates after being defeated, but this one left behind a real corpse."

"I felt something was off, so I brought it here."

Polnareff explained it carefully.

Then, with a hint of anticipation, he turned to Giorno and asked:

"Giorno, if I remember correctly..."

"Does your Gold Experience also have some kind of tracking ability?"

Although the two sides had only officially met for less than half a day, as officially formed partners, Li Qing and the others exchanged information about their Stands with Polnareff in order to fight side by side better.

Therefore, Polnareff vaguely knew that the Gold Experience could transform a part of an object into an animal, and these animals would automatically seek out and try to return to the original whole.

For example, in the Gold Experience, a tooth is turned into a fly, and the fly will automatically track down the human who originally owned that tooth.

And Stands are, in theory, also a part of Stand User.

Using the corpse of a Stand as raw material, the created animals might be able to help them find the Stand User hiding in the shadows.

"I see."

"Mr. Polnareff's thinking is indeed very thoughtful."

Giorno nodded in agreement:

"I can give it a try, but..."

"This double has been dead for several minutes; the enemy couldn't possibly be unaware of this."

"Even if we can use Gold Experience to track them down, the enemy might have already escaped from the vicinity by the time they realize they've failed."

"The chances of catching up are slim."

"It is enough that it 'may' exist."

After hearing these words, Li Qing's attitude was quite optimistic:

"The enemy may not yet be aware that we possess such tracking capabilities—"

"Giorno only came into the Passion Organization's sights the day before yesterday. Even if they have some information about him, at most they know that Giorno can create life and heal injuries."

"The enemy will certainly have no way of knowing about abilities like 'tracking the original body' that have never been shown before."

"If the enemy still feels that their whereabouts have not been exposed and they can still hide perfectly in the shadows, then they probably won't be in such a hurry to escape the scene."

"If we seize the time to start the pursuit now, there should still be a considerable chance."

Li Qing's idea resonated with everyone.

Polnareff, who had initially approached the matter with a "just trying it out" attitude, suddenly became serious:

"Alright, let's begin now."

"The car is parked in the parking lot near the train station. I'll go back and get it now."

"Chasing them directly in a car would be more effective."

Polnareff immediately volunteered to go back and get the car.

Li Qing's performance was even more radical:

"It will probably take you a while to pick up your car."

"I'll just go ahead and leave now."

As he spoke, Li Qing tensed all his muscles.

Indeed, his full-speed running was astonishing enough that he could quickly pursue the enemy without a car.

The longer the time drags on, the farther the enemy may escape. If a pursuit is possible, it should be launched as soon as possible.

But clearly, Li Qing was the only one who could pursue the enemy on foot without using a car.

"Is everything alright?"

As Giorno used Gold Experience to shrink the Baby Face corpse into a small animal, he said to Li Qing with a hint of worry:

"Won't there be any problems if you go ahead alone?"

Although Li Qing's escape skills are indeed ridiculously strong, people not only always trust his personal safety, but have even repeatedly and openly used Li Qing as a human mine-clearing device.

But the battle at the train station earlier had already shown...

If you do too many dangerous things, you might actually die.

"It doesn't matter."

Li Qing, however, was not worried about this at all.

Giorno watched him with concern, but he was completely focused on observing the swallows that had been transformed from the corpses of the Baby Face.

As soon as these swallows were born, they began to flap their wings unconsciously and collectively turned their heads in a specific direction.

If Gold Experience hadn't caught them in time, they probably would have flown straight away in that direction.

"Very good, it seems that Gold Experience's tracking ability is effective against enemies."

"Then let's set off right now!"

Li Qing hurriedly launched the Digitization Mode.

He casually took a swallow from Gold Experience, which could be used to chase down the enemy's main body, and then smiled at Giorno, saying:

"Don't worry, Giorno."

"The reason I was in danger at the station before was entirely because the enemy had a 'hard control' ability to interrupt my movement."

"It's not easy to find someone with this innate ability to control me."

"As long as you don't restrain yourself."

He said with great confidence:

"How could I possibly make two mistakes in one day?"

Let's go back to a short time ago.

"Help! Help!"

"I'm going to be burned to death!"

Melone, hiding far behind the screen, finally received this devastating message.

In just a few seconds, the killing machine that had been lurking, ready to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy, was now transformed into a pitiful child wailing incessantly.

Melone had been looking forward to victory, and this sudden turn of events caught him completely off guard.

"Why did it suddenly turn into this when I was about to be burned to death?!"

What exactly happened?

After a brief moment of shock, Melone, suddenly realizing what was happening, began typing rapidly on the keyboard.

He at least needs to find out what exactly happened to the Baby Face:

What exactly just happened?

"Could it be that the tall man's Stand ability is to control fire?"

"Don't kill me"

"No. That tall guy."

Although it couldn't see what was happening on the other side of the Baby Face, the intermittent messages it sent were enough to show its pain at that moment.

"Not that tall guy?"

Melone hurriedly and anxiously pressed for an answer:

"So who exactly attacked you?!"

"I have no idea."

Baby Face sent his last message while he was being burned alive.

Then, no more new messages came through the empty screen; only a lonely cursor kept blinking.

Melone knew that Baby Face was dead.

Its death brought Melone endless questions, and even a lingering fear:

"Who exactly killed it?"

"Could the enemy be hiding some even more mysterious and powerful force?"

Thinking of this, Melone couldn't help but gasp in horror:

And there it was again, another mysterious warrior who wasn't mentioned in the intelligence reports had appeared in Li Qing's team.

Despite its seemingly weak personality, the Baby Face creature's inherent strength is undeniable.

However, the "mysterious person" was able to kill the Baby Face in just a few seconds, rendering it powerless against its formidable abilities.

What incredible power!

This time, they've probably really messed with someone they shouldn't have.

"Boss Risotto"

"What should we do now?"

The thought of that mysterious enemy who could easily defeat the Baby Face made Melone feel restless and uneasy, as if she were sitting on pins and needles.

After being instantly killed, Baby Face didn't even know who killed him. As the original body, he simply couldn't convince himself not to be afraid of such an incredibly strong opponent.

In despair, Melone could only cast his bewildered gaze at Risotto beside him.

Risotto has always been the backbone of the team.

Even with the situation deteriorating to this point, his performance did not disappoint Melone:

"Don't panic."

"Baby Face failed, but at least the two of us are still safe."

"As for what to do now..."

Risotto took a deep breath.

He seemed to have been mentally prepared for this outcome, and thus appeared even calmer than when he discovered Prosciutto's defeat:

"Let's retreat, we've lost this time."

"Before Ghiaccio and his group made their move, we agreed to meet up near the station after we each won."

"So, if we can't get through to them by phone within five minutes, and we can't see them near the station..."

"Then let's just leave."

Although her voice remained calm, even the flustered Melone could hear the pessimism in her words.

"Leave directly" means that Risotto has silently accepted the worst-case scenario of Ghiaccio and the others all dying.

They are probably like Prosciutto, forever asleep in the sea breeze of Venice.

Melone certainly didn't want to see this outcome.

"Could you... could you wait a little longer, maybe five minutes?"

He asked, his voice trembling slightly.

"It would be pointless to wait any longer."

Risotto's voice was cold and heavy.

Melone was speechless; he didn't know what else he could say.

He could only try his best to suppress the wave of despair surging in his heart, and then silently took out his phone from his pocket and began to try to call Ghiaccio, Illuso and Formaggio.

The call was made, but all three phones were switched off.

If Ghiaccio and the others hadn't idly turned off the power, there would only be one possibility—these phones would have been damaged in the battle.

"Damn it. Damn it!"

Although I wanted to tell myself that only the phone was damaged, and that my companions were fine.

But Melone isn't stupid; he can't fool himself.

It's important to know that the duration of a Stand battle is always calculated in seconds.

The time it takes for an ordinary person to make instant noodles is enough for Stand User to kill several people.

Since Ghiaccio and his group have been out on the mission for so long without sending back any news, it can only mean that they are no longer coming back.

"Let's go, it's time."

"There's no point in waiting any longer."

Risotto's voice rang out coldly.

His tone was so cold, as if he didn't care at all about his companion's death.

But Melone knew that Risotto was a most qualified team leader. He would always point his companions in the right direction when they were most desperate, instead of letting useless emotions affect the overall situation.

"All right."

Melone understood Risotto's good intentions:

The Assassination Team had already failed, and he didn't want Melone, his only remaining subordinate, to also perish in vain.

"Let's leave."

Melone started the car in disappointment and despair.

The car slowly started, turned a corner on the street, and began to return along the same route they had come from.

The atmosphere inside the car was heavy, but at least the evacuation seemed to be proceeding very safely.

The car drove away from the station and out of the street, and nothing happened along the way.

Soon, the car was on the bridge connecting the island of Venice to the European mainland.

This bridge is the only way to enter and exit the island of Venice. The Assassination Team had previously crossed this bridge with great ambition to come to Venice to pursue their dreams.

Unfortunately, no one could have predicted it.

When they stepped onto the bridge again, this was the scene they found.

As the island of Venice receded into the distance, those ancient and beautiful buildings, like their ambitions and dreams, gradually became blurred and vanished.

Even though it was daytime with the sun just rising, Melone felt as if the road ahead was shrouded in darkness.

Sitting in the still spacious carriage, he suddenly felt a little breathless.

Or perhaps in an attempt to clear his head amidst this immense despair and grief, Melone couldn't help but roll down the car window, letting the chilly morning sea breeze slap hard against his face.

His grief seemed to resonate with nature.

Not only was the sea breeze very strong, but a bird even leaped down from the sky and flew straight into the open window.

This little bird truly seemed like an angel sent from heaven to comfort Melone.

As soon as it flew into the carriage, it fearlessly landed on Melone's shoulder and even affectionately rubbed its feathers against Melone's cheek.

It was as if it had been born to recognize Melone as its master.

"Swallow"

"So Venice has such beautiful swallows too."

Perhaps due to his deep depression, this deranged killer who frequently forced women to give birth was now gazing at a swallow with the air of a poet.

This little swallow that fell from the sky seemed to be the only solace he could find in this atmosphere of despair.

Then, just as Melone was lamenting the passing of spring and the swallows...

Risotto, who was standing next to him, suddenly shouted:

"Quick, Melone— "

"Quickly throw this swallow out!"

"What?"

At that moment, Melone even detected panic in Risotto's voice:

He had no idea what was happening.

Only then did he subconsciously divert a moment of attention from driving, and then reach out and catch the swallow to take a look:

It was on this harmless little swallow.

There was a strange mark that was shimmering and glowing.

One update today.