Intelligence Officer

Li Qing undoubtedly seized the initiative on the battlefield.

Melone had essentially lost his fighting spirit after a series of setbacks.

Risotto, too, dared not make any rash moves. He remained silent, displaying a cold face that revealed no emotion, his eyes, filled with seriousness, constantly observing the surrounding environment.

Such actions seem like calm reflection, yet also like someone desperately grasping at straws.

Li Qing also did not intend to give the enemy any more time to "find a straw".

He suddenly tensed his muscles, Riot Games, and prepared to launch a more swift second attack on Risotto and Melone.

This time, Li Qing didn't intend to pick on Melone again.

Because Risotto has just demonstrated his Stand abilities of "Iron Creation" and "Joint Stabbing"—

While this ability cannot cause any real damage, it can effectively hinder his movements and obstruct his attacks.

Li Qing didn't want to fall flat on his face while beating someone up because of "iron hyperplasia" in his knee.

"Although it can heal completely as soon as I reach out and pull out the blade, this minor injury has virtually no impact on me."

"But if I keep repeatedly pulling out and re-pulling the razor blades like this, I will definitely get a huge headache."

"So, it seems that my best skill, close-quarters combat, is actually not very effective."

Li Qing seemed to be talking to himself, yet also using this nonchalant tone to intimidate the enemy:

"But, if I'm not mistaken—"

"I'm afraid the range of your Stand ability will be quite limited, right?"

"After all, I was chasing your car for about 20 meters, but all you did was step on the gas and accelerate, instead of using this 'creation Iron Creation's technique to remotely damage my joints."

"So, this Stand's ability range isn't even twenty meters?"

In just a few words, he basically figured out the capabilities of Metallica:

"How much is it?"

"Approximately twenty meters, fifteen meters, ten meters, or five meters?"

Li Qing wasn't just talking nonsense; he was using his "Lie Detection by Sound" ability to gather intelligence on the enemy, repeating his previous tactic.

This ability has limited effect on a cold-blooded character like Risotto, who possesses excellent mental fortitude.

However, this little trick is almost always effective against enemies like Pesci and Melone, who are either weak-willed or on the verge of despair.

Sure enough, when Li Qing casually mentioned "ten meters," Melone's heart started pounding uncontrollably again.

He probably had no idea that he had unknowingly become a traitor who betrayed his comrades.

And so, Melone once again inadvertently provided Li Qing Sin with intelligence:

"I understand now, the range of the ability is ten meters."

A malicious smile crept across Li Qing's lips.

Then, as if he were about to call a retreat and return home, he turned his head and leaped into the distance.

Don't let him leave!

Melone cried out in alarm.

Melone, who previously wished she could grow wings and escape, is now "enthusiastically" trying to keep Li Qing here.

This is because he hasn't been overwhelmed by that feeling of despair:

He could see perfectly well that Li Qing wasn't trying to let them go at all, but rather to move them out of the ten-meter range of the Metallica's capabilities.

Once Li Qing moves out of that ten-meter distance, Risotto will be completely trapped in a predicament where he is powerless to reach him.

At that time, they won't be able to outrun Li Qing in speed, they won't be able to match Li Qing in strength, and they won't be able to attack Li Qing in terms of ability.

Li Qing could stand ten meters away and keep throwing bricks at them, and they would be killed by this kind of skillless attack.

No. He doesn't even need to attack.

All he needs to do is patrol the perimeter and blockade, keeping Risotto and Melone from escaping. It won't be long before they are crushed to ashes by Li Qing's accomplices who arrive later.

Their only hope of breaking the deadlock is to deal with Li Qing as soon as possible before Jotaro and the others arrive.

In order to achieve this goal, they must not let Li Qing leave the area of his ability.

Risotto clearly understood this principle as well.

Therefore, when Li Qing Sin leaped out in an attempt to escape his range, Risotto reacted decisively and swiftly:

"Metallica!"

He used the same trick again, manipulating the iron elements in Li Qing's body to gather at his knee joint.

In a mere instant, a sharp blade pierced through flesh and bone, its edge embedding itself deeply into the articular cartilage.

Li Qing's running figure came to a sudden halt.

But it was only a slight pause.

Li Qing casually pulled out the blade, and his damaged joints quickly healed.

Risotto could only keep close behind Li Qing while continuing to make blades at Li Qing's joints.

He tried everything he could to delay Li Qing's actions.

But this still didn't have much effect.

Li Qing casually pulled out the razor blade twice, but seeing that it kept growing back, he simply gave up and left it alone.

Anyway, having a knife inside the joint doesn't cause any harm or pain. At most, it locks up the joint cartilage, preventing it from bending freely and moving flexibly.

So Li Qing simply ignored the blades.

He straightened his knees, which were studded with blades, and hopped forward in the stiff, zombie-like jumping posture of old ghost movies.

This posture is comical and ridiculous, and jumping is nowhere near as fast as running.

But no matter what, Li Qing is definitely moving forward.

Risotto and Melone could only passively follow behind.

But after only a few steps, they realized that what they were doing was pointless:

It's not that we can't catch up, it's just that even if we did, it wouldn't change the overall situation.

Because Metallica deal so little damage, even if Li Qing stood there and let them hit him, they might not be able to kill Li Qing.

If that's the case, why bother pursuing it?

Anyway, if we drag this out, Li Qing's companions will still come, and they will still die.

Thinking about this, Melone even had thoughts of despairing and waiting to die.

Risotto persisted in his pursuit, but judging from his gloomy face, he seemed helpless in the face of the current situation.

And so, this comical chase lasted for only a few seconds.

Li Qing suddenly stopped on his own for no apparent reason.

This is not because he abandoned his original tactics.

Rather, it was because he suddenly discovered during his progress that a negative status had appeared on his system panel without his knowledge:

"Asphyxia."

Upon seeing these two large, brightly colored characters, Li Qing hesitated for a moment:

It's not surprising that his digitized body often exhibits various negative states.

For example, if he accidentally ingests poison, the system will immediately convert the effects of the poison into a negative state of "poisoning," causing continuous damage to Li Qing for a certain period of time.

Similarly, "suffocation" is also a negative state.

But suffocation can be fatal for ordinary people, and even if they don't die, it can severely affect their bodily functions.

But Li Qing is different. The system has always crudely classified fatal physiological injuries such as poisoning and suffocation as negative states that can only cause blood loss.

Li Qing's bodily functions were not affected at all. The so-called "suffocation" would only cause him to lose blood slowly, and the rate of blood loss was negligible.

Therefore, the additional negative state of "suffocation" does not have a significant impact on him.

But the problem now is...

Li Qing hasn't been diving or holding his breath, so how could he suddenly suffocate?

"Could this knife be poisoned?"

Upon suddenly discovering this strange situation, Li Qing couldn't help but frown deeply.

If you don't understand, you have to ask.

Li Qing immediately turned his "eager to learn and seek employment" gaze to Melone:

"Hey, hey. Can this Stand ability really poison people?"

Melone's heart rate did not increase noticeably.

Clearly, Risotto's Stand ability itself does not have any poisoning effect.

However, he can also cause "suffocation".

"Why is that?"

Li Qing's brain was working rapidly:

"How could simply growing blades inside my body cause suffocation?"

"Blades. Iron. Could it be?!"

He suddenly realized that iron is actually closely related to human respiration.

Iron is essential for life and is a crucial raw material for producing hemoglobin.

Hemoglobin, on the other hand, is the main component responsible for transporting oxygen in blood vessels.

If the body loses too much iron, iron deficiency anemia will occur, and the first symptom will be difficulty breathing, or even suffocation.

"No way?"

Is it because of iron deficiency?

Li Qing muttered to himself in utter astonishment:

"That's impossible—"

"There are less than 5 grams of iron in the human body. Could those knives have been made from the iron in my body?"

He said these words simply as a subconscious outpouring of his confusion.

But Li Qing never expected that after hearing such absurd and illogical words...

The reliable intelligence officer, Mr. Melone, immediately answered him with a "YES" with a rapidly beating heart.

"It really is made from iron from the human body?"

"This Stand ability is to control the iron element in the human body? Is it really possible for a normal human body to conjure up so many blades?"

Li Qing's question was immediately answered affirmatively by Melone.

He's like a human version of Baidu, answering every question without any malicious ads.

"Is there really that much iron in the human body?"

"Could it be that after eating food from another world for two days, my body has mutated into a 'Predator'?"

Li Qing was shocked and exclaimed at this.

After barely accepting the fantastical premise that everyone in this world is a "bro," he immediately and cleverly thought of a question:

Even if I were to adapt to local customs and become a 'Predator' myself.

"But no matter what, the amount of iron in a person's body is limited, right? No matter how much iron is in the blood, it can't be measured in kilograms, can it?"

"In other words, that kind of 'knife inside the flesh' trick can't be played many times at all."

"And once the iron in my body is completely depleted, you will no longer be able to do anything to me—"

Li Qing pressed him with ill intent:

Am I right?

Intelligence agent Melone found it difficult to breathe.

Even Risotto, who was known for his composure and unpredictable mind, felt a jolt in his heart.

Li Qing's step-by-step analysis and the repeated exposure of intelligence seemed to disturb Risotto's state of mind, causing him to exhibit this obvious physiological reaction of involuntarily confessing.

You can't blame them for that, after all...

Once the iron in the body is depleted, there's no way to listen to him. What kind of human language is this?!

A normal person would die if their iron stores were depleted! How come it's become an advantage for you?!

Melone roared inwardly in grief and anger.

In his eyes, Li Qing was simply a monster from hell, a demon from the abyss.

Li Qing's mocking voice truly echoed like the whispers of a demon.

He calmly pulled the blood-stained blade from his body and threw it to the ground, the crisp sound of metal striking the ground providing accompaniment to his chilling voice:

"I see. Then I understand."

"I originally thought that you could use this move indefinitely, which is why I thought of staying out of your range and attacking from a distance."

"I never expected that your Stand ability would have such a large limitation."

"So much iron has just been extracted from my body, and I'm already suffocating—I'm afraid my body is almost out of resources."

He glanced at his health, which was still steadily above 90%, and felt increasingly confident.

And so, Li Qing decisively abandoned his original battle plan.

He remained where he was, then looked aggressively at Risotto, whose expression was grave:

"You don't need to bother chasing me anymore."

"As you wish, I will not run away again."

A cold, sharp smile played on Li Qing's lips as he slowly approached like a hungry tiger.

Let me take a good look—

"Will your iron run out first, or will my blood run out first!"

This is my first update today. I was a bit out of sorts while writing.