Dream Realized

"Brother Risotto!"

Amidst the heart-wrenching screams, Melone's eyes quietly welled up with tears.

This deranged killer, who could normally force strange women to have his children without batting an eye, was now crying like a vulnerable ordinary person.

He knew he had been saved.

Risotto used the last of his life to build this electric path leading to victory.

The current flowed along the iron wire made from the iron inside Risotto's body, and along the conductor made from Risotto's flesh and blood, carrying Risotto's last will towards Li Qing.

Li Qing's body began to tremble under the onslaught of the electric current.

His health began to drop at a visible rate.

Risotto died from an electric shock.

Melone's eyes became even more moist.

Under his complex and unspoken gaze, Li Qing's health points continued to decline.

But... why does it feel like...?

"His health has increased?!"

The emotion Melone felt lasted only a second before it was replaced by an unprecedented shock:

He was horrified to discover that after Risotto pushed him into the fatal electric shock state again, Li Qing's health, which had already been reduced by half in the fierce battle, was instantly restored to full.

After his health points suddenly returned to full, the rate at which Li Qing lost health due to the electric shock slowed down considerably.

It was as if his tolerance to electric shocks had suddenly increased.

Or rather

His body had become stronger in every way the instant Risotto died.

"You don't really think I'd stand there motionless for a few seconds because of some so-called 'post-electrocution syndrome,' do you?"

"That paralysis only lasted for a brief moment after I was freed from the electric current; my body had already fully recovered long ago."

Despite being enveloped in electric current, Li Qing's voice remained remarkably calm.

It was as if the powerful electric current that had been enough to take his life just seconds ago was now nothing to him.

And that is indeed the case:

A few seconds ago, Li Qing had been electrocuted, felt as if he were firmly sucked in by the current in that thin wire. His muscles were paralyzed and spasming, and even waving his arms was difficult.

And now, in just a few seconds, he seems like a completely different person.

The powerful electric current only caused his body to tremble slightly, but it couldn't stop his movements.

Li Qing calmly pulled his arm back, effortlessly withdrawing the hand that had been in contact with Risotto, thus completely escaping the potentially deadly electric shock that had lasted for those few seconds.

Risotto's body crashed to the ground, and the electrical circuit he had built with his life was severed.

Li Qing stood unharmed before Melone once more, in an even more powerful and terrifying form—

He got promoted.

He was just a little bit short of leveling up, and Risotto's life filled that gap.

When Li Qing was first electrocuted, he discovered that he was not completely powerless against electric current. A normal person would be completely unable to move after being electrocuted, but his extraordinary body could still barely support him to make limited movements while in a paralyzed state.

He was also well aware that he would gain an extremely powerful physical boost with each level up.

Therefore, Li Qing was 99% certain that his body would have a stronger and more sufficient tolerance to electric current after the upgrade.

And as it turned out, he was right.

After leveling up from level 3 to level 4, Li Qing felt like he had been completely transformed.

His muscles became more solid, his bones harder, and it seemed that every cell was a dormant high-energy explosive, ready to unleash a destructive force with the slightest touch.

Faced with such an inhumanly powerful body, the electric current that could be instantly fatal to ordinary people had almost no effect in restricting their movement.

"Wh-what?"

"You weren't actually unable to move due to paralysis?"

Melone's mental state has begun to break down:

"Then why... why were you standing there letting Boss Risotto attack you?!"

He couldn't understand this shift in the situation at all.

He could only utter such useless questions incoherently to vent his horror.

"Why?"

Li Qing smiled calmly:

He could have dodged but didn't, instead risking Risotto touching him with an electric current, mainly because...

In that brief moment, Li Qing suddenly realized...

In the brief battle before, he seemed to have been on the defensive the whole time, and hadn't even touched Risotto's body.

Li Qing clearly heard that the wire on Risotto's body was rapidly approaching the electrified wire—an act tantamount to suicide.

If Li Qing hadn't caused the slightest direct harm to the target, and the target had gotten so excited that he couldn't control himself and electrocuted himself, then the kill and reward would definitely not have gone to him no matter what.

With an upgrade in sight, he certainly wouldn't stand idly by and watch Risotto squander his life like this.

So when Risotto launched a desperate charge at him, Li Qing not only didn't dodge directly, but also took the initiative to gently pat Risotto.

Although this light tap causes very little damage, as long as he does it, he can get the kill.

"Well"

Recalling these reasons, Li Qing couldn't help but sigh softly in front of Melone:

"I didn't dodge because I acknowledged your elder brother's will."

"A soldier deserves a glorious death—"

"Letting him die with hope and comfort is a decent ending."

Upon hearing Li Qing reveal his "intentions," Melone was slightly moved:

Indeed, letting Risotto die in that false hope of victory was definitely a kind of mercy.

Compared to Risotto, Melone, who has seen the cruelty of reality, will only suffer greater pain.

"I see."

"We lost from the very beginning."

Melone stared in despair at Risotto's body on the ground.

His Riot Games were clenched tightly.

A dozen seconds later, Giorno and the others arrived at the scene by car.

Yes, it was just a matter of a dozen seconds—

Li Qing had already heard the familiar engine sound coming from the other end of the bridge. He knew that his companions would arrive sooner than the enemy expected, which was one of the reasons why he dared to risk being electrocuted.

When they arrived at the scene, they only saw two enemy corpses.

One of them lay on the ground, his body charred black, but his death was still passable.

The other one was deeply embedded in the guardrail beside the bridge, causing large dents in the solid cement and steel pillars.

Before his death, it was as if he had been violently struck by an angry elephant. The incredible force not only shattered everything around him, but also ruptured his fragile flesh and blood, causing his internal organs to burst and blood to flow from his seven orifices.

The entire corpse now looked like a pile of mud, as if all the bones inside had been completely shattered.

This is undoubtedly a very cruel way to die.

Such force is unnecessary for killing someone.

"This"

Looking at Melone's horribly mutilated state, everyone's expressions were slightly strange.

"It's all because I didn't control my strength well."

"That guy is pretty strange—he was always panicked and afraid when his teammates were around, but after his teammates died, his killing intent became stronger."

"He seemed to be in a good mood, like he was hiding some trump card, so I accidentally used all my strength."

Li Qing explained with a hint of helplessness.

He had just upgraded and hadn't fully gotten used to his rapidly increasing power yet.

After reaching level 4, he did not gain any new skills, but all his physical abilities jumped from "B" level to "A" level.

Li Qing is now no different from a humanoid Stand with both Strength and Speed A—except for Star Platinum, of course.

So, he habitually kicked out with all his might, and Melone was instantly turned into a human cannonball.

The poor thing's body shot out uncontrollably, first carving a deep trench in the ground, and then smashing and deforming a large section of steel railing.

"You've gotten stronger again, Li Qing."

Giorno quickly discerned something from Melone's gruesome death.

Li Qing previously fabricated stories claiming that his superpower, which was not a stand-in, was a mysterious Eastern Qigong, that he was indestructible because he had practiced "Indestructible Vajra," that the health bar on his head was "Three Flowers Gathering at the Top," and that his teammates were unharmed because "true Qi has a spirit and does not harm the good."

People reluctantly believed it.

However, this explanation is not only full of loopholes, but it also clearly cannot explain Li Qing's frequent evolution and upgrades.

However, since Li Qing was unwilling to go into too much detail about the source of his abilities, Giorno wouldn't dwell on such an unimportant matter for too long.

"Li Qing, is this the final enemy?"

He went straight to the more pressing questions.

"It should be."

Li Qing recalled the tragic display of Risotto and Melone, who were clearly driven to the brink of despair:

"Those two guys are in such a hurry to escape Venice, they must have realized that they are doomed."

"This battle is now over."

"The organization's funds and the boss's throne are still in our hands."

His voice gradually revealed a victor's joy.

"The victory is only temporary, and there will probably be other ambitious people to emerge."

"After all, Diavolo has completely exposed the fact that we have taken control of the organization, and those restless guys probably won't be able to hold out for long."

Giorno said with some concern.

"It doesn't matter."

Li Qing displayed his usual optimism:

"When soldiers come, generals will block them; when water comes, earth will dam it."

"Just like today."

The entire battle that took place today lasted only twenty minutes.

Li Qing and his group didn't even have time to find out the origins of the Assassination Team; they were simply acting in self-defense when they were robbed. These terrifyingly strong "robbers" were all wiped out just like that.

Such efficiency is undeniably high.

If this were to be circulated as "educational material for the Love Group," those ambitious individuals who are eager to make a move would probably calm down considerably.

With such a record and such power, those unruly gang leaders will no longer easily challenge the new boss's abilities.

In other words

After this battle, Giorno's dream is close to being realized.

He has practically secured his position as boss.

"Giorno".

Li Qing looked at Giorno very seriously:

"In Naples, I said it before:"

"I will use my own hands to make your dreams come true."

He hasn't forgotten the promise he made when he tricked Giorno into joining the team.

And this promise has now been fulfilled:

"Now, you can do what you want—"

"Gang-Star, we did it."

Giorno remained silent.

He took a deep breath and turned to look at the vast sea.

The sun rises over the azure sea, its newborn rays dispelling the darkness and cold, illuminating the shimmering surface of the water.

Everything was so full of life.

The whole world was completely renewed.

It is 6:21 a. m. on March 28, 1999.

This is the 47th hour since Li Qing entered the "game" the day before yesterday morning.

It was the 39th hour since Li Qing and Giorno officially formed a team and began their challenge against the most difficult dungeon in Italy.

Dungeon progress: 100%.

Main quest complete.

Boss, first stage challenge successful.

Achieve the title of "Gangster Superstar".