The Obstructed Judgment

Li Qing genuinely believed that Okuyasu Nijimura had something wrong with his head.

His problem wasn't stupidity, but his indifference to life.

Li Qing is a person who cherishes life. Even though he treats this world as a game, he is unwilling to kill innocent people after coming into contact with those flesh-and-blood NPCs.

While experienced killers offer little experience, the rewards of mowing down enemies are far greater than those from using a Stand in combat.

Indiscriminate killing of innocent people actually only brings him benefits.

But Li Qing always adhered to his principles.

He may be a superhuman with extraordinary abilities now, but he was an ordinary person for twenty-three years before that, so he will only habitually look at things from the perspective of an ordinary person.

As an ordinary person, I live a simple and honest life, happily and peacefully, eating hot pot and singing songs.

Then suddenly he was shot to death by some passing Stand User, chopped to death with a hand chop, poisoned by fungus, or died of old age by releasing mist. Is there any justice in this world?!

Therefore, Li Qing always tried his best not to harm the lives of ordinary people, even though those passersby were just insignificant NPCs in his eyes.

However, he later discovered that the principles he upheld were a joke in the eyes of some people.

Diavolo, Jokulrat, and a bunch of scumbags kept by the Passion Organization.

Human life is like cheap toilet paper to them; using you to wipe your butt is doing you a favor.

Is human life really that worthless?

"Okuyasu Nijimura, you should know that the probability of that arrow activating a Stand is only one percent, right?"

"Ninety-nine percent of people will die in the 'trial' after being hit by the arrow, and only one in a hundred people can live to awaken their Stand ability."

"The effects of awakened Stand abilities vary, and Stands with powerful destructive capabilities are extremely rare."

Li Qing roared at Okuyasu Nijimura rage:

"Use your pig brain to do the math: what are the odds of this plan succeeding?"

"How many people do you need to kill to find the Stand ability that can achieve your goal?"

"Okuyasu Nijimura, are you gambling with people's lives?!"

That foolish plan to kill one's father had a lower probability of success than winning the lottery.

But Okuyasu Nijimura kept buying these lottery tickets, which he almost never won, and he enjoyed it immensely—after all, it wasn't his life at stake, so he could buy as many as he wanted.

"Me, me."

Faced with Li Qing's questioning, Okuyasu Nijimura's expression turned extremely ugly.

This wasn't because he suddenly had a change of heart.

This is actually like the murderers in those legal programs. They basically don't realize they are guilty until they are caught. Once they are handcuffed to that "confess and be lenient" chair, they suddenly burst into tears and repent.

People's circumstances and their state of mind are different.

Having been reduced from predator to prey, Okuyasu Nijimura was finally able to empathize with the emotions of his victims.

"What do you mean, 'me'?"

"Think about it carefully, how many people have you killed so far!"

Li Qing continued to judge Okuyasu Nijimura's sins without any mercy.

"I have no idea."

Okuyasu Nijimura couldn't answer at all.

Just as a person can't remember how many pieces of bread they've eaten, he couldn't possibly count how many lives he'd taken.

"And Angelo."

"That bastard was indirectly released by you too."

"After he was released from prison, he killed several more people, including Josuke's maternal grandfather!"

"Okuyasu Nijimura, all these scores ultimately rest with you!"

Li Qing said through gritted teeth:

"You are guilty—"

"Those who commit crimes should pay with their lives!"

At this point, the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder.

Li Qing made no attempt to conceal his murderous intent; even the dim-witted Keicho Nijimura knew what he was planning to do.

"You... you're going to kill my older brother?"

"No. Please."

"My older brother, he..."

Keicho Nijimura really wanted to say something for his older brother.

Even with his simple sense of right and wrong, and his dull yet pure mind, Yi Tai could not utter a single word of "innocence."

He knew what terrible things his elder brother had done, and Xingzhao's actions were by no means innocent or blameless.

"Stop talking, Yitai."

Okuyasu Nijimura suddenly knelt on the ground, looking dejected.

He looked down at the arrow in his hand, and vaguely seemed to see the blood of countless innocent people on its blade:

People must take responsibility for their actions.

"I am indeed guilty, that is undeniable."

"Now that Li Qing wants to kill me, I deserve it."

As he spoke, Okuyasu Nijimura slowly raised his head and looked directly at Li Qing.

He adopted a posture of resignation, as if offering his neck for execution, his expression full of relief:

"Kill me, so that I may atone for my sins."

"However, Yi Tai is completely innocent."

"You can also tell that he's not the type to do bad things."

"I see."

"Your crime has nothing to do with your brother, and I will absolutely not lay a hand on him."

Li Qing calmly gave Okuyasu Nijimura his final promise:

"So, Okuyasu Nijimura?"

"It's time."

A suppressed killing intent surged within him, and he raised his hand high, mimicking the King Crimson's gesture.

Given Li Qing's current strength level, his hand chop is no less powerful than a real blade, and severing that fragile flesh and blood body is no problem at all.

With this chop to the neck, Okuyasu Nijimura will be sent to hell.

However, at this moment

Giorno suddenly stepped forward.

Instead of standing in front of Okuyasu Nijimura, he stood with a strange expression next to the monster old man and the heavy wooden box that the monster old man was holding.

What's inside this box?

Giorno suddenly spoke, drawing everyone's attention.

"I have no idea!"

When the topic of his monstrous father came up, Okuyasu Nijimura's expression became extremely distorted:

"That monster has no intelligence at all; it's just going crazy."

"That box was just a tool for him to vent his madness; his actions were completely meaningless!"

"Yeah."

I don't think so.

"Although it's just a gut feeling, I think your father might still have a human soul left behind."

Giorno expressed his thoughts in a complicated tone.

As he spoke, he even squatted down next to the monster old man without any disgust.

He gently pried open the fleshy, tumor-covered arm, slowly opened the box, and finally picked up a few rotten fragments from the empty wooden box.

"Just a bunch of trash after all!"

Okuyasu Nijimura had no desire to witness his father's erratic behavior.

That would only trigger painful memories of the past few years, making him irritable and furious.

"No, this doesn't seem to be garbage."

Giorno carefully examined the withered yellow fragments in his hand:

Although it had been severely corroded by the passage of time, he could still vaguely make out that it was...

"A photograph, this is a photograph!"

"Your father has been holding onto this box the whole time, just for this photo!"

Giorno said this in a deep voice that didn't suit his age.

"What? Photos?"

Keicho Nijimura approached with a look of astonishment.

He took the fragments from Giorno and examined them closely.

Two streams of tears immediately rolled down his cheeks:

"This, this is our old family photo!"

"Brother, eldest brother... Dad has always been protecting our family portrait—"

"He didn't turn into a monster. He still remembers us, he remembers his past life!"

"Dad has always been with us!"

"."

Okuyasu Nijimura was instantly and deeply shocked.

He always regarded his father as a pathetic monster, so he didn't even want to look at him more than a few times.

But now, someone is telling him that his father has always retained a human consciousness?

"What exactly did I do before?!"

Okuyasu Nijimura said, weeping bitterly.

In an instant, Yi Tai was crying, Xing Zhao was crying, and even that monster father cried because of his two sons' tears.

Finally, this long-estranged family even hugged each other and cried loudly.

The eerie attic suddenly transformed, turning a horror movie into a heartwarming family film.

But Li Qing's expression was extremely awkward:

The Hongcun family suddenly had a grand family reunion, but he was determined to make Okuyasu Nijimura apologize to the heavens.

The father and his two sons embraced each other, tears streaming down their faces; it was a sight so poignant that it was hard to separate them.

This turn of events made him appear to be the villain.

"Hey Giorno."

Li Qing walked to Giorno's side and whispered something in a complicated tone:

"You did that."

"Are you trying to stop me from 'judging' Okuyasu Nijimura?"

Everyone knew each other well, Li Qing knew that Giorno never spoke without a purpose; everything he did had a profound meaning.

This time, Giorno clearly wanted to stop him from killing someone.

"That's right."

That's exactly what I meant.

Giorno sighed softly and replied with a helpless expression.

"But Okuyasu Nijimura is guilty."

"He killed so many people, he should pay the price for it."

Li Qing spoke his mind in a righteous and righteous manner.

He had his own principles for killing, and Okuyasu Nijimura happened to be within those principles.

"I understand what you mean. Okuyasu Nijimura really deserves to die."

"However, let's put those aside for now."

Giorno paused slightly.

He was far too familiar with Li Qing.

Li Qing could see through his thoughts, and he could easily see through appearances to the essence in front of Li Qing:

"Li Qing, tell me the truth."

"Were you almost leveled up?"