Investigation, Total Annihilation

"Who is Yoshikage Kira?"

Giorno gave Li Qing the most absurd answer.

This already absurd and bizarre world suddenly became even more magical.

"You don't recognize him?"

"Don't you recognize this name at all?"

Li Qing asked, utterly shocked.

"Judging from your tone, I think I should remember this name."

"But unfortunately, Yoshikage Kira doesn't exist in my memory at all."

Giorno on the other end of the phone seemed to realize something:

"Li Qing, what exactly happened?"

"Something is wrong with you."

"."

Li Qing was speechless for a moment, not knowing where to begin his explanation.

At that moment, he was filled with shock:

Giorno completely forgot about Yoshikage Kira!

It was as if this psychopathic killer had never existed in his life.

Li Qing was stunned for a long time before finally regaining his resolve.

The mystery has become even more confusing, and he must investigate and break the deadlock as soon as possible:

"I understand, Giorno."

"We'll talk about these things later."

"Tell everyone to wait for me at the Higashikata Family and to be careful."

Li Qing tried to keep her tone calm.

"What are you going to do?" Giorno asked, puzzled and worried.

"There are still some details that need to be investigated."

Li Qing spoke very earnestly, though his words were somewhat indistinct.

But his gaze suddenly sharpened.

With that look in his eyes, he hung up the phone and began to carefully observe his surroundings:

Li Qing woke up on the street next to the tram station, right where they fought yesterday.

There must be some clue left here that could help him understand his current situation better.

Sure enough, Li Qing soon discovered something:

"That dent in the road was caused by Star Platinum's close-range charge at Diavolo yesterday."

"And there are dried bloodstains scattered around here, clearly Diavolo's blood left here yesterday."

"The traces of the battle are still completely preserved."

"But Giorno has no memory of this battle."

Li Qing carefully analyzed the current situation:

"The 'past' that occurred before my attack on Yoshikage Kira yesterday has not been changed."

"The only thing that has been changed is everyone's memory."

Thinking of this, Li Qing quickly shifted his gaze from the battlefield traces to observe the shops that had just opened for business along the roadside.

The shops are open all day, and these shop owners were definitely there yesterday evening.

Since yesterday's battle really happened, they couldn't possibly have missed it—

Even without seeing a Stand, Diavolo's twisted, deformed, severely injured, and collapsed appearance is definitely eye-catching enough.

Li Qing tried to visit each household one by one and asked patiently, asking several families in a row.

But the shop owners and clerks all gave the following answers:

"No, we were here yesterday evening."

"Everything was normal at that time, nothing seemed wrong."

"As for the blond man in the suit you mentioned, I have even less of an impression of him."

Like Giorno, they all had no recollection of that battle, let alone Yoshikage Kira.

Finally, Li Qing watched the shopkeepers leave with the wary eyes of someone who was mentally ill.

"Not only Giorno and his companions, but everyone in this world has had their memories altered."

"Memories detrimental to Yoshikage Kira have been completely erased from their minds!"

"In that case..."

Li Qing is even more convinced that Yoshikage Kira was the mastermind behind all of this:

"The fact that Yoshikage Kira is a serial killer will never be exposed."

"Those who know the truth no longer remember him, so he can continue to be an ordinary citizen."

"But."

As Li Qing pondered, he discovered another perplexing mystery:

"If this is some kind of Stand ability that Yoshikage Kira activated to change his fate..."

"Then why did he leave me out, the one who slipped through the net?"

"As long as I remember, wouldn't everything he did be meaningless?"

This is an extremely important question.

If Li Qing thought about it more deeply, he would surely discover the strangeness hidden in himself, this "fish that slipped through the net," and thus become vigilant in time.

Unfortunately, he fell into a fixed mindset:

"It's data-driven capability!"

"It must be this data-driven body that automatically lifted my 'abnormal state' and restored my memories!"

Data inherently possesses this kind of resilient hidden ability; even when he fell for the "permanent pig transformation" scheme, it was automatically broken.

Helping him regain his memory now should be a piece of cake.

"A data-driven body is indeed invincible."

"Even though Yoshikage Kira possesses such powerful and bizarre abilities, he can't manipulate my memories!"

Li Qing thought with great confidence and relief.

Now that he is a fish that can escape control, he can take advantage of this and launch the fiercest counterattack when Yoshikage Kira does not expect it.

Once Yoshikage Kira is dealt with, the world can return to normal.

Li Qing immediately left Morioh train station and headed to the Morioh suburban villa area, which was also Yoshikage Kira's home.

The Kira family home remains in ruins because the "past" has not been changed, which is why the fire still occurred yesterday morning.

Li Qing carefully inquired with the neighbor living next door:

The information they received indicated that Yoshikage Kira had not appeared since the fire, and they had not seen Yoshikage Kira return to clean up the mess.

"Their house burned down, yet they don't come back to clean up the mess."

"It seems that even if he changes everyone's memories, Yoshikage Kira will not dare to show up at will."

"That guy is probably still hiding somewhere, feeling nervous and anxious, right?"

Based on the current situation, Li Qing carefully speculated:

"It seems that finding him won't be so easy."

"I'll go back to the Higashikata Family and ask Giorno and the others to come up with a solution."

April 6, 8:59.

After wandering around Morioh for nearly an hour like a detective, Li Qing finally returned to the Higashikata Family.

The scene near the Higashikata Family's residence was not pleasant.

The main road that Li Qing damaged yesterday, and the houses that Red Hot Chili Pepper crashed into, are still in ruins.

However, the road repair team has already arrived, and several road rollers, gravel trucks, and cement mixers have also appeared here in a timely manner.

"The municipal efficiency in Morioh is quite good."

Looking at the bustling construction site, Li Qing sighed casually.

Amidst sighs of dismay, the criminal who vandalized public facilities walked past the road he had smashed with his own hands without batting an eye.

He quickly returned to the entrance of the Higashikata Family's house.

Giorno and the others had been waiting inside for quite some time.

As soon as the door opened, you could see Giorno, Abbacchio, Jotaro, Josuke Higashikata, Polnareff, and even the Nijimura brothers, who had just joined the group yesterday, all sitting neatly in the living room.

Apart from Keicho Nijimura, who looked completely bewildered, everyone else's expressions were extremely solemn.

They were all unsettled by Li Qing's previous unusual behavior.

The atmosphere was like dark clouds gathering, foreshadowing an impending storm.

"Li Qing, how's the investigation going?"

Upon seeing Li Qing return, Giorno first breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately went straight to the point and asked:

"What exactly happened?"

"This matter is related to that 'Yoshikage Kira' you mentioned, right?"

Li Qing has not yet answered.

Jotaro then added with a serious expression:

"Giorno said, judging from your tone, it seems we both know Yoshikage Kira."

"But we all checked with each other carefully, and none of us knew about Yoshikage Kira's existence."

"In other words, Li Qing..."

"There must be something wrong with the memory between you and us."

This statement expressed everyone's feelings.

They all cast questioning glances at Li Qing, some nervous, some puzzled.

"Well"

Li Qing sighed deeply, his expression grave:

"That's right. There's definitely a big problem."

"This is probably the most terrifying and bizarre ability I have ever seen."

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Li Qing sat down on the sofa with a gloomy expression.

As he sat down, he glanced at the clock on the wall: 8:59:57, it was almost 9 o'clock.

"It's complicated."

"Let's start by talking about Yoshikage Kira."

Everyone listened attentively, and even Yi Tai politely followed his older brother and looked over carefully.

Li Qing paused for two seconds to process what he had just learned.

Then he began by revealing Yoshikage Kira's most fundamental identity:

"Yoshikage Kira is actually a psychopathic serial killer hiding in Morioh."

"He"

Li Qing's voice was abruptly stuck in his throat.

Because he was horrified to discover that the moment he uttered the words "Yoshikage Kira is a psychopathic serial killer,"

Giorno, Jotaro, Abbacchio

Everyone present, except for Li Qing, saw a phantom image that was extremely familiar to Li Qing in their pupils.

"Killer Queen?!"

Li Qing's expression was one of utter horror:

He had only mentioned Yoshikage Kira's identity.

Yoshikage Kira's Stand appeared right in front of all his companions!

All of this happened in an instant.

Everyone sensed something was wrong, but they were unable to react or stop it.

Nobody knows what will happen next.

In the darkness, Yoshikage Kira's voice began to echo in everyone's ears:

"Killer Queen - Third Bomb -"

"Bites the Dust!"

Li Qing's expression instantly froze.

He suddenly realized something:

Why did I manage to slip through the net?

This question has finally been answered.

Now, Li Qing can't do anything; it's all too late.

"Li Qing."

Giorno left two incomplete syllables amidst this immense aura of danger.

Before he could finish uttering the word "green," his body was suddenly engulfed in a scorching heat surge from the inside out.

Others found themselves in the same predicament.

Giorno, Apache, Abbacchio, Jotaro Josuke Higashikata, Polnareff, Okuyasu Nijimura, Keicho Nijimura.

All of Li Qing's companions disappeared in that instant.

The heatwave from the explosion roared and spread in all directions.

A strong wind blew across Li Qing's face.

There was no ashes in the wind, only despair.