A Fatal Invitation

It was 15:05.

Li Qing and Giorno first completed their logistical resupply and preparation in a concise and efficient manner. They then immediately rushed to the crash site at the foot of Mount Vesuvius at their absolute fastest speed.

Looking up from here, the first thing that caught their eye was the emerald green foliage nurtured by the fertile volcanic ash. Further up, they could see the majestic and imposing body of Mount Vesuvius, clearly identifying the dark volcanic rock gravel on its slopes, accumulated over countless years.

It was indeed a beautiful landscape, but Li Qing had no mood to appreciate it.

Because at the foot of the mountain, this once bustling and lively tourist town was now in ruins:

The wreckage of the plane that fell from the sky had long since "disappeared." Houses and roads were continuously collapsing under some unseen, mysterious force, and pedestrians and tourists were scattering in indescribable fear.

In the eyes of these ordinary people, it was as if a giant, invisible plow had appeared in the town, constantly moving and tilling the ground, leaving behind an incredibly wide and barren death channel.

And in Li Qing's eyes...

"Yare yare..."

"It's as big as a small villa."

"Looks like that monster ate quite a few more cars, huh?"

He remarked.

"Don't get careless."

Giorno heard the casual tone in Li Qing's words:

"Although the situation is in our favor, we're still at least four kilometers from the sea, and anything could happen along the way."

"Especially..."

"The US military, right?"

Li Qing's feigned casual expression also turned solemn:

"Uncle Sam just lost an advanced fighter jet. They definitely won't ignore this."

"It's been ten minutes since the crash, and the US military's naval base is in the Bay of Naples, not far from here. They could arrive any moment!"

Li Qing completely understood Giorno's concern:

The commotion caused by this giant mass of flesh was no less than the grand spectacle in Hollywood movies. Witnessing such a bizarre scene, those "virtuous and martial" Americans would surely go all out against this 'invisible monster.'

If a military helicopter were to suddenly sweep by at low altitude and high speed, or if high-speed bullets or shells were fired, Li Qing and Giorno's combat plan would be severely disrupted.

Moreover, even if those common soldiers didn't interfere with them, simply having the Americans see Li Qing and Giorno, during the sensitive period of the Balkan War's beginning, at the crash site of a cutting-edge US fighter jet, playing a real-life game of cat and mouse with an 'invisible monster' that appeared out of nowhere...

This alone was enough to bring immense trouble to Li Qing and Giorno.

After all, the CIA's tea isn't that easy to swallow.

"If that's the case, let's finish this quickly!"

Li Qing gently revved the engine of the motorcycle beneath him and connected to Giorno's phone, saying in their "team voice chat":

"Hello, hello..."

"Giorno, are you ready?"

"Ready. Are you, Li Qing?"

"Hahahaha. Of course!"

Li Qing laughed heartily.

"Even though it sounds a bit chuunibyou, what we're doing is inherently foolish, so..."

"Giorno Giovanna, let's save the world together!"

The roar of the motorcycle engines suddenly intensified tenfold.

Giorno and Li Qing, each piloting their vehicles, approached the mindlessly moving giant mass of flesh from different directions, following their pre-arranged combat plan.

"Swish swish~"

The mass of flesh instinctively let out a sound of excited flesh and blood wriggling.

Compared to the slow-moving crowd, it preferred Li Qing, who was driving a motorcycle into its sensory range.

This monster, standing a full seven or eight meters tall, suddenly erupted with a swiftness completely inconsistent with its bulky physique. Under Li Qing's lure, it also changed its direction of movement.

100 meters. 90 meters. 80 meters.

The distance between the mass of flesh and Li Qing was rapidly closing.

However, this process was 'long' and safe.

At least, compared to the thrilling battle on the bus earlier, where the positions of friend and foe were extremely close, the initiative in this battle was now completely in the hands of Li Qing and Giorno.

"It's already within 50 meters."

Li Qing carefully controlled the distance between himself and the mass of flesh. When the latter reached the pre-set safety line of 50 meters, he promptly sent a signal for help to his teammate:

"Giorno, your turn!"

As he spoke, he deliberately slowed down his motorcycle.

Giorno, who was roaming at the edge of the mass of flesh's perception range, suddenly accelerated, and with perfect tacit understanding, entered the mass of flesh's "line of sight," using his slightly superior speed to draw its aggro away from Li Qing.

That brainless monster immediately gave up on chasing Li Qing halfway and instead turned towards Giorno, who was a full 100 meters away.

Just like that.

The two alternated in drawing the hatred of the meatball, managing to easily lure this seemingly invincible monster away.

Under Li Qing and Giorno's guidance, it moved away from the town, continuously advancing towards the vast sea in the distance.

And there, that was the eternal graveyard belonging to this monster.

"Excellent!"

Li Qing couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief:

"The plan is going smoother than expected. As long as no one interferes next..."

"Mmm..."

His tone suddenly became extremely strange.

"What's wrong?"

Giorno's slightly grave voice came through the phone: "Did something go wrong?"

"I shouldn't have jinxed it."

Li Qing sighed helplessly:

"The troublesome guy really showed up!"

While carefully driving his motorcycle to attract the meatball's hatred, he focused on listening to the sounds outside the battlefield:

"There's a motorcycle with a very powerful engine, rapidly approaching us from a street behind and to the side."

"That guy will probably interfere..."

Before Li Qing could finish speaking, the troublemaker he mentioned had already appeared.

He was riding a clearly cooler and more ferocious modified motorcycle, revving its powerful engine, and with the deafening roar of its engine, he aggressively cut in from another street.

He was driving very fast, at least much faster than Li Qing and Giorno.

And what was worse, this guy wasn't some random street racer who happened to be passing by, but rather...

"You bastard!"

"Stole my car, and snatched my phone?"

"See if I don't teach you a lesson today!"

The young man, who had just 'contributed' to the cause of justice, shouted in extreme anger.

Yes, it was him, the "old acquaintance" Li Qing and Giorno had met just a few minutes ago.

After being robbed, he hadn't swallowed his pride and accepted his bad luck; instead, it had ignited a furious rage within him.

And this social youth, who had been roaming the local streets for many years, knew that the incompetent police in Naples were highly unlikely to help him bring the car thief to justice, so he immediately decided to take matters into his own hands to reclaim justice.

At the first moment after the incident, he ran to a nearby friend's place and borrowed a motorcycle with excellent speed and performance to pursue them.

At the same time, to intimidate the two seemingly skilled car thieves, he specifically borrowed a revolver from his friend for self-defense—

Because Italy itself is a country that allows adult citizens to legally own civilian firearms, and its public safety situation is not optimistic, many households keep such easy-to-handle revolvers at home, convenient for dealing with situations at any time.

For an idle socialite, getting a gun is not difficult at all.

Thus, this brave young man, armed and mounted, aggressively pursued them in the direction Li Qing and Giorno were fleeing.

"..."

Seeing his old friend who was determined to collect his debt, Li Qing's expression turned extremely grim:

"Is it really necessary?"

"I already felt bad about taking your phone and motorcycle, why did you have to come here to die?!"