Blocked, blocked?

Li Qing actually blocked the offensive of Xin Red Pepper?

No, it's not just about blocking...

This is suppression, Li Qing suppressed Xin Red Pepper with the purest force!

Polunarev's expression became incomparably exciting.

Xin Red Pepper can't see it clearly in the game, but he, a bystander, can see the situation just now:

Li Qing did take advantage of Xin Hongchili's excessive focus to launch a surprise attack just now.

But he didn't hit with an echo, and he didn't hit with a bell jar.

He just used his legs to run out of that lightning phantom speed, and suppressed the other party with that extremely fast speed!

The invincible spicy red pepper was suppressed at its most proud speed.

Akira Otoshi, who thinks he is the fastest man in the world, immediately meets an existence that is faster than him.

Following Polunarev's observations and comparisons ...

Where is this still Li Qing?

It's simply a humanoid platinum star!

Li Qing is no longer an existence beyond the limits of human beings, but an existence beyond the limits of stand-ins.

The highest-rated A on the stand-in panel can no longer accurately describe his speed and strength.

"It's so strong..."

"If you have this kind of strength and speed, then there is no need to worry about the red pepper at all!"

Realizing this, Polunarev's eyes suddenly welled up with infinite hope.

Although some sorry for those old friends.

But Polunarev knew that he might not be able to reunite with them this time.

Because Li Qing has already gained this kind of power that is enough to turn the situation around.

There is no doubt that he has been upgraded!

"Wait..."

"Li Qing has been upgraded."

"How could he be upgraded?"

"In that short half-minute time... Who did he kill? ”

Polunarev's expression was stunned at first, then surprised, and then instantly complicated, even with a hint of fear.

Earlier, Giorno and Li Qing did not shy away from Polunarev when they chatted in the attic, so he was very clear:

Li Qing is indeed about to upgrade.

But the upgrade requires the sacrifice of the life of the stand-in messenger.

And just now, Li Qing and Giorno only left for less than half a minute...

The Hongcun brothers are still hiding in the house here, and they will definitely not be able to become sacrifices.

Kira Yoshikage is not far away from Dongfang's house, but he is not a weak chicken to be slaughtered, and it is impossible for him to be solved by Li Qing in such a short time.

So, whose life did Li Qing use as a sacrifice?

Are there any other stand-ins around here?

"Difficult, isn't it..."

Polunarev's expression became extremely ugly:

The possibility of Kira and Hongcun has been ruled out, and the only stand-in messengers left in the vicinity are...

"Giorno."

Polunarev read the name dumbfounded.

He suddenly remembered that when he had left the Hongcun house with Giorno earlier, Giorno had deliberately stopped and took a fruit knife from the table.

At first, he only thought that Giorno wanted to use a knife to defend himself, but then he vaguely felt that something was wrong:

What can a small fruit knife do with spicy red peppers?

Polunarev has always been unable to figure this out, but now...

Fruit knife, Giorno, Li Qing said in public in the morning "deny" mechanism, Li Qing said in the attic upgrade conditions...

These fragmentary threads suddenly joined together into a complete logical line that pointed straight to the only possibility.

Only this answer can explain why Li Qing was able to upgrade, return, and save him so quickly:

"Giorno..."

"Did he sacrifice his life to save me?"

Tears unconsciously welled up in the corners of Polunarev's eyes.

He hadn't cried like this in years.

The only explanation, the cruel answer, made his scarred mind unbearable for a while.

"Again... Again..."

"Did I watch my companion go away for me again?"

Polunarev fell to his knees and clenched his fists tightly.

What an absurd fate is this?

He had endured so much pain because of that man, but now he was saved by the man's son.

"Giorno!!"

Polunarev raised his head to the sky and roared, tears welling up.

In those hazy teary eyes, he could even faintly see that Giorno's golden soul was smiling and waving at him.

"That..."

"Mr. Polunarev."

A familiar voice suddenly sounded from behind Polunarev:

"Just tell me if you need treatment, there's no need to shout so loudly."

"Huh?!"

Polunarev's surging emotions froze for a moment.

He stiffened his head and saw the familiar boy standing in front of him.

"Y-You're not dead?"

Polunarev said with surprise and delight.

"yes, I'm not dead."

Giorno grinned slightly, revealing a rare gentle smile:

"It's a long story..."

......................................

Half a minute ago.

Giorno covered Li Qing's hand, letting the sharp blade gradually approach his throat.

The tip of the knife is getting closer and closer to the neck.

In the next second, the blade would pierce Giorno's throat deeply.

And Li Qing will also gain some of the experience he lacks, and carry Giorno's life to win the final victory.

But at this moment...

Li Qing suddenly burst out with a burst of strength and threw the blade in his hand aside hatefully.

Of course, Giorno couldn't compete with Li Qing's strength.

Li Qing couldn't bear to do it, he had absolutely no way to force it.

"Li Qing..."

Giorno didn't reproach Li Qing for his impulsive behavior like a child's temper.

He just said in that calm tone:

"Accept it, it's a decision you have to make."

"I know..."

Li Qing clenched his fists tightly.

There was a dull glow in his godless eyes, making his cloud-covered pupils even more eerie:

"I've made this decision—"

"I'm not going to kill you anyway."

"If I could only save one person, I would choose to save you."

At that moment, Li Qing had already made a difficult and cruel trade-off in his heart:

If they don't upgrade, the Polunarev and Hongcun brothers who stay in place will die.

To level up, you must sacrifice Giorno's life.

Then this is actually a multiple-choice question: whether to choose to save Polunarev and the Hongcun brothers, or to choose to save Giorno.

One side is to save 3, the other side is to save 1, and it looks like the former should be chosen.

However, for Li Qing...

Brother Hongcun, who are the two of you?

Why should I sacrifice my best friends for two guys I just met?

The weight of these two people was eliminated for the first time, and only Polunarev and Giorunor were left on either side of the scale.

It's still a difficult choice.

Polunarev is already a trusted companion recognized by Li Qing.

This middle-aged uncle had already won Li Qing's favor with his wisdom, strength, courage and optimism.

If he could, Li Qing would definitely be willing to sacrifice himself to save Polunarev's life.

But, but...

The sacrifice to be sacrificed now is not Li Qing, but Qiao Runuo.

It was the boy who had been with him in life and death since the beginning of Naples.

Without Giorno, he would have become food for pieces of meat, and would have died on the afternoon of the first day of his journey through the Otherworld.

"I can't do it, I can't trade your life for someone else's."

"People are selfish, and friends are also close to each other..."

"If Mr. Jotaro is asked to make this choice, on the one hand, he is a friend of life and death who has known each other for more than ten years, and on the other hand, he is a foreign boy who has just known him for a week..."

"I suppose he would have made the same choice as me if he had to choose, right?"

Li Qing gritted his teeth tightly and comforted his soul with such words.

But he actually knew that no matter how high-sounding the reason he found, the decision he made today would be a shadow for his whole life.

Polunarev, the companion he abandoned, would be an eternal pain that he could not get rid of from now on.

But even so, Li Qing gritted his teeth and said:

"This choice is wrong no matter how I choose, then I can only act according to the option I want to choose!"

"So, Giorno..."

"Let's run!"

“.......”

Giorno was silent and did not speak.

He stared at Li Qing with complicated eyes, and then said in a deep tone:

"Li Qing, you're still pretending to be stupid."

"You should know, we can't escape the pursuit of Xin Red Pepper at all."

"There are cables and wires everywhere in this Duwang Town, and that guy can turn himself into an electric current and shuttle through the wires—"

"No matter how fast you run, can you still be faster than that current?"

"And Mr. Polunarev will not be able to stop the enemy for long, and after he falls, the enemy will soon chase us down the wires."

Giorno slowly spoke what was on his mind.

Li Qing seemed to be seeing through his thoughts, and his expression suddenly became extremely subtle.

"I know everything you're thinking."

"You're trying to bring me as close as you can to Mr. Jotaro."

"When the Xin Red Peppers chase after you, you will intercept it like Mr. Polunarev just now."

"You want to use this relay of life to create more escape time for me, and the price you pay... It will be your life. ”

Giorno said all Li Qing's thoughts.

He completely took the initiative in this debate, and his words made Li Qing unable to refute at all:

"The multiple-choice question you said was actually wrong from the start."

"Actually, on one side of the scale, it's me, and on the other side is you, the Hongcun brothers, Porunarev, and a chance to solve the enemy once and for all."

"1 to 5, I know exactly what to choose."

"Also, Li Qing..."

Giorno paused slightly, and his gaze became more and more complicated:

"If you want to save me, I want to save you."

“.......”

Li Qing was completely speechless.

Indeed, if he doesn't upgrade now, he can really only use that kind of relay of life to deal with Xin Red Chili Pepper.

When the time comes, it will not only be Porunarev who will die, but most likely counting him again.

But even so, he still wanted to choose this option.

But this thought was completely seen through by Giorno.

"If you don't kill me, I'll kill myself."

Seeing through everything, Giorno began to use this extreme way to force Li Qing to make a "rational and correct" decision.

"Damn... Why is this happening..."

"Do you have to force me to make such a cruel decision?"

Li Qing's body trembled violently.

He couldn't imagine what would happen next, and he didn't dare to predict the last-minute decision he would make.

He began to hate his weakness so much that he had to threaten and sacrifice his best friend's life in order to survive.

In this way, Li Qing fell into endless pain.

Giorno, who was standing in front of him, could also feel the pain.

The two of them froze in silence, as if the whole world was standing still at this moment.

However, time is not really completely frozen.

The Earth is still going on as usual, and at this moment...

Just like the countless comfortable afternoons in the past in Duwang Town, a passerby walked by the side of the road with a leisurely step.

Of course, Li Qing was in no mood to pay attention to an ordinary passerby.

In fact, he and Giorno were in no mood to pay attention to their surroundings at the moment, they only knew that they had not escaped far, but they didn't pay attention to the area near Dongfang's house.

But that passerby knew.

He's just an ordinary neighborhood resident.

He couldn't feel the pain of Li Qing and Giorno, for him this journey was so leisurely and comfortable.

Familiar streets, familiar air, and familiar community landscapes –

"Yo, Angelo!"

Out of a recent local custom, the passerby happily greeted the ugly sculpture on the side of the road.

This gentle greeting sounded like thunder, blowing up the spirits of the two best friends who were parting in life and death.

"Huh?"

Li Qing and Giorno raised their heads at the same time.

Powerful perception and a sharp gaze locked onto the stones on the side of the road at the same time:

"Angelo?"