"What the hell are these things?!"
The huge mass of flesh pounced onto Lao Li, biting into his body. Lao Li struggled, but those slabs of meat clung to his torso like octopus tentacles.
The draconian man hurriedly tore off his coat, but even that was useless; the writhing chunks of flesh simply leapt back onto him.
"Mr. Li! Wait, I'll go get a weapon from the car!"
"Stop, Exusiai."
Just as Exusiai was about to turn and run, Yu Yachen suddenly pressed a hand down on her shoulder.
"Don't make any more moves."
The white-haired woman narrowed her eyes. Around them, the crowd, already panicked by the car accident and the sudden appearance of a monster, began to scatter in all directions. Just as Lao Li was struggling with all his might, the flesh clinging to him suddenly detached on its own and surged toward the fleeing people instead.
"…"
Lao Li froze. Fortunately, the meatball hadn't stayed on him for long; beyond torn clothing and some scraped skin, he was basically fine.
"What on earth is going on?"
"This clump of flesh grows stronger by devouring objects or living bodies. Its user is already dead, so its Stand's range is no longer restricted."
Notorious B.I.G—the Stand that only appears after its user dies.
"It automatically attacks any moving object within range that's currently moving the fastest. So right now, it's heading straight for the fleeing crowd."
Yu Yachen spoke calmly.
Lao Li suddenly understood, then immediately realized something was off. "Wait—how do you know that?"
"Originium Arts," Yu Yachen replied offhandedly, giving a random excuse.
She focused her attention on the meatball that was devouring pedestrians. If she remembered correctly, this Stand's speed was… infinite?
It attacked the fastest target in the area and then moved even faster than that target.
"Exusiai, Lao Li, can you two see that lump of flesh?"
"Yeah."
"I can."
They answered in unison.
"Good."
Yu Yachen narrowed her eyes slightly. This Stand with three 'infinite' stats on its panel had given the original protagonist group a lot of trouble. But if Stands could restrain each other…
If she wasn't mistaken, her Killer Queen was the natural counter to Notorious B.I.G.
Killer Queen couldn't turn other Stands into bombs. In Stand battles, unless she could touch the enemy's user, she couldn't achieve a one-hit kill.
But Notorious B.I.G was a physical, tangible Stand. Which meant Yu Yachen could turn it into a bomb.
While the white-haired woman pondered, Killer Queen pinched a coin between its fingers. The Stand flicked the coin out toward the road ahead, and the flesh mass that had just tackled a pedestrian instantly abandoned its prey and dove toward the speeding coin.
Killer Queen raised its thumb and pressed down.
Click.
BOOM—!
The instant the flesh ball touched the coin, it was engulfed in flames. Intense heat penetrated its misshapen body, dark red meat fibers twitching wildly as the blast ripped through them, before finally collapsing weakly in scattered lumps.
"Th-That's it? It's over?"
Lao Li was a little embarrassed. He stared at the charred crater in the middle of the road. The exploded bits of meat were melting like candle wax, sizzling softly.
He'd practically already taken his pants off, and yet this thing had been one-shot by Yu Yachen?
Wait… since when was Yu Yachen this strong? Lao Li looked at her in shock.
"It's not over."
As she spoke, Yu Yachen's light blue eyes suddenly constricted into vertical slits. Dinosaur-like traits surfaced across her face. On the road, the scattered fragments of flesh abruptly writhed back to life and, like living creatures, flung themselves toward Killer Queen.
Killer Queen's arms blurred into afterimages as it swung. Every bit of flying flesh that touched its fingertips turned into a micro-bomb. Even though the fragments soon covered the Stand's body, the moment Yu Yachen pressed the switch, those pieces were all reduced to dust together.
"Now it's over."
Yu Yachen spoke lightly.
In Lao Li and Exusiai's eyes, the flying meat chunks looked like they'd slammed into the air in front of Yu Yachen… and then simply vanished. The whole sequence of moves left Lao Li no choice but to exclaim inwardly, "Boss is goddamn amazing!"
But the Stand itself wasn't the main point. Yu Yachen looked instead toward the direction where the assassination squad had departed.
Notorious B.I.G belonged to one of Diavolo's personal guard. Naturally, Yu Yachen's group couldn't afford to expose themselves. If her guess was right, this thing was originally meant to ambush the assassination squad.
Which meant those assassins had already begun betraying Diavolo, hadn't they? This Terra wasn't the same as the JoJo world. Even knowing the story, Yu Yachen could only speculate.
"Lao Li, Exusiai, back in the car. Now. Immediately."
If that really was the case, her instincts told her that following that assassination squad might bring some pleasant surprises.
She immediately waved for the other two to follow. Lao Li and Exusiai, still completely confused, nonetheless trailed behind the white-haired woman.
"It's just up ahead. Turn right, Lao Li, we're getting close."
"Follow that van in front."
Sitting in the passenger seat, Yu Yachen pointed at the van driving ahead of them. Her other hand still held a phone wrapped in purple vines.
That van carried the members of the assassination squad. She wasn't sure what they were planning to do next, but Yu Yachen was certain—since Diavolo had sent Notorious B.I.G, he had very likely dispatched other Stand users to ambush them as well.
They tailed the van all the way to the slums. Pedestrians grew fewer and fewer; abandoned buildings lined the desolate streets. Yu Yachen had Lao Li hang back at a distance: far enough not to be noticed, but close enough to observe.
The world around them grew quieter.
"Is the fight about to start?"
Exusiai sat in the back seat, clutching a submachine gun in her arms. Having witnessed how bizarre Notorious B.I.G was, the Sarkaz woman suddenly felt a twinge of anxiety.
It was almost fully dark.
"Don't be nervous."
Yu Yachen turned around and, sensing Exusiai's unease, spoke softly.
"I'll protect you."
Exusiai froze. The halo above her head whooshed into bright light. Taking advantage, she immediately burrowed into Yu Yachen's arms, pressing her face into Yu's shoulder and mumbling:
"Uuuh, it's really scary! Miss Yu, can you pat my head? The elders back in Laterano said it wards off evil spirits…"
"…"
The corner of Lao Li's mouth twitched. His hands shook on the steering wheel and they nearly drifted off the road.
He glanced at the back seat in the rearview mirror. Even with the seats separated front and back, Exusiai had somehow managed to glue herself entirely to Yu Yachen. And the white-haired woman, who usually killed without blinking, was actually gently stroking the Sarkaz's head.
Veins bulged on Lao Li's forehead.
Can you two at least pay attention to the situation?!
"Lao Li,"
Yu Yachen loosened her embrace and spoke suddenly.
"Huh?" Lao Li responded irritably.
"Brake. Now!"
BOOOM—!
A thunderous crash tore through the evening. Lao Li froze, stomping on the brakes by reflex—but at that exact moment—
CRACK—!
The windshield shattered as something slammed into it. Lao Li looked up and saw a fat Perro man smashed down onto the hood, caving it in. With the front end crushed, the vehicle began to buck uncontrollably.
Gritting his teeth, Lao Li wrestled desperately with the steering wheel, but the land vehicle still tipped over and rolled.
However, at that critical instant, a cold voice rang out.
"Star Platinum—The World."
The ticking of a clock running backwards suddenly filled the air. The moment the words left Yu Yachen's lips, a muscular, purple humanoid Stand floated up behind her—and in that instant…
Time stopped.
Everything in the world froze. The car hung mid-roll, perfectly motionless. Yu Yachen, controlling the purple Stand, punched through the vehicle's roof.
Bang!
For the first time in days, she used her twenty-four-hour limited permission to stop time. Controlling Star Platinum, she smashed through the door, grabbed Exusiai by the arm, and gently lifted her out of the overturned vehicle. Then she had Star Platinum seize Lao Li by the collar and drag him out as well.
Five seconds passed. Cradling Exusiai in a princess carry, Yu Yachen sensed her remaining time running out.
Time resumed.
SCREEECH—!
The out-of-control vehicle skidded across the street. Lao Li, who had been wearing a grim, focused expression just a second ago, suddenly found himself dangling mid-air in Star Platinum's grip. The abrupt shift made his expression change like a Sichuan opera mask.
What the—how am I out here?
He looked around in shock, only to see Yu Yachen and Exusiai gazing lovingly into each other's eyes off to the side.
"Miss Yuyu, you saved me again."
Exusiai cupped her flushed cheeks with both hands. This was the first time Yu Yachen had held her so intimately. By the time she realized what was happening, she was already in Yu's arms, princess-style, and she could barely contain her excitement.
But Lao Li had strong opinions.
You two, seriously?! He clenched his molars, furious.
He was here to help, not to be force-fed a dog-food romance.
"Exusiai, Lao Li, you two stay here."
Yu Yachen set Exusiai down, releasing her thighs as she spoke.
"Eh? Why? I can help too!" Exusiai protested.
"Be good."
Yu Yachen gently patted her on the head like soothing a child, smiling faintly.
"I trust you. But everyone has a side they don't want others to see. I've always been afraid you'd hate me because of what I do."
If she went on a rampage and tanked her affection score with Exusiai, that would be a disaster.
As soon as she finished speaking, Exusiai froze. Before the Sarkaz could react, the white-haired woman vanished from sight like a ghost. Exusiai spun around in a panic; it was as if Yu Yachen had disappeared from the world entirely.
Yu Yachen had used time stop again.
She had to admit: being able to pause time felt incredible. With a single thought, she could freeze the entire world for five seconds. No wonder DIO was so giddy when he could stop time for nine seconds—the intoxicating sense of control was truly addictive.
She looked toward the street. At the base of a derelict building, a huge black crater yawned open in the ground. The assassination squad had clearly been attacked too.
Yu Yachen tilted her head and glanced skyward. She had no idea who had thrown the corpse, but based on the original plot, it was probably that walking-trash duo, Cioccolata and Secco.
There were no airplanes in this world, so the enemy was likely on the rooftops of two ruined buildings nearby.
Yu Yachen pulled out her phone. Purple vines wrapped around it, and on the screen appeared a pink-haired young man in a pink sweater, standing by a broken window in an abandoned building, peering through a pair of binoculars.
"Tobia's personality, huh?"
The white-haired woman turned to look at the tallest building in the nearby slums.
According to Hermit Purple's intel, Diavolo was up there. Looked like he'd guessed right—wanting to wipe out the assassination squad, his biggest threat, Diavolo had gathered his organization's members here to finish them in one fell swoop.
For Yu Yachen, that actually worked out nicely. With the assassination squad tying up the other Stand users, she could focus directly on Diavolo.
Brrrrrrrrrr—
Beep—
The youth named Tobio pressed the binoculars to his ear like a receiver.
"Hello, boss? Cioccolata and Secco are already fighting the assassination squad. Cioccolata got the drop on them, but it's hard to say who's winning right now."
He muttered into the binoculars.
"Tobio, Tobio…"
The pink-haired young man suddenly changed his tone. The youthful pitch vanished, replaced by a mature, seasoned voice.
"Cioccolata and Secco might not be able to completely wipe out seven people. If anyone slips through, you'll have to handle the cleanup."
When he finished, he abruptly switched back to his earlier youthful tone, like someone with split personalities.
Diavolo—a man of two minds. In daily life, the main personality stayed hidden while the sub-personality, Tobio, controlled the body.
"I understand, boss! I'll definitely complete the mission!"
"Oh?"
Just as Tobio was excitedly talking into his "phone," a cool voice suddenly came from the open window of the ruined building.
The pink-haired youth spun around in shock.
There, crouching on the window frame, was a white-haired woman with her mouth split in a grin almost to her ears.
"What a shame. You're never going to see your boss again in this lifetime."
Yu Yachen curled her lips into a smile.
The way she looked at Diavolo wasn't how one looked at another human being. It was how a hunter regarded prey—or an owner appraising a valuable item.
To Yu Yachen, Diavolo was…
A walking healer Stand. Golden Experience, incarnate.
Already half-dinosaurized by [Terrifying Beast], Yu Yachen jumped lightly from the window. She landed in front of Tobio in a blur, and with a single sharp hand-chop—
Slash!
From chest to shoulder, Tobio—no, Diavolo—was cut open in a single stroke. Blood sprayed everywhere.
-------
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