Chapter 154 - Li Ling Is The Strategic Fighter

Captain Liv was the first to attack the Ribix along with the 2X Ribots he commanded, and Captain Burn followed closely behind him with his army of 3X Ribots. 

The XY Ribots were behind them, standing tall and hovering above them all like the metal giants they were, and the newly created Ribots were in the front lines. 

Most of the Ribots that got destroyed due to the flying building were newly created Ribots who were at the front and couldn't manage to run away on time. 

It was a good thing that the 3X, 2X, and XY Ribots were safe and not many of them had been lost. In fact, not even one of the XY Ribots had been crushed under the weight of that building. 

The Ribix saw the Ribots approaching and their fangs that were ready to bite into the metallic body of the Ribot looked as lively and vicious as ever. They increased their speed and sprang forward.

The two armies clashed and the sound of metal hitting metal was so loud that it made goosebumps rise all over Zhihao's body. 

Zhihao gulped as he looked at the scene that caused a rush of adrenaline in his body.. 

Captain Liv was amazing on the battlefield. He commanded the entire army of 2X Ribots with precision and anyone who saw it directly would not even be able to say anything. Their mouths would hang open in amazement as they saw the way this Captain Liv attacked and defended. When one Ribot was attacked, Captain Liv would send another Ribot over to save the previous Ribot. The 2X Ribot moved like a team, a team that trusted each other and depended on each other. 

Captain Liv was amazing and his way of fighting could be stated as calculated and strategic. A great way to lessen the damage and maximize the offense. 

Captain Burn, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. He was fighting with sheer force. He used no strategy and it didn't look like he was trying to defend his Ribots. He was attacking and attacking. Attacking was all he did, however, he was also amazing. 

The 2X Ribots and the 3X Ribots didn't look that different from each other, but, with just a single glance, Zhihao was able to say that they were both different. 

The 3X Ribots were more powerful. They had more strength and their metal body was thicker and harder to penetrate. 

The 3X Ribots were designed to attack and kill the enemy with a single blow while the 2X Ribots were designed to be faster. They had a thinner metal body and were made in a way that helped them be more agile. 

Zhihao's eyes slightly widened as he realized something. 

The Ribots were made according to the captain they were being controlled by. For Captain Liv who fought more strategically, the agile 2X Ribots were a perfect fit while for Captain Burn who fought with more straightforward attacks, the 3X Ribots filled with dynamic strength were more of a match. 

At first, this was all Zhihao could think up of but after he watched the war go on, he realized that not only were the Ribot armies a perfect match for the Captains commanding them, but the two captains were also a perfect match for each other. 

One attacked strategically while the other attacked with strength. Though they had two entirely different ways of fighting, their style of fighting complemented each other on the battlefield when they fought together. 

The battle continued and the players watched as everything went down. 

At first, it looked as if the Ribots had an upper hand, but after speculating for a few minutes, Zhihao realized how wrong his initial thinking was. The Ribots clearly didn't have an upper hand and they weren't winning. The Ribix were also no different. The strength on both sides was almost at an equilibrium. 

The Ribix were just as powerful as the Ribots. 

This war... was going nowhere. 

Zhihao sighed as he waited for something to happen and soon enough, something really did happen. 

A Ribix that looked like a rhinoceros and had a tail that looked like a hammer with spikes attacked the Ribot that was recording this whole thing and the Ribot was thrown off its feet, landing on a skateboarding rink faraway and as soon as it landed on the ground, the camera abruptly shut off. 

The projector turned off. 

[Data fully extracted!] 

Zhihao couldn't help but feel a bit shocked and angry that the footage was abruptly cut off like that. He wanted to know what happened next, he wanted to know how the Ribots lost the war and the humans disappeared, but with the footage cut off just like that, there was no way he'll be able to know. 

"That's it?" Zhihao sounded a bit annoyed. 

Li Ling nodded, "The Ribot shut down after that." 

"So how will we know the rest of the story?" Wang GuiYing asked curiously. 

Li Ling glanced at him once before looking over at a building far off. He pointed at it and asked, "Did anyone notice where the people were going?" 

Zhihao thought back to the footage they had just watched. The fighting was so intense that there was no way he'll be able to pay attention to the humans in the background. 

Wang GuiYing's eyes widened as he suddenly exclaimed, "They were running!" 

Li Ling shook his head, "They were trying to hide." 

Zhihao., "So there really was an evacuation?" 

"Nope." Li Ling answered shortly, "They were trying to hide inside the buildings. If there was an evacuation, they should have run away from the city and not tried to trap themselves inside the buildings." 

"But... That doesn't make sense," Zhihao's eyebrows furrowed as he added, "If they ran inside the buildings, how come we didn't see any of them?" 

Li Ling looked around once before answering, "Because we are late." 

"Huh?"

Li Ling walked closer to Zhou Xinyi and pointed at the dirt and root that had grown on the metal body of the Ribot. If they need to wash off the dirt completely, they'll have to work really hard to scrub it all off and even if they did that, Zhihao was sure that there would still be dirt left. 

Li Ling, "He was buried in the soil." 

Zhihao was silent for a minute as he tried to put the pieces together. 

Maybe this was the first time, Wang GuiYing was faster than Mastermo in figuring things out. He gasped as he looked at Zhou Xinyi in shock, "He's old!" 

Li Ling nodded, "The war didn't take place recently." 

Zhihao shook his head in confusion, "But that doesn't make sense! When we went to the shopping mall, the vegetable and fruits were still fresh! 

Li Ling didn't seem to be shocked as he heard this, "Of course they were fresh." 

Zhihao, "???" 

Li Ling, "The war didn't take place recently, but how can we be sure that the war was the time when the humans disappeared? Actually... How can we be sure that everybody disappeared? We are still here, aren't we? Captain Liv and Captain Burn were also humans, but they didn't disappear." 

[You're starting to catch on!] 

[You are right! The humans never disappeared!] 

"Eh?" Zhihao was confused and so was Wang GuiYing. 

Wang GuiYing, "If they didn't disappear, where are they right now?"

[Too many hints are bad for your health.] 

"..." 

"Hiding," Li Ling commented. 

Zhihao looked at the man with an indecipherable expression, "What do you mean hiding?" 

Li Ling met his eyes and replied, "They are watching us. Silently." 

Zhihao felt a shiver run down his spine and his eyes glanced around frantically in search of someone spying on them but he couldn't spot anyone, however, since Li Ling had said it, he couldn't help but feel that there was certainly this creepy feeling of being watched.

Wang GuiYing gulped, "W-what do you mean watched? Are you telling me that they became G-ghosts?" 

Li Ling, "..." 

[Seriously? You're afraid of ghosts?]

[How old are you? 5?] 

[Tch-] 

"Hey! Age has nothing to do with being afraid!" Wang GuiYing defended himself, "Ghosts don't check your national ID, do they?!"

[...]

Zhihao gulped as he tried to make sense of the situation. He was not stupid enough to believe that Li Ling was talking about ghosts, however, just because he knew this, it didn't mean that he had any better idea about what Li Ling was trying to say. 

In the end, Zhihao was just as clueless as Wang GuiYing. 

Li Ling pointed his finger down. 

"Don't tell me... Are we standing on their grave?!" Wang GuiYing jumped in fear. 

Li Ling had an unimpressed expression as he shook his head and sighed, "Underground." 

Zhihao's eyes widened as he had the sudden realization. 

If they can't evacuate the city, they would try to hide, but if the buildings could be easily accessed by the Ribix, where would everyone hide? 

The answer was simple and one of the most medieval ways of escaping and hiding. Underground hideouts!