Chapter 160 - Li Ling Deserves An Oscar

Rei, "If it weren't for you, we would have still been able to live in Metropolis and the Ribix wouldn't have been terrorizing our people." 

Li Ling didn't seem to be shocked as he heard this, but the shock on Zhihao's face was hard not to notice. 

Zhihao, "What are you talking about?" 

Rei frowned, "Captain Burn... There's no way you won't remember that day... Right?" 

Zhihao gulped as he heard this question. This conversation might just end up alerting OOC and just like the vampire level, Zhihao might mess up this one too. 

At this moment, Li Ling came to his rescue as he spoke up on behalf of Zhihao, "We don't know what happened."

Rei squinted suspiciously as she heard this and they were pretty close to another OOC alert, however, what Li Ling said next had saved them both from being thrown out of this level. 

"We remember the war and waking up in that abandoned amusement park, but everything in between is just a blank. I think our memories were wiped out or we hit our head and got amnesia." 

"..." Rei was silent for a second as she heard this. She seemed to be seriously thinking about it, whereas, Zhihao couldn't help but feel like he hadn't heard anything more ridiculous than that. It wasn't as if they were in some kind of K-drama! Since when did hitting one on the head cause amnesia?! Was amnesia some kind of common flu?! And wiping out memories sounded even more ridiculous! Only a fool would believe that something like that had really happened!

Rei nodded as she finally decided to respond, "That sounds about right. After all, the shock was major, it's no wonder you guys forgot about it." 

Zhihao, "..." 

Hmm... 

This girl was a fool... There was no doubt about that! 

Li Ling also nodded happily in a proud manner, "That battle was indeed hard, but it was worth winning." 

"..." Rei looked to be a bit surprised as she heard Captain Liv. 

Even Zhihao was shocked that Li Ling had said something like that. With everything considered, it was crystal clear that they had lost the war against the Ribix!

Rei looked a bit concerned as she stated, "Captain Liv... We lost..." 

Li Ling feigned shock as he heard this, "What...?! We lost?!" 

"You really forgot everything?" Rei questioned with suspicion. 

Zhihao furrowed his eyebrows as he wondered what Li Ling was trying to do. This man clearly had a plan and reason behind whatever he was saying and doing, but whatever that plan was, Zhihao was completely unaware of it and he couldn't even guess what Li Ling's intentions were. 

Li Ling bobbed his head up and down as he answered her question, "I remember fighting... But... We should have definitely won! We clearly had the upper hand!" 

Rei sighed, "We lost because of you..." 

"Eh?" Li Ling looked to be in disbelief but it was all just for show and even Zhihao had a hard time deciphering between which expression was real and which was not. 

The relief that washed over Rei's face when she heard that Li Ling and Zhihao really didn't remember anything couldn't be hidden and was clearly noticed by Li Ling who slightly smirked as he saw it. 

This was exactly his intention. He knew that this girl wasn't simply going to believe them just because they said it. They needed to prove to her that they didn't remember anything.  If she was suspicious of them till the end, they would never be able to get out of here alive. Li Ling lied and due to his great acting skills that should receive an Oscar, Rei completely believed their lie that wasn't really a lie since they really were unaware of anything that happened in the between. 

Rei suddenly smiled happily as she spoke up, "Since you forgot about it, let's let it stay in the past. If you remember anything just come to me and tell me, okay? The past is a bit painful so it's better if you don't recover your memories." 

For some odd reason, Zhihao couldn't help but feel that she was warning them more than being helpful and supportive. 

The only conclusion Zhihao could make on his was: She was suspicious and probably not on their side. 

Just like Li Ling, he was also on guard against her and tried his best to catch every small change in her facial expression and tone of speaking. 

"Why did you bring us here?" Zhihao asked with a face that didn't really give out much. 

Rei looked at him and with a warm smile, she answered, "Wasn't it you who threatened me and asked me to bring you here?" 

Zhihao suddenly thought back to what had happened. 

Why did he not remember threatening the girl and asking her to bring them here?! 

Li Ling took this chance to look around as he questioned, "What is this place?" 

If he was going to act as if he had lost all his memories, might as well go all out and act as if he were a newborn infant. 

Rei, "Didn't I already tell you? This is Utopia." 

Li Ling pursed his lips and looked at her with an unimpressed expression, "I wasn't asking for the name."

"Oh..." Rei tilted her head, "Utopia is the city we built underneath Metropolis. It's the haven for all survivors. A place where nobody needs to worry about anything and can enjoy themselves to the fullest!" 

Zhihao looked at the high buildings that were all lit up with different colorful lights that almost hurt his eyes, but at the same time, they looked so lively that this really didn't look like a place where people would take refuge. This looked like a party organized by some rich people who had a bit too much money laying around and wanted their child's sixteenth birthday to be so grand that it would be the talk of the town even after ten years. 

Zhihao instantly wanted to explore! 

Li Ling saw the enthusiasm in Zhihao's eyes and he couldn't help but chuckle at how cute this man was. 

Rei, "Since you are already here, focus on unwinding and enjoying Utopia." 

When Zhihao heard this, he couldn't help but ask, "What about the war?" 

Rei looked at him as if he had said something completely ridiculous that only a madman would utter. She wasn't wrong in looking at him as if he were a madman because only a madman would talk about the war after stepping foot inside Utopia. This place was built to help people forget all about the war. 

To talk about the war inside Utopia was akin to breaking the only rule/law that existed in this place. 

Rei smiled in amusement, "Captain Burn, there is no war. Everything is already over..." 

Zhihao's eyes widened as he realized something. The people here weren't just trying to find a place to hide or forget about the real issues, they were here because they had given up. Instead of fighting a war that they had no chance of winning, they had already given up and decided to enjoy the days they had left. 

They weren't here to survive, they were here because they already knew that they wouldn't be able to survive for too long and... Zhihao couldn't blame them for having this mindset. If this weren't just a game and something like this really happened to them in real life, Zhihao couldn't be too confident to say that he would choose anything different. 

A war inside a game and a real war were literally 'worlds' apart from each other. 

In a game, you didn't need to worry about dying, whereas, in a real-life war, death was considered to be a common worry. Nobody would call you by your name and announce that you died in the war. If you died, you would be nothing more than a number that made up the total death count.

Li Ling looked at the girl and smiled mischievously, "I think we needed a good relaxing session. This place sounds perfect!" 

Rei smiled back as she responded, "Great!" She handed them both a card before adding, "This can be used instead of money. You'll need them." 

Zhihao snapped out of his thoughts as he took the card and asked, "Money?" 

Rei nodded, "Did you think that everything here is for free?" 

"..." 

Don't blame Zhihao for thinking that people would forget about money when humanity was coming closer to extinction!

Of course, money would still rule the minds of the people, wouldn't it?!

Zhihao looked down at the card and read the words that were displayed on it. The card wasn't made out of normal paper or cardboard, it was more like a screen, a really thin glass; something that was more like a smartphone but a lot thinner. 

On the card, there were two sets of numbers displayed. One was their Id which was a ten-digit number and the other was the balance left inside the card. 

Under the balance was written two words that Zhihao had a hard time understanding, "You said money... Why does it show survival points...?" He looked up as he asked the girl, but he couldn't see her anymore. 

She had already left.