18: Chapter 18 Your approach is highly problematic.

Chen You clenched the cold military tally in his hand, raised his head, and looked towards the end of the street.

The City Lord's Mansion.

Go, or not go?

The mission prompt urged him to go quickly, but Chen You, having just survived a life-or-death struggle, was exceptionally cautious now.

What a joke!

This game was filled with strangeness everywhere. Who knew what that so-called 'City Lord' was?

What if another campaign suddenly triggered?

What if an even fiercer BOSS than the Vengeful Spirit General appeared? Would his current meager possessions even be enough to fill the gaps between its teeth?

"Safety first, safety first."

Chen You repeatedly murmured Director Li Guoan's instructions.

He was not fighting alone; the entire nation was behind him.

Reckless behavior, taking things one step at a time, was extremely irresponsible toward national resources and trust.

His little life was precious!

He decisively abandoned the idea of immediately heading to the City Lord's Mansion.

No rush, stabilize things first.

Chen You retreated to a relatively deserted corner by the wall, pretending to organize his backpack, but in reality, he began to carefully study the several new icons that had appeared on the game interface.

Besides the glaring PVP countdown, he also saw familiar online game functions like [Guild], [Friends], and [Rankings].

He clicked on them one by one.

[Guild] The system prompted him that he needed to reach Level 10 before he could create or join a guild.

[Friends] The list was empty.

His attention finally settled on [Rankings].

The light screen unfolded, revealing rows of golden names and data.

[Level Ranking]

First Place: Salos, Level 92, Titan God Clan, Berserker.

Second Place: Moon's Loss, Level 91, Elf God Clan, Arc Archer.

Third Place: Oro, Level 91, Roman God Clan, Oracle.

...

Chen You scanned down the list. The string of bizarre race and class names made his eyes swim.

"Holy crap, the level gap is too huge."

As a Level 3 newcomer, he couldn't help but complain.

Without dwelling on it, he opened the next icon.

After familiarizing himself with almost all the functions, the pressure in Chen You's heart grew heavier.

This "Source Realm" was far more complex and vast than he had imagined. There were all sorts of civilized races, a mature social system, and a cruel law of competition.

"It's more important to report back first."

Chen You closed the function interface.

This was no longer a simple monster-slaying and leveling game; it was a real battlefield where multiple civilizations collided.

He had to bring this most crucial intelligence back so that Director Li Guoan and the other professionals could analyze it and make decisions.

His own small cleverness was utterly insignificant in the face of such a grand structure.

Having made up his mind, Chen You silently recited in his heart:

"Exit Game."

The noisy world before his eyes instantly froze, then shattered into countless light particles.

The familiar sense of weightlessness enveloped him once more.

...

The Real World.

The underground command center of the "Pay-to-Win" Project.

Chen You suddenly opened his eyes. The bright lights made him slightly uncomfortable.

He sat up from the specially made recliner, and the various monitoring lines connected to him were quickly and gently removed by medical personnel.

The command center was a scene of busy activity, yet it maintained a strange quiet.

Biological researchers in white protective suits were methodically operating robotic arms to dissect, sample, and seal the corpses of huge black wolves.

A faint smell of blood permeated the air.

Director Li Guoan's figure appeared before him at the first moment. The usually stern expression on his face now carried a trace of subtle concern.

"Were you in danger?"

Director Li Guoan's voice was not loud, but it was clear enough for everyone nearby to hear.

Chen You moved his stiff neck, recalling the near-death experience from the Vengeful Spirit General's overhead strike, and nodded with lingering fear.

"Yeah, I almost didn't make it back."

He wasn't exaggerating; that was the closest he had ever been to death.

Hearing this, Director Li Guoan's expression sharpened.

He didn't rush to ask for details but turned and gave a stern order to his assistant behind him.

"Notify all section leaders. Conference room, Level One debriefing meeting, start immediately!"

The order was quickly relayed.

Five minutes later.

In a white conference room filled with futuristic technology, the area around a large circular conference table was full of people.

Researchers from different specialties, the head of the medical team, the head of the tactical analysis team...

More than a dozen top experts from various fields were all sitting upright, their expressions focused.

They were the core minds of the "Pay-to-Win" Project.

Chen You sat in the main seat, feeling like a criminal undergoing a public trial. The oppressive atmosphere made it hard for him to breathe.

Director Li Guoan sat next to him, gently tapping the table with his finger, signaling that he could begin.

"I..."

Chen You cleared his throat and recounted the entire process from choosing his class after entering the game, encountering the Ghost Wolf, arriving at Zhao City, and finally confronting the Vengeful Spirit General, detailing every single thing without omission.

He spoke slowly and meticulously, afraid of missing even the slightest detail.

From the Vengeful Spirit's attack methods, to the astonishing effect of the Exorcism Talisman, to his 'slick move' of choosing close-quarters combat to 'save money,'

And the terrifying moment when he was nearly instantly killed by the Vengeful Spirit General's single strike.

In the entire conference room, besides the sound of his narration, there was only the rustling sound of the experts' specialized pens moving rapidly across the electronic notepad.

No one interrupted; no one asked questions.

Everyone was frantically absorbing, recording, and analyzing all the intelligence about that unknown world being transmitted through this sole window.

When Chen You spoke of how he endured the Vengeful Spirit's attack to engage in melee to save money, the pen tip of the head of the medical team visibly paused.

When he mentioned the Vengeful Spirit General cutting away over ninety points of his health with one slash, the head of the tactical analysis team's brow furrowed into a knot.

Finally, Chen You finished speaking.

He drank some water, his mouth dry, and nervously looked at the people before him.

The conference room fell into a brief silence.

Director Li Guoan kept his head down, hands clasped on the table, saying nothing, seemingly pondering something.

This silence made Chen You increasingly uneasy.

Did I... do something wrong?

Did I drag the country down?

He hadn't felt much during the experience, but recalling it now, his actions indeed had many questionable aspects.

A layer of cold sweat broke out on Chen You's back.

Just as he was fidgeting restlessly, Director Li Guoan finally raised his head.

His gaze was calm yet sharp, looking directly at Chen You.

"Comrade Chen You."

Director Li Guoan began to speak, his voice as steady as ever.

"First, I must affirm that you have brought back extremely precious intelligence, which provides a critical basis for our next steps in decision-making."

Chen You breathed a small sigh of relief.

However, the next sentence from Director Li Guoan made the heart he had just lowered leap back into his throat.

"But, reviewing from an operational perspective, your approach has major problems."

Director Li Guoan's tone was not heavy, but it carried an unquestionable authority.

"Very big problems!"

He emphasized his tone.

"Especially when facing those eight Vengeful Spirits."

Director Li Guoan leaned slightly forward, staring into Chen You's eyes.

"Why didn't you continue to use the Exorcism Talismans then?"

"I..."

Chen You opened his mouth, saying somewhat awkwardly,

"I felt... one talisman cost one million, which is a bit too wasteful. I thought I could withstand it, so I tried to save a little..."

"Save?"

Director Li Guoan interrupted him.

"Comrade Chen You, have you forgotten the premise I emphasized to you countless times?"

"Safety! Your safety is the highest priority! It is the absolute premise that overrides everything!"

Director Li Guoan's voice suddenly rose, and he slammed his palm heavily onto the table, making a dull thud that caused all the experts in the conference room to flinch.

"Eight Exorcism Talismans, eight million huaxia coins! Is that a lot?"

Director Li Guoan's questioning struck at the soul.

"To spend eight million to ensure your one hundred percent safety, to guarantee you pass through that area with zero risk—isn't that a worthwhile trade?"

"You chose to risk your own life to save those mere eight million!"

"Tell me, in your own heart, is your life only worth this little money?!"

"Or does it mean that in our nation's strategic layout, you, China's only player, the core of the 'Pay-to-Win' Project, are only worth eight million?!"

Every word Director Li Guoan spoke was like a heavy hammer, smashing fiercely onto Chen You's heart.

Chen You's face instantly turned deathly pale. He lowered his head in shame, wishing he could find a crack in the floor to crawl into.

Only then did he truly realize how ridiculous and fatal his 'money-saving' mindset was when viewed from the perspective of national strategy!

Director Li Guoan looked at him, his tone softening slightly, but remaining serious.

"Remember, we let you play this game not for you to experience the joy of slaying monsters, and certainly not for you to play some extreme maneuvers!"

"We fund your Pay-to-Win efforts so that you can use money—the most powerful rule in this world—to crush everything! To sweep away anything that threatens your life safety!"

"Your mission is not to save money; your mission is to live! To live at all costs!"

Director Li Guoan slowly exhaled.

"Next time, I hope to hear that you used a hundred, or a thousand Exorcism Talismans to blow that city flat for me, rather than hearing how much money you saved."

"Do you understand me?"