187: Chapter 187 I Have a Some Mature Suggestion

At the Qinling Command Center, Chen You slowly opened his eyes.

"Comrade Chen You, how are you feeling?" A staff member in a white coat immediately stepped forward, handing him a glass of warm water.

"Not bad." Chen You took the glass. "Where is Director Li?"

"Director Li is in the conference room; the meeting is just wrapping up," the staff member replied respectfully.

"However, he instructed that if you have anything urgent, you can call him immediately."

Chen You nodded, already having a guess in mind.

It seemed that matter had reached a conclusion.

The Source Realm maintenance would take two hours, so there was no need to rush.

He didn't urge them and walked to the sofa in the lounge area to sit down quietly and wait.

About ten minutes later, Director Li Guoan appeared, accompanied by Zhang Yunhai and others.

Everyone's expressions were grim; clearly, none of them were in high spirits.

Seeing Chen You, the taut lines of Director Li Guoan's face showed a trace of confusion.

"Your seclusion ended this quickly? Did you run into any problems?"

"Yes, there's a situation," Chen You put down the water glass and said, "The meeting was about the drone attack earlier, right? Did you find the mastermind?"

Director Li Guoan walked over and sat on the sofa opposite Chen You, leaning back slightly, looking somewhat exhausted.

He didn't hide anything. "We more or less found out. The operative who carried out the attack was an agent belonging to the Intelligence Investigation Office of the He Nation's Cabinet, Kuroda Ryuji."

"It can be basically confirmed that this attack was directly ordered by the He Nation's higher-ups."

It was them, after all.

Chen You's gaze also turned cold.

"However..." Director Li Guoan changed the subject. "We suspect there's someone behind the He Nation."

"On their own, they probably wouldn't have the guts to act so directly."

"The Mi Nation?" Chen You almost blurted out the words subconsciously.

Director Li Guoan neither confirmed nor denied it. He just picked up the teacup on the table and gently blew on it. The swirling mist obscured the cold glint in his eyes.

Some things didn't need to be said too explicitly.

The atmosphere in the entire command center became extremely oppressive for a moment.

"What's even more disgusting is..." Director Li Guoan put down the teacup, his voice carrying a suppressed rage.

"Did you watch the evening news today? In a couple of days, their new prime minister is going to pay respects at that damned shrine again."

His hand quietly clenched into a fist where no one could see, veins bulging on the back of his hand.

Condemnations? Protests? They had said them countless times over the years.

But the other side still did as they pleased, openly provoking them again and again in this manner.

It was like a scoundrel who knew you would be angry but insisted on getting in your face to rip open your old wounds.

And you, constrained by all sorts of rules, couldn't just punch him to the ground.

Zhang Yunhai's fists cracked audibly, and under the lenses of Sun Feng, the Data Team Leader, his eyes were icy.

Chen You fell silent.

If he could, he truly wanted to just tear everything down.

But some things couldn't be done out of impulse.

Once war broke out, the common people would be the first to suffer.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him. He remembered the pile of strange gadgets he had swept up from the Mysterious Merchant's shelves.

Among them, there seemed to be something particularly fitting for the occasion.

He cleared his throat, and under the solemn gaze of Director Li Guoan and the others, he slowly began to speak.

"Director Li, I have a... perhaps rather immature suggestion."

Everyone's gaze instantly focused on him.

"Speak," Director Li Guoan's eyes lit up slightly.

Chen You didn't answer directly.

He merely extended his right hand, palm facing up.

The next second, under the bright lights of the command center, a strangely shaped object appeared out of thin air in his hand.

It was a... tennis racket?

The face of the racket was a standard oval, but the frame was made of some kind of dark gold metallic material, intricately carved with complex patterns that were unintelligible.

The strangest part was that the strings were not nylon; instead, they were strands resembling energy filaments, emitting a faint fluorescence.

The end of the handle was inlaid with a crystal that continuously shifted colors.

The entire command center fell into a brief silence.

Everyone widened their eyes, looking at Chen You, then at the tennis racket in his hand, their expressions filled with bewilderment and confusion.

Zhang Yunhai's mouth twitched, and he was the first one who couldn't hold back.

"Comrade Chen You... under the current circumstances, are you... planning to relax by playing tennis?"

"A balance between work and rest is necessary," Professor Pan Yu beside him subconsciously adjusted his glasses. "But perhaps this timing is a bit..."

Even the usually unshakable Director Li Guoan's face stiffened at this moment.

"Little Chen," he tried to keep his tone gentle, "If you are trying to lighten the mood, now is not the time."

"No, Director Li."

Chen You's expression, however, was exceptionally serious. He raised the 'tennis racket' in his hand and shook it at the crowd.

"This is not a tennis racket." He paused. "Its name is the [Mind Bat (Random Version)]."

Mind Bat?

How did that name sound so... unreliable?

Chen You ignored everyone's strange looks and continued to explain, "This is an item I bought from a Mysterious Merchant in the Source Realm."

"Its effect is very simple: when used on a creature with a brain, it has a certain probability of controlling the target's thoughts."

Control thoughts?!

Everyone was stunned at first, then began to ponder the implications.

"What is the probability? How long does it last? Are there any restrictions?"

Data Team Leader Sun Feng suddenly jumped up from his chair, his eyes shining, staring intently at the racket.

"The probability... is random," Chen You answered honestly. "That's why it's called the Random Version. The duration is six hours. Usable six times."

Random...

This word caused the previously excited crowd to calm down a bit.

"Random means it might not succeed," Zhang Yunhai frowned. "If it fails, will there be a backlash? Will the target notice?"

"That... I don't know either," Chen You shook his head. "But trying it can't hurt."

The crowd fell silent again.

Controlling someone's mind for six hours...

If they controlled Kuroda Ryuji and made him go back and do something...

Chen You added, "I have other disgusting items too."

"Since they refuse to be reasonable and like to play these petty, disgusting tricks..."

"Then we will use a method they find even more incomprehensible and unreasonable to pay them back."

"Let them turn this meticulously planned political show into an unprecedented farce in front of the entire world!"

As his words fell, the entire command center was silent enough to hear a pin drop.

A few seconds later.

"Hahahaha... Hahahaha!"

tactical team leader Zhang Yunhai suddenly started laughing softly, the sound growing louder until he was slapping the table, almost crying with laughter.

"Good! A truly immature suggestion! I love it!" He slammed the table hard. "Damn it, I've held this in for so many years, just waiting for today!"

"Wait..." Sun Feng pursed his lips, his face a mixture of anticipation and fear.

"How disgusting are the disgusting items you mentioned?"

Chen You took a deep breath to hold it in. The next moment, a stinking sock hovered above his palm.

He was so afraid of contact that he immediately erected a spiritual power barrier around it.

"Goblin Stinky Sock, upon throwing..."

Before he could finish speaking, sounds of retching erupted from the surrounding area.

"Holy crap, quickly go check if the restroom exploded!"