188: Chapter 188: The situation is complicated; add another billion points.

Even the dignified Professor Pan Yu couldn't help but cover her mouth, her face turning pale.

Seeing this, Chen You quickly moved his thoughts.

The [Goblin's Stinky Sock], which was floating above his palm and exuding an invincible aura, instantly vanished.

He explained, "When the [Goblin's Stinky Sock] is thrown, it can cause intense mental pollution and nausea to all units with normal senses within a hundred-meter radius."

"And there is a very low probability of falling into a 'Questioning Life' state."

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect this thing to be so overbearing."

Chen You chuckled awkwardly.

"This is just the effect when holding it in hand. If it's thrown out..."

He paused, thinking about how to phrase it: "The effect... is probably equivalent to stuffing a person into a herring can that has fermented for ten years, and then fumigating them with biogas circulation."

Several young researchers had already rushed to the trash can in the corner, letting out heart-wrenching dry heaves.

Zhang Yunhai's eye twitched wildly, but his gaze grew brighter and brighter, as if he had discovered a new continent.

"This is a tactical-grade bioweapon!"

He slapped his thigh hard, ignoring the lingering aftertaste, and excitedly began writing and drawing rapidly on the tactical board.

"Mind Strike, if we can successfully control the target, combined with the stinky socks, we can..."

"Stop."

Director Li Guoan raised his hand, stopping Zhang Yunhai, who had fallen into a frenzy.

This highest official of the Special Affairs Bureau had remained rock-steady throughout.

He didn't look at the tactical board; his gaze remained fixed on Chen You.

"Little Chen, you did very well."

Director Li Guoan praised him sincerely.

"These things... have come at the perfect time. Now we have much more room to maneuver."

"We will formulate multiple contingency plans for the follow-up, ensuring nothing goes wrong."

His tone was calm, yet it carried the decisiveness born of deep consideration.

Not only would they play along with this farce to the end, but they would also turn it into a disgrace the other party could never wash away.

However, Director Li Guoan keenly grasped another key point.

He leaned forward slightly, his eyes sharp: "You just said... all these things were bought from the 'Mysterious Merchant'?"

As expected of you, Director Li.

Chen You inwardly admired him.

He naturally knew what Director Li was implying, but he shook his head.

"Except for one one-time Arrow Tower blueprint, almost everything else is some strange gadget like the stinky sock."

Director Li Guoan nodded, not probing further.

It would be strange if whatever he wanted appeared immediately.

He asked again: "Did the Elf God Clan help you find them?"

Chen You nodded and recounted the entire sequence of events as it happened.

When they heard that the Source Realm was updating a new dungeon specifically for Chen You's single mission, the air in the entire hall seemed to freeze.

Everyone's breathing became heavy.

Zhang Yunhai, who had been studying the 'Stinky Sock Saturation Attack,' stopped writing, his excitement replaced by an expression mixed with shock and solemnity.

"Something's not right,"

he muttered to himself, as if asking himself and everyone present.

"It's very wrong!"

"Team Leader Zhang is right,"

Sun Feng chimed in.

"Previously, the addition of new cultivation professions was done through online hot updates, and players didn't even feel any pause."

"Now, just for one dungeon, even a Mythic-level dungeon, they need to shut down the entire server for two hours of maintenance..."

"This completely contradicts their technical capabilities."

Sun Feng's voice wasn't loud, but every word was accurate.

"Is this server second-hand? So unstable?"

A young researcher subconsciously grumbled, but was glared at fiercely by Sun Feng and immediately shrank back.

"So..."

Director Li Guoan looked at Sun Feng, "What is your conclusion?"

Sun Feng took a deep breath and held up two fingers.

"Two possibilities."

"First, this dungeon named 'The Path of the Monarch' has an extremely special underlying architecture, possibly involving the lowest level code of the 'Source Realm.'"

"Its launch requires an update or verification of the fundamental functions, hence the mandatory downtime."

"This indicates that the mission Comrade Chen You received will bring about a fundamental change to the Source Realm."

Hearing this, everyone's hearts tightened.

"What about the second possibility?"

Zhang Yunhai pressed.

Sun Feng's gaze became deeper, "The second possibility... this maintenance has little to do with 'The Path of the Monarch' dungeon."

"Or rather, launching the dungeon is just a smokescreen, an excuse placed in the open."

"The Source Realm is using these two hours to conduct a... secret upgrade that none of us know about."

Secret upgrade!

These four words instantly plunged everyone into a state of speculation.

"Secret upgrade? Upgrade what?"

"Could the server have been hacked? Impossible, right? Who has that ability?"

"Could it be that the operators of the 'Source Realm' are finally stepping into the foreground?"

Various speculations rose one after another, and the entire hall was filled with a buzzing murmur.

"Quiet!"

Director Li Guoan's low shout instantly suppressed all the noise.

His gaze swept across the room, finally landing back on Chen You, his expression complex.

There was relief, worry, and a trace of... anticipation for unknown changes.

"We will only know everything after two hours,"

Director Li Guoan's voice echoed in the silent hall.

"I lean towards it being more than just adding a new dungeon; the Source Realm itself might be experiencing some kind of situation."

He stood up, walked in front of Chen You, and patted his shoulder lightly, his hand steady and firm.

"There might be unexpected crises..."

"I suggest you don't rush to enter that dungeon."

"Safety is always the first priority. Your main body should not take the risk. Wait until your avatar's cooldown ends, and let the avatar go."

Director Li Guoan looked at Zhang Yunhai.

Zhang Yunhai understood and started drawing on the tactical board again.

"That's right, Comrade Chen You used a smoke bomb to let Moon Gods Radiance clear the dungeon once more..."

"It can be said that Moon Gods Radiance owes us another favor, so they can clear it first."

"We can slightly 'care for' their clearing progress to obtain intelligence; they likely won't hide anything."

"At the same time, waiting for the avatar to come out and entering the dungeon with the intelligence is the optimal strategy."

Everyone nodded upon hearing this, expressing their agreement.

What Chen You had originally planned was that in the two hours, he could probably reach the sixth level of Qi Refining in the real world.

Then, as soon as the server opened, he would go directly to clear this new dungeon.

In comparison, Zhang Yunhai's thinking was indeed more secure.

Director Li Guoan turned to Chen You, speaking word by word, clearly and distinctly.

"The situation is complicated. You might not have enough gold coins on you, so I'll top you up a bit more."

Chen You was stunned again upon hearing this.

Huh? Complicated?