I handed over the game to the gaming industry, and the government gave me a hacked version.

Chapter 18 Your approach is highly problematic.

Chen You gripped the cold military token tightly, raised his head, and looked towards the end of the street.

City Lord's Mansion.

To go or not to go?

The mission instructed him to proceed as soon as possible, but Chen You, who had just experienced a life-or-death battle, was extremely cautious at this moment.

Are you kidding me!

This game is full of eeriness. Who knows what this so-called "city lord" is?

Could some kind of battle be triggered suddenly?

What if another boss even more ferocious than the Wraith General appears? Would my meager possessions be enough to fill a tooth gap?

"Safety first, safety first."

Chen You kept repeating Li Guoan's instructions to himself.

He is not fighting alone; he has the entire nation behind him.

Taking a step-by-step, reckless approach is extremely irresponsible towards national resources and trust.

My life is precious!

He decisively abandoned the idea of ​​going to the city lord's mansion immediately.

No rush, let's play it safe first.

Chen You retreated to a relatively quiet corner, pretending to organize his backpack, but actually began to carefully examine the new icons that had appeared on the game interface.

Besides the glaring PVP countdown, he also saw familiar online game features such as [Guilds], [Friends], and [Leaders].

He clicked on them one by one.

The system message indicates that he needs to reach level 10 to create or join a guild.

The Friends list is empty.

His thoughts finally landed on the [Leaderboard].

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

[Ranking List]

First place: Thalos, level 92, Titan, Berserker.

Second place: Moon's Loss, Level 91, Elf God, Magic Archer.

Third place: Auro, level 91, Roman god, Oracle.

……

Chen You's gaze swept down, and a series of strange and unusual races and professions dazzled him.

"Holy crap, the level difference is too big!" As a level 3 newbie, he couldn't help but complain.

Without much hesitation, he opened the next icon.

Having learned about almost all the functions, Chen You felt increasingly pressured.

This "Origin Realm" is far more complex and vast than he imagined. It contains all sorts of civilizations and races, a mature social system, and a set of brutal rules of competition.

"It's more important to go out and report first." Chen You closed the function interface.

This is no longer a simple monster-slaying and leveling-up game; it's a real battlefield where multiple civilizations clash.

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

His own little bit of cleverness is utterly insignificant in the face of such a grand vision.

Having made up his mind, Chen You silently recited it to himself.

"Exit the game".

The noisy world before my eyes froze for a moment, then shattered into countless points of light.

The familiar feeling of weightlessness enveloped him once again.

……

The real world.

The underground command center for the "pay-to-win" project.

Chen You suddenly opened his eyes, the bright light making him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

He sat up from the specially designed recliner, and the various monitoring wires connected to his body were quickly and gently disconnected by medical staff.

The command center was a hive of activity, yet eerily quiet.

Biological researchers, dressed in white protective suits, were methodically operating robotic arms to dissect, sample, and package the massive black wolf carcasses.

A faint smell of blood filled the air.

Li Guoan appeared before him immediately, his usually serious face now showing a hint of barely perceptible concern.

"Are you in danger?" Li Guoan's voice wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for everyone around him to hear clearly.

Chen You stretched his stiff neck, recalling the near-death experience brought on by the Vengeful Spirit General's head-on blow, and nodded with lingering fear.

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

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

Upon hearing this, Li Guoan's expression hardened.

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

"Notify all group leaders: the meeting room is now open for a Level 1 debriefing meeting, to begin immediately!"

The order was quickly relayed.

Five minutes later.

In a white conference room filled with futuristic technology, a huge circular conference table was surrounded by people.

Researchers from different specialties, medical team leaders, tactical analysis team leaders...

A dozen or so top experts from various fields were sitting upright, their expressions focused.

They are the core brains behind the "pay-to-win" projects.

Sitting in the main seat, Chen You felt like a prisoner being interrogated by three judges; the oppressive atmosphere made it hard for him to breathe.

Li Guoan sat next to him and tapped the table lightly with his fingers, indicating that he could begin.

"I……"

Chen You cleared his throat and began to recount his journey from entering the game, choosing a class, encountering the Ghost Wolf, and finally arriving in Zhaocheng.

He recounted the entire process of his final encounter with the vengeful spirit general in great detail.

He spoke slowly and in great detail, as if afraid of missing any detail.

From the vengeful spirit's attack methods to the astonishing effects of the exorcism talisman, and even his "shady move" of choosing close-quarters combat to "save money."

And the terrifying moment when he was almost killed instantly by the vengeful spirit general.

The only sounds in the conference room, besides his narration, were the scratching of the experts' specially made pens rapidly scribbling on electronic notepads.

No one interrupted, no one asked a question.

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

When Chen You recounted how he endured the attacks of vengeful spirits to fight hand-to-hand in order to save money, the head of the medical team visibly paused for a moment.

When he recounted how the vengeful spirit general had slashed him down by more than ninety points of blood, the head of the tactical analysis team frowned deeply.

Finally, Chen You finished speaking.

He took a sip of water, his mouth dry, and nervously looked at the crowd in front of him.

A brief silence fell over the meeting room.

Li Guoan lowered his head, his fingers interlaced on the table, and remained silent, seemingly deep in thought.

This silence made Chen You increasingly uneasy.

Did I... do something wrong?

Am I dragging the country down?

I didn't feel anything while I was going through it, but looking back now, I realize that there are many aspects of my actions that are questionable.

A layer of cold sweat seeped out from Chen You's back.

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

His gaze was calm yet sharp, fixed directly on Chen You.

"Comrade Chen You."

Li Guoan spoke, his voice as steady as ever.

"First of all, I must acknowledge that you have brought back extremely valuable intelligence, which provides crucial information for our next decision-making process."

Chen You breathed a slight sigh of relief.

However, Li Guoan's next words made his heart jump into his throat again.

"However, in retrospect, your approach had significant problems."

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

"A very big problem!"

He emphasized his words.

"Especially when facing those eight vengeful spirits."

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

Why didn't you continue using the exorcism talisman back then?

"I..." Chen You opened his mouth, then said somewhat awkwardly.

"I think... one million for one talisman is a bit too wasteful. I figured I could manage, so I was thinking of saving some money..."

"Province?"

Li Guoan interrupted him.

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

"Safety! Your safety is the highest priority! It's the absolute prerequisite that trumps everything else!"

Li Guoan's voice suddenly rose, and he slammed his hand heavily on the table, making a muffled sound that startled all the experts in the conference room.

"Eight exorcism talismans, eight million Chinese yuan! Is that a lot?"

Li Guoan's questioning struck at the heart of the matter.

"To exchange eight million for your absolute safety, for your zero-risk passage through that area—isn't that a worthwhile deal?"

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

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

"Or are you saying that in our country's strategic plan, you, China's only player, the core of the 'pay-to-win' project, are only worth eight million?!"

Every word Li Guoan uttered was like a heavy hammer blow, striking Chen You's heart.

Chen You's face turned deathly pale in an instant. He lowered his head in shame, wishing he could disappear into the ground.

He then truly realized how ridiculous and fatal his "saving money" mindset was at such a strategic level concerning national interests!

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

"Remember, we're letting you play this game not so you can experience the fun of fighting monsters, and certainly not so you can perform any extreme maneuvers!"

"We're letting you spend money so you can use that money, and the most powerful rules of this world, to crush everything! To wipe out anything that threatens your life!"

"Your mission isn't to save money, your mission is to survive! Survive at all costs!"

Li Guoan slowly exhaled.

"Next time, I want to hear that you used a hundred or a thousand exorcism talismans to blow that city to smithereens, not that you saved up a lot of money."

"Did you understand?"