We can bet, bet that they might not kill everyone.

The situation in the monitoring room wasn’t much better.

Let’s not forget—they were also trapped within the Source Realm.

The only saving grace was their location, which made them the least affected area.

"BOOM—!!!"

A violent tremor shook the entire monitoring room. Equipment sparked, and several screens went black in an instant.

Chen Yuan gripped the edge of the control panel, veins bulging on the back of his hand, as he roared into the comms: "Engineering team! Repair the equipment! Get over here NOW!"

"All units, report your status! All units, report!"

But all that answered him was static and fragmented shouts of alarm.

On the main screen before him, the 3D electronic map of the Source Realm now showed half its regions stained a glaring crimson—and the red was spreading at a terrifying speed.

"Ch-Chen Yuan…" A young monitor stammered, voice trembling with panic. "The northwest sector… all signals lost! Teams One and Three, even Lady Su… we can’t reach any of them!"

Chen Yuan’s heart clenched.

"What about the southeast sector?" he rasped.

"Report! Southeast comms are heavily jammed… Zones A-7 to A-12… energy readings spiking uncontrollably! Multiple high-energy signatures detected! Far exceeding Tier Seven levels—possibly Tier Eight, and at least five Tier Nine entities!"

Another monitor delivered the update with a face as pale as paper.

"And two… Tier Tens…"

Chen Yuan’s gaze locked onto the blackened zone marking the fallen city. Three massive black dots pulsed ominously on the map. A chill shot up his spine.

"This is absolute bullshit…" he muttered under his breath.

Even if Guardian Jiang were here, could he really take on two Tier Tens at once?

And he wasn’t here.

Their own forces?

Just one Tier Nine. That was it.

What was there left to command?

Let’s be real—anyone with eyes could see it.

They might as well sit back and wait for death.

But those words?

Anyone else could say them.

Not him.

With Su Muxue missing, he was now the "strongest official" left in the Source Realm.

"All combat personnel still operational, listen up!"

Chen Yuan’s voice boomed through the barely functional broadcast system: "Priority is protecting the examinees—I repeat, PROTECT THE EXAMINEES!"

"Those with means to breach the Ash, abandon your shelters immediately and escort examinees to HQ!"

"Share my coordinates in real-time with all teams!"

"Medical teams! Prepare for mass casualties!"

Orders flew out one after another, but the entire command structure was on the verge of collapse. Communications were failing, intel was blocked, and countless teams had already gone dark.

"Chen Yuan… we… we don’t have enough people…" A subordinate beside him whispered in despair.

"Two Tier Tens… There’s no winning this."

Chen Yuan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, his expression was eerily calm.

"Don’t say that to me. Say it louder—to everyone here."

"Behind us are our families. Our homes."

"There’s no retreat!"

"Guardian Jiang must already be working on a solution outside."

"The Source Realm’s lockdown won’t last forever."

"When it breaks, two Tier Tens won’t even be a ripple in the storm."

"We can gamble—bet that Guardian Jiang arrives with reinforcements before those things wipe us all out."

Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, Chen Yuan frowned.

"Where’s the Strategist? Strategist, we need a miracle here!"

The weight on his shoulders was crushing. He needed someone to share the burden.

Someone like Su Qi.

His earlier solution to the "emotional corruption" had been nothing short of genius.

Of course, two Tier Tens couldn’t be outsmarted with mere tactics.

Still, no harm in brainstorming.

"What do you think we should—"

His words died abruptly.

Because when he scanned the room, Su Qi was nowhere to be found.