My Computer Leads to an Instance Dungeon-Chapter 208 - 169: Backup Preparations

"Jorent."

Fang Zhen said the name.

An extremely surprised expression appeared on Gwendolyn's face.

A moment later, her expression slowly turned pensive.

"Why do you think Jorent is the traitor?"

"Is it because you think he holds a grudge against the Whig Society for not being rewarded with the status he deserved, despite his great contributions in the past?"

"That doesn't necessarily hold up. After all, it's been so many years," Gwendolyn said.

Fang Zhen shook his head.

"Master, if we're talking about suspicion, then everyone is a suspect."

"Jorent is certainly a suspect, but that doesn't mean the others are in the clear. Siding with the Eternal Night Council has its hidden benefits, like the possibility of a longer life, greater power, and achieving one's personal ambitions. That's appealing to anyone, though the degree of attraction varies from person to person."

"My reason for being wary of Jorent isn't just because he's a suspect; there's another consideration," he said.

Gwendolyn grew more confused. "What consideration?"

"I'm looking at it from the angle of risk control," Fang Zhen said. "Risk management."

"Actually, Master, I think your previous line of thinking might have been flawed."

"You're too focused on finding the traitor hidden within the Whig Society ahead of time. Emotionally, you don't want any of them to be the one who betrayed you. This conflict has narrowed your perspective."

"If you step back and look at the bigger picture, what's truly important isn't who the traitor is, but who has the greatest ability to sabotage our mission."

Gwendolyn was taken aback by his words.

But as a worldly and wise Master, her mind had merely been clouded by the immediate problem. Now that Fang Zhen had pointed it out, she instantly understood.

"Are you saying that regardless of who the traitor in the Whig Society is, they will reveal themselves during the attack on the Ancient Castle tomorrow?"

"So, it doesn't matter who the traitor is. The crucial point is whether or not we can handle them, right?"

"Exactly," Fang Zhen confirmed.

His thinking wasn't limited to finding the truth ahead of time; instead, he focused on the more critical point.

Finding the traitor was just an optional, or rather, a secondary objective in this dungeon.

A careful analysis revealed the logic behind it.

Whether the traitor was identified or not, they would eventually show themselves. It wouldn't affect the overall outcome of clearing the dungeon.

The real question was whether the traitor had the ability to stop Fang Zhen from killing Ellick.

Within the Whig Society, Fang Zhen had his suspicions about Jorent, but he had no proof, and the others hadn't been cleared of suspicion either.

Gwendolyn was so familiar with them all and hadn't found any evidence in all these years. The Whig Society hadn't found anything either. This meant the person was hidden very deep and hadn't left many obvious clues.

Fang Zhen didn't want to waste his energy playing detective.

Shifting his focus to risk control brought him closer to the heart of the matter.

No matter who the traitor in the Whig Society was, Fang Zhen and Gwendolyn were prepared for a betrayal from anyone else. They wouldn't give a traitor the chance to backstab them.

Furthermore, his equipment and strength were enough to suppress the traitor. Even if that person switched sides at the last minute and leaked information, it wouldn't affect the bigger picture.

The only exception was Jorent.

In fact, Fang Zhen had been secretly alarmed the moment he heard Jorent's nickname.

Just hearing the nickname 'Poisonous' made him realize that while his equipment was decent in other aspects, it had a glaring gap when it came to poison prevention.

He had made a judgment call right then: keep a close eye on Jorent.

If things went wrong, this guy could wipe out Fang Zhen and the entire Whig Society team.

Therefore, from a risk control perspective, it no longer mattered whether Jorent was the traitor or not. The key point was that Jorent *had* the ability to cause such harm. So, regardless of his loyalties, he had to be guarded against with the utmost attention.

Moreover, the existence of Poisonous Jorent reminded Fang Zhen that he needed to specifically supplement his gear and skills to defend against poisons, viruses, and plagues in the future.

Besides, Gwendolyn had just mentioned that Jorent hadn't received the rewards he deserved, which meant even the Master had her suspicions about him.

After digesting Fang Zhen's words for a moment, Gwendolyn's expression cleared with understanding.

"You're right. I was stuck in the wrong mindset," Gwendolyn said. "Jorent may not be the traitor, but until the traitor's identity is clear, we must be especially wary of him."

"So, Master, how much do you know about Jorent's methods? Does he have the ability to poison all of us without us realizing it?" Fang Zhen asked.

His question was crucial for assessing Jorent's potential threat and had to be investigated.

Gwendolyn thought carefully for a moment before replying, "It would be very difficult."

"His answers to my questions today were reliable. Most poison powders that can cause dizziness or death can't be used in open environments; they require an enclosed space to be effective."

"And the world of Alchemists might seem mysterious to those who don't understand Alchemy, but to an insider, the knowledge is relatively finite."

"Alchemy Poisons seem to come in countless varieties, but they actually fall into just a few major categories. As long as you have orthodox training, even if you can't create a specific Alchemy Poison yourself, you'll at least know its general production method, function, classification, and the corresponding antidote."

"My own research in Alchemy isn't focused on poisons, but on general potions, support elixirs, and a few small gadgets for convenience. However, I know the general scope of Jorent's abilities."

"Alchemy is heavily based on tradition. New potion formulas are rare. Most so-called 'new' potions are just old formulas with a new coat of paint. True innovation only produces one or two new concoctions every few decades. A formula like the Blood Burst Secret Medicine is the kind of thing that might appear by chance only once every one or two hundred years."

"Jorent is not a genius-level Alchemist. His innovative capacity is limited. The poisons he uses are likely to be traditional ones, and I can recognize most of them."

After a brief pause, Gwendolyn added, "Besides, it's very difficult to poison a Curse Sealer."

"Once you've successfully established a Curse Seal, regardless of its type or school, you become much harder to poison."

"Curse Sealers are naturally sensitive to toxins and can quickly detect them in the environment. Their resistance to poison is also two to three times stronger than an ordinary person's. A dose of poison that would be lethal to a normal person would only weaken a Curse Sealer."

Fang Zhen's eyes lit up.

'Curse Sealers have this ability too?'

But on second thought, it made sense.

The power of a Curse Seal was an Extraordinary Power. The energy level of a Curse Sealer's body was much higher than that of an ordinary person.

It was basically like having a boosted immune system. People with strong immunity and robust bodies were naturally less susceptible to toxins, and even if poisoned, they could resist it better. Both their resistance and adaptability were stronger.

He was also a Curse Sealer. He had unknowingly built up a considerable poison resistance without even realizing it.

Knowing he wouldn't be killed instantly, Fang Zhen felt much more at ease.

"So there's no way for Jorent to poison all of us?" Fang Zhen asked.

"There is a possibility, but both the poison and the method of delivery would be limited to two or three very specific options, and I know how to counter them," Gwendolyn said. "Also, the Alchemists who came as reinforcements for the Whig Society to make the Alchemy Armor can also produce antidotes."

"Then let's have them make the antidotes tonight, away from Jorent. Better to be cautious now than charitable later. We can't afford to be magnanimous and end up losing everything," Fang Zhen said.

"Alright, I'll see to it immediately," Gwendolyn said.

「...」

After Gwendolyn left, Fang Zhen rode his Jue Ying motorcycle back to the Light Gate's location.

He still had some preparations to make.

He sped all the way back to the Light Gate, parked, and pushed the bike through it.

The environment changed, and he was back in his familiar living room.

The first thing Fang Zhen did was get something to eat.

With Poisonous Jorent around, Fang Zhen had completely avoided eating or drinking anything provided in the Curse Seal World. He had only consumed some Red Bull and mineral water he brought with him.

Even though Curse Sealers had a natural resistance to poison, it was better to be extra careful.

He ordered a delicious and nutritious takeout meal. After it arrived and he'd eaten, he took a short nap. By the time he woke up, it was already approaching dawn.

He drank two cups of black coffee to wake himself up. Once he was fully alert, he went to his computer room, opened the Dungeon Life Game interface, and brought up the combat partner selection screen.

He was still planning to keep an ace up his sleeve as an insurance policy.

Gwendolyn might have said she could prevent Jorent's poisoning, but you can't guard against every one-in-a-million chance.

'What if Jorent managed to get his hands on some secret formula Gwendolyn doesn't know about?'

Besides, the traitor wasn't necessarily Jorent.

Although Fang Zhen was confident he could handle the traitor and prevent them from affecting the overall situation, a key characteristic of the future is its uncertainty. He couldn't completely guard against the unexpected.

Hiring a combat partner in advance meant having someone who was truly on his side, someone who could never be a betrayer.

This would add another layer of insurance.

After all, while Gwendolyn was trustworthy, she wasn't one hundred percent, absolutely trustworthy.

It wasn't that Fang Zhen distrusted Gwendolyn's character. Rather, Count Ellick had mind-control abilities, and there was no way to know if he was truly dormant or just pretending to be.

The probability of Gwendolyn betraying them was so small it was negligible. However, the smaller the probability, the more devastating it would be if that low-probability event actually occurred, precisely because no one would be prepared for it. The result could be a complete catastrophe.

To be thorough, Fang Zhen decided to keep something in reserve to deal with any potential changes.

Hiring a combat partner as backup was a good idea; the combat partners from the Dungeon Life Game were trustworthy.

He didn't plan on telling anyone from the Whig Society about the combat partner's existence.

The worst-case scenario was wasting some Merit Points, but the benefit was that it could save his life in a real crisis. At the very least, it would be a powerful reinforcement.

Fang Zhen opened the interface, already having someone in mind.

Jilenna, the one he had chosen last time, had good Combat Power, wasn't stupid, and had experience in the Curse Seal World, so she was already familiar with it. Fang Zhen had enjoyed working with her.

He decided to go with someone he knew rather than a stranger and prepared to hire Jilenna again.

The interface opened.

The combat partners Fang Zhen had previously hired were saved in a separate tab. It seemed you could find them as long as they hadn't died, which was probably a small bonus feature the Dungeon Life Game gave to players.

He looked at Jilenna's information and was suddenly a little surprised.

"The price went up?"

He remembered that last time, hiring Jilenna cost 20 Merit Points for 24 hours. Now, it was 30 Merit Points for 24 hours.

But looking closer, he saw that Jilenna's base stats in her character profile had increased.

Jilenna's current base stats were:

Constitution: 13

Strength: 14

Agility: 11

Intelligence: 10

Perception: 15

Her Constitution, Strength, and Perception had all increased by 1 point.

Fang Zhen was a bit surprised. 'Did Jilenna level up?'

Taking another look, he saw that sure enough, Jilenna's rating had changed from Bronze Four Stars to Bronze Five Stars.

Fang Zhen stroked his chin.

He guessed that the world Jilenna came from had to be at least elite-tier, if not hero-tier. Otherwise, she couldn't have leveled up so quickly and increased her base stats.

But, although the hiring fee was more expensive, she had also become stronger.

He still decided to hire this stronger barbarian Female Swordsman.

His mouse clicked the "Confirm Hire" button.