The question requires configuring all current and future Compute Engine instances to collect system logs while ensuring the Ops Agent stays updated. Option C (using the gcloud CLI to create an Agent Policy) is the correct solution. Agent Policies in Google Cloud Operations allow centralized management of the Ops Agent across VMs. Once applied at the project level, it automatically deploys and maintains the agent on all existing VMs and future instances. It also handles automatic updates of the Ops Agent, aligning with the requirement for the agent to remain up to date. Option A is inefficient and manual, failing to cover future instances. Option B is a one-time manual action and doesn't scale for future VMs. Option D relies on startup scripts, which may not ensure automatic updates and could become outdated.