Locke: I rely on intelligence to dominate the world and ensure the survival of my nation.

Blue Star, the scene of the UN emergency meeting.

On the huge holographic projection screen, the countdown numbers were blood-red.

3 minutes 28 seconds.

3 minutes 27 seconds.

3 minutes 26 seconds...

The heads of state looked extremely grim.

Half an hour ago, all internet-connected devices worldwide simultaneously went black. Then, a cold, emotionless mechanical voice resounded in the minds of 7.3 billion people on Earth—

"The [Locke Nation Fortune Binding Event] is about to begin."

"Each country will be randomly assigned a unique Locke territory, and the development progress of the territory will be 100% linked to the country's national fortune."

"If a territory's prosperity level drops to zero, that country will be permanently removed from the list of Earth's inhabitants."

"Countries that have not completed the binding process after the countdown ends will be considered to have automatically forfeited their rights and will be subject to expulsion."

There was no explanation, no option to refuse.

The news caused an immediate global uproar.

Wall Street stocks halted trading within three minutes of reopening, streets around the world descended into chaos, and social media was filled with panic and skepticism. But all the anger, protests, and prayers were futile; the countdown continued its relentless ticking, second by second approaching that unknown end.

The capital of China.

Lin Chen looked up from his computer and rubbed his sore eyes.

He's twenty-three years old, graduated just six months ago, and works in operations at an internet company. But what's making him frown right now isn't his job, but the strange announcement that just popped into his head.

"Locke...bound to the fate of the nation?"

The combination of words gave him a strange sense of familiarity.

Locke.

He glanced down at the game interface still displayed on his computer screen—"Roco Kingdom." It was an old game that had been running for over a decade, and he had played it for ten years, from junior high school to college graduation, from a naive teenager to someone who had entered the workforce.

Over ten years and more than two thousand days and nights, he witnessed almost all the version updates, all the challenging dungeons, and all the hidden mechanics of this game.

He once stayed up all night for a week to get a pet with the best personality, was the first player in the entire server to clear a certain high-difficulty dungeon, and posted hundreds of strategy posts on the forum, earning him the nickname "living strategy guide" among veteran players.

But these are all just games, what does that have to do with the global announcement we just heard?

Unlike most people, Lin Chen didn't panic unnecessarily. He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and quickly sorted through the information in his mind.

The announcement mentioned "Lock Territory", "binding", and "national destiny".

If—and just if—this "Locke" is related to the game he is familiar with, then his ten years of gaming experience might be China's biggest bargaining chip in this unknown gamble.

But it's also possible that he's just overthinking it.

However, regardless, he had to enter that so-called "territory" as soon as possible. If the announcement was true, then whoever completed the binding first would have the upper hand. If the announcement was false... then there was even less to worry about.

There are only 30 seconds left in the countdown.

Lin Chen turned off the computer screen, leaned back in his chair, and waited quietly.

Twenty seconds.

ten seconds.

Five, four, three, two, one—

The world seemed to stand still for a moment.

A blinding white light surged from the void, engulfing Lin Chen's entire vision. He felt his body being pulled, compressed, and reshaped by an irresistible force, as if he were passing through an endless tunnel.

All I could hear was the howling wind and the terrified screams of countless people.

This process lasted for about three seconds, or perhaps three centuries. When Lin Chen opened his eyes again, he was no longer in his rented apartment in Beijing.

He stood on a vast plain.

Beneath my feet lay soft, yielding soil; above me stretched an almost unreal, azure sky; and in the distance, rolling hills and dense forests stretched out before me. The air was unbelievably fresh, carrying the unique, moist scent of grass and earth.

Directly in front of him, a massive stone tablet rose from the ground, its surface inscribed with golden characters—

"The Locke Territory, exclusively for the Chinese nation."

Current territory level: LV1.

"Prosperity level: 0/1000".

"Lord: Not bound."

Around the stone tablet, flashes of white light appeared one after another, and figures emerged from the light. Their expressions varied: some looked around blankly, some were panicked, and some squatted on the ground trembling.

Lin Chen glanced around and roughly estimated that there were about a thousand people gathered in this area, and the number was still increasing.

Clearly, he was not the only one from China to be sent to this territory. However, the exact number and the selection process behind it remain completely unclear.

"Holy crap! Where am I? My phone has no signal!"

"What 'Lock Kingdom's Fate'? Are you kidding me? I want to go home!"

"Can someone explain what's going on?!"

A cacophony of voices rose and fell, and panic spread through the crowd like a virus. Some tried to run away, but were bounced back by an invisible barrier after only a short distance.

Just then, the inscription on the stone tablet changed.

The golden characters slowly reformed, transforming into clear rules that floated in mid-air, visible to everyone.

[Lock Nation Fortune Binding Rules]

1. Each lord can bind one initial Locke pet, which cannot be changed after binding.

II. There are eighteen types of initial pets to choose from: Fire, Water, Grass, etc. The specific pet type will be determined by the choice made when the lord binds the pet.

Third, territory prosperity can be obtained by completing territory tasks, exploring the map, and raising pets.

Fourth, the prosperity level of a territory will be converted into a national fortune index in real time, which will directly affect the country's resource allocation, international influence, and survival security on Earth.

Fifth, on the last day of each month, the three kingdoms with the lowest national fortune index will trigger the [Divine Punishment Judgment].

The last line of the rules completely froze the already tense atmosphere.

Divine retribution.

The details are not specified, but combined with the description in the first rule that "if the prosperity level reaches zero, the country will be permanently removed from the list of Earth's planets," anyone can guess what those four words mean.

This is not a drill, not a joke, not some bored hacker's prank.

This is a real, life-or-death game that gambles on the survival of the entire nation.

In the crowd, some people began to break down and cry.

Lin Chen didn't cry; he didn't even have time to panic. His gaze was fixed on the instructions on the stone tablet regarding the selection of the initial pet—

His brain began to work at an unprecedented speed.

If this "Rock" is indeed connected to the underlying logic of the game he plays, then the choice of the initial pet is the most crucial first step in the entire territory development.

Different starting pets determine the difficulty of the early game, the focus of combat, and even the hidden content that can be unlocked later.

The inscription on the stone tablet clearly states: Once bound, it cannot be changed.

This means that once you make the wrong choice, there is no room for regret.

He must choose a pet that is most suitable for the early stages of exploration, has the highest potential, and is the safest choice in the current completely unknown environment.

Water-type has the advantage of stability, Grass-type has the advantage of endurance, Electric-type... Ice-type...

Fire type has the highest base magic attack stat and burst damage of all types. In the early stages of the game, fire type pets are better than other types at clearing maps and fighting bosses.

More importantly, the evolved forms of fire-type monsters often come with additional special abilities, playing an irreplaceable role in certain hidden dungeons.

There's no time to hesitate.

Lin Chen stepped toward the stone tablet and placed his hand on the touch area on the tablet that emitted a faint light.

In an instant, eighteen rays of light rose from the surface of the monument and slowly rotated in front of him.

On the left is a soft blue glow, in the middle is a leaping crimson flame, and on the right is a tranquil emerald green halo...

Without hesitation, Lin Chen grabbed the crimson flame in the middle.

The moment the flame touched his hand, a searing heat surged from his palm throughout his body, but the heat was not harmful; instead, it felt as if something within him was being ignited. A crimson light shot out from the stone tablet and entered his brow.

"bite."

A crisp notification sound rang in his mind, completely different from the cold, mechanical voice during the previous global announcement. This notification sound had a metallic quality, yet it felt strangely clear.

"Lord Lin Chen, binding successful."

"Initial pet confirmed: Spark (Fire type)."

"Pet data loading... Loading complete."

"Current pet status: LV1, Stamina 12, Magic Attack 15, Physical Attack 8, Magic Defense 10, Physical Defense 9, Speed ​​14."

"Skills: Scratch, Spark (10% chance to burn the target)."

This data panel and skill configuration are almost identical to Spark's initial data in "Roco Kingdom" in Lin Chen's memory.

But before he could confirm it carefully, the second notification sounded immediately.

This time, the content of that voice made Lin Chen's pupils shrink sharply—

"The lord has been detected to have special compatibility conditions. The Daily Intelligence System is now forcibly activated."

"System initialization complete."

[Current intelligence points balance: 10 (daily basic acquisition).]

"Intelligence access unlocked: White ordinary intelligence."