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

"The conditions remain the same. I'll provide intelligence and strategies, and you'll give me permissions and resources."

On the other end of the call, Zhang Guodong was silent for two seconds, then said one word: "Okay."

The news spread very quickly.

Or rather, someone made it spread very quickly.

In the basement conference room of a detached villa in Beijing, Zhao Tianyu slammed his phone onto the table.

"Chief Pioneering Consultant?"

His voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a poisoned nail.

"Who does Lin Chen think he is? Does he even deserve to be the chief?"

Zhao Tianyu, 24 years old, is a top-tier second-generation rich kid in China. His family spans multiple fields such as real estate, energy, and technology, with assets in the hundreds of billions.

After the Locke Kingdom incident broke out, he was among the first to react—relying on the influence of his family's capital, he quickly gathered hundreds of players and formed a large-scale pioneering team.

His plan was simple: to become the most powerful person in China's territory.

Not a nominal leader, but the true, actual controller who controls all resources.

With this identity, he could occupy the most advantageous position in the race for national destiny, and thus extend the family's influence from the real world to this brand-new Locke territory.

This is a golden opportunity.

He thought he had the victory in the bag.

A team of hundreds, ample funding, and strong family backing—all these combined are enough to crush any competitor.

Until the name Lin Chen began to appear frequently in his field of vision.

Hidden treasure chest in the beginner village, a fully-talented guardian dog, a 1v6 battle, defeating Li Kai without taking any damage, trending at number one on social media...

One message after another came in, each one challenging Zhao Tianyu's understanding.

How can a solo player with no background, no team, and no resources get ahead of him?

Now, the authorities have bypassed him and directly invited Lin Chen to serve as the chief pioneering consultant.

What does this mean?

This means that official resources, authority, and channels will all be tilted towards Lin Chen. It means that Zhao Tianyu's painstakingly built team of a hundred people will lose all its advantages in front of Lin Chen.

"Young Master Zhao, what should we do?" a young man wearing glasses asked cautiously.

Zhao Tianyu picked up the phone on the table; the screen was already cracked.

He did not answer.

He simply opened Lin Chen's profile and stared at the photo he had taken from the trending topics for a long time.

The young man in the photo stands in the sunset over the Prata grasslands, accompanied by a majestic Sonic Hound, his eyes as calm as a still pond.

Zhao Tianyu's lips slowly parted, revealing a smile that didn't quite resemble a smile.

"Lin Chen, right?"

He put down his phone, stood up, and walked to the window.

Outside the window, night is falling in Beijing. The distant skyscrapers are brightly lit, like golden monuments.

"You think you're safe just because you've connected with the authorities?"

"Do you think that title of chief advisor will allow you to always be above me?"

He turned around and glanced at the dozen or so men in the room who were holding their breath.

"Notify everyone to assemble in the conference room at 7:00 AM tomorrow."

"We need to revise our plan."

"Whatever Lin Chen has, we must have too. Whatever Lin Chen can do, we must do better than him."

"He got his intelligence from intelligence? Then investigate where he got it from."

"He relies on pets? Then find one, no matter the cost, just find me a pet even stronger than a guard dog."

"He relies on official channels? Well then—"

Zhao Tianyu paused, his gaze turning sinister.

"Then let the authorities know that Lin Chen is not the only one in China."

No one in the room dared to speak.

Zhao Tianyu sat back down in his chair, picked up the phone with the cracked screen, and opened Lin Chen's contact information.

He didn't add any friends; he just stared at the grayed-out "Add Friend" button for a long time.

Then he turned off the screen and threw the phone on the table.

"Lin Chen, the game has only just begun."

Deep in the Prata Grasslands, before the gates of the Grass Trials.

Lin Chen sneezed.

"You caught a cold?" Su Muxue, holding the Gran Seed, glanced at him from the side.

"No." Lin Chen rubbed his nose and looked at the huge stone door entwined with vines. "Someone is talking about me."

Wang Hao squatted on the ground, feeding his pet while muttering, "Aren't there enough people talking about you already? You're trending at number one, the whole internet is talking about you."

Lin Chen did not respond.

He stared at the stone door, and Zhang Guodong's last words echoed in his mind—

"Lin Chen, you need to be careful of someone."

"Who?"

"Zhao Tianyu".

"Zhao Tianyu?"

"He's one of the top rich kids in the country, with a pioneering team of over a hundred people. He originally thought he would have control of China's territory, but your appearance shattered his plans."

What should I be wary of him about?

Zhang Guodong remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "This person will stop at nothing to achieve his goals."

-

When Lin Chen entered the conference room, there were already more than a dozen people sitting inside.

The long, rectangular conference table, its dark brown solid wood surface reflecting the cold light of the overhead incandescent bulbs.

There were no documents or computers on the table, only a bottle of mineral water and a dark green work manual in front of each person.

The first formal meeting of the Locke National Transportation Administration.

Lin Chen's position was in the middle of the long table, neither at the front nor at the back.

As he sat down, a man in a military green combat uniform across from him looked up, his gaze sweeping over him like two knives.

That man's rank was colonel.

The gold stars on the epaulets gleamed under the lights.

Lin Chen didn't recognize him, but he could tell at a glance that this person was not a civilian military officer sitting in an office. His skin had the rough texture of someone who had been exposed to the elements for a long time, and there were thick calluses on the webs of his hands. His posture was like a taut bow.

"Everyone's here." Zhang Guodong, seated at the top of the long table, spoke in a low voice that was clearly audible throughout the conference room. "The meeting begins."

He first gave a brief introduction to the current structure of the Administration and the heads of each section, and then turned his attention to the man in military uniform.

"This is Leng Feng, the commander of the Special Operations Regiment. He will lead three hundred retired special forces soldiers to be stationed in Locke Territory, responsible for the overall defense of the Chinese territory."

Leng Feng stood up and nodded to everyone present.

His movements were so precise that every angle looked as if it had been measured with a ruler.

"From today onwards, I will be responsible for the order, security, and strategic defense within this territory." Leng Feng's voice was deep and powerful, carrying an unquestionable authority. "I hope everyone here will cooperate with the military's work."

After he finished speaking, his gaze fell on Lin Chen.

"You're Lin Chen?"

Lin Chen nodded.

Leng Feng looked him up and down, his brows furrowing slightly.

"I heard you're the chief pioneering consultant?"

"Yes."

"Commoner background? No military experience? No team management experience?"

Lin Chen did not answer, because he had already understood the meaning behind those words.

Leng Feng didn't wait for his reply. He stood up abruptly, placed his hands on the table, and leaned forward like a beast about to attack.

"Lin Chen, I'm not targeting you personally."

"But let me make this clear—the three hundred special forces soldiers under my command are risking their lives to protect the security of this territory. Their fighting style is based on teamwork, tactical coordination, and disciplined execution."

"And you, an ordinary player, relied on luck to catch a fully-talented guardian dog, won a few small-scale battles by fighting alone, and then became the chief advisor."

"I refuse to accept this."