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

The day after I received the Water System Badge, the Locke National Transportation Administration issued an appointment announcement.

The announcement was highlighted with a red title, and every word seemed as solemn as if it were engraved in stone.

"After deliberation by the Locke National Development Administration, Lin Chen has been appointed as the Chief Commander of the Locke Territory in China, and will be fully responsible for the strategic planning, tactical guidance and resource coordination of the Locke land reclamation in China."

"Leng Feng has been appointed as the deputy commander-in-chief, responsible for the deployment of military forces and the security and defense of the territory."

"Zhang Guodong is appointed as the chief logistics officer, responsible for the allocation of supplies to lords nationwide and official coordination."

"Su Muxue is appointed as the chief tactical advisor, responsible for optimizing pet skill combinations and designing team tactics."

"Wang Hao is appointed as the captain of the exploration team, responsible for new map exploration and intelligence gathering."

Five appointments, five people.

The Huaguo Locke management system has been officially established.

An hour after the announcement was released, the comment section was flooded with the word "support".

There was no questioning, no ridicule, and none of the overwhelming smear campaigns that once raged.

Lin Chen used a live broadcast, a counterattack, and a water-themed badge to crush all the doubts.

Wang Hao stared at the appointment announcement for three minutes in the training field, stunned.

"The leader of the reconnaissance team?" He pointed to his own nose, his voice trembling. "Me? The leader?"

"You don't want to be one?" Lin Chen squatted down beside him, feeding the Sonic Dog.

"Yes! Of course I want to!" Wang Hao jumped up, then suddenly felt a little guilty, "But Brother Chen, my skills are average, and I'm not as smart as Mu Xue. Would I be suitable to be the captain...?"

"You don't need to be a top-notch operator, nor do you need to be the smartest," Lin Chen said without looking up. "You only need to do one thing—be the first to rush out when I need you."

Wang Hao opened his mouth, then closed it.

He got it.

Su Muxue was appointed as the chief tactical advisor. She didn't utter any grand words, but simply opened the small notebook she always carried and wrote four words on the first page: "Living up to expectations."

Leng Feng was appointed as the deputy commander-in-chief. He stood in the corner of the training field, arms crossed, looking at the appointment notice, and remained silent for a long time.

Then he walked up to Lin Chen, stood at attention, and gave a standard military salute.

"Commander Lin, the Special Operations Regiment of 300 men is ready to be deployed at any time."

Lin Chen stood up and returned a somewhat imperfect military salute.

"Commander Leng, from today onwards, your mission is not to fight."

"What is that?"

"Be a teacher. Teach all the lords of China your methods of teamwork, tactical execution, and discipline management."

Leng Feng raised an eyebrow, then slowly lowered it.

"clear."

On the same day the appointment announcement was released, Lin Chen spearheaded the release of the first official "Wilderness Reclamation Guide".

This is not a simple guide, but a 300-page encyclopedia.

The first part of the guide is a complete analysis of the beginner's map.

Safe leveling spots in the Plata Grasslands, with precise coordinates and entrance photos. Hidden treasure chest locations in the Pet Park, along with climbing tips and precautions. Hidden entrances to the Genos Deep Sea, with detailed trigger methods and routes marked.

Every map, every coordinate, and every route has been verified on-site by Lin Chen's team.

The second part of the guide is about pet capture and breeding.

The capture window for low-level pets is categorized by attribute and further subdivided by skill. The best time to capture each pet, the recommended type of Gulu Ball to use, and the training direction after capture are all listed in a table for easy reference.

Regular players no longer need to waste a dozen or so Goo Balls trying and failing; just follow the guide, and you're guaranteed to hit the target within three tries.

The third part of the guide is about badge completion tips.

The Grass-type Badge Guardian's skill mechanics, countermeasures, and recommended pet configurations. The Water-type Badge Guardian, Lele's weather mechanics, core weaknesses, and hidden side quest trigger conditions.

These are all core pieces of information that Lin Chen obtained by exchanging intelligence points, and now they are all being made public.

The last page of the guide contains only one sentence.

"The fate of China does not belong to any one person. This guide is all I can give you. The rest of the journey is up to you."

Within an hour of its release, the "Wilderness Reclamation Guide" had been downloaded over 100 million times.

Almost every one of the 36,000 lords in China received a copy.

Long queues formed at the safe leveling spots in the Plata Grasslands, but this time no one fought over monsters, no one cut in line, and no one caused trouble. Everyone tacitly followed the first-come, first-served order and entered one by one to level up.

Next to the abandoned well in the pet park, players spontaneously explained climbing techniques to newcomers. At the hidden entrance to the Genos Deep Sea, someone had carved arrows on the rocks to mark the safest route.

The atmosphere in China's territory changed overnight.

Panic and chaos were replaced by order and cooperation. Those who once only cried and complained began to pick up the Gulu Ball and follow the instructions step by step.

Lin Chen did not stop.

The appointment announcement and the pioneering guide are just the first step.

His real plan is to build a core force capable of representing China and competing head-on with top players from other countries in global racing.

Elite pioneering team.

The recruitment notice was issued through the official channels of the Administration Bureau, and the conditions were outrageously harsh.

Level requirement: You must have at least one pet that is level 35 or higher.

"Badge Requirements: You must have at least two badges (Grass-type and Water-type)."

"Combat requirements: Pass the joint assessment by Lin Chen, Su Muxue, and Leng Feng."

Quota: 1,000 people.

After the announcement was released, the number of applicants exceeded 20,000 within an hour.

Twenty thousand people, one thousand to be selected.

The acceptance rate is five percent.

The assessment took place at the training grounds in the Prata Grasslands for three consecutive days.

The first day was a practical assessment. Each person had three matches against military special forces players. These weren't ordinary matches, but simulations of various extreme situations that might occur in global racing—being outnumbered, having attribute disadvantages, adverse weather, or injured pets.

Fewer than 6,000 people passed the first day's assessment.

The second day was the tactical assessment. Su Muxue prepared a tactical theory test, covering attribute advantages and disadvantages, skill combinations, weather mechanisms, and pet talent evaluation. The questions weren't difficult, but each one required genuine understanding and practical experience to answer correctly.

Fewer than three thousand people will pass the assessment on the second day.

The third day was a comprehensive assessment. Lin Chen personally took to the stage, giving each person three minutes. It wasn't a battle, but an open-ended question: "If China encountered Jason, the First Lord of the United States, in the purification battle of William Castle, how would you fight?"

Three thousand people, one thousand answers.

Lin Chen sat in a corner of the assessment room, listening to each candidate one by one.

Some people spoke eloquently, some were so nervous they became incoherent, some calmly analyzed the data, and some frankly said, "I don't know, but I'm willing to learn."

By the end of the third day, the list of one thousand people had been finalized.

Lin Chen stood on the high platform of the training ground, facing a thousand young faces. Their eyes shared the same thing—not fear, not confusion, but a light that had been ignited.

"You are the strongest one percent among the thirty thousand lords of China." Lin Chen's voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard it clearly. "From today onwards, you no longer represent yourselves. You represent China."

"The Purification Battle of William's Castle is a race involving all nations simultaneously. You will not be facing wild monsters or guardians, but top lords from other countries."

"Jason from America, the first person in the world to clear the water system badge. Kenichi Sato from Japan, the second person in the world."

"They are faster than us. But racing isn't a sprint, it's a marathon. Whoever laughs last laughs best."

No one spoke below the platform.

A thousand people, a thousand pairs of eyes, are all watching Lin Chen.

"Starting tomorrow, the elite pioneering team will begin special training. Your instructors will be Team Leader Leng Feng and Advisor Su Muxue. The training will focus on only one thing—how to exert power beyond the individual within a team."

Lin Chen paused.

Meeting adjourned.

One thousand people stand at attention at the same time.

It's not the military posture of standing at attention, but rather the natural physical reaction of a young person after being ignited.

Lin Chen walked down from the platform, with Wang Hao following behind him.

"Brother Chen, is a thousand people enough?"

"That's not enough," Lin Chen said, "but a thousand people is a starting point."

He looked up at the distant horizon, which was dyed red by the setting sun.

The global announcement rang out again that evening.

It wasn't a customs clearance notice from a particular country, but a cold and grand global announcement from the system.

"Announcement: The progress of collecting all national emblems has been updated. The preliminary phase of the William Castle Purification Battle will end in seven days. At that time, countries that have not collected all three emblems will be disqualified from participating."

"Announcement: After the purification battle of William's Castle concludes, the global secret realm—[King's Arena]—will be opened. Each nation will send its strongest lord to engage in cross-server battles. The final rankings will directly affect the allocation of national fortune in the next stage."

Global hidden gems.

King's Arena.

Cross-server battles.

Lin Chen stood on the open ground of the training field, the night wind ruffling his clothes. He opened the system interface; his intelligence points were nearly depleted after several rounds of use, but the daily refresh was still an hour away.

New intelligence, new opportunities.

He closed the interface and looked at the brightly lit Administration Bureau building in the distance.

Inside the building, Zhang Guodong was allocating supplies, Leng Feng was developing training plans, Su Muxue was organizing tactical manuals, and Wang Hao was selecting scouts.

The members of the 1,000 elite exploration team are frantically grinding levels at their respective leveling spots.

The entire country of China is in motion.

Lin Chen took a deep breath and held the Sonic Dog's Gulu Ball in his hand.

Seven days.

Seven days later, at William Castle.

Seven days later, the global race begins.

Seven days later, everything was different.