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

When the global announcement rang out, Lin Chen was in the training ground accompanying the elite pioneer team for special training.

That cold yet powerful voice didn't just resound in his mind, but exploded simultaneously in the minds of 7.3 billion people on Earth.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, looked up, as if listening to some divine revelation.

"Announcement: In seven days, the first global beginner dungeon, the [Grassland Guardian Dungeon], will officially open."

All players who have completed the Grass-type badge challenge can participate.

First-time completion rewards for the Secret Realm: A massive boost to national fortune, an exclusive Secret Realm title, and a rare pet egg. The nation that completes the first instance will receive double the national fortune index bonus for thirty days.

"Announcement: Dungeon Rules - Speedrunning is conducted on a nation-by-nation basis. The first nation to defeat the final boss of the dungeon is considered the first to clear it. Multiple nations are allowed to enter the same dungeon simultaneously, but the boss can only be defeated by a team from one nation."

"Announcement: Countries that do not participate in or complete the Secret Realm will not be penalized. However, the first country to complete it will gain an unprecedented national fortune advantage, directly affecting the next stage of global rankings."

The world was in uproar.

This is not a race like the one at William's Castle that only involves collecting badges; it is a real, head-on confrontation on a national level.

The Grass-type badge is the entry ticket – the number of players in China who currently own the Grass-type badge has exceeded 20,000, a number that ranks among the top in the world.

The problem is, the game isn't a single-player game.

Allowing multiple countries to enter simultaneously means that players from different countries will encounter each other in the secret realm. However, there is only one BOSS.

Lin Chen closed the announcement interface, his brows furrowing slightly. He didn't speak, but his mind was already contemplating all the possible scenarios that might occur seven days from now.

Meanwhile, in the United States, at the New York command center.

Jason sat in front of a huge holographic sand table, the screen in front of him displaying land reclamation data from countries around the world. His finger lightly swept across the sand table, highlighting the data for China and Russia in red.

Jason, 23 years old, is widely recognized as the number one among Lord Locke of the Beautiful Country.

He achieved the world's first clear in the Water-type Badge Speedrun, a full four hours faster than the second-place finisher, Kenichi Sato from Japan. His main pet was a level 40 Vulcan, paired with a rare Electric-type pet, making him virtually unbeatable in the early stages.

"China's progress is faster than I expected." Jason's voice was calm, but those who knew him well could hear the vigilance beneath that calm.

"Especially that guy named Lin Chen. He was the third person in the world to get both the Grass-type and Water-type badges. Although he was slower than us, his growth curve was very steep."

A blond, blue-eyed analyst next to him adjusted his glasses: "Jason, you mean...?"

Jason stood up and walked to the window. Outside was a simulated sky over the American territory, a clear, cloudless blue.

"What I mean is, we can't let China and Russia get anything from the secret realm."

He turned around, picked up the communicator on the table, and dialed a number.

"Kenichi Satoh? I'm Jason."

"I have a suggestion that I'm sure you'll be interested in."

There was a three-second silence on the other end of the communication line, followed by a deep voice: "Speak."

"The Grassland Guardian's Secret Realm only has one BOSS. If we fight individually, China and Russia will have a chance to take advantage of the chaos." Jason's voice carried an undeniable certainty. "But if we join forces, clear the area first, and then fight the BOSS, all rewards will be distributed according to contribution."

Kenichi Sato remained silent for another three seconds.

"Who else?"

"Park Jung-ho from South Korea has already agreed. I've also contacted more than twenty countries in Southeast Asia, Europe, and South America."

"More than twenty countries?" Kenichi Sato's voice rose slightly. "Are you sure you can coordinate that?"

"No coordination is needed." Jason's voice turned cold. "They only need to do one thing—listen to me."

The communication was disconnected.

Jason put down the communicator and sat back down in front of the holographic sand table. He changed the markings for China and Russia from red to gray, and then drew a huge encirclement on the sand table.

At the center of the circle is the BOSS spawn point of the Grassland Guardian's Secret Realm.

"Lin Chen, do you want to enter the core of the secret realm?"

"You'll have to ask these twenty-odd countries first whether they agree."

The news spread six hours after the announcement was released.

Jason released a joint statement through official American channels. The title of the statement was polite—"A Joint Initiative on Fair Competition in Global New Player Dungeons." But the content was anything but polite.

"To ensure the rational allocation of resources in the secret realm and avoid unnecessary losses caused by disorderly competition, twenty-three countries, including the United States, Japan, and South Korea, have reached a consensus to take coordinated action in the secret realm. Players from non-cooperative countries will not be guaranteed safety when entering the core area."

In layman's terms: Twenty-three countries have joined forces; we've secured the core area of ​​the secret realm. Anyone from China or Russia who dares to enter will be attacked.

Below the statement was a list of twenty-three countries. The United States was first, followed by Japan, and then South Korea. A dense, overwhelming network of European and South American countries followed.

Global public opinion was in an uproar.

"Twenty-three countries fighting against two? Is this what you call fair competition?"

"The US is clearly trying to monopolize the rewards from the secret realm."

"What should we do with China and Russia? Force our way in or give up?"

"If we force our way through, it's like fighting against twenty-three opponents; if we give up, the national fortune bonus will be gone."

"Isn't this bullying?"

However, some people hold different opinions.

"It's their ability to join forces; China is capable of finding others to join forces as well."

"Weak nations have no diplomacy, and the same applies to Locke's territory."

"Isn't Lin Chen supposed to be awesome? Let's see how he handles this."

The initial square of the Chinese territory.

Zhao Tianyu stood in the center of the square, surrounded by a group of onlookers. A smug smile played on his lips, as if he'd won the lottery.

"What did I say?" Zhao Tianyu's voice was loud enough to be heard across half the square. "When Lin Chen offended the United States, I said he would drag the entire country of China down with him. You didn't believe me. And now? A 23-nation coalition, specifically targeting China. Is this the chief commander you chose?"

Someone nearby whispered, "It's clearly the US that wants to monopolize resources, what does it have to do with Lin Chen?"

Zhao Tianyu sneered, "If Lin Chen hadn't been so high-profile in his livestream, would the US have considered China its number one adversary? If he had kept a low profile and quietly developed his strength, would the US have even noticed us? Now look what's happened; the secret realm hasn't even opened yet, and twenty-three countries have already conspired to encircle us. Who else but Lin Chen should take the blame for this?"

Several of Zhao Tianyu's men in the crowd started to stir up trouble.

"Lin Chen is harming China!"

"Make him come out and apologize!"

"Is this all the chief commander is capable of?"

Most players simply watched in silence, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. They all had a copy of the "Pilot Guide" and knew how they had improved their levels and equipment from scratch. Zhao Tianyu's words couldn't fool them.

Li Kai did not appear in the square. His live stream was shut down, and his social media accounts were criticized to the point of being deleted, but he found a new channel to voice his opinions—Zhao Tianyu's team channel.

He sent a long voice message in the channel, vividly analyzing "Lin Chen's three major strategic mistakes," concluding that China would inevitably suffer a crushing defeat in the secret realm, and that Lin Chen should bear full responsibility for it.

After the voice message was sent, there was a long silence in the channel. No one liked it, no one shared it, and no one even replied.

Li Kai's popularity has already burned out.

However, Zhao Tianyu and Li Kai's mockery still spread through social media.

The hashtag #LinChenOffendedTheUS# trended on Weibo, though not highly, it did attract attention. In the comments section, some called Zhao Tianyu a traitor, others questioned Lin Chen's diplomatic strategy, and many more were asking the same question—

"Does China truly possess the capability to confront a coalition of twenty-three nations head-on?"

The management building, top-floor conference room.

The atmosphere was very oppressive.

Zhang Guodong sat at the top of the long table, a printed copy of the joint statement of the twenty-three countries spread out in front of him. He tapped his fingers twice on the paper, making a dull sound.

"Twenty-three countries. The total number of lords exceeds 150,000. The number of elite players with Grass-type badges is conservatively estimated to be over 30,000."

Leng Feng stood by the window, arms crossed, his face ashen: "Thirty thousand against twenty thousand, we're outnumbered. But they're not a monolithic entity; coordination, command, and logistics among twenty-three countries are all problems. If we can find their weaknesses..."

"There's no time to find loopholes," Su Muxue interrupted him, her tone direct. "The secret realm opens in seven days. In seven days, we don't have time to make any large-scale tactical arrangements."

Wang Hao sat in the corner, unusually silent. His face was grim, but his eyes held little fear, only a sense of resentment.

The meeting room door was pushed open.

Lin Chen walked in, holding a bottle of mineral water, as if he had just returned from the training ground. His expression was calm, so calm that everyone felt it was somewhat unreal.

"Are you discussing the 23-nation coalition?" Lin Chen sat down, unscrewed the bottle cap, and took a sip of water.

Zhang Guodong looked at him: "You have a plan?"

Lin Chen placed the water bottle on the table and leaned back in his chair.

"The solution is very simple."

"They won't let us into the core area of ​​the secret realm, but we're determined to go in."

Leng Feng's eyebrows furrowed into a knot: "One against twenty-three? A head-on confrontation?"

"It's not one against twenty-three," Lin Chen shook his head. "It's one against one."

"What do you mean?"

"Twenty-three countries, not a monolithic entity." Lin Chen's voice was slow, as if he were stating something that had been proven countless times. "The United States wants to be the leader, Japan is not convinced, South Korea wants to play both sides, and the European countries each have their own agendas. Jason was able to unite them not through prestige, but through mutual interests."

"Interest can bring them together, but it can also cause them to break up."

Lin Chen stood up and walked to the world map on the wall. He picked up a marker and drew a circle around the locations of America, Japan, and South Korea.

"In the secret realm, we don't fight the coalition head-on. We only do one thing—find the weakest link in their alliance, and then smash it with one punch."

The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.

Leng Feng's eyes lit up.

Su Muxue had already started writing and drawing in her notebook.

Wang Hao stood up from the corner, clenching his fists: "Brother Chen, who do you think we should hit?"

Lin Chen did not answer. He turned around and looked at the night sky outside the window.

Seven days later, the Grassland Guardian's Secret Realm.

The 23-nation coalition.

Jason, Kenichi Sato, and Park Jung-ho.

All the enemies have already stood on the other side.

Lin Chen took the Sonic Dog's Gurgle Ball from his waist and held it in his hand. The ball was slightly warm, as if the Sonic Dog sensed his fighting spirit.

"Let them see in seven days."

"How do you fight in China?"