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

late at night.

The sky above the territory was starless, with only a dark red moon hanging low on the horizon, like the eye of some unknown creature.

Lin Chen leaned against a tree and opened the system interface.

The intelligence database has been refreshed after midnight.

A line of blue text appeared at the top of the list, distinguishing it from the other white intelligence: "Blue Excellent Intelligence, requires 5 intelligence points to exchange."

Lin Chen's gaze swept over the line of text, his pupils contracting slightly.

"【Blue Intelligence - Full-Talent Guardian Hound】: A full-talent Guardian Hound (Talent Rating: S-Rank, all attribute stat caps exceeded) will spawn in Grass No. 3 of the Plata Plains in 1 hour. The spawn window will last for 15 minutes and will disappear after that time."

"Capture Tips: The Guardian Dog has a passive sense ability; approaching it directly will trigger it to run away. You need to use a Fire-type Pokémon to release a small amount of fire energy upwind to create a 'safe illusion' before you can approach. It is recommended to use no more than 2 Gulu Balls to capture it. The first throw should be made the moment the Guardian Dog lowers its head to sniff the ground."

Full talent!

S-rank!

The maximum value of all attributes has been broken.

Lin Chen had been playing "Roco Kingdom" for ten years, and he knew better than anyone how rare a pet with full talents was.

In games, an average player might never encounter a wild pet with maxed-out talents in their entire life. But now, in this cruel world where national fortune is directly linked to pet strength, the value of a fully-talented guardian dog is immeasurable.

The Guardian Dog is already a top-tier (T0) pet for early game progression. Its exclusive skill, "Last Stand," allows it to unleash several times its normal damage when low on health, making it an invaluable skill for clearing higher-level monsters and defeating bosses. And if you add its fully maxed-out base stats...

Lin Chen did not hesitate.

Consumes 5 intelligence points.

exchange.

The blue intelligence text transformed into tiny specks of light, merging into his field of vision. Coordinates, time, capture techniques—all the information was clearly etched into his mind.

"Wang Hao." Lin Chen stood up.

Wang Hao, leaning against another tree, yawned: "What's wrong?"

"Let's go to the Plata Grasslands."

"Now? In the middle of the night?"

"A fully-trained guardian dog will spawn there in an hour." Lin Chen's tone left no room for argument. "We have to camp there beforehand."

Wang Hao was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened: "Full talent? Are you sure?"

"Sure."

Without a word, Wang Hao sprang to his feet. He was already used to Lin Chen's "precognitive" ability. Although he didn't know exactly how it worked, he knew one thing—following Lin Chen was the right thing to do.

The Prata Grasslands are located to the northeast of the territory, about a twenty-minute drive from their current location.

Lin Chen walked ahead, with Yan Huo at his feet, the flames overhead casting a crimson streak in the night. Wang Hao followed closely behind, carrying a small green cat-like pet in his arms—Meow Meow, a grass-type, his true starting pet.

Lin Chen glanced at the cat. It had already reached level 10, which wasn't particularly strong, but it was sufficient for the early game.

The two hurried through the night.

We've arrived at the Prata Grasslands.

This is a vast grassland, where waist-high wild grass undulates like waves in the night wind. Under the moonlight, the tips of the grass gleam with a silvery-white luster, and in the distance, a few lonely old trees stand like sentinels on the grassland.

Lin Chen used the coordinates in his mind to find the third patch of grass.

It was a slightly sunken depression, with taller and denser grass around it than in other places, forming a natural hiding space.

"Just squat here," Lin Chen said in a low voice. "Don't speak, and don't make any sudden movements."

The two crouched down in the grass, completely concealed by the dense foliage.

Time passed by, second by second.

Lin Chen kept his gaze fixed on the center of the depression. The intelligence report said the guardian dog would appear in an hour, but the system didn't provide more precise information about the exact second.

Forty minutes.

Fifty minutes.

Fifty-five minutes.

Wang Hao's legs went numb from squatting, but he gritted his teeth and didn't say a word.

Fifty-eight minutes.

Fifty-nine minutes.

Sixtieth minute —

The air in the center of the depression distorted slightly.

A golden light emerged from the void, condensing, shrinking, and taking shape. A canine-like creature, entirely golden in color, stepped out of the light. It was about knee-high to an adult, with long, powerful limbs, erect ears, and a tail held high.

Its fur was a pure golden color, gleaming with a warm sheen under the dark red moonlight. A pair of amber eyes scanned its surroundings warily, its nose twitching slightly, as if trying to detect every scent in the air.

A protective dog.

Lin Chen held his breath.

Following the techniques described in the intelligence, he slowly raised his right hand, pointing his fingertips upwind of the location of the guard dog.

The firework seemed to understand, and slightly opened its mouth, releasing a tiny wisp of flame energy that drifted silently towards its guardian dog on the night breeze.

This is a key technique highlighted in the intelligence report—guardian dogs are extremely sensitive to unfamiliar scents, and approaching them directly will inevitably trigger a runaway.

However, the small amount of fire energy released by fire-type pets can create the illusion of a "safe zone" because, in the original instincts of guard dogs, the presence of fire-type pets means that there are no large predators nearby.

The guard dog's nose stopped twitching. Its ears drooped slightly, and its whole body relaxed from its alert state.

Bow down.

It began to lower its head and sniff the ground.

It's now!

Lin Chen suddenly leaped out of the bushes, the ball in his hand arcing through the air, accurately striking the guard dog's side.

The red and white sphere exploded in a burst of light the moment it bounced, enveloping the guardian dog completely.

The ball landed on the ground and wobbled.

Two times.

Three times.

With a "ding," the indicator light in the center of the sphere went out.

Capture successful.

Lin Chen stepped forward and picked up the Gulu Ball from the ground. The ball was slightly warm, and through its translucent shell, he could see his guardian dog curled up inside, sleeping peacefully.

"That...it worked?" Wang Hao poked his head out of the bushes, his face filled with disbelief. "You didn't even use up two Gulu Balls? Just one?"

Lin Chen held the Gulu Ball, feeling the warmth emanating from his palm.

A highly skilled and protective dog.

I got it.

Instead of celebrating, he immediately released his guard dog.

A golden light flashed, and the guardian dog reappeared on the grass, shook its head, and looked at Lin Chen with a scrutinizing gaze.

A few seconds later, it lowered its head and gently rubbed against Lin Chen's calf.

Intimacy level confirmed.

A system notification sounded: "Guardian Dog, Level 5, Talent Rating: S (Max Talent). Skills: Charge, Last Stand (Power - the lower the remaining stamina, the greater the power), Frenzy Bite."

A final burst of energy before death.

The existence of this skill means that from now on, they can challenge monsters far beyond their current level.

"Let's go back to the leveling spot." Lin Chen put the guardian dog back into the ball. "It's time to show you what real leveling efficiency is."

The leveling spot is still the same patch of grass, but this time the target is no longer the level 1 round-eyed spider.

Lin Chen led Wang Hao deeper into the grasslands and found an area where level 9-12 monsters spawned. The monsters here were significantly higher level than them; normally, trying to level up here was no different from suicide.

But guard dogs are different.

In the first battle, the opponent was a level 11 dandelion.

Lin Chen didn't send Yan Huo to attack. He released his guardian dog, giving it only one command: "Last burst of energy."

The protective dog rushed forward and withstood the dandelion's fierce attack. Its health plummeted from full to near death.

Then, a counterattack.

A golden light burst forth from the guardian dog, blasting Dandelion away. She was already incapacitated when she landed.

Sold out instantly.

A level 11 monster was instantly killed by a level 5 guardian dog.

Experience points poured in like a waterfall. The guardian dog's experience bar instantly surged, and Lin Chen's prosperity level on his lord panel also jumped a few points.

Wang Hao was dumbfounded.

For the next hour, the two of them began frantically grinding levels.

Lin Chen used his guardian hound to clear the way—every battle followed the same pattern: the guardian hound would tank the damage first, reducing its health to the limit, then unleash a final, devastating blow. The efficiency was absurdly high.

Wang Hao's cat followed behind, gaining experience points and leveling up rapidly.

Level 10.

Level 12.

Level 14.

When Meow Meow's experience bar was full again, a bright green light burst from its body.

In the light, Meow Meow's body began to change, stretching from a kitten into a more slender and elegant feline. Its ears became pointed, its tail grew longer, and its pupils shimmered with emerald green light.

"Meow meow has evolved into a meow."

Wang Hao stared blankly at the meow in front of him, his eyes a little red.

His pet has finally evolved as well.

However, this dazzling light not only illuminated the grassland, but also attracted people who shouldn't have come.

Noisy footsteps came from outside the bushes.

Lin Chen raised his head and squinted his eyes.

Five or six figures surrounded them from different directions. The leader was a young man with dyed yellow hair, who was holding a fire-type pet in his arms. The pet's level didn't seem low.

The blond-haired man's gaze fell on the Gulu Ball at Lin Chen's waist, then looked at the Meow Meow, which was still shimmering with the afterglow of evolution, and a slow grin spread across his face.

"Hey bro, you've got good luck." The blond guy's tone was laced with obvious greed. "Want to sell that guard dog?"

Lin Chen did not answer.

His hand was already on the pet badge.

The night breeze stopped.

The grassland was eerily quiet.