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

Lin Chen stepped forward, squatted down, took out three bottles of basic HP potions from his backpack, and handed them over.

The researcher's hands were trembling, and he almost dropped the medicine bottle when he took it.

He unscrewed the bottle cap and poured the medicine onto the wound. The pale red liquid seeped into the wound, and the festering flesh began to heal slowly.

"Thanks." The researcher breathed a sigh of relief and pulled a stone emitting a crimson glow from his pocket.

"This is a skill stone I dug up deep inside the pet park. It records the fire skill [Flame Eruption]. I'm just a researcher, so I have no use for it. I'm giving it to you."

Lin Chen accepted the skill stone.

The stone felt warm to the touch, its surface shimmering with a flame-like sheen. A system notification sounded: "Skill Stone [Flame Eruption] (Power 80, Special). Use to teach this skill to a Fire-type pet."

mission completed.

Su Muxue leaned closer to take a look at the skill stone's attributes, her eyes widening slightly: "An 80-power fire-type special skill... This skill's stats are seriously overpowered in the early game. If your Flame skill learns this, you'll basically have no rivals in battles at the same level."

She looked up at Lin Chen, her eyes now filled with more than just gratitude; they held a seriousness that one only feels when meeting a fellow traveler.

"Lin Chen, I saw your fight just now. Your skills were good, but there's room for improvement in your skill combos." Su Muxue's tone was direct. "If you trust me, I can help you rearrange your skill sequence and align the burst windows of Fireworks and Guardian Hound."

Lin Chen looked at her and nodded.

Su Muxue took out a small notebook from her backpack, squatted down, and began to write and draw.

Her handwriting was small and dense, with rows of numerical values ​​and skill names arranged and combined under her pen.

Wang Hao stood to the side, looked at Lin Chen, then at Su Muxue, and scratched his head.

"I have a feeling..." he muttered to himself, "Brother Chen has struck gold."

Lin Chen ignored him. He opened the system interface, preparing to confirm the next step of the plan.

Then he froze.

At the top of the intelligence database, a new line of golden text is slowly emerging—

That wasn't white intelligence, nor was it blue intelligence; it was a golden intelligence report that had never appeared before.

"【Golden Legend Information - Global Speed-Up Badge】: After the initial phase of all national territories is completed, the first round of national fortune racing will begin - 【William's Castle Purification Battle】. The first country to complete the purification and obtain the badge will receive double prosperity bonus; the bottom three countries will trigger a divine punishment judgment."

Lin Chen stared at the line of golden text, his fingers tightening slightly.

Global racing.

It's not just internal competition within China, but a race alongside all the countries on Earth.

Countdown: 09:14:03.

……

Within three minutes of the global announcement, the entire territory was in an uproar.

"All countries are racing simultaneously? The bottom three will be punished by heaven?"

"Double prosperity bonus! If we get this, the nation's fortunes will skyrocket!"

"Don't push! The Prata Grassland is already packed with people!"

The news spread like wildfire among the players. Panic, excitement, anxiety, greed—a mixture of emotions pushed the entire territory into a near-frenzied state.

At the entrance to the Prata Grasslands, crowds surged.

Hundreds of players, each with their own pets, flocked in, all with one goal: to level up as quickly as possible in preparation for the upcoming purification battle at William's Castle.

However, the ideal is full, and the reality is very skinny.

"Ah—my spark has been killed!"

"Holy crap! What the hell is that thing?! It killed me in an instant!"

"Help! How can the monsters in this grassland be so strong!"

Screams echoed throughout the room.

The monsters deep in the Prata Plains are far beyond the capabilities of novice players.

Level 12 Kaka Bugs live in swarms, and once surrounded, they are instantly killed; Level 15 Grass-type Pokémon have control skills, and if you are hit by Sleep Powder, you can only watch helplessly as you are slowly whittled down to death; and then there are those Rock-type Pokémon that hide underground, suddenly popping out to give you a violent ramming attack that takes away half of your health.

In just twenty minutes, more than 60% of the hundreds of players who flooded into the grassland were sent back to the initial respawn point, their pets were on the verge of death, their potions were exhausted, and they suffered heavy losses.

"Is this grassland poisonous?!"

"It's impossible to fight them, those monsters are too strong!"

"What kind of racing is this? Isn't this suicide?"

Complaints, curses, and cries mingled together, creating a despairing cacophony.

Deep within this chaos, Lin Chen was quietly leveling up with his squad.

He spent 1 intelligence point to exchange for a white intelligence item—the coordinates of a hidden safe leveling spot in the Plata Grasslands.

It was a depression surrounded by natural rock walls, with an extremely narrow entrance that only allowed one person to pass through at a time, making it completely invisible from the outside.

The types of monsters that spawn inside the depression are fixed, their levels are moderate, and most importantly, they will not attack players on their own.

This leveling spot is known in the game as "Newbie Paradise".

Lin Chen, Wang Hao, and Su Muxue stood in a row, with their three pets fighting in front of them.

The fireworks display has reached level 32.

Its body size has increased since its evolution, and the two clusters of flames on its head burn even more fiercely, each burst of sparks bringing up a scorching wave of fire.

After learning [Flame Eruption], the fire's output capability is directly upgraded to an 80-power fire skill. At this stage, no monster can withstand two hits.

The guardian dog is level 28 and is striving to reach the evolution threshold.

When at low health, the Last Stand can unleash terrifying burst damage, and when combined with the area-of-effect damage of the Fireworks, its monster-clearing efficiency is ridiculously high.

Wang Hao's meow has evolved into a more advanced form. Although his skills are still average, he's been gaining experience by following Lin Chen around, so his level hasn't fallen too far behind.

"Ding! The guardian dog has met the evolution requirements!"

Golden light burst forth from the guard dog.

Its body rapidly expanded, its limbs became longer and more powerful, its fur changed from golden yellow to a deeper dark gold, and flames erupted from its four hooves.

"Guardian Dog evolution complete → Sonic Dog"

A system notification sounded: "Sonic Hound, Level 30, Skills Updated: Last Stand, Frenzy Bite, Flame Assault (Power 100, Physical, Fire, 10% chance to burn the target)."

A fire attack with a power of 100.

Lin Chen's lips curled up slightly. Sonic Hound's physical attack stat was top-tier in the early game, and with this move, he felt even more confident in the purification battle at William's Castle.

"Keep refreshing, don't stop."

Time passed by, second by second.

One hour.

Two hours.

Three hours.

The monsters in the depression kept respawning in waves, and the three people's experience bars increased at a visible speed.

Fireworks: Level 34. Level 35. Level 36.

Sonic Hound, level 32. Level 33. Level 34.

Su Muxue's Shui Lanlan has also evolved into a Water Spirit, and its level has caught up with the rest of the group.