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

Lin Chen stopped when the fireworks display reached level 36.

He opened the system interface; he had 3 intelligence points remaining. After the daily intelligence database refreshed, he noticed a new white intelligence entry—the refresh point for Gran Seeds.

Granseed, a Grass-type Pokémon, possesses extremely powerful control skills: [Hypnotic Powder] and [Paralyzing Powder].

In team battles, a good controller can reduce the difficulty of the battle by at least two levels.

"Mu Xue, come with me." Lin Chen put away the fireworks. "Wang Hao, you keep playing here, don't wander off."

"Where are we going?" Su Muxue followed, carrying Shui Ling.

"I'll catch you a Granite Seed."

Su Muxue was taken aback for a moment, then her eyes lit up: "Grass-type crowd control? Are you sure you can catch it?"

"Sure."

Lin Chen led her through the side wall of the depression and along a hidden path for about five minutes until they arrived at a meadow full of purple wildflowers.

In the middle of the grass, a small, bright green plant-like pet is leisurely sunbathing.

Its body resembles a seed, with two tender green leaves on its head and two bright black eyes hidden beneath the leaves, making it appear harmless.

Granite seeds.

Lin Chen didn't rush to make a move. The intelligence report clearly stated that this Gran Seed was a rare spawn with full potential, and the capture window was only ten minutes long.

"Sonic Hound, Flame Assault, Control Damage."

The Sonic Hound leaped from the badge, its four paws stomping on flames as it charged towards Gran Seed. The power of the Flame Assault was precisely suppressed to a minimum, taking away only a third of Gran Seed's health.

Enraged, the Granseed opened its mouth and spat out a cloud of powder—hypnotic powder.

Lin Chen was prepared: "Sonic Hound, retreat, switch to fireworks."

Fireworks came on stage, and flames swept across the Granseed, forcing it to stop its attack.

Lin Chen took out the Gulu Ball, aimed at the moment when the Gran Seed was momentarily stunned by the flames, and threw it.

The ball traced an arc in the air and hit its target precisely.

shake.

a bit.

Two times.

Three times.

"Ding! Capture successful!"

Su Muxue took the Gulu Ball from Lin Chen, held it in her hand, looked down at the little emerald green creature inside, and whispered, "Thank you."

Her voice was soft, but Lin Chen could tell that the weight hidden in those two words was far more than just a pet.

The three returned to their leveling spot and continued grinding.

However, the calm did not last long.

At the entrance to the depression, a cacophony of footsteps and voices could be heard.

"This is it? It doesn't look like much."

"Brother Kai, there's someone inside."

"If there are people around, tell them to move aside; we'll take this spot."

A young man in a black windbreaker squeezed through the narrow entrance, his waist badge covered with various items, clearly one of the most successful players in the community.

Behind him followed a huge cat-shaped black shadow, and seven or eight people.

Li Kai.

Lin Chen recognized him—a top game streamer on a domestic live streaming platform with over ten million followers.

Before the national destiny binding incident in the Kingdom of Rock, Li Kai was already a well-known streamer in the industry. Although his skills were not top-notch, he was eloquent and had a very loyal fanbase.

After entering the territory, Li Kai quickly built a team of dozens of people by relying on his influence and fan base, which is currently one of the most powerful forces in the Chinese territory.

Li Kai's gaze swept around the depression before finally landing on Lin Chen.

His gaze lingered on the badge at Lin Chen's waist for a few seconds, his pupils slightly contracting—a level 36 Firework and a level 34 Sonic Hound, these levels were far beyond his comprehension.

"Hey bro, not bad." Li Kai walked over, a professional streamer's signature smile on his face. "Your level is pretty good. Which platform are you on? Have you played before?"

Lin Chen didn't say anything.

Wang Hao blocked the way: "We were here first, what do you mean by that?"

Li Kai's smile remained unchanged, but his eyes had turned cold: "It doesn't mean anything. The William Castle race is about to start, and our team needs this leveling spot. It's not appropriate for the three of you to be taking up such a large area, is it?"

He paused, then raised his voice a few decibels, as if speaking directly to the camera—

"How about this, you join my team, and I'll take you racing. Follow me, Li Kai, and I guarantee you'll be unstoppable in William's Castle. What do you say?"

The air froze instantly upon hearing this.

The seven or eight people behind Li Kai took a step forward in unison, their pet badges glowing intermittently, like a pack of hungry wolves eyeing their prey.

Wang Hao instinctively took a half step back, his hand on the pet badge, his face pale. Su Muxue didn't move, but the pet in her arms, Shui Ling, had begun to emit a low warning growl.

Only Lin Chen stood still, completely motionless.

He looked at Li Kai as if he were looking at a clown jumping around.

"Li Kai, right?" Lin Chen's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear. "You mean, you want to take over this place?"

Li Kai smiled, a very professional smile. He winked at a fan behind him who was holding a phone, and the fan immediately pointed the camera at Lin Chen.

"Brothers, look at this, this is the kind of person I was talking about." Li Kai's voice suddenly rose eight octaves, switching into live stream mode. "Our team painstakingly found a leveling spot, and these three people took it first. I tried to reason with them, but they didn't appreciate it at all."

As he spoke, he shook his head, looking helpless: "And look at his pets—a level 36 Firework and a level 34 Sonic Hound."

"How long has the server been open? What normal player could reach this level? I suspect he's using cheats. Guys, record my screen, I'll report him to the official channels later."

External plugin.

These two words ignited a fire in the live stream chat. The number of viewers in Li Kai's live stream had surpassed 100,000, and the chat was scrolling wildly.

"Holy crap, is this for real? This level is ridiculously high!"

"He's cheating! Report him!"

"Don't be a coward, Kai! Let's take him down!"

"Wait, doesn't this guy look like the one who took on six people by himself on the grasslands before..."

Li Kai saw the last comment, but chose to ignore it. He closed the comment panel, looked at Lin Chen again, and his smile now carried a hint of provocation.

"Brother, I won't make things difficult for you. Either join my team, or leave now. I, Li Kai, am taking this leveling spot today."

Lin Chen finally made a move.

He raised his hand, slowly took the Sonic Dog's Gurgle Ball from his waist, and twirled it in his hand.

"You're saying I'm cheating?"

"Isn't that right?" Li Kai scoffed. "Could anyone play this level normally and achieve that?"

"Alright then." Lin Chen tossed the Gulu Ball into the air and caught it steadily. "You fight me. It's a 1v1. You send out your strongest pet, and I'll use Sonic Hound. If I lose, you can have my leveling spot, and I, Lin Chen, will never appear in front of you again."

He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"If you lose—take your men and get out of the Prata Plains."