National destiny: Global tower climbing skills have decreased by 10,000 times.

The United States, a secret foreign strategy office somewhere.

At the end of the corridor was an unmarked gray iron door, behind which was a spacious information room.

The walls are covered with electronic screens, each displaying real-time esports news, forum posts, and player data from different countries.

In the center of the room was a long table with several documents marked "Confidential" spread out on it.

A man with eagle-like eyes paced back and forth in the room, his hands behind his back. He wore a dark gray uniform, and the stars on his epaulets gleamed faintly under the light.

His name is Koss, the head of the secret foreign strategy bureau of the Eagle Nation esports.

Several younger men dressed in black followed behind him, silent like shadows, including Parker.

He still wore that polite and shrewd smile, but in this room, his demeanor was exceptionally respectful.

"How are you doing with the tasks assigned to you in various countries?"

Koss's Mandarin had a distinct older accent, but everyone behind him could hear him clearly.

Parker stepped forward half a step and bowed slightly:

"Reporting to the commander, I have already made arrangements in China."

"Now that Zixia has completely collapsed, it's a certainty that Qingxiao will participate in next year's competition. They have also agreed that they will not rank higher than fifth in next year's National Games."

Upon hearing this news, Kos merely frowned slightly: "You agreed? Are you sure they're reliable?"

Parker still had that smile on his face:

"Don't worry, sir. I know what kind of people they are. The Azure Owl Team will do anything to vent their anger."

"They're still engrossed in studying our obsolete 'third-generation' fighter jet videos, enjoying it immensely! They think that with this, they can catch up with the world's top level."

"But they have no idea how long our fourth-generation fighter jet has been around, hahaha!"

Koss nodded, then turned to the other person: "What about Japan?"

The man replied:

"Since the 'First Slash' incident, a certain degree of division has emerged within the Sakura Kingdom. Some people have decided to completely sever ties with the Eagle Kingdom, but the majority of public opinion still leans towards siding with us."

"Their development is currently stable."

Koss didn't stop walking; his gaze shifted to the third man in black: "How's it going with Korea?"

"Reporting to the commander, things are progressing well on the Korean side. They are very confident in their own strength and have hardly accepted our cooperation invitations, maintaining a high degree of independence."

Chief Coston: "Very good. On the Korean side, continue with the strategic deception, strictly keep our true situation secret, and let them underestimate us as much as possible!"

The man nodded and withdrew. He then asked about the situation in several other countries.

After speaking, Kos nodded, stopped, and looked down at the largest screen on the wall—a world map marked with the flags of more than a dozen countries, including China.

Have all the invitations been sent out?

A staff member operating a computer nearby immediately replied:

"It's basically done."

"Aside from the network in the Bear Country, which is not yet connected, the following countries are also connected: Japan, Korea, China, the United States, Germany, France..."

"A copy has been sent to all the top players on the list from the top ten esports nations. The system is processing them in batches and they are expected to all arrive tonight."

"Is it ready in the Bear Kingdom yet?"

"We are establishing contact through third-party channels and expect to be able to connect next week."

Koss nodded slightly, turned around, and faced everyone. His expression became serious, and his voice deepened.

"You all know the purpose of this 'Dragon Slayer Ranking': anonymous participation, a prize-winning competition. Masters from all over the world will come to us, and all we need to do is observe carefully!"

It turns out that the "Dragon Slayer Ranking" competition, which appears to be completely anonymous and keeps identities confidential, actually reveals one's nationality and IP address the moment an account is registered.

For them, knowing the IP is enough: which countries have many top players, which countries are worth paying attention to, and which countries' players may pose a threat can all be clearly seen through statistics.

With this information, they can formulate corresponding strategies before next year's national games, including which countries to target and how many threatening athletes there are, and they can prepare countermeasures in advance.

"This is our plan. With just a few national fortune vouchers, we can have global intelligence delivered to our doorstep. What a brilliant strategy!"

"What we need to do is maintain the server's normal operation and collect all the important information. Do you understand?"

He stopped and put his arms behind his back.

Upon hearing this, the men in black suddenly became serious, and their voices rang out in unison and loudly:

"Yes, sir!"

Meanwhile, in the Dragon Kingdom, Miss Calamity's live stream room was still buzzing with activity.

Shaki hugged the Austin plushie, her eyes fixed on the pop-up window on the screen that had reopened.

She had already read the contents of the invitation, but she still read it again.

[Event Description: Completely anonymous, no real-name registration required. Participants will use temporary accounts.]

Tournament Format: Single-player PvP matchmaking, no character or tier restrictions; higher tier scores higher, final ranking based on overall score.

Rewards: National Fortune Vouchers will be distributed based on ranking.

The comments section was in complete chaos:

"Sister Calamity, this is a great opportunity, you absolutely must participate!"

"An anonymous contest? Does that mean you can just change your username anytime? And nobody will recognize you?"

"A national lottery ticket as a reward? Is it real? Who's the organizer?"

What is PVP? I've never heard of it before.

"Hey Piggy, hurry up and register! We want to see you play!"

"I love you, streamer!"

Shaki didn't reply, but swiped her finger across the screen to switch to another chat interface.

——The "Dragon Kingdom Tower Tip Hut" group.

She was only recently invited to join the group, but she rarely speaks and doesn't ask too much about things in the professional circle; she just occasionally lurks and peeks at the screen.

Right now, the group chat is buzzing with excitement; everyone's discussing this very issue:

"Cook": Have you guys received an invitation to that "Dragon Slayer Ranking" competition? One popped up on my end, and I thought it was a no-go.

"No Trace": I received it this morning.

'Sunset': I received it too. A lot of people around me received it; it seems like any skilled player will receive it.

'Kaka Master': Have you all received them too? Almost everyone I know has received one.

Sword Demon: So you guys have that too...

'Gugu Bubble': Received it, I was just thinking of trying it out.

"Cook": Oh? Isn't this Sword Demon? Are you going into seclusion? Why are you still spamming the group?

"Sword Demon": I just received the invitation and wanted to see what you guys have to say.

Then a bunch of emojis were flooding the group chat.

Shaki scrolled through the chat history and found that almost everyone in the group had received an invitation—including streamers from various tracks such as Cai Chu and Jian Mo, and even all the second-tier professional players.

She thought about it and realized that since the fans wanted to watch, the live stream would definitely be effective, so why not participate?

She switched back to the live stream and cleared her throat:

"Alright, since you all want to see it so badly."

She clicked the link, which immediately redirected her to the internet, where a registration page popped up.

She entered the ID: 'Shacky', whether it was anonymous or not didn't really matter to her.

"Then I'll give it a try."

A wave of celebration swept through the live chat.

In the Qingxiao training room, Xuanniao and his teammates were sitting around a long table, and each of their accounts received the same pop-up window.

"Captain Xu, what do you think?" a team member asked.

"Its origin is unknown, and its meaning is unclear, but it's a good opportunity for us." Xuan Niao looked at the computer, scrolling through information about the invitation online.

"What constitutes a good opportunity?" someone asked.

He paused, put down the mouse, and glanced at everyone present.

"Think about it, top players from all over the world will participate, and it's all anonymous, so there's no risk to reputation."

"For us, this is the best test before next year's national games!"

"This is a good opportunity for us to test how well we've trained during this period and whether we've reached the international top level."

"Therefore, I've decided that not only will we participate, but every single person on our team will participate. Give it your all, and perform at the highest level!"

The team members looked at each other; some nodded, while others were already getting excited.

"Okay, we'll do as you say!"

Xuan Niao thought for a moment, then typed a few times on the keyboard and registered an account ID—'Da Shang'.