Prehistoric? Choose the crocodile and survive until version T0.

Lin Ye's gaze slowly moved down, past T0, T1, T2, and T3, and finally landed at the very bottom of the entire species list.

There, there was an extremely small, dim, and inconspicuous phantom creature, completely ignored by all the contestants and spectators, as if even glancing at it was a waste of time.

The label next to the phantom image is crystal clear:

【Octopus】

Rating: T4 (Endangered demersal organism)

Brief introduction: A small crocodilian from the Early Triassic period, tiny in size and with low combat ability, occupying the lowest ecological niche, making them extremely vulnerable to predation and facing immense difficulties in survival.

To everyone else, this was a complete "useless species." Choosing it was tantamount to sentencing oneself to death, and also sentencing the Dragon Kingdom to death.

At this moment, the countdown to species selection was running out, two and a half minutes had passed, and only thirty seconds remained.

Sato from the island nation, Park Jun-ho from the Korean country, and players from Europe and America all watched coldly, already celebrating in advance, waiting for Lin Ye to randomly get a trash species in his panic, and waiting for the Chinese nation's fate to completely collapse.

In the Dragon Kingdom's commentary hall, several experts had already closed their eyes, unable to bear watching any longer, and the hearts of the people across the country sank to the bottom.

Unbeknownst to them, this Chinese athlete, looked down upon by the world and without any hope placed in him by anyone, had already made a decision that would overturn global perceptions.

Lin Ye stared at the tiny phantom of the Primordial Crocodile, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.

What he chooses is never a temporary dominant species, but the ultimate species that has survived 500 million years of vicissitudes, five mass extinctions, and will never be weakened, never be extinct, and will continue to exist forever throughout the entire season.

Countdown, ten seconds.

The world's attention is focused on this event, which is met with a mix of ridicule and cold indifference.

Lin Ye slowly raised his hand and gently tapped the void, accurately selecting the T4 Primordial Crocodile phantom that had been abandoned by the whole world.

The choice has been made.

The screen lit up instantly, ready to announce his choice.

Meanwhile, everyone outside was waiting to see him make a fool of himself, waiting to pronounce his and the Dragon Kingdom's fate with the harshest words.

The three-minute countdown to species selection is like a hammer blow to the hearts of people around the world, and now, half of it has already passed.

Beneath the golden sky, the light of the species selection screen shone ever brighter. With each disappearance of the illusory creatures exuding savage ferocity on the list, the fate of a nation was completely decided. Some rejoiced while others grieved, and the jubilation and despair of emotions played out wildly across the planet.

With Carter from the United States, Andre from the United States, and Sato from the United States securing their spots as top-tier predators in the T0 category, the entire global player community has been swept up in a frenzy of competition.

Everyone knows that T0 species are the pinnacle of existence, extremely rare and hard to come by, while the second-best T1 species are the only hope for survival.

German contestant Hans, a retired mountain special forces soldier, is calm and has excellent judgment, his eyes fixed on the crocodile on the screen.

This is a large, fierce early archosaurian reptile.

With its full amphibious capabilities, it could run fast on land and ambush prey in the water. Its mouthful of sharp teeth had an amazing bite force, making it virtually unrivaled in the Triassic period. It was a perfect fit for the current arid and fragmented living environment.

Without any hesitation, Hans made his choice immediately.

[German player Hans selected: Crocodile (T1), initial combat strength rating: Excellent!]

As soon as the announcement ended, England's Arthur followed suit and decisively selected the Pike Crocodile.

Pikeosaurus was a small prehistoric reptile that lived during the Triassic period.

With its faster and more agile movements, it excels at surprise attacks and hunting. Its land mobility far surpasses that of most predators. Although it is rated T1, it has the potential to approach T0 in terms of combat power. For a time, the people of England cheered loudly, and its national fortune ranking followed closely behind Germany, steadily climbing.

Although both contain the word "crocodile," they have no connection whatsoever with the crocodiles of later generations.

The remaining T1-level species have also become highly sought after.

French contestant Pierre won the prehistoric giant scorpion, which, with its venom and hard armor, gave it an absolute advantage among small predators; South Korean contestant Park Jun-ho snatched the small theropod dinosaur, which, although smaller than the early carnivorous dinosaurs, still possessed considerable aggression.

Within a minute, the number of high-rated species on the screen was almost gone, and the global survival power ranking was finalized. Without exception, the top twenty were all powerful predators at the T0 or T1 level.

Global public opinion was in an uproar. Experts, commentators, and viewers alike reached an unprecedented consensus at this moment, which was even repeatedly discussed online and hailed as the answer to this season's meta:

In the Triassic period, it was a survival-of-the-fittest world; only those who reached the top of the food chain could survive!

Choosing the strongest predator and becoming the most ferocious overlord is the only way to survive!

The countries that selected the top species were filled with joy and confidence, and they all asserted that their own country's athletes would definitely sweep the prehistoric world and take the top spot in the season.

In stark contrast, the Dragon Kingdom's live-streaming room was deathly silent.

Hundreds of millions of viewers across the country stared intently at the center of the screen, at the empty image that had yet to make any choice, barely daring to breathe.

Inside the official commentary booth, the faces of the five experts, including Chen Guoan and Zhang Lei, were extremely grim.

"There are only two Tier 1 species left. If we hesitate any longer, we'll be wiped out!" Zhang Lei clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, his voice filled with anxiety. "Even if we can't choose the Crocodile or the Pike-crocodile, a Tier 2 Ankylosaurus would be better. At least its defense is strong, and it can help us survive!"

"Please, hurry up and choose, or it will be too late!"

"Just pick one that can survive. We don't aspire to domination; we just want you to live!"

The comments in the live stream changed from anxious prayers to desperate pleas. Countless viewers stared intently at the screen with red eyes, unable to imagine what kind of annihilation awaited the Dragon Kingdom if Lin Ye made the wrong choice or randomly selected a weak creature after the timeout.

The mockery and opportunism in overseas live streams have reached their peak at this moment.

In the American livestream studio, the commentator slammed his fist on the table and laughed maniacally, mocking the camera relentlessly: "See that? This is the Chinese player, an ordinary person who doesn't even have the courage to make a decision when faced with a choice. I think he's just scared out of his wits; he has no idea what to choose!"

"Instructor Carter directly defeated the T0 dinosaur; with this kind of gap, China is destined to never catch up!"

After selecting the prehistoric monitor lizard, Japanese player Satono directly sent a provocative message to Lin Ye in the player's private channel: "The weak should be eliminated. China is destined to be eliminated this season. You'd better admit defeat sooner rather than later and suffer less!"

South Korean player Park Jun-ho echoed, his tone utterly contemptuous: "A piece of trash who doesn't even dare to choose doesn't deserve to stand on the prehistoric stage. I bet he won't last three hours. China, just wait for the catastrophe!"

Similar taunts, insults, and gloating filled the live stream chat in China. Overseas viewers even placed bets on how trashy a species Lin Ye would randomly encounter and how long it would take for him to be hunted down by his natural enemies.

Everyone believed that Lin Ye, an ordinary person with no background and no strength, was incapable of making the right choice. He would either be so frightened that he would exceed the time limit and choose randomly, or he would randomly select a weak creature and ultimately be doomed to extinction.

But they will never know that Lin Ye, who was in the pure white void, remained absolutely calm from beginning to end, with clear and firm eyes, and never showed the slightest panic or hesitation.