Chapter 222: Building Blocks
At the first floor of the experience store, Chen Mo signed for a large box delivered by the courier.
This box was truly massive, half as tall as a person, with no indication of what was inside.
Su Jinyu asked curiously, "Store manager, what exactly is in here? The courier said it's a valuable item, but something this big? It doesn't look like electronics either."
Chen Mo smiled. "You'll find out in a bit. Go call Qian Kun, Zhou Hanyu, and Zheng Hongxi over. The other R&D team members can come if they want, or just watch if they're curious."
"Got it." Su Jinyu ran off to the studio to fetch everyone.
Chen Mo used a utility knife to open the large box. Inside were several smaller, individually packaged boxes. He took them out one by one and brought them into the meeting room, then discarded the large box.
Soon, Su Jinyu returned with the group.
Qian Kun, Zhou Hanyu, Zhao Yunting, Zheng Hongxi, and Fu Guangnan all came, along with a few R&D members. In the experience store, regulars like Jia Peng, Wen Lingwei, Chang Xiuya, and Zou Zhuo also gathered around.
Chen Mo had everyone enter the meeting room and sit around the table.
"Store manager, is this... Leggo blocks?" Wen Lingwei recognized the items on the table.
Chen Mo nodded. "Yes, they're building blocks."
As he spoke, Chen Mo handed out the boxes to everyone.
Qian Kun, Zhou Hanyu, and Zheng Hongxi each received a medium-sized box. A few smaller boxes and one very large box remained.
Chen Mo looked at the others. "Anyone else who wants to play can take one, feel free."
Jia Peng, Zhao Yunting, Su Jinyu, and Chang Xiuya each grabbed one, leaving three small boxes and the largest one.
Chen Mo glanced at Wen Lingwei. "Not joining?"
Wen Lingwei replied, "Nah, I played with these too much as a kid. I'm bored of them."
Su Jinyu looked at the box in her hands and asked, "Store manager, is this... an Ice Castle? It's huge!"
Everyone was examining their own boxes.
Qian Kun had gotten a Star Mothership.
Zhou Hanyu had a Miniature Stadium.
Zheng Hongxi had a Grand Cathedral.
These three boxes were all medium-sized.
Jia Peng had a Black Racing Car.
Zhao Yunting had a Green Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Su Jinyu had the Ice Castle.
Chang Xiuya had a Train.
These four boxes were slightly smaller.
Everyone was bewildered, staring at the boxes in their hands, somewhat shocked by the images on the packaging.
Zheng Hongxi said in surprise, "This cathedral is built from blocks? Can it really look that realistic?"
Chen Mo smiled. "Alright, everyone start building. Keep the pieces on the table and don't mix them up."
Su Jinyu was confused. "Uh, store manager, is it really appropriate to play with this during work hours?"
Chen Mo said, "It's fine. Your next task is to put these together. Because this is related to the new game we're going to develop."
Everyone: "???"
Chen Mo said, "Alright, what are you standing around for? Get to work. Don't think blocks are just for kids. Putting these together isn't easy."
Everyone exchanged glances, then opened their boxes and took out the pieces.
Zheng Hongxi looked at the huge pile of parts in front of him with some shock. "This is insane. Can this really build an entire cathedral? I'm not so sure."
Zhou Hanyu chuckled awkwardly. "I was thinking of buying one for my son before, but I never did. Didn't expect I'd be the one playing with it first."
Jia Peng frowned, studying the assembly instructions. "This is so complicated!"
Chang Xiuya sighed, "There are so many pieces!"
Qian Kun looked at the price tag on the box. "Oh my god! This Star Mothership is 3999! That's ridiculously expensive!"
Wen Lingwei looked at everyone with some shock. "You guys... is this your first time with Leggo toys? Did you have no childhood?"
Qian Kun said, "Come on, whose childhood could afford a four-thousand-yuan toy?"
Chang Xiuya nodded. "Yeah, even these small boxes are five or six hundred."
Jia Peng remarked, "Well, senior sister just outed herself as a rich kid."
Wen Lingwei was a bit exasperated. "I'm the exception now? That's not fair!"
Everyone took out their pieces and started assembling according to the instructions.
Each block toy had a large number of pieces. Chang Xiuya's train had over 700 pieces, and Zhao Yunting's seemingly simple green dinosaur had about 190.
Qian Kun's Star Mothership and Zhou Hanyu's Miniature Stadium were even more extreme. Inside the mothership, just one single-pilot prototype had 93 pieces.
Jia Peng's black racing car was relatively easier to assemble, so he was making faster progress.
As he built, Jia Peng marveled at the craftsmanship.
The car's windshield was sturdy, and through it, you could clearly see the little driver figure inside.
The car's hood could open, the rear spoiler was adjustable, the doors could open and close, and the little figure could be taken out.
The four wheels spun very smoothly. The finished car, in terms of shape and quality, was no less impressive than specialized toy cars.
Even details like the car's front emblem and headlights were exquisitely made, making it look like a flawless piece of art.
Chang Xiuya was fully focused on assembling the train.
From the finished product image, the train was entirely red, with a little figure standing behind a side railing giving directions. Behind the train were several connected cars, and a tower crane was loading and unloading parts beside it.
Behind the train, there was also an excavator and a smaller helicopter.
Moreover, the crane's control booth, the excavator, and the helicopter could all open to place little figures inside.
Chang Xiuya's progress was worrying. She had only laid down the tracks and was now working on the main body of the train.
Qian Kun was struggling.
The Star Mothership was enormous. Inside its belly and on its deck were numerous single-pilot vehicles. So far, he had only finished two of them, and he hadn't even started on the mothership's main body.
Zheng Hongxi checked the instructions after every few pieces. He had just finished the cathedral's foundation.
Su Jinyu's Ice Castle was progressing decently, but awkwardly, she had missed a piece during assembly, so a large part had to be dismantled and redone, which was frustrating her.
At first, the onlookers behind weren't very interested. But after the first finished product appeared, everyone's enthusiasm was sparked, and they started helping with the assembly.
Some sorted the pieces.
Some studied the instructions.
Some worked on different parts separately.
As they built, they chatted.
Chen Mo smiled with satisfaction. It seemed everyone was starting to enjoy this fun.
He opened the largest box and took out a pile of tiny pieces in various colors.
Unlike the others, his box had no instructions or packaging, just a bunch of pieces of specific colors and sizes.