Chapter 301: Extracting Information
Outside the experience store, Jin Jieguang couldn't help but feel impressed. The store was quite grand.
Although it wasn't a tall building, it exuded a sense of style. The hall was filled with players—some reading, some chatting—creating a lively atmosphere.
Jin Jieguang paused for a moment in front of the Arthas statue at the store's entrance, even pulling out his phone to take a selfie with Arthas.
The photo turned out well. The front-facing soft-light camera gave Jin Jieguang's otherwise plain face a somewhat boyish charm, which pleased him greatly. He couldn't resist hitting the share button and casually posted it on Weibo.
However, considering it was best not to be too flashy, he didn't add any caption.
Jin Jieguang admired the selfie while refreshing his Weibo feed, hoping to see if anyone had replied. Unfortunately, he had very few followers, and after a long wait, there were no comments or replies. This left him a bit disappointed.
After waiting a while longer, Jin Jieguang finally headed into the store.
"Hello, welcome!" the front desk girl greeted with a sweet smile.
Jin Jieguang approached the counter, took out his ID from his wallet, and handed it over.
He was well aware of the procedure for using the computers at the experience store, so there was no need for him to post online asking things like, "How do I act like a regular when visiting a game experience store for the first time?"
After topping up his account, the front desk girl returned his ID with both hands. "Enjoy your gaming!"
Jin Jieguang smiled and said, "Thanks," thinking to himself that the front desk girl was quite cute and polite.
The first floor was the PC experience area. Jin Jieguang casually found an empty computer and sat down.
The store was quite busy today, with only about five or six empty seats left. As Jin Jieguang walked through, he noticed that the vast majority of people were playing *League of Legends*.
The art style of this game was highly recognizable. A row of computers all displayed green-tinted screens, creating a striking sight.
Jin Jieguang quickly found the *League of Legends* icon on the computer screen and clicked to start the game.
Tutorial mode.
Bot practice.
Various game settings.
Jin Jieguang played seriously. After getting a general understanding of the game through the tutorial, he didn't rush to continue playing. Instead, he carefully analyzed every aspect of the game while secretly taking notes.
He pulled a small notebook out of his pocket and even sketched out the entire interface layout of *League of Legends*.
He recorded as many details as possible, noting every obvious difference from *Clash of Gods*, whether he understood it or not.
Summoner spells.
Talent system.
Monetization model.
Champion characteristics.
Game style.
And so on. Jin Jieguang wrote down whatever he observed, quickly filling two or three pages.
What interested him most was the game's core gameplay and combat system.
Clearly, compared to *Clash of Gods*, *League of Legends* had many improvements, but there were also areas where it seemed to have regressed.
For example, the basic control scheme and some specific mechanics.
As a first-time player of *League of Legends*, Jin Jieguang, like many *Clash of Gods* players, was puzzled by one thing: the game seemed too simple.
But since Jin Jieguang had years of experience in game operations, he quickly realized that the simplification of controls and certain mechanics in *League of Legends* helped significantly lower the game's learning curve.
For instance, removing deny mechanics, using the B key to recall, and clearer item build paths all noticeably improved the new player experience.
Jin Jieguang diligently recorded everything.
Suddenly, he heard someone in the PC experience area call out, "Store manager, come teach me how to play this champion!"
Jin Jieguang instinctively tensed up. He looked up and saw Chen Mo at the entrance of the PC experience area, guiding a player through *League of Legends*.
Jin Jieguang had never seen a photo of Chen Mo, but he had long heard of his reputation. Clearly, the only person in this store addressed as "store manager" was Chen Mo.
He quickly put away his notebook and calmed his racing heart.
Chen Mo probably didn't know him, right? After all, Chen Mo's attention was usually on people at the level of Lin Chaoxu and Qin Xiao. A mid-level employee at Dizhao Entertainment wouldn't be on his radar.
Chen Mo soon finished instructing that player and moved on to guide another.
Seeing this, Jin Jieguang suddenly had a bold idea.
What if he pretended to be a player and tried to extract some information from Chen Mo?
This thought made him nervous but also excited.
Sure, just playing the game could yield some intel, but it would be superficial. Since Chen Mo dared to put the game in the experience store, he wasn't afraid of people checking it out.
But what if, as a player, he could pry out even a hint of Chen Mo's design intentions?
That would make this trip to the capital a huge success.
Jin Jieguang immediately started a game, pretending to be a player absorbed in playing. However, his focus wasn't on the game; he was constantly sneaking glances at Chen Mo, who was walking his way.
Soon, Chen Mo strolled over and ended up near Jin Jieguang.
Jin Jieguang raised his hand and said, "Store manager, can you teach me how to play this champion?"
Chen Mo immediately walked over.
Jin Jieguang carefully observed Chen Mo's expression. There was no sign of suspicion—he clearly thought Jin Jieguang was just an ordinary player.
Chen Mo looked at Jin Jieguang's computer screen.
"This champion? You need to die a lot," Chen Mo said.
Jin Jieguang: "Huh?"
Chen Mo patiently explained, "See, this champion is called Karthus, the Deathsinger. His passive ability lets him keep casting spells for seven seconds after death. While alive, he's very mana-hungry, but after dying, he can cast spells without using mana. So his combat effectiveness is much higher when he's dead."
Jin Jieguang scratched his head: "Huh?"
Chen Mo continued, "His playstyle is simple: farm safely, then during team fights, flash into the enemy crowd, activate his W to block paths, use his E to deal massive damage to nearby enemies, and after dying, cast his global ultimate to clean up. Got it?"
Jin Jieguang: "N-not really."
Chen Mo wasn't bothered. "No worries. Just remember: don't be afraid to die with this champion. Always charge into the crowd and make full use of your E's advantage."
Jin Jieguang scratched his head again. This was clearly different from his experience with *Clash of Gods*. A champion who only becomes strong after dying? What the hell was that about?
Seeing Chen Mo about to leave, Jin Jieguang quickly raised his hand again.
"Wait, store manager. I think this champion's role is really weird. Why was it designed like this?"
Chen Mo looked at him. "Why do you ask?"
Jin Jieguang's mind raced. "Well, I've played a lot of *Warcraft* and *Clash of Gods* before, and there's no champion like this, so I'm curious."
"Oh, a veteran player, huh. Actually, a lot of veteran players have similar questions." Chen Mo sat down in the empty seat next to him and patiently explained, "Honestly, this champion was designed specifically for noobs."
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