dkrc Chapter 217 Sales Orders
Chapter 217 Sales Orders
At noon, the games at the San Jose Convention Center entered their lunch break.
Visitors gradually left to eat at nearby fast food restaurants. The exhibition hall was half empty, but there were still queues in the experience area.
At the temporary cashier set up by Xinghuo Internet Cafe, staff were tallying the morning's sales figures. A young woman wearing glasses—Chen Lingling, who had been transferred from Jinan to the United States and was temporarily in charge of this location—was taking notes in her notebook.
Mouse: 470
Keyboards: 390
Mouse pads: 820 (free)
Alienware computer order: 120 units (deposit received)
She closed her laptop and said to the staff member next to her, "Disassemble two more sets of experience equipment this afternoon; there are too many people queuing up."
"it is good."
An Asian man approached and asked in accented English, "Can I buy these mice in Korea?"
Chen Lingling replied, "Currently, it's available at Xinghuo Internet Cafes in the US and China. In South Korea... we don't have a distribution channel yet."
"I'd like to become a distributor," the man said, handing over a business card. "I own three computer stores in Seoul. This mouse is excellent; I'd like to stock it up."
Chen Lingling took the business card, which was written in both Korean and English: "I'll write it down. The business department will contact you later."
"As soon as possible," the man said, "after the competition, I'm sure a lot of people will want to buy it."
After the man left, Chen Lingling carefully put away the business card. She looked at the experience area; at least five people in the queue had stood up excitedly while watching the game.
She recalled what Lingyun had told her last month: "Games are not just games; they are entry points, experiences, and sales scenarios."
She didn't quite understand it then, but she understands it a little now.
On the other side of the exhibition hall, the merchandise sales point set up by Blizzard was also busy.
T-shirts, posters, soundtrack CDs, and game discs (Starry Night Edition). The two staff members were sweating profusely, and the cash register never stopped.
A young boy who bought a T-shirt asked, "When exactly will the Windows version be released?"
The staff member replied, "Next March."
"It's been too long. Can I get a refund? I bought the Star Edition, but my home computer is Windows."
"Sorry, software products cannot be returned or exchanged unless there is a quality issue. However, you could consider installing a dual-boot system, or... getting a different computer?"
The boy hesitated for a moment, then looked at the display stand for the alien computer.
The competition resumed at 1 p.m.
The round of 16 began, and the format was changed to best-of-three (BO3). The stands were completely full, and people were even standing in the aisles.
The first match is the highlight: 'Boxer' (Terran) vs. 'Grrrr' (Protoss).
As the two contestants took the stage, applause erupted from the audience. 'Boxer' was a thin, serious-looking young Korean man. 'Grrrr' was a Canadian teenager with messy hair who flashed a V-sign to the audience as he came on stage.
John's voice was excited as he spoke:
"This match is going to be exciting! Boxer is the king of macro play, excelling at economic dominance and multi-pronged operations. Grrrr, on the other hand, is an aggressive player, preferring early pressure and tech rushes. Their styles are completely opposite!"
Game start.
In the first game, Boxer opted for a double barracks opening, pushing forward with Marines and Medics. Grrrr, on the other hand, opted for a single barracks to tech up and quickly produce Lightning Troopers.
"Boxer's Marines are out! Medics following, they're well-prepared! Grrrr only has two Zealots blocking the way... Oh! The Lightning Soldiers are coming out! Psionic Storm!"
A flash of lightning struck the screen, and the spearmen's health bars plummeted. But Boxer's skillful maneuvering allowed him to quickly reposition the formation, enabling some of the spearmen to retreat out of the storm's range.
"Boxer is micro-managing! He's picking off the lightning troops! The marines are scattered! Grrrrr's storm only covers half of them!"
A gasp erupted from the audience. Some stood up, others covered their mouths.
Boxer's Marines eliminated the Lightning Soldiers, and the remaining troops stormed Grrrr's base. Grrrr's Zealots were outnumbered and retreated steadily.
"GG!" Grrrr typed these two letters eleven minutes into the game and quit.
The audience erupted in applause.
In the second game, Grrrrr changed his strategy, opting to harass Grrrrr with airdrops of golden beetles. Boxer was prepared, having set up anti-air towers at his base and simultaneously organizing his own airdrop, bypassing the front lines and heading straight for Grrrrr's main base.
"Base swap! Both sides are swapping bases! Boxer's drop has landed, with tanks and marines! Grrrr's base is being destroyed! But Grrrr's Golden Beetles have also arrived at Boxer's base... Oh! Boxer left tanks at home! The Golden Beetles were taken down by the tanks that had been set up!"
"Grrrr's operations have been disrupted! Boxer's economic advantage is growing! Another wave of attack! Grrrrr can't hold back!"
The second game ended in fourteen minutes. Boxer won 2-0 and advanced to the quarterfinals.
Grrrr received a round of applause as he stepped off the stage. He shrugged and smiled at the camera.
The matches continued one after another. The emotions of the audience rose and fell with the progress of the games. Gasps, sighs, applause, and whistles filled the air.
At 3 PM, the top eight players were determined. Five were from South Korea, two from the United States, and one from Canada.
Tom went on stage and announced a one-hour break, with the quarterfinals starting at 4 p.m.
As the audience dispersed for a break, many did not leave the exhibition hall but instead lingered in the experience area or at the surrounding sales points.
Chen Lingling's sales data has been updated again:
Mouse: 589 in total
Keyboards: 571 in total
Alienware computer orders: 161 in total
She called headquarters to report on sales, and James answered the phone; he was now in charge of Spark Internet Cafe's US operations.
"How's the situation on the ground?" James asked.
"There are a lot of people, and sales are better than expected," Chen Lingling said. "Moreover, a Korean distributor wants to become our mouse and keyboard distributor."
"Write this down. Mr. Ling said that hardware sales are secondary; the key is brand exposure. How many media interviews are there?"
"Many. TechTV and KNTV filmed it, as well as several gaming media outlets."
"Okay. Mr. Ling will be there for the final tonight. Please make arrangements for his reception."
"clear."
After hanging up the phone, Chen Lingling looked at the stage in the center of the exhibition hall. Staff members were adjusting the equipment, preparing for the next round of the competition.
The Star System logo on the stage was clearly visible under the lights.