Chapter 3: Is This Guy Here Just to Put on a Show for Me?

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Just as Leon Kai was about to start his livestream, he opened his usual short video app. Seeing dozens of red notification dots in the message tab, a satisfied smile appeared on his face. He casually tapped on the messages and found that most were people tagging him under other streamers’ videos. He randomly opened one such mention.

“Brother Kai, here’s a super intense highlight reel of your 5EPL matches!”

Following the link, he found a video of a giraffe at the zoo—but amusingly, that giraffe bore a slight resemblance to him. Leon Kai chuckled with a mix of amusement and disbelief before exclaiming, “These viewers are such rascals!”

Continuing to sift through the messages, one private message caught his attention.

“Hello Brother Kai, I’m a die-hard fan of Faze and have been a loyal follower of yours for ten years. I started playing CSGO when I was in first grade. Back then, I didn’t really understand much, but when I played, it always felt like the enemy characters moved slower before my eyes, and my crosshair could snap instantly to their heads.”

“Now I realize this might be a natural talent, so I’d like to ask you to review one of my demos to see if I have what it takes to go pro.”

“Oh? A die-hard Faze fan? And an old fan of mine...” Leon Kai was immediately drawn in by the opening lines. After carefully reading the message, he found himself intrigued and replied.

“No problem, it’s a small matter. I’m just about to start a livestream, so I can review your demo during the broadcast. If you really have talent, I can even recommend you to Tianlu’s youth training program.”

After replying, he composed himself and promptly launched his livestream on the short video platform.

Leon Kai’s livestreams hadn’t been stellar, but after years of commentary and with his reputation for good character in the community, he had amassed a loyal fan base. Once live, viewers quickly flooded in.

“Brother Kai, hurry up and find a match to commentate, I’m about to sleep.”

“How do I get as good as Brother Kai in 5EPL?”

“Brother Kai wants to know too.”

“What’s Brother Kai stocking up on today? Leon Kai’s secondary stash is ready!”

“...”

Leon Kai glanced at the chat and laughed, saying, “Today, I’ll first review a demo sent by a viewer. He says he’s got a talent for FPS games and wants me to see if he has pro potential.”

The viewers perked up at this. Most of them weren’t especially talented at CSGO but loved hearing stories about prodigies. Maybe this was some kind of genius like a young prodigy. If the player really went pro in CSGO, they’d witness history firsthand.

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“Hurry up! Hurry up! Let me see this.”

“Hope it’s not one of those ‘geniuses’ who plug their AMD card in backwards.”

“If he really is talented at FPS, my advice is to switch to Valorant; CNCS has no future.”

“Go traitor, get out of the stream!”

Amid the viewers’ urging, Leon Kai opened the first-person demo video sent to his email and clicked play with anticipation.

As a veteran in the CSGO scene, he sincerely hoped CNCS could improve. Since Tianlu made history by entering the Major main event in 2018, CSGO’s popularity had surged domestically, but its pro scene’s results had steadily declined. Recently, no Chinese teams had appeared in Major main events. Leon Kai hoped for fresh blood in CNCS.

However, as he watched a few rounds of kills in the first-person footage, his expression shifted to confusion and blankness.

...

Upon receiving Leon Kai’s message, Su Zhe promptly replied. With permission to have his demo reviewed, he picked what he thought was a good performance, recorded the video, and emailed it as requested. Then he lurked in Leon Kai’s livestream to watch.

As the video progressed, the chat erupted with comments, mostly mocking.

The initial hype was too high—they expected gameplay from a high-rank ladder beast, but the demo was filled with clumsy, awkward plays. The contrast was staggering.

“Is that all? I could crush him one-handed.”

“Wanna go pro? Better get ready for factory work.”

“Just checked the Perfect Platform ID—only C+ rank!”

“Is this Brother Kai’s script? Here for showbiz?”

Spraying wildly, unstable footing, aiming too low, shooting before aiming properly, and randomly tossing grenades… The flaws were glaring. The chat spared no mercy.

Su Zhe felt a pang of discomfort watching the humiliation unfold. He knew his skill had limits and that streaming the demo would invite criticism, but seeing the harsh insults stung.

Leon Kai grew quiet too, surprised that he had been played.

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Yet he wasn’t sure—did this player truly lack self-awareness, or was this some staged performance? After a moment’s thought, he calmly spoke:

“I don’t know if this brother is here in the livestream; if so, great. If not, I’ll still edit and post the video under my short video channel and DM you later.”

“I’m not sure if you genuinely want to go pro or are just here for laughs. Either way, I’ll point out some issues from the match. New players in the stream can listen and see if they share these problems.”

Then, Leon Kai methodically dissected Su Zhe’s gameplay from every angle.

“You’re still a complete novice. You don’t even know the basics of moving properly. You hold down W and keep pushing forward, but how do you expect to stop when you see an enemy?”

“Your aim is too weak! No fundamentals. Aim first, then shoot. Don’t panic when you see someone, or you won’t regain control of your gun.”

“I see you like to lead the push, the breakthrough role, but in CSGO, that’s not like throwing your life away like in League of Legends with a suicide champion…”

“Your teammates can’t cover you, and you have no utility support. What’s the difference between you rushing alone and feeding kills?”

“Is your AK magazine only five bullets? Reloading after two shots lets the enemy pinpoint your position perfectly…”

After detailing every flaw he could find, Leon Kai took a long sip from his water cup and concluded:

“Movement, aim, awareness, team coordination—these are the pillars of CSGO. I didn’t see any of them in your video. Your fundamentals are still at a beginner’s level.”

“If you’re just here for entertainment, forget what I said. But if you want to improve, start with your aim.”

“Practice basics like stopping abruptly, positioning, and pre-aiming. That will boost your current level significantly.”

After nearly an hour of this live critique, Su Zhe’s heart was utterly shattered. He had been confident, but his flaws were too many. Reading the biting chat messages, he gathered himself.

Rather than argue, he wanted to use the system’s help to get stronger.

After all, he had reached out to Leon Kai himself for demo review; any criticism was his own fault. It was a kindness that Leon Kai took the time to help for free.

With that thought, Su Zhe summoned his system panel again.

[Task completed: Find a player with solid fundamentals to analyze your demo and identify your weaknesses.]

[Daily training task panel unlocked...]