[Lord Lin: Close the net!]
[Ahhh!!! Lord Lin is so damn cool!]
[Rigorous reasoning, bold hypotheses, and on-the-spot verification—Lord Lin's play was absolutely legendary!]
[Basic stuff, don't overreact!]
[No way! My husband's so hot, I'm gonna 666 all night long~!]
[The Lin Family's celebrating while the Cat Family's world is collapsing...]
[The Nie Family's world is collapsing too. The Patriarch's ritual failed this time, and without it, the Nie Family has no reason to exist anymore.]
[Wait, after hearing Lin Zhiyuan's explanation, I realized Cifera's plan was actually genius! How could she lose with that?!]
[Simple—Lin Zhiyuan is even more genius.]
[Sigh, Cifera really underestimated the Pursuit Team's strength.]
[Brothers, don't panic! Lin Zhiyuan is wrong! The real Cifera is on the second floor!]
[Huh? Impossible! The Production Team's notification bar confirms it.]
[No, you've forgotten they could fake the invitation letters earlier! But that's not the point. The moment she took off her coat, I instantly recognized Cifera's jade-like back! My bro and I studied it a million times last night—there's no way I could be wrong!]
[Upstairs, they're using divine transformation techniques! Isn't it natural their backs would look similar?]
While the live stream audience couldn't tell which Cifera was real, the Production Team was absolutely certain.
They had never seen the status bar on Cifera's back before. Since they hadn't verified it, it meant Nie Bing couldn't possibly have been hypnotized. The Cifera on the second floor must be the real one.
Backstage, Chief Director Guo Tao stood up abruptly, his emotions in turmoil—a mix of excitement and fear.
He was thrilled because Cifera clearly knew Lin Zhiyuan's plans inside and out. She had even prepared a fake status bar in advance, deliberately misleading him. This showed she was well-prepared and had already devised her escape strategy.
With most people now believing Cifera was about to fail, a dramatic reversal now would send the show's ratings through the roof!
But he was also terrified. He considered Lin Zhiyuan's escape plan earlier to be already at its limit. He couldn't imagine how Cifera could possibly have a better method to evade the Pursuit Team's capture.
If Cifera's plan fails and she's captured, even if the show gains a massive surge in popularity today, what about tomorrow?
Guo Tao understood that overthinking was pointless. The Production Team needed to capitalize on the potential surge in viewership Cifera might bring, striving to showcase the best possible content to the audience. This was the only way to maximize profits.
As for whether Cifera could continue in the show, that would depend entirely on her own abilities.
With this in mind, Guo Tao issued a flurry of instructions, urging all staff, especially the Director, to maintain peak focus and capture every thrilling moment.
Following the Director's command, the live stream's camera shifted to the third floor, focusing on the doorway to Nie Bing's room.
After confirming that the "Cifera" on the second floor was Nie Bing in disguise, Liu Shanhe, Lin Zhiyuan, and the other members of the Expert Team immediately rushed to the third floor, leaving only ten Pursuers to guard Nie Bing, who was still at the Technical Booth photoshopping images.
Standing outside the door, Liu Shanhe knocked gently and spoke in a calm voice:
"Cifera, I know you're in there. We're less than five minutes away from issuing the arrest warrant. Once the time is up, we'll breach the door. At that point, you'll be immediately eliminated."
After the fake Cifera emerged, Lin Zhiyuan had arranged for guards to be stationed at the room's entrance, while a Pursuer lay in ambush outside the villa, keeping a close watch on Nie Bing's window to prevent anyone from escaping via ropes or other means.
Thus, Liu Shanhe and his team were certain that no one else had left the room.
With no response from within, Liu Shanhe continued his plea:
"Your escape plan has been seen through by Little Lin. Though time is running out, leaving now would at least give you a chance to struggle outside. Are you really going to give up like this?"
Still, no reply came from the room.
Sighing, Liu Shanhe shook his head and stepped aside, turning to Zhang Hong and the others:
"Time's up. She's all yours now."
Liu Shanhe couldn't help but feel a pang of regret that Cifera had surrendered so easily. In his view, she had done remarkably well. Though her plan was risky, it had a genuine chance of success, only thwarted by Lin Zhiyuan's exceptional performance today.
Unbeknownst to the Expert Team, the Production Team had already obtained Nie Bing's consent to broadcast the live stream footage from inside the room.
Viewers could see that inside the room wasn't Cifera pretending to be another Pursuer, but Nie Bing.
She still had the notes Cifera had printed earlier about being bound and unconscious stuck to her.
[The more I look at her, the more convinced I am that this is the real Nie Bing. Look at that bewildered expression she gave after Liu Shanhe called out to her—it doesn't look at all like she's faking it.]
[That makes sense. If this Nie Bing were Cifera in disguise, her expression would likely be either shocked and anxious or calmly calculating. But it definitely wouldn't be so blank and clueless.]
[No way! Another twist on top of a twist? So the real Cifera was actually on the second floor all along?]
[Someone earlier in the chat used the so-called 'Jade Back' to reach the same conclusion. Could he have actually been right?]
[The Nie Family Patriarch knows Nie Bing best. Someone should ask him what he thinks!]
In the studio, Qiu Qiu, the host and an ardent Cifera fan, had nearly given up hope. But seeing Nie Bing inside the room rekindled a glimmer of hope.
Seeing that many bullet comments shared her own thoughts, Qiu Qiu became even more convinced that the person in the room was indeed Nie Bing herself.
This would prove that Lin Zhiyuan had been completely mistaken, and that Cifera had anticipated all his moves.
Cifera must still have a trump card!
With this thought, Host Qiu Qiu immediately turned to Nie Junfeng.
Throughout Lin Zhiyuan's analysis and verification of Cifera's plan, Nie Junfeng's face had worn an unwavering smile. After all, the curse of the Poison Milk was about to be broken, and his joy was perfectly justified.
But since Nie Bing's image appeared on screen, his smile had vanished, replaced by a grave expression.
This, too, was perfectly reasonable—smiles are contagious, after all.
With this in mind, Host Qiu Qiu quickly spoke up:
"Inspector Nie, viewers are asking: is the Officer Nie Bing in the room right now the real deal, or is she being impersonated by Contestant Cifera?"
To be honest, Nie Junfeng really didn't want to answer this question right now. He was feeling a bit down.
But as a professional commentator, it was his duty to provide analysis, so he forced a smile and said:
"While it's certainly surprising, as Police Officer Nie Bing's father, I'm absolutely certain that the person in the room is her.
"It seems the Pursuit Team has been outsmarted by Contestant Cifera yet again.
"There's no such thing as disguise or hypnosis. Little Lin came up with all that because Contestant Cifera deliberately misled him.
"Her motive was purely for amusement. She gained no advantage whatsoever, and even placed herself in immediate danger of elimination.
"As you can all see, there are still ten Pursuers guarding Contestant Cifera on the second floor. She has no way to escape.
"The moment Old Liu and the others discover the truth, Contestant Cifera will be eliminated."
"It has to be said, Contestant Cifera is paying the price for her playful nature. She seems to have completely forgotten her initial goal of winning the world championship."
"This outcome is truly regrettable for Contestant Cifera."
Hearing Nie Junfeng's confident declaration that Cifera's elimination was inevitable, Host Qiu Qiu desperately wanted to refute him, but her intellect failed her. She couldn't find a logical counterargument.
Just as Qiu Qiu was growing increasingly anxious, she received a notification from the Chief Director. Little Ya, the netizen who had previously paid for a message, had done so again!
It's her!
Remembering Little Ya's earlier, eerily accurate prophecy about Cifera's actions, Host Qiu Qiu suddenly felt a surge of confidence.
That's right! If it's Little Ya, she can definitely refute the Nie Family Patriarch for us Cat Family disciples!
Rushing to check Little Ya's message, Host Qiu Qiu's eyes immediately lit up upon reading it.
So that's it!
How could I have forgotten such a crucial piece of information?
Perhaps Cifera really can escape after all!