When the Pursuit Team failed to negotiate with security downstairs and were barred from entering, the live stream's Bullet Comments exploded.
[Holy shit?! They're actually not letting them in?! Big Pecs, did your brain get slammed in a door?!]
["Important procedures are underway, it's inconvenient to be disturbed"? Is Big Pecs saying Cifera making a fool of him is an "important procedure"?!]
[Big Pecs: The important procedure is finding vulnerabilities in the Security System! Cifera: Huh? I thought you were just playing goalkeeper for me!]
[To be fair, these Starry Security personnel are quite professional. If their boss forbids it, they really can't act on their own initiative.]
[This whole thing is being undermined by it being a variety show. If Cifera were a real criminal, do you think the Pursuit Team would be so polite?]
[But the same logic applies: if Cifera were a real criminal, Big Pecs wouldn't dare protect her so openly on live stream, right?]
[Aha! I've cracked the case! The Nie Family Patriarch's "ulterior motive" refers to Cifera using Big Pecs to stall the Pursuit Team!]
[Nie Family Patriarch: Who said my second phase was cryptic riddles? It's prophecy!]
[Terrifying when you think about it! Cifera has been plotting this since she provoked Big Pecs! Her psychological warfare tactics are absolutely flawless!]
[Cat Fans are ecstatic! This is a complete intellectual domination! Even though it's nerve-wracking, watching her outmaneuver the Pursuit Team and Starry Security is unbelievably satisfying!]
[So now we have idyllic scenes upstairs (group photos) while downstairs seethes with murderous intent (punishment stands)? Unbelievable!]
[Don't worry, the Pursuit Team won't take this lying down! "Seal the doors and catch the cat!" Old Liu's words are so badass!]
In the studio, Nie Junfeng shook his head and sighed:
"Seal the doors and catch the cat? Ah, easier said than done!"
Clearly, Nie Junfeng had little faith in the Pursuit Team's ability to capture Cifera.
Hearing his words, the smile instantly vanished from Host Qiu Qiu's Cat Fan face.
[Wait, Patriarch! You're doing it again?!]
[One disaster barely averted before another strikes, huh?!]
"Nie Sect... Inspector Nie, what do you mean by that?" Qiu Qiu stammered, nearly blurting out his "Internet Handle."
"..." Nie Junfeng paused, his gaze lingering on Qiu Qiu. It was clear he had caught her "dark history" red-handed.
He didn't reveal the answer outright, but with a hint of deliberate provocation, he continued to play the riddle master:
"Keep watching and you'll find out. I can only say it's exactly like what happened at the Pursuit Team base."
Another riddle!
You're supposed to be a commentator, damn it!
Wait... hold on...
Host Qiu Qiu was about to mentally unleash a torrent of curses when she suddenly realized: The Patriarch of Mysteries is always right!
So Cifera really will escape this time!
Yes!
Well done, Patriarch!
???
Watching Host Qiu Qiu's face light up with another radiant smile, Nie Junfeng was dumbfounded.
What's wrong with this woman? I'm playing the riddle master, and she's actually happy about it?
These young people these days... I just don't get them, I really don't!
Returning to the live broadcast...
The photo session between Cifera and Liu Ruyan continued.
But Lei Gang clearly had no patience left. After all, they had agreed on a few minutes, and he had already given them a full five.
"Miss Cifera, that's enough. Any longer and you'll disrupt Chairman Liu's upcoming press conference."
Although Lei Gang didn't explicitly state it, everyone understood that the excuse about disrupting the press conference was just a pretext. He was pressuring Cifera to reveal her methods immediately.
Liu Ruyan frowned, her dissatisfaction with Lei Gang growing.
It seems my detachment from company affairs has diminished Minister Lei's respect for me, she thought.
However, Lei Gang's reasoning was sound, so Liu Ruyan couldn't publicly reprimand him at the conference without damaging the company's image.
Setting aside Liu Ruyan's plans to address Lei Gang later, Cifera immediately responded:
"OK! OK!"
She gestured to Lei Gang below the stage, then turned to Liu Ruyan, her smile remaining sweet, but her words abruptly shattered the relaxed atmosphere:
"But you know, Sister Liu, after all the thanking and photos..."
Cifera tilted her head slightly, her gaze sweeping over Lei Gang's tense face in the audience before locking eyes with Liu Ruyan. She spoke deliberately, each word dripping with menace:
"I have a weakness for dazzling, glittering things. That Starry Light is truly breathtaking—so beautiful it's impossible to look away."
Her voice, though soft, struck each listener's heart with crystal clarity:
"So, tonight, as promised, I'll be coming to retrieve it. Big Pecs, make sure you guard it well~"
"Then..."
"Damn it! She's going to run!"
Lei Gang reacted instantly, realizing Cifera had never intended to give him an explanation. This was a blatant farewell declaration, a calculated escape attempt.
"Seize her!" Lei Gang roared, launching himself toward the stage like an arrow shot from a bow, leading the charge.
The security personnel on either side of the stage snapped out of their stupor and surged toward Cifera's position.
In that critical moment—
Bang! The hall's main doors burst open!
Liu Shanhe, Nie Bing, Zhang Hong, Feng Chiyu, and Lin Zhiyuan—led by a well-dressed, prosperous-looking middle-aged man—had arrived on the scene!
As they stormed into the hall, their eyes immediately fell on the stage: security personnel swarming toward Cifera like hungry wolves, while Cifera herself looked directly in their direction.
Facing the converging security forces from all sides and the Pursuit Team just arriving through the entrance, Cifera showed no trace of panic. Instead, a radiant smile bloomed across her face.
Cifera playfully waved at the Pursuit Team, especially Nie Bing, whose face was as cold as frost and whose eyes seemed to spit fire.
Her lips moved silently, clearly conveying the words:
You—guys—are—too—slow~
Then, just as Lei Gang's hand was about to brush the hem of her dress, and the instant Nie Bing lunged forward—
Snap!
Cifera snapped her fingers again with a crisp, sharp sound.
This time, instead of illuminating the hall, she plunged the entire venue into absolute, impenetrable darkness.
A true, utter, pitch-black abyss swallowed everything!
Ah—!
Where is she?!
Damn it! The lights are out again!
Technicians! Where are you?!
Panic-stricken cries, the sounds of collisions, and furious roars erupted from the darkness.
Yet barely a second later, the hall blazed with light once more.
Everyone's eyes immediately snapped to the stage—
There, they saw a human pyramid of security guards sprawled across the spot where Cifera had stood moments before, forming a small mountain of flesh.
Had they finally captured her?!
At that moment, apart from the Expert Team, nearly everyone in the audience shared the same thought:
There's no way Cifera could have escaped before the lights went out.
"No, it can't be that simple..."
Nie Bing stood rooted to the spot, muttering to herself, her expression radiating unwavering confidence in her assessment.
She vividly recalled the smile on Cifera's face—she had seen that same smile earlier this morning on the balcony!
Just then, a furious roar erupted from the base of the human pyramid on stage:
"Get out of my way, all of you!!!"
The voice unmistakably belonged to Lei Gang, but his tone suggested things hadn't gone according to plan.
As the other security personnel cleared the way, Lei Gang, battered and disheveled, struggled to his feet. His face was a mask of astonishment, disbelief, and incandescent rage—
He had fucking missed her!
Where Cifera had stood moments before was now utterly empty, save for Lei Gang and the nearby security personnel...
It was as if she had never been there at all!
The entire venue fell into a deathly silence, gripped by shock.