"What?! What are you saying?! You've lost track of Cifera?!
"The Heaven's Eye System?! Her phone's GPS?! What the fuck are they for if they're just decorative pieces?!"
Chief Director Guo Tao's furious outburst left the technical supervisor drenched in sweat and pale as a ghost.
"Director Guo... the Heaven's Eye System's signal... vanished completely the instant the lights went out at the venue! Her phone's GPS signal disappeared simultaneously!
"We... we've lost all tracking on her!"
The supervisor's voice trembled as he continued, "We've tried every backup tracking protocol... utterly useless! She... she's vanished into thin air!
"The netizens are saying it's some kind of trickery... but I suspect it's magic..."
"Magic, my ass!!!"
Guo Tao roared, snatching a walkie-talkie and smashing it violently at the supervisor's feet.
The device shattered with a deafening crash, nearly causing the man to piss himself in terror.
Guo Tao gripped the console's edge, his chest heaving violently, veins throbbing on his forehead.
He knew that if the Production Team lost track of Cifera, it was no longer a simple matter of program effects...
This was a serious program accident! A complete loss of control!
A contestant had gone missing—and had clearly deliberately evaded all surveillance measures!
This had never happened before in the program's history, even across numerous international seasons!
Although the program rules didn't explicitly prohibit contestants from evading the Heaven's Eye System's surveillance, any rational person understood that such a feat was impossible.
After all, this was the Heaven's Eye System! In today's society, once it locked onto you, escape was virtually impossible.
Yet now, Cifera—the young woman who had previously brought countless surprises to Guo Tao—had somehow managed to do the impossible!
Guo Tao's mind raced through the recent online uproar: countless voices urging Cifera not to disrupt the charity auction.
To be honest, he had previously dismissed such sentiments with disdain.
Cifera was a contestant on the show, her role was that of a "wanted criminal." Even if she actually stole the Starry Light, what would it matter?
She would have to return it eventually, wouldn't she?
"If she returns it, we can just continue the auction, right?
What's the big deal? Stop with the moral grandstanding!
On the contrary, Guo Tao personally supported Cifera stealing the Starry Light. It would be a massive publicity stunt!
A spectacle like that would be ratings gold!
As for the massive sum the Production Team would have to pay Cifera if she succeeded, what was that to him as the director? That was the Terran Alliance's problem.
His only job was to make the show more exciting!
But now...
A completely out-of-contact Cifera, with her unpredictable methods and audacious audacity, who knew what she might do next?!
Could she really... cross the line in this "game"?
What if she stole the Starry Light and refused to return it, turning this into a real criminal incident...?
Guo Tao couldn't bear to think further. Cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
"Find her! Spare no expense! Contact all our tech suppliers! Activate maximum security protocols! I want her found now!"
Guo Tao roared the orders, nearly losing his voice.
At the same time, he knew he couldn't hide this. Once the audience realized Cifera was out of contact, the public outcry would only worsen.
He took a deep breath and issued another difficult order:
"Notify the broadcast studio... announce that Cifera has gone missing."
-
Broadcast Studio
Host Qiu Qiu and Nie Junfeng simultaneously received an emergency notification through their earpieces.
Qiu Qiu's face paled instantly, worry and anxiety flooding her features.
Nie Junfeng, however, seemed to have anticipated this. He let out a heavy sigh, his expression one of "just as I expected," with an almost imperceptible hint of... smugness?
"Viewers, we've just received an urgent notification from the Production Team backstage..." Host Qiu Qiu's voice was heavy with disbelief:
"Contestant Cifera... disappeared after the press conference at Starry Headquarters... and is currently... out of contact.
"The Production Team's Heaven's Eye tracking system, which monitors the contestants, and the location signals from her personal phone... have all gone offline..."
This news detonated in the live stream like a bombshell!
[Missing?! Holy shit! Are they playing this big?!]
[Has even Heaven's Eye lost track of her?! Cifera's really going to fly to the heavens now?!]
[No wonder there's been no footage of Cifera. The Production Team can't find her either...]
[We're doomed! This is completely out of control! The Production Team must be going crazy!]
[I have a bad feeling... Cifera wouldn't actually try to pull something, would she? I'm scared!]
[Upstairs, are you suggesting Cifera might actually steal the Starry Light for real?!]
[Wait, are you saying Cifera's going to become a real criminal?!]
After skimming through the bullet comments, Nie Junfeng interjected with unwavering confidence:
"I understand everyone in the live stream is worried that Contestant Cifera might stray down a dangerous path and commit an actual crime.
"On this matter, I'm not afraid of 'Poison Milk.' Let me remind you all: remember how Contestant Cifera risked exposing her own identity yesterday to save someone?
"As I stated clearly then, Contestant Cifera is a person with a strong sense of social responsibility. She knows exactly what she's doing and would never stray down a dangerous path!"
With that declaration, Nie Junfeng ignored the flood of bullet comments filled with superstitious claims like "We're doomed," "The Patriarch is casting spells," "Shut up, Nie (Pinch) the Mouth," and "Cifera's about to turn evil." He disregarded the irrational fearmongering fueled by pseudoscience and continued with his analysis.
His tone shifted, filled with the smug certainty of someone who had seen it all coming:
"See, everyone! This is Contestant Cifera's ultimate trickery! I told you all along—her real target was never Starry Jewels!"
He leaned forward, his eyes burning into the camera:
"She deliberately created chaos at the press conference, made a high-profile appearance, and then, just as the Pursuit Team closed in—at the very moment everyone thought she was trapped—she vanished with an impossible disappearing act, completely severing all ties!
"Everything she did—leaving advance messages to draw the Pursuit Team's attention to the press conference, publicly announcing her heist, provoking Lei Gang, dangling the vulnerability in Starry Security as bait, using the photo opportunity to stall for time until the Pursuit Team arrived—"
"All of it was orchestrated to create this opportunity to disappear! All of it was for this moment!"
Nie Junfeng's voice throbbed with the exhilaration of someone who had seen through everything:
"She successfully pinned everyone's attention—especially the full force of the Pursuit Team—to this Starry Headquarters! Locked onto the Starry Light!
"Making everyone believe her target was tonight, right here!"
He slammed his hand on the table, his voice ringing with conviction:
"And what about her? She pulled off a vanishing act!
"Using this precious chaos and time gap, exploiting our profound misunderstanding of her true objective, she's already slipped beyond the gaze and surveillance of everyone—including us viewers watching the show with our 'God's eye' perspective!
"She aims to manipulate everyone's minds, crafting a suspense that no one can see through!
"The Starry Security and Pursuit Team members remain in a state of high alert, uncertain when she'll strike next.
"And we viewers are in the same boat. The mystery of when she'll reappear and whether she truly intends to steal the Starry Light keeps everyone on edge.
"Right now, she's like a mermaid diving into the deep sea—her whereabouts and true objective remain unknown! Yet those following her are utterly captivated!
"This is the ultimate feint, the grandmaster of deception's final masterpiece!
"Not only has she successfully concealed her true, unguarded target, but she's also indulging her twisted pleasure in deceiving the masses!"
Nie Junfeng's analysis struck like thunder, instantly sending chills down the spines of every viewer!