"It seems Minister Lei has finally remembered," Nie Bing's voice rang out, as cold as ice.
"As you suspect, the projection device is none other than the One-Eyed Cat Coin you picked up on stage, at the exact spot where Cifera vanished!"
Boom!
This declaration detonated like another bombshell, leaving the audience and the live stream viewers stunned.
Liu Ruyan instinctively rubbed her fingers together—the very fingers that had once held the exquisite Cifera Coin.
To be honest, she found it hard to believe that this "memento," which she had wanted to treasure as a symbol of her miraculous connection with Little Cifera, was actually a highly advanced projection device.
"Of course, words alone aren't enough. Let's look at the evidence!" Nie Bing's voice radiated unwavering confidence.
The large screen instantly switched to a slow-motion replay of the moment before Cifera's disappearance.
As the lights went out, Lei Gang's massive frame lunged toward Cifera on stage.
Just as his body was about to make contact, the camera clearly captured something remarkable:
Cifera's figure vanished into the darkness like a burst soap bubble, utterly and without warning!
There was no physical collision whatsoever!
"Did you see that?"
Nie Bing's voice cut through the stunned silence:
"The truth behind the Instant Disappearance Technique!
"This has nothing to do with high-speed movement or rapid disguise. From the very beginning, all of you were chasing a mere projection, a phantom illusion!"
At this point, Nie Bing's tone shifted, her logic as sharp as a razor's edge:
"As for why Cifera didn't immediately retrieve the projection device, instead deliberately 'leaving it behind' for her disguised self as Minister Lei to publicly discover—
"I believe there are two reasons:
"First, given her current identity as Minister Lei, secretly picking it up would risk exposing her disguise if the Pursuit Team found the One-Eyed Cat Coin, Cifera's signature token, on her person.
"Second, with everyone watching, ignoring the 'crucial piece of evidence' on the ground would have aroused even more suspicion! And since Ms. Liu was standing right beside her, Cifera knew that picking up the coin would inevitably be noticed. This would achieve her goal of publicly revealing its recovery, thereby clearing herself of suspicion."
"In short, the One-Eyed Cat Coin was the key prop for Cifera's vanishing act!"
Whoosh—!!!
The entire venue erupted in pandemonium!
Everyone, including the live stream viewers, was utterly stunned by "Nie Bing"'s video evidence and logical analysis!
Countless gazes, like searchlights, locked onto Lei Gang.
Previously, their glances at him had been skeptical, but now they were filled with terror, disbelief, and even a hint of awe.
If the Cifera on stage earlier was a fake—merely a projection—then this Lei Gang, caught on camera emerging from the women's restroom and now desperately defending himself, his... no! Her true identity was becoming painfully obvious!
The transformation technique was utterly absurd! How could a petite, seemingly delicate "cute girl cat" like Cifera suddenly transform into a hulking, muscle-bound behemoth? This was the true "sorcery" at work!
He knew everyone now basically believed he was Cifera...
But he swore on his younger brother's name, he was damn well a true man of iron and blood—Big Pecs! Fuck! He meant Lei Gang all along!
Yet, faced with Nie Bing's near-perfect chain of evidence and logical deduction, he was practically nailed to the pillory of "imposter" shame!
This was undoubtedly Cifera's scheme! He'd been thoroughly set up!
But giving up just like that was impossible!
At that moment, as Lei Gang stood on the brink of the Abyss of despair, a flash of insight struck him like lightning!
He had seized upon Nie Bing's sole, fatal logical vulnerability!
"No—!!!"
Lei Gang erupted in a deafening roar, his voice distorted by extreme injustice and the desperate thrill of grasping at a lifeline. He jabbed a trembling finger at the massive screen:
"Nie Bing! All your evidence! All your reasoning! They're built on a sandcastle! That so-called 'restored' 'real' surveillance footage!"
His voice, raw and desperate like a wounded beast, carried the weight of a desperate gamble:
"You keep claiming you've broken Cifera's blockade and restored the hidden 'true' footage. But who's to say what you've restored is actually 'true'?!
"If Cifera could forge surveillance footage and infiltrate the system to hide critical clips, why couldn't she have created another layer of deception—a fabricated 'true' recording just for you?!"
Lei Gang's eyes drilled into the direction of Liu Shanhe's phone, as if he could pierce through space and stare directly at "Nie Bing":
"You think you understand Cifera's technology like the back of your hand? Bullshit! That's the biggest joke of all!
"You haven't broken through any blockade! You've simply stepped onto the 'child's path' Cifera meticulously laid out for you, filled with 'toys' she prepared in advance.
"Those seemingly authentic recordings! Those meticulously crafted 'clues'! They're all just games to amuse herself, to make you, the 'smart kid' who thinks she's cracked the mystery, preen with pride!"
Almost roaring, Lei Gang hurled his final challenge at the crowd:
"She's been using you! Using the 'evidence' you found! Exploiting your current confidence! To prove that I, the real Lei Gang, am a fake! This is her true, elaborate trap!
"Nie Bing! Wake up!
"You've been her puppet from start to finish!
"In her meticulously crafted scheme, you're her greatest accomplice in framing me!!!"
Boom—!!!
Lei Gang's earth-shattering rebuttal struck the crowd like a ladle of ice water splashed into a boiling oil cauldron!
The raucous assembly instantly fell into a deathly silence once more!
Every face, including those of the Pursuit Team experts, wore an expression of stunned uncertainty.
Yes... if Cifera could fabricate holographic projections and tamper with the Security System, wouldn't forging a few "authentic recordings" convincing enough to fool Nie Bing be equally possible?
Could Nie Bing's "breakthrough" have been nothing more than a pre-scripted twist in Cifera's grand scheme?
Once the seed of doubt was planted, it immediately began to sprout and spread like wildfire.
The crowd's gaze shifted wildly back and forth between Lei Gang and "Nie Bing", their loyalties wavering once more.
The shocking conviction instantly transformed into wavering doubt and deep bewilderment—
Could it be... we really wronged him?
Meanwhile, the live stream's bullet comments exploded once again:
[Holy shit! Big Pecs' rebuttal was savage! Straight to the heart!]
[Exactly! Who can prove Cifera didn't fake the recording of Nie Bing's recovery? Is there anyone in the world who can rival Cifera's hacking skills?]
[Warning! Warning! Possible massive "nesting dolls" situation ahead!]
[Big Pecs: I admit Cifera's badass, but you can't treat me like an idiot!]
[Twist after twist! This show's plot is making me kneel!]
Little Bingbing's in danger! This logical vulnerability is fatal!
[Big Pecs is right! Little Bingbing might still be trapped in Cifera's genjutsu! (doge)]
[@Nie Family Patriarch! Quick! Analyze this! Whose side should we be on?]
Inside the studio:
After a long silence, Nie Junfeng slammed his fist on the table, his face radiating "I knew it all along" certainty and a hint of exasperation at Nie Bing's perceived shortcomings:
"See that, Host? And all of you viewers!
"This is exactly what I've been emphasizing repeatedly! Contestant Cifera's deception is meticulously crafted, with each layer building upon the last!"
He pointed to the screen, where Minister Lei Gang, visibly agitated but maintaining clear logic, was speaking.
"Minister Lei's words, though they sound like a desperate attempt to cling to life, precisely expose the crucial core of the matter—
"Officer Nie Bing's current confidence may be the very result of Contestant Cifera's meticulous manipulation! She's desperate to prove herself, desperate to redeem her past failures by capturing Contestant Cifera!
"This mindset, against a master deceiver like Cifera, is the perfect point of vulnerability!"
Nie Junfeng's voice grew heavy, and he sighed.
"Officer Nie Bing... I fear she's become dangerously complacent this time.
"She believes she's cracked the puzzle and ascended to the fifth layer, unaware that Contestant Cifera may be smiling down at her performance from the stratosphere.
"All the 'ironclad evidence' she's found may be nothing more than 'toy guns' Cifera deliberately handed her—appearing formidable, yet easily shattered with a single poke.
"Minister Lei Gang's current claims of innocence could very well be the truth!
"Officer Nie Bing is unwittingly becoming the key 'villain' in Cifera's script, personally pushing an innocent man into the Abyss!
"Alas... those caught in the game remain blinded!"
Host Qiu Qiu frowned, her expression troubled. Though a Cat Fan herself, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for Little Bingbing's crushing defeat:
"So... does that mean Officer Nie Bing...?"
Just as the entire venue fell into stunned silence, the live stream chat erupted in frantic debate, and the broadcast studio was shrouded in the ominous shadow of Nie Junfeng's "Poison Milk" curse—
Liu Shanhe's phone suddenly rang out with Nie Bing's clear, composed, and even faintly mocking voice, instantly silencing the cacophony:
"Minister Lei, or rather, Contestant Cifera, your accusations... are amusing, but entirely within my expectations."
Her voice betrayed no trace of panic, exuding the composure of a cat toying with its prey:
"You claim I can't prove the authenticity of the video? That all the evidence I've found are just toys you deliberately left behind?"
Nie Bing paused briefly, as if savoring the moment of silence, before dropping a bombshell that made every heart in the room stop cold:
"How unfortunate for you. I just so happen to have a method to prove it—and I'll do so right here, in front of you, in front of everyone, with irrefutable proof."
The moment her words hung in the air, absolute silence descended upon the entire studio.