The jewels didn't continue ascending indefinitely. They gradually slowed to a stop mid-air, hovering at a height beyond the reach of ordinary ladders.
As if truly transformed into celestial "stars," they compelled everyone to crane their necks upward in awe.
The spectacle unfolding before the audience was even more realistic and awe-inspiring than the earlier "Universal Convergence" on the main stage.
This was the true simulation of the cosmic stars!
At that moment, the reinforced glass dome high above the venue—originally transparent to reveal the real starry sky beyond—gradually became obscured.
It seemed as if a hazy, faintly luminous film had enveloped the glass.
But everyone soon realized their mistake!
It wasn't the glass being coated by a film; rather, a moonlit "mist" had blanketed the entire dome, obscuring the night sky above.
Just as the audience assumed this misty effect was a high-tech visual display built into the dome's glass walls,
the mist astonishingly penetrated the glass, flowing from the outside inward and permeating the venue.
Within moments, the entire venue's ceiling was shrouded in a thick, ethereal layer of moonlit mist.
Against the backdrop of the ethereal mist, the starry sea above seemed even more profound and mysterious.
"My God! This effect is absolutely breathtaking! Starry's special effects team is undoubtedly world-class!"
As the audience erupted in gasps of awe and praise, the Starry staff wore bewildered expressions.
Wait... stop praising us! We didn't even know we were this amazing!
We had nothing to do with this spectacle!
"Minister Lei, what's the technical team saying? Can the venue's lighting be restored?" Liu Shanhe asked, his brow furrowing deeper as he gazed at the enigmatic mist overhead. The realization that something was amiss, yet he was powerless to intervene, left him deeply frustrated.
Standing beside Liu Shanhe, Lei Gang spoke urgently into his walkie-talkie. Hearing Liu Shanhe's question, a look of helplessness crossed his face.
"Old Liu, it's impossible to fully restore it. Just like during this afternoon's press conference..."
"Then try cutting off all power to the venue."
"Old Liu, we can't do that! If these floating jewels are connected to the venue's power supply, cutting it off could cause them to plummet immediately. The consequences would be catastrophic!"
"..."
Liu Shanhe remained silent for a few seconds, then suddenly his eyes flashed with determination.
"We'll station skilled Pursuers and Security Personnel beneath each piece of jewelry. In case of any mishap, they can catch the jewels immediately."
"We absolutely cannot just sit here and wait to die, playing into their hands."
"Old Liu... I need to consult President Li first—"
"No problem. Just follow Old Liu's plan," Li Zhanting interrupted from behind Lei Gang, cutting him off mid-sentence.
He nodded to Liu Shanhe before turning to Lei Gang.
"After all, the auction must continue. We can't just leave the jewelry suspended in mid-air forever, can we?"
"As expected of Starry's President. Your decisiveness is truly admirable, President Li," Liu Shanhe replied. Without another word, he grabbed Lei Gang and rushed off to implement the plan.
After Liu Shanhe and Lei Gang left, Li Zhanting gazed up at the star-studded ceiling, his expression filled with gratitude.
I know you must have created this, Cifera. Thank you for crafting a true sea of stars for Starry Jewels!
Although Li Zhanting had agreed to Liu Shanhe's blackout plan, he was certain it wouldn't work. Cifera had undoubtedly anticipated this move long ago.
As a devoted Cat Fan, Li Zhanting had nearly blind faith in Cifera.
Therefore, he wasn't at all worried about the jewels falling and being damaged.
When making this decision, Li Zhanting didn't consult Liu Ruyan because he knew she would have made the same choice.
After all, everyone knew Liu Ruyan was a die-hard Cat Fan.
Soon, under the instructions of Liu Shanhe and Lei Gang, dozens of Pursuers and Security Personnel—including Nie Bing, Zhang Hong, and Feng Chiyu—took to the main stage, positioning themselves beneath their assigned jewels, their eyes focused intently on the targets they were tasked with protecting.
The audience finally realized—were the Jewelry Ascension and the appearance of the Moonlight Mist not part of the planned program?
That meant... Cifera had made her move!
Whoosh!
The atmosphere in the venue instantly grew even more electric!
The live stream erupted in similar excitement:
[Cifera's finally here! ! !]
[I knew it! The Moonlight Mist looked so real—only Cifera could pull off such advanced technology.]
[Not necessarily. Maybe Lu Yue caused this commotion. Don't underestimate the Grandchild of the Phantom Thief!]
[Upstairs, are the Pursuit Fans still after Cifera? Did they finally realize they've been completely humiliated? They must be so flustered they can't even think straight. If the Little Granddaughter had done it, the Production Team would have already replayed the footage.]
[Exactly! Look how sensible the Director is, immediately cutting to Lu Yue's reaction. The guy's still sitting in the model's seat, looking utterly bewildered!]
[Lu Yue (Inner Monologue): Not me? You dare show up with this level of security?! Little bro, I couldn't possibly bring myself to act!]
[Stop with the nonsense! I just want to know what Cifera's planning! Could the Nie Family Patriarch's "Poison Milk" prophecy have actually come true? Is she about to drop from the sky?!]
[Speaking of the Patriarch, why isn't the Director being sensible and cutting to his reaction? I want to see how badly his face is getting slapped this time!]
In the broadcast studio, Nie Junfeng watched the footage in stony silence, the confident smile on his face replaced by shock.
Liu Shanhe's team's dialogue and actions confirmed that something had gone wrong with the opening show. The Jewelry Ascension and Moonlight Mist were both unplanned occurrences.
With Lu Yue clearly not involved, the answer was obvious: Cifera had arrived.
Nie Junfeng never imagined he'd be proven wrong again so soon. But how dare Cifera act so boldly!
"Inspector Nie! Does this mean Contestant Cifera has truly arrived?" Host Qiu Qiu asked, deliberately feigning ignorance.
Regaining his composure, Nie Junfeng adopted an expression of calm, though inwardly he felt like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water. He said:
"It seems I've been proven wrong yet again. Contestant Cifera has indeed arrived.
"However, whether she can successfully steal the Starry Light amidst all this chaos remains uncertain.
"We can see that Old Liu, unable to restore the venue's lighting, is preparing to cut off power to the entire hall, attempting to disrupt Cifera's plans.
"Equipped with night vision goggles, the darkness poses little threat to them. If they can retrieve all the jewels, Cifera will find it much harder to find another opportunity."
Just as Nie Junfeng finished speaking, Liu Shanhe issued the order in the footage:
"Cut off all power!"
Yet the next moment, nothing changed on screen.
The Starry Jewels continued to shimmer and float in mid-air;
The Moonlight Mist still blanketed the dome.
The power outage plan had failed!