Year 2052, Earth, China.
"Greetings, viewers! Welcome to the reality show Global Manhunt: The Final Heist, live from the Chinese regional finals! I'm your host, Qiu Qiu!"
On the live stream, a glamorous stage was set, where a beautiful female host stood addressing the camera.
"As we all know, nations across the globe have united to form the Terran Alliance, and war has become a distant memory. However, theft and other criminal activities remain persistent threats.
"To deter criminals and raise public awareness of crime prevention, the Terran Alliance has launched Global Manhunt: The Final Heist, a worldwide reality show.
"The show has already aired in countries like the United States of America, Great Britain, and Japan. Today, it's finally our turn to officially launch the Chinese regional finals!"
"While some of you may have watched live streams from other regions, most viewers are still unfamiliar with the rules. Let me explain them now."
At the start of the show, ten initial contestants are introduced.
After the launch ceremony, the ten contestants were free to commit theft anywhere in the world, provided they didn't endanger anyone's physical safety. Getting caught would only result in elimination, with no legal consequences.
Every contestant's actions would be livestreamed via the "Sky Eye" system.
Although it was a reality show, the program's structure aimed to simulate real-world conditions.
In principle, the Pursuit Team couldn't intervene unless the victim reported the theft to the authorities.
Once a report was filed, the Pursuit Team would immediately receive the contestant's personal information and real-time location, launching an immediate capture operation.
However, since this was a variety show, to prevent contestants from passively participating, each contestant was granted a 24-hour Rookie Protection Period.
Once the protection period expired, even if a contestant hadn't committed any thefts, they would automatically become a "fugitive" and face pursuit by the Pursuit Team.
After a contestant stole an item, the production team would set a capture deadline based on the item's value.
The shortest deadline was 1 minute, and the longest was 24 hours.
If the contestant remained uncaught by local law enforcement or the Pursuit Team after the capture deadline expired,
Once the contestants returned the stolen item, they could exchange it for cash equivalent to its value!
Host Qiu Qiu had barely finished explaining the rules when the live stream chat exploded with comments:
[Holy shit, isn't this just legalized theft?!]
[Yeah, these contestants have it so easy! Just snag something valuable, hide out until the time runs out, and boom! Instant wealth is no longer a dream!]
[The people above clearly haven't watched the other regions' broadcasts. Remember, the show's called Final Heist! It's all about watching the Pursuit Team crush these contestants.]
[Exactly! Do you really think the showrunners would let the contestants win? The Pursuit Team members aren't pushovers, and with cameras everywhere, even the legendary Phantom Thief would get caught.]
[Veteran viewers, a word of advice for the newcomers: immerse yourself in the Pursuit Team's perspective, and you'll have a blast. Otherwise, you're just setting yourself up for despair.]
[Whew, I was thinking about signing up for the next batch of contestants, but now I'm rethinking that. No way I want to get humiliated in front of the whole nation.]
[Thinking nationally is too narrow—we need to think globally! This is the hottest show on the planet right now. Each contestant's capture experience will be edited into a video case study and uploaded to the show's official website.]
[In short, if you're joining this show to get rich, give up that dream now. It's absolutely impossible!]
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The show hadn't officially started yet, so only the official live stream channel was open.
Even though it was still daytime work hours, the viewership had already surpassed a million, and the numbers were climbing steadily.
Don't underestimate that million-strong audience—they're all real viewers, a testament to the show's explosive popularity.
The opening ceremony continued.
As the screen filled with a torrent of live comments, Host Qiu Qiu continued:
"It seems everyone is eagerly anticipating the show! Next up is the contestant introductions, but before we get to that, I have a surprise to reveal—
"Among these ten starting contestants, one of them is the grandson of China's legendary Phantom Thief!"
Host Qiu Qiu had barely finished speaking when the live comments erupted again.
[Holy crap, the Phantom Thief is actually participating?]
[Listen carefully—it's the grandson of the Phantom Thief! But the Phantom Thief was recruited by the government years ago. Whether his descendants inherited his true skills remains a mystery.]
[Why overthink it? Either way, the show is guaranteed to be more exciting now.]
[Exactly! I just want to see what the Phantom Thief's descendant is really like.]
"Heh heh, it seems everyone is eager to catch a glimpse of the Phantom Thief's descendant. But I regret to inform you that even I don't know which contestant it is.
"Next, we'll open the voting for 'Who is the Grandson of the Phantom Thief' in the live stream. After all ten contestants introduce themselves, you can cast your votes. The contestant with the most votes will receive a special head start!
"Friendly reminder—this Hell Start is specifically designed to match the Phantom Thief's grandson's presumed strength. Get ready for a truly challenging beginning!"
[Lol, the production team really knows how to stir things up!]
[Now this is some next-level scheming, bamboozled to the core!]
[True, both the Phantom Thief's grandson and the other contestants must be completely bewildered now.]
[I can already imagine all the contestants scrambling to deny being the Grandchild of the Phantom Thief.]
[As the Phantom Thief's descendant, shouldn't his grandson step forward and take responsibility?]
[Hard to say. Who knows how difficult the challenge will be? He has the best chance of winning money, so why risk it?]
The live chat buzzed with speculation about the contestants' reactions as Host Qiu Qiu began calling them out one by one.
The very first contestant to emerge immediately revealed himself as the Grandchild of the Phantom Thief.
He was a handsome young man in his early twenties, dressed in a sleek black suit and a black top hat, exuding an air of refined elegance.
"I won't waste your time with formalities. You may call me 'Night Shadow.' No need to guess who's the Grandchild of the Phantom Thief—it's me.
"A 'Hell Start'? Hmph, I hope the difficulty is enough to warm me up."
After delivering these lines, the young man who called himself Night Shadow fell silent, even attempting to leave the stage immediately.
Host Qiu Qiu quickly stopped him:
"Night Shadow, please wait!"
"Hmm? Woman, you'd better have a good explanation."
"Ah, this..."
Host Qiu Qiu was momentarily stunned by Night Shadow's "domineering CEO" demeanor, but her professional composure allowed her to maintain her smile:
"Ahahaha, Night Shadow's speech was certainly very impressive, but according to the rules, you still need to give the audience a small talent demonstration. Just talking isn't enough to convince them to vote for you, you know~"
"Hmph, what a hassle. Fine, I'll just show off a little trick to show you what true professionalism looks like."
With that, Night Shadow pulled a deck of playing cards from his pocket.
After taking all the cards out, he suddenly flung them upward in a single toss, scattering them like flower petals!
But Night Shadow's technique was clearly precise. Though the cards scattered widely, they all floated down within arm's reach.
Then, a truly astonishing sight unfolded:
Night Shadow raised his right hand and began to move it with lightning speed. In less than ten seconds, he had neatly gathered every single card back into his hand, without a single one falling to the ground.
After neatly packing the deck back into its box and tucking it away, Night Shadow glanced coolly at the camera and said:
"Heh, this is just a little hand-speed exercise I do in my spare time. But I bet none of you can do it, can you?"
The chat exploded once again.
[Holy shit! I'm so jealous of that hand speed!]
[If you don't understand, just ask! Does his hand have a motor installed?]
[I initially thought he was an elegant gentleman, then realized he was just a pretentious showoff. But now I see he's genuinely strong!]
[Exactly! If I had his skills, I'd show off even more!]
[Alright, no need to introduce the remaining contestants. I'm voting for him right away. He's undoubtedly the Grandson of the Phantom Thief!]
After Night Shadow's dazzling display, the live stream audience was largely convinced he was the Grandson of the Phantom Thief.
Host Qiu Qiu was visibly stunned:
"Absolutely breathtaking! Thank you, Night Shadow, for that dazzling talent showcase. Please take a seat backstage to rest while we invite the next contestant to the stage..."
Night Shadow's performance had set such a high bar that the subsequent contestants, despite including major internet celebrities and trendy young idols, found their singing, dancing, and other talent displays utterly lackluster by comparison.
The live stream viewership plummeted.
Meanwhile, backstage at the show venue, several contestants were still waiting to perform.
In the final dressing room, a female contestant was watching the broadcast on her phone.
She was a transmigrator.
In her previous life, she had been a man named Ciferon. In this life, with the dragon gone, she was known as Cifera.
The moment Cifera woke up, she found herself in this contestant's room.
Through the memories of her original body, she quickly grasped her situation.
Having grown up in an orphanage, the original Cifera had desperately wanted to win big on this reality show to provide a better life for her younger siblings at the orphanage.
But her relentless work ethic had taken its toll on her heart. She had collapsed suddenly and died, leading to Cifera's transmigrated soul taking her place.
"Earning money on this show? Easier said than done. The original Cifera was too naive; she shouldn't have even signed up..."
In her previous life, Cifera had been just an ordinary person. She had no knowledge of thieving techniques and would likely be eliminated soon, becoming a laughingstock for online viewers.
She had witnessed Night Shadow, the grandson of the Phantom Thief, demonstrate his skills earlier. In her eyes, only a master like him stood a chance of making any real money.
Just as Cifera was pondering how to make a stylish exit, a ding echoed in her mind:
[Detected: Host is participating in a reality show.]
[Based on the show's genre, the most suitable character template has been selected for the host.]
[The Fleet-Footed—Cipher!]
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Spy-Hehe another cipher fic hehe. Cat go brrr