With the final suspense revealed, the show officially began.
All contestants' individual live streams and the Pursuit Team's live stream opened simultaneously.
The official live stream resembled a professional variety show, with a director switching between shots of the contestants and the Pursuit Team to create a cinematic feel.
Combined with real-time commentary from the host and guests, it offered the most comfortable viewing experience.
In contrast, the contestants' and Pursuit Team members' individual live streams offered complete immersion, as every action was visible to viewers.
At this moment, the ten contestants hadn't immediately dispersed. Instead, they had gathered in a small park outside the arena, seemingly discussing something.
Bullet Comments flooded the screen, showing viewers' confusion:
[I just stepped away—what are the contestants doing?]
[Cifera called them over, saying she had a bonus for everyone.]
[A bonus? Could it be?!]
[What are you thinking, kid? Pay attention! Cifera definitely has a big plan.]
In the live stream, seeing the contestants' curious gazes, Cifera smiled and said:
"First, thank you all for your trust. I won't waste your time—I'll get straight to the point."
"You all know I need to steal something from the Pursuit Team first. To be honest, that's a piece of cake for me. Simple as pie.
"But I'm planning to steal something more interesting: the real-time locations of every member of the Pursuit Team.
"However, what's the point of stealing intelligence if it doesn't bring any benefits?
"That's why I'm going to share this intelligence with all of you.
"All you need to do is cooperate. Don't attempt any thefts until I give you the signal, and I can guarantee that for today at least, you'll be able to track the Pursuit Team's movements in real-time, all within the rules. Isn't that an incredible advantage?"
As soon as Cifera finished speaking, the contestants' faces lit up with excitement, and they eagerly agreed to cooperate.
Regardless of how Cifera planned to steal this intelligence, if she could actually pull it off, it would be like giving the contestants a cheat code.
After all, they couldn't view other contestants' live streams, only their own. And even in their own live streams, the Bullet Comments were heavily restricted; any messages revealing information about the Pursuit Team or other contestants were immediately blocked.
Being able to track the Pursuit Team's movements in real-time would dramatically increase their chances of evading capture, assuming their thefts succeeded.
This collaboration is going to pay off!
Cifera's assertive performance earlier had instilled a strange confidence in the other contestants.
After exchanging WeChat IDs, the other contestants left, leaving only Night Shadow behind.
He hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back, before finally gathering his courage and asking:
"Big Sister, you're not planning to infiltrate the Pursuit Team by disguising yourself as one of their members, are you?"
"Bingo! But no prize for guessing right~"
"No, I don't need a prize."
"..." Cifera was momentarily speechless. This Little Grandchild is a bit too earnest, isn't he?
Unaware of her internal monologue, Night Shadow continued earnestly:
"It's true, this is a good way to get close to the Pursuit Team members. But I still think it's too risky. There's a particularly troublesome member in the Pursuit Team—she's not easy to deal with."
"Oh, you mean this so-called 'mysterious member'?"
Cifera pulled out a promotional poster featuring the Pursuit Team's seven main experts. One member was represented only by a black silhouette.
The silhouette clearly depicted a woman, with a large question mark above it. Next to it was a description: "Mysterious Pursuit Team Expert Member. Keywords: Genius, Beautiful Girl, Cat."
"Exactly. This person is my arch-rival, the enemy I must defeat, but I have to admit... she's stronger than me."
Seeing the fighting spirit ignite in Night Shadow's eyes, Cifera sensed a juicy story brewing:
"Oh? So that's why you hate cats? There's a story here. Tell Big Sister all about it?"
"Um... I'm sorry, I can't tell you that."
"Alright, no more teasing. Relax, even if that girl is strong, you won't encounter her for a while."
Noticing Night Shadow's puzzled expression, Cifera chuckled:
"Lao Qiu just told me that all you need to do is steal something from each of the six other Pursuit Team experts. Your arch-rival probably won't arrive on set for a few more days."
"So, I'm planning to play the role of your arch-rival for now, since her keywords perfectly match me."
"...You're certainly well-suited for the part. Then I wish you all the best, Big Sister. No need to share any intelligence with me. I must win this competition through my own strength, then defeat you and crush every opponent who stands in the way of my growth!"
With that, Night Shadow pulled his top hat lower and strode away without looking back.
"That cringe-worthy chuunii intensity... truly worthy of you, Little Grandchild."
Cifera chuckled softly and headed in the opposite direction.
She had just received the Pursuit Team's location on her phone. It was time to meet them.
Without a doubt, the moment the live stream went public, it ignited a firestorm of debate among viewers:
[Oh my god, Cifera's so brave! She's actually planning to go undercover!]
[Exactly! What makes her think she can fool those Pursuit Team experts? They're real heavy hitters!]
[Psh, as if our Cifera isn't a heavy hitter herself!]
[She's definitely a heavy hitter in her field, but different fields require different expertise. A magician can easily trick ordinary people like us, but these experts have been battling wits with criminals for years. They're masters of observation and deception, not easily fooled.]
[Quick, check the official live stream! A guest commentator just declared that Cifera's plan is doomed to fail!]
[So confident, huh? Let's see what he has to say.]
On the official live stream,
Host Qiu Qiu was currently interviewing a middle-aged man radiating an aura of righteous authority.
The man was Nie Junfeng, an active police inspector and the show's special commentary guest.
"This contestant, Cifera," Inspector Nie began, "I've reviewed her previous magic performances, and they're undeniably impressive. However, she's severely underestimated the professionalism of our Police Force."
"Perhaps she's brimming with confidence in her familiar realm of trickery, but her demeanor will undoubtedly shift when confronted with real law enforcement officers, especially if she has to deceive them.
"Especially with my Master, Liu Shanhe, leading the Pursuit Team. He's the nation's foremost expert in microexpression analysis. Even the slightest slip-up from Cifera will be immediately detected.
"Furthermore, even if she manages to infiltrate the Pursuit Team, there are only three ways she could leak the team's location information to the other contestants, as she claimed.
"The first method is the simplest, but also the most foolish: participating in the pursuit operations, visually observing the Pursuit Team members' positions, and relaying this information covertly to the other contestants via internal communications.
"However, this approach would quickly expose her. Constantly probing for others' positions is as good as wearing a sign that reads 'I'm suspicious.' Moreover, it would be nearly impossible to provide contestants with real-time updates on the Pursuit Team's movements, resulting in significant delays in the information flow."
"The second method would be to place tracking devices on each Pursuit Team member and transmit their signals to the other contestants' phones, but that's impossible.
"Our Police Force has secretly deployed state-of-the-art counter-espionage equipment at the Pursuit Team's base and on each member's person. These devices perform irregular scans, making it absolutely impossible for external devices to monitor or track them.
"The third method would require her to possess exceptional computer skills, allowing her to become the technical support for the capture operation. This would give her legitimate access to each member's location, and she could even manipulate surveillance footage to plan optimal escape routes for the other contestants.
"But that's equally impossible. The Pursuit Team already has a highly skilled computer expert. The position of technical support would never be assigned to a Magician.
"Therefore, I'm certain her plan is doomed to fail!"
"Indeed, after hearing Inspector Nie's analysis, I'm sweating for Cifera! This Hell Start is truly too difficult."
Host Qiu Qiu suddenly shifted her tone and said, "But let's say—if—Cifera not only fooled everyone but also possessed genuine, top-tier computer skills, then wouldn't she still have a chance to succeed using a third method?"
"Heh, it seems our host has high hopes for Cifera. Well, let me put it this way: if Cifera succeeds, I'll personally invite her to join our Police Force as a specially appointed expert with top-tier compensation!"
Clearly, Nie Junfeng dismissed Qiu Qiu's suggestion as a joke.
"Alright then! The live stream audience and I will serve as witnesses. Inspector Nie, if you lose, you must honor the wager!"
"Ha ha, of course!"
Just then, the official live stream's camera cut to Cifera. She had already arrived outside a three-story villa—the Pursuit Team's headquarters.