After reading Little Ya's comment, Host Qiu Qiu's smile grew even brighter.
Nie Junfeng, standing beside her, found it odd and couldn't resist asking:
"Host, I thought you were a fan of Contestant Cifera. She's about to be eliminated—why do you look so pleased?"
"Hehe, Inspector Nie, don't be too sure of yourself. Little Ya has offered a different perspective on your analysis."
"Her again?"
Nie Junfeng vividly remembered Little Ya, the one who had correctly predicted Cifera wouldn't play it safe, and the bet he'd made with her.
Now that I'm about to win, she dares to chime in again?
Intrigued, Nie Junfeng wanted to hear her counterargument.
"Please, let's hear it. I'm eager to see what she has to say."
Host Qiu Qiu cut to the chase:
"Little Ya's exact words were: 'Why does everyone assume Cifera can only escape via the conventional routes?
"The Pursuit Team has only blocked the stairwell. Cifera could easily escape directly through the balcony next to the Technical Booth.'"
Qiu Qiu hadn't finished speaking when Nie Junfeng couldn't help but interrupt:
"Excuse me, but does the message mention how she escaped from the balcony?"
"No, it doesn't."
Hearing the host's answer, Nie Junfeng shook his head and said with a sigh:
"Do you know why the Pursuit Team didn't set up defenses on the balcony?
"That's because the balcony on the second floor of the Pursuit Team's base is about five meters above the ground, and the ground is hard and flat. A direct jump would subject the human body to an impact force far exceeding what the joints can withstand.
"Even a prepared person would almost certainly be injured—at best, a fracture; at worst, death.
"World-class Parkour athletes like Feng Chiyu or elite special forces operatives like Zhang Hong possess superior core strength, coordination, and landing techniques, significantly reducing the risk of injury.
"But even they couldn't guarantee absolute safety without specialized cushioning equipment.
"Unless Contestant Cifera suddenly pulled off some kind of magic trick and produced a rappelling rope or similar equipment, escaping from the balcony would have been utterly impossible."
"But under intense scrutiny, she was caught before she could properly stage the scene.
"Clearly, Little Ya's assumptions were overly simplistic."
Host Qiu Qiu didn't take offense at Nie Junfeng's immediate dismissal, even before she finished speaking. Smiling, she replied, "Inspector Nie makes a valid point, but Little Ya raised a detail that many might have overlooked. Here's her original comment:
"Cifera's appearance is highly deceptive. In my opinion, she possesses exceptional physical prowess and agility far beyond ordinary people.
"Has everyone already forgotten the series of movements she executed when she ambushed Little Bingbing?
"To me, those actions clearly demonstrate Cifera's ability to escape from the balcony using only her own strength.
"And this is precisely the method I've suspected Cifera would choose from the beginning."
With that, Host Qiu Qiu smiled and concluded:
"Those were the words of our online commenter, Little Ya."
As Qiu Qiu finished speaking, a collective realization struck everyone—Nie Junfeng, the live stream viewers, and even Director Guo Tao and the Production Team members watching backstage!
That's right! How could we have forgotten about that?!
Cifera had once effortlessly concealed herself on a chandelier, securing herself with just her feet hooked around the fixture, before silently ambushing Nie Bing.
If she could pull off such a high-difficulty maneuver, she couldn't possibly be someone who relied solely on her intellect. Her martial prowess must be exceptionally formidable!
Just as Little Ya had pointed out, Cifera's appearance was deceptively innocent. As she continued to showcase her intellectual abilities, everyone naturally overlooked the martial skills she had already demonstrated.
In reality, Cifera, like Nie Bing, was a true Scholar-Warrior, skilled in both literary and martial arts!
"I get it now! It all makes sense! Contestant Cifera has the Pursuit Team completely in her grasp!"
Nie Junfeng leaped to his feet. Though he realized Little Ya was likely about to prove him wrong, he couldn't contain his excitement. As a professional commentator, he had to share his epiphany with everyone:
"It's the information gap!
"Contestant Cifera exploited the Pursuit Team's inability to watch the live stream, turning it into an insurmountable weapon to deceive them.
"Because the Pursuit Team couldn't access the live stream, none of them—not even Police Officer Nie Bing herself—knows how Cifera subdued her!
When she turned around, Contestant Cifera was already standing behind her. She had no idea when or how Cifera had emerged to ambush her.
No matter how clever the Pursuit Team members were, they could never have imagined that such a delicate and charming exterior concealed such formidable athletic ability.
Cifera herself had been remarkably cautious, never revealing any hint of her athletic talent to the Pursuit Team. Instead, she consistently relied on cerebral skills like trickery, hacking, and ventriloquism to reinforce their impression of her as frail and bookish.
Thus, when Cifera executed her series of maneuvers today, even Little Lin, the Pursuit Team's most astute strategist, completely overlooked the possibility of her escaping via the balcony.
Instead, under Cifera's deliberate manipulation, Little Lin was drawn into her rhythm, arriving at precisely the conclusions she had intended for him.
In this way, Cifera not only successfully toyed with the Pursuit Team but also ensured that her escape routes remained unblocked.
"If she can successfully climb down from the balcony, her physical fitness and athletic skills give her a decent chance of escaping!"
At this point, Nie Junfeng couldn't contain himself and burst into applause:
"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!
"What a true Scholar-Warrior—a super genius in both intellect and physical prowess!
"Now, I dare anyone to come up with an excuse to steal her from our Police Force!"
In Nie Junfeng's eyes, for a talent like Cifera to end up anywhere but the Police Force would be a colossal waste of potential.
And discovering such a peerless prodigy made every bruise he'd suffered these past two days completely worth it.
-
On the second floor of the base, Cifera, standing before the Technical Booth, suddenly felt a tickle in her nose and couldn't help but sneeze. Muttering to herself, she thought:
"Meow~ Which expert is praising my awesomeness again?"
It seems someone has seen through my operations, she mused. Otherwise, the Lies Become Reality abilities, Imposter and Hypnotic Master, wouldn't have suddenly vanished, replaced by this passive Ability called The Scholar-Warrior.
[New Lies Become Reality Ability Obtained:]
[The Scholar-Warrior (Passive Ability)]
[Trust Level: 10,000,000+]
[The pen can secure peace for the realm, while the sword can shape destiny. In stillness, a single sheet of paper stirs tempests; in motion, a blade flashes like a startled phoenix.]
[Empowered by the Trickery Authority, all acquired Abilities (excluding this one) gain a 5% bonus to their Trust Levels.]
[Note: Ability strength scales with Trust Level. Higher Trust Levels grant greater percentage-based bonuses.]
To be honest, this passive Ability was somewhat underwhelming—mostly useless in the early stages, with its true potential only manifesting later.
As for the two vanished Abilities, Cifera didn't care much. With enough popularity, she could always trick them back.
With that thought, she glanced at the time—8:59.
A smile spread across Cifera's face.
"It's time to say goodbye."