Seeing Feng Chiyu and Zhang Hong successfully catch up to Cifera, Liu Shanhe, who was on the second floor, immediately resumed command:
"Everyone else, follow me downstairs! Let's use the cars' mobility to coordinate with Little Feng and Little Zhang for a pincer movement!"
"Roger that!"
By the time Liu Shanhe reached the front door of the villa on the ground floor, Cifera had already evaded the security guard's interception, vaulting over the railing and fleeing outside.
Although Feng Chiyu and Zhang Hong couldn't close the gap immediately, they remained hot on her heels, their pursuit relentless.
The trio quickly vanished from Liu Shanhe's sight.
After waiting for a moment, Liu Shanhe frowned, his impatience growing. He hadn't heard a single car engine start.
At this critical moment, why are they being so slow? Can't they even handle this simple task?!
If they can't even perform well in a simulation, how will they ever fare in a real-life, life-or-death situation?!
Just as Liu Shanhe was about to unleash his fury, Wang Lei rushed over, his face pale with shock:
"Old Liu, this is terrible! All the drivers, including the backups, say their car keys are missing!"
"What?!"
Liu Shanhe recoiled in shock before a realization struck him:
"Could it be...?"
"Exactly! It has to be Cifera!"
Liu Shanhe turned to see Lin Zhiyuan speaking. After remaining silent for so long, he seemed to have finally recovered from the shock.
Lin Zhiyuan nodded to Liu Shanhe, though he had emerged from his earlier existential crisis, he still couldn't help but feel dejected:
"Old Liu, it's obvious now. When Cifera took photos with everyone in the dining hall this morning, she had another motive: to steal all the car keys.
"She had planned all along to force her escape by jumping from the balcony, knowing we'd be unable to pursue her by car. This greatly increased her chances of success.
"Yesterday, shortly after arriving, Cifera essentially revealed her escape plan: she would flee from the balcony, just like that little black cat."
"But none of us realized... we've been completely defeated, and even thoroughly humiliated."
Liu Shanhe and Wang Lei couldn't refute Lin Zhiyuan's words. From the start of the program, the Pursuit Team had indeed been manipulated by Cifera as if she were holding them in the palm of her hand.
As the elder, Liu Shanhe felt compelled to rally the team's spirits:
"Little Lin, it's alright. Failure is the mother of success. This cat-and-mouse game has only just begun, and our chance to strike back will come.
"After all, Cifera is just one person. She initially exploited information gaps to hide in the shadows and deceive us all.
"But now she's been exposed to the light. To us, she's merely a particularly troublesome criminal. With the combined strength of the Pursuit Team, she's bound to be brought down."
"Exactly, Little Lin! As Old Liu said, that mischievous Cifera will definitely be caught. Maybe Zhang Hong and Feng Chiyu will be hauling her back like a kitten any minute now."
However, Wang Lei's supportive remark was immediately countered by Lin Zhiyuan.
"Teacher Wang Lei, without the mobility advantage of our vehicles, we can't immediately form a perimeter. Given Cifera's absurd agility, I don't believe Brother Zhang and Brother Feng can successfully capture her."
Lin Zhiyuan elaborated:
"Besides Cifera's agility, there's another problem: we can't access the surveillance cameras right now.
"I tried to mobilize the cameras right away to help Brother Zhang and Brother Feng track Cifera's movements.
"But the Technical Booth's computer system crashes the moment I try to adjust the cameras. My technical skills aren't enough to fix it—we'll have to wait for Nie Bingqing to regain consciousness to resolve the issue.
"Without support from the Technical Booth, the Pursuit Team's chances of failure are definitely over 90%."
"That little Cifera's tricks are impossible to guard against!" Wang Lei sighed. "She's always digging traps for us, no matter where we are."
"Alright, alright, everyone, no need to be so gloomy," Liu Shanhe said, patting Lin Zhiyuan and Wang Lei on the shoulders. "As we said earlier, it's okay if we fail this time. We'll definitely have a chance to counterattack later, because Cifera will still try to steal something, right?"
"My suggestion is that everyone focus on getting themselves in the right frame of mind right now. If Little Zhang and Little Feng can recapture her, that would be ideal. But if they fail, we'll wait until noon when Little Bingbing can act. Then we'll all gather together to discuss our next strategy thoroughly.
"Moreover, our opponent isn't just Cifera; there's also the Grandchild of the Phantom Thief. That guy's definitely a tough nut to crack.
"With less than 24 hours until the show starts, he's likely to make his move soon. If you don't get your heads in the game now, you won't even be able to catch the Grandchild of the Phantom Thief, let alone Cifera.
"Is that the outcome you want?"
Liu Shanhe's words snapped Lin Zhiyuan and Wang Lei out of their daze.
Right! There's still the Grandchild of the Phantom Thief lurking in the shadows!
They could accept being outsmarted by Cifera; after all, she was absurdly powerful—a true six-sided warrior!
But the Grandchild of the Phantom Thief?
The Phantom Thief was a figure from decades ago. Could his grandson possibly be stronger than Cifera?
We may not be able to take down Cifera, but we can certainly handle you, Grandchild of the Phantom Thief!
Just show your face, and we'll vent all the anger from being outwitted by Cifera on you, Grandchild of the Phantom Thief!
Realizing this, the two men exclaimed almost simultaneously:
"Absolutely not!"
Seeing this, some viewers who supported the Pursuit Team finally breathed a sigh of relief:
[They've finally woken up! The Pursuit Team has stacked their buffs; time to counterattack!]
[Exactly! After seeing their earlier behavior, I almost forgot what the show was actually about!]
[Old Liu's steady as ever! The mentality master is online—this is a "desperate measures bring victory" play!]
[Don't get discouraged, Lord Lin! Even without the cameras, we still have our brains. Just get it done!]
[Teacher Wang Lei's advice is spot-on. Next time, we'll just grab Cifera by the scruff like a kitten!]
[We must never forget the show's original purpose! We don't want it to become "Cifera's Playground"!]
[Grandchild of the Phantom Thief taking stray fire: Did I just become a punching bag?]
[Pursuit Team: If we can't beat a hexagon, can't we at least beat a pentagon?!]
[Upstairs, stop with the cringe! I refuse to believe that Night Shadow is as versatile as Cifera.]
[Waiting for the Pursuit Team to analyze the situation at noon and launch a counterattack!]
[Cifera: Finally, you guys are starting to look like worthy opponents. Too bad, I'll still win in the end!]
[Cat Fans upstairs, don't get too cocky! Justice will prevail—the Pursuit Team will definitely counterattack!]
[Oh really? Then we Cat Family disciples will sit back and enjoy the spectacular performance of your Pursuit Team's elite members. Just make sure you don't end up crashing into Little Grandchild before you even catch Cifera!]
[Same goes for you Cat Fans! If Cifera tries to pull off a big stunt and ends up getting caught by Feng Chiyu and Zhang Hong, that'll be hilarious!]
[Exactly! I think Old Liu and the others are overestimating Cifera. Her speed isn't even that impressive; she can't even shake off her pursuers!]
At that moment, the camera shifted away from the Pursuit Team's base, and the scene suddenly burst into dynamic action.
The footage showed the intense chase between Cifera and Feng Chiyu and Zhang Hong, now reaching a fever pitch!