"The answer is simple."
"Because the live stream footage we're seeing—"
"—is fake again."
"After her initial manipulation was exposed, Cifera silently executed a second alteration."
"She's showing us the 'vanishing magic' she wants us to see."
Little Ya's explanation instantly jolted everyone awake.
[What?! ! ! !]
[Again... it's fake again?!]
[I get it now! Same trick again! Round two!]
[Holy shit! Cifera's hacking skills are god-tier! Seamlessly merging real and fake footage?!]
[So, that unbelievable makeup removal and vanishing act were just special effects?!]
[Ah! Physics still exists!]
-
Backstage at the Production Team:
Director Guo Tao frantically shouted, "Quick! Use the same method as before! Zoom the camera out further! Now!"
The broadcast director scrambled to adjust the camera, but no matter how he zoomed in, zoomed out, or rotated the angle, the screen never showed the abrupt shift that had exposed the previous deception.
Nie Bing and Lin Zhiyuan remained frozen before the technical booth;
Cifera's silhouette still hadn't appeared in the room;
And the Coin of Whimsy lay motionless on the floor.
No anomalies!
It was as if the "disappearance" they had just witnessed had truly occurred!
"Director Guo... it's no use! No matter how I try, the image remains the same... there's no change!" the Director nearly wept.
Director Guo Tao, frantic as an ant on a hot skillet, grabbed the communicator and shouted, "Host! Hurry! Ask Little Ya what to do now!"
Clearly, Director Guo had unconsciously become reliant on this mysterious viewer, Little Ya.
Host Qiu Qiu, receiving the directive, immediately relayed the Production Team's plea for help.
Soon, Little Ya's bullet comments reappeared, concise as ever:
"The image should be restored now."
???
For a moment, everyone was dumbfounded.
[Restored? What does that mean?]
[The image hasn't changed at all! It's still two people and a coin!]
[Little Ya, what are you talking about?]
While the audience remained baffled, Nie Junfeng in the studio suddenly saw his eyes blaze with unprecedented brilliance. His face was etched with awe, comprehension dawning on him with overwhelming admiration!
"I understand now! Truth and falsehood, illusion and reality! Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!!!"
He excitedly faced the camera, explaining rapidly, "Little Ya is right! The image has been restored!
"But it wasn't restored through the Production Team's back-end systems. Cifera restored it herself!"
[What does this mean? Why would Cifera voluntarily help the Production Team restore the footage?]
[I've finally figured it out! Whether it's the formidable Little Ya or the Nie Family Patriarch, they're all masters of cryptic speech. Can't they just explain things clearly for once?!]
However, the audience had clearly misunderstood Nie Junfeng. He immediately began a detailed explanation:
"As Little Ya mentioned, the moment her first attempt to tamper with the footage was discovered, Cifera activated her new plan!
"To everyone watching, it seemed logical that she would immediately flee once she realized the Production Team had detected her position. Instead, she wasted time provoking us, taunting Nie Bing and Lin Zhiyuan, deliberately playing with them.
"In reality, this was her deliberate misdirection!
"By acting in ways that defied logic yet aligned with her established persona, she instantly convinced us that she was confident and unhurried to leave.
"But the truth was exactly the opposite—she was desperately trying to escape!"
Nie Junfeng took a deep breath, his voice filled with awe for Cifera's cunning:
"She exploited our cognitive biases!
"Having just uncovered her first attempt to manipulate the footage, we subconsciously assumed she couldn't possibly trick us again using the same method, especially under the Production Team's heightened vigilance, and in such a short time."
"She reversed her strategy, once again using methods beyond the Production Team's comprehension to seamlessly blend reality and illusion within the live stream.
"This likely began after her conversation with Nie Bing and Lin Zhiyuan, just as she stepped away from the Technical Booth.
"While we were stunned by the fabricated 'Magical Curtain Call,' the reality inside the room was this: she placed the Coin of Whimsy on a pre-determined spot on the floor, then openly left the room as 'Cifera.'
"Had she been the old Cifera, she might have stopped there. But because she had discovered Little Ya's existence!
"Knowing her trickery wouldn't fool Little Ya for long—that the Production Team would soon attempt to restore the real feed based on Little Ya's clues—she launched a preemptive strike. She personally helped the Production Team restore the true feed, buying herself more time to escape.
"Whether through her direct manipulation or a pre-programmed sequence, the moment we saw the Coin of Whimsy land and Cifera completely vanish, the live stream seamlessly transitioned from illusion to reality!"
"At that moment, Cifera was no longer in the room. Nie Bing and Lin Zhiyuan were frozen in place, unable to move, and the Coin of Whimsy remained in its original position within 'Magical Curtain Call'—
"To all of us, the scene appeared unchanged. But the truth is, our eyes had deceived us!"
As Nie Junfeng spoke, undisguised admiration spread across his face:
"We were initially stunned by Cifera's inexplicable disappearance. Little Ya provided an explanation, and the Production Team's attempts to decipher the truth failed. All of this actually happened, and Cifera had clearly anticipated it all beforehand.
"Even Little Ya likely hadn't anticipated Cifera's proactive restoration of the scene, causing the Production Team to waste even more time.
"By now, Cifera has probably put enough distance between herself and us. Finding her again will be exceedingly difficult.
"This is what makes Cifera so terrifying!
"It's not just her mastery of hacking! It's her complete control over human psychology!"
"From the moment she was discovered to her escape, every step was meticulously calculated, including Little Ya's capabilities, the Production Team's reactions, and even our shock. All were part of her plan.
"This precise control over human nature and behavior—that's the true art of deception!"
Nie Junfeng's analysis struck like a thunderbolt, leaving everyone who heard it utterly stunned.
[I... I'm completely numb...]
[Every day, we hype up Cifera's brilliance, and even I'm starting to feel numb from saying it...]
[My god! Cifera's technical skills are terrifying!]
[Her mind is even more terrifying! To have such insight into the human heart...]
[Actually, the Patriarch's mind is just as terrifying! Just from Little Ya saying, "The feed is restored," he can deduce all this information!]
[You think the Patriarch's afraid of a debate? This guest commentator's got serious clout!]
[Cifera, Little Ya, and the Nie Family Patriarch—their brains are all superhuman! Damn it, watching this variety show is making me feel like an idiot!]
That final bullet comment instantly garnered unanimous upvotes in the live stream.
"Damn it, watching this variety show is making me feel like an idiot!" The phrase flooded the chat, becoming the new catchphrase.