Meanwhile, Production Team staff arrived at the Surveillance Center. After nodding to Liu Shanhe and his team, they entered the temporary command center where Nie Bing and Lin Zhiyuan were situated.
Liu Shanhe and Wang Lei followed them in.
Nie Bing and Lin Zhiyuan, sitting dazedly at the Technical Booth, initially showed little reaction to the Production Team's arrival.
But when Liu Shanhe entered behind them, their faces betrayed a complex mix of emotions.
Their embarrassment deepened when staff approached with blank status alert strips.
Nie Bing pressed her lips together and simply closed her eyes.
Lin Zhiyuan adjusted his glasses and gave Liu Shanhe a wry, helpless smile.
Following protocol, the staff briefly inquired about the duo's condition before writing "Status: Unconscious. Expected to awaken naturally within 20 minutes" on the strips and affixing them to the arms of each.
With the task completed, the staff departed.
Observing the duo's simulated unconsciousness, Liu Shanhe signaled a Pursuer to bring a bowl of water and symbolically splash it on their faces, mimicking the act of waking them up.
After "regaining consciousness," Nie Bing immediately rushed to the side and picked up the Coin of Whimsy that Cifera had left behind.
Meanwhile, Lin Zhiyuan rapidly recounted in detail how Cifera, posing as "Cifera," had ambushed and "knocked them unconscious," how she had impersonated Nie Bing to contact Liu Shanhe, how she had used her voice to play multiple roles in the 5D holographic projection demonstration, and finally, how she had left after receiving a call from Wang Lei.
When Liu Shanhe and Wang Lei heard that Cifera had renamed the disguised Security Guard "Cifer," they could barely contain their amusement.
That mischievous little devil knows how to play!
Liu Shanhe couldn't help but think to himself:
If only I had asked the Security Guard's name during the video call back then. I'd love to see if she'd dare say "Cifer" to my face!
Of course, hindsight is always 20/20. In the moment, how could Liu Shanhe have possibly paid attention to the name of such an "insignificant" Security Guard?
Through Lin Zhiyuan's account, the live stream audience finally pieced together Cifera's vanishing act:
[Confirmed! Little Bingbing and Lord Lin never even saw the 'Magical Curtain Call'!]
[So even their shocked expressions were faked? This level of technology is absolutely mind-blowing!]
[Cifera's self-directed and performed black tech live stream effects are simply explosive!]
[This is basically a grand magic show! Even knowing the principles behind it, it's still ridiculously impressive! The production value alone deserves an Oscar! Cifera deserves a Golden Globe!]
[Speaking of which, Lord Lin confirmed that the live stream demonstration from the projector was real. So that Coin of Whimsy is indeed a 5D holographic projector!]
[You're only believing it now? I've been kneeling in awe since day one! Cifera is definitely a hidden black tech mastermind! She's probably like Doraemon, casually pulling out all sorts of advanced gadgets from her pouch!]
[And about the Coin of Whimsy, that line she said before vanishing was so Kitty Phantom Thief-esque: "The cat who tosses the Coin of Whimsy cannot be caught by anyone~"]
[True! Every time the Coin of Whimsy appears, Cifera vanishes from everyone's sight, whether it was on the press conference stage or just now!]
[OMG, is Cifera just showing off now? I can already picture her tossing a Coin of Whimsy every time she's about to disappear in the future!]
While the Bullet Comments section buzzed with feverish discussion about Cifera's black tech and the Coin of Whimsy, Nie Bing was meticulously mimicking the motions Cifera had demonstrated earlier, attempting to activate the projection function of the Coin of Whimsy she had retrieved.
But no matter how she tossed it, caught it, and placed it on the ground, Cifera's holographic projection never materialized.
In desperation, she even meticulously mimicked "Cifer's" clumsy movements from the earlier demonstration—but still failed!
This failure nearly sent her into another CPU-overheating "freeze state."
Fortunately, someone entered the room just then.
Zhang Hong and Feng Chiyu flanked Lei Gang like personal bodyguards (though they looked more like they were escorting a high-profile criminal). Lei Gang, his face contorted with pain and radiating an aura of profound displeasure, walked in between them.
Zhang Hong's booming voice carried a hint of triumphant satisfaction, declaring, "Old Liu! We've brought the man! Cifera is now in your hands!"
Feng Chiyu, his gaze fixed warily on Lei Gang, chimed in, "Exactly, Old Liu. This Cifera guy has been trying to slip away the whole time. We've been watching him like a hawk! Feel free to interrogate him thoroughly!"
By this point, Nie Bing and Lin Zhiyuan had "regained their senses," leaving Zhang Hong and Feng Chiyu completely unaware of their brief possession. Still convinced that Lei Gang was Cifera, they believed Liu Shanhe had ordered them to bring him in for an internal "severe interrogation."
Lei Gang: "???"
He nearly exploded, wanting to scream, "Cifera this! Cifera that! Are you all insane?!" But remembering he'd just been released from the black room, he knew provoking these men risked being locked up again—a price not worth paying.
He settled for a loud "Hmph!" and turned his face away, adopting a "I can't be bothered wasting my breath on you" attitude.
He completely missed the subtle shift in the room's atmosphere, still convinced Liu Shanhe was going to keep questioning him about being Cifera.
"Minister Lei, you've suffered enough!"
Liu Shanhe gazed at the trio before him: Zhang Hong and Feng Chiyu, their faces beaming with self-satisfied pride for bringing in their "catch"; and Lei Gang, his face twisted with humiliation and fury, as if to say, "Your whole Pursuit Team is a bunch of morons!"
This colossal misunderstanding nearly made him burst out laughing.
If Cifera hadn't just outmaneuvered him again, he might have lost it completely.
Forcing down his amusement, he cleared his throat, adopting a solemn and apologetic tone as he fixed his gaze on the real Lei Gang:
"Minister Lei!"
His voice was steady and resolute, carrying an unmistakable air of certainty:
"We owe you an apology! We are now absolutely certain that you are the real Minister Lei Gang!"
Liu Shanhe deliberately emphasized the word "real."
As soon as his words fell, the room fell into stunned silence.
The smug expressions on Zhang Hong and Feng Chiyu's faces froze instantly, replaced by utter bewilderment:
"Huh???"
The two men stared at Liu Shanhe, then at Lei Gang, who had transitioned from his initial confusion to a look of triumphant vindication, as if he wanted to throw his head back and howl to the heavens. Finally, their gaze returned to Liu Shanhe, as if silently asking:
"Old Liu, you're not joking, are you? We caught the real Lei Gang? Then where's Cifera?"
Feng Chiyu reacted slightly faster. He frantically scanned the room—
He spotted a basin of clear water, Lin Zhiyuan watching the scene with an air of detached amusement, and Nie Bing staring blankly at the Coin of Whimsy, looking as if she was about to "crash."
In that instant, something clicked in his mind. His eyes widened with shocked realization:
"Holy shit! Could it be...?"
But before Feng Chiyu could voice his suspicion, Lei Gang exploded like a lit firecracker, finally finding an outlet for his pent-up rage!
Lei Gang violently shook off the hands Zhang Hong and Feng Chiyu had instinctively placed on his arms. His voice trembled with rage and humiliation as he nearly roared:
"Listen! Listen to this! Old Liu! You heard them just now, didn't you?!"
He jabbed a finger at Zhang Hong, still in a daze, and Feng Chiyu, only half-dazed:
"They keep calling me 'Cifera'! Saying 'We're keeping a close watch on her'!
"They even forced me to use the women's restroom when I needed to pee! As if using the men's room would be some kind of moral transgression!"
"I'm Lei Gang! The dignified Chief of the Starry Security Department! A real man of steel! And you treat me like some delicate little girl, keeping me under constant surveillance!"
"What the hell is this?! Is the Pursuit Team out of their minds?!"
Lei Gang's furious roar echoed through the room, filled with the anguish of being wrongly accused and subjected to "inhuman treatment."
Zhang Hong and Feng Chiyu shrank back under his tirade, exchanging panicked glances that screamed "This is so awkward!" and "We're doomed!" Even Zhang Hong finally realized—
We might have... arrested the wrong person?
Old Liu, this is all your fault! Save us! This is so embarrassing!
The moment Lei Gang's fury erupted, the Bullet Comments in the live stream exploded!