The official live stream was playing back Zhiyin's "crime scene" footage.
"Hey kid, your basketball looks pretty cool. Can I take a look?" Zhiyin asked.
Hearing Zhiyin's words, the boy dribbling the "Zhiyin" basketball looked at him strangely. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and his face lit up with excitement. "Hey, big brother, do you know how to sing 'You're So Beautiful Like a Chicken' too?"
"..."
"What are you doing?! Ouch~! You're so beautiful like a chicken! That's how it goes, right? You know it too, right?"
"..."
[HAHAHA!!!]
[So Brother Zhiyin got his "dark history" blasted right in his face by a little kid. No wonder he'd rather give up the Cat God's blessings than let this slide!]
[The kid sings great! Just... don't sing it again.]
[Usually, when a family has one "dark history" kid, it means the whole family is tainted. Look, it's obvious the child's parents recognized Brother Zhiyin!]
Sure enough, in the footage, a young mother suddenly rushed to her child's side, staring at Brother Zhiyin with wide-eyed surprise.
"Hello, are you Brother Zhiyin?"
The young mother pronounced "Zhiyin" with almost no pause between the syllables, sounding a bit like "chicken."
"Yes... I'm Zhiyin."
Zhiyin removed his sunglasses, flashing what he thought was his most dashing smile, though it came out a bit stiff.
This wasn't just because the woman was practically breathing down his neck; he was also about to commit a "crime"—a simulated one, but still nerve-wracking.
"Ah, I'm a huge fan of yours! You're on that Global Manhunt show, right? Do you want me to help you?" the young mother whispered, gesturing to the basketball in her son's hands.
Brother Zhiyin panicked for a moment before quickly catching on.
She's definitely his real mom!
Clearly, she knew it was a reality show and wasn't worried about the basketball actually being stolen, but she wanted to play a prank on her son.
After a moment's thought, Zhiyin decided this wouldn't violate the rules. From the boy's perspective, the basketball was being stolen.
Seeing Zhiyin nod, the mother hurried to say:
"Son, this older brother can sing, dance, rap, and play basketball! Give him the ball, and he'll show you a real 'You're So Beautiful Like a Chicken' performance!"
"Really?"
"Absolutely!"
"Hey, guys! This big brother is going to perform 'You're So Beautiful Like a Chicken'! Come watch!"
In an instant, Zhiyin found himself surrounded by all the children from the basketball court.
Looking at their excited, expectant faces, Zhiyin took a deep breath and suddenly pointed in feigned shock above and behind them:
"Ah?! Look! Ultraman is flying in the sky!"
"What?!"
As all the children instantly turned to look up, Zhiyin quietly grabbed the basketball and sprinted out of the court.
He hadn't run far when the young mother suddenly shouted:
"Son! Your ball's been stolen!"
"That's infuriating! He's just a thieving big brother! Guys, chase him down! Whoever gets the ball back can play with it all day!"
"Charge!"
Zhiyin glanced back at the furious children closing in on him and the young mother, who was holding her phone, seemingly calling to report him, a knowing smile playing on her lips.
Zhiyin wanted to howl at the sky:
"Where's the trust between people? Weren't the fans supposed to help me?
"You're definitely a hidden hater! Do you even watch me?"
Watching Brother Zhiyin's slightly disheveled figure fleeing, the official live stream instantly filled with laughter.
However, Brother Zhiyin had trained in dance for years, so his stamina was excellent. He quickly shook off the children.
After running a while longer, he ducked into a shopping mall, found a secluded spot to rest, and checked the message from the Production Team on his phone:
[Warning! The Pursuit Team has received a report, and you are now a wanted fugitive. The manhunt for you has officially begun!]
[Mission Objective: If you evade capture for 30 minutes after the theft, you will successfully earn 1000 Trust Points (equivalent to the value of the stolen item).]
[Good luck!]
"Just as I suspected—someone reported me. Well, surviving 30 minutes isn't impossible!"
After shaking off the children, Zhiyin deliberately darted into the alleyways, twisting and turning through the maze of streets until he finally slipped into the mall through a back entrance.
In his estimation, even if the Pursuit Team had received his initial location at the basketball court, it would still take them considerable time to pinpoint his current location using surveillance cameras.
Moreover, even after pinpointing his location, it would take additional time for them to reach him.
If he used this time to change his appearance and slip out of the mall unnoticed, it would become exceedingly difficult for them to re-establish his location.
From every angle, his chances of surviving the 30-minute window seemed high.
Zhiyin had watched international episodes of the show. He knew that as long as contestants weren't too greedy, aiming for "big" scores right away, their first theft was usually a guaranteed point—unless they had exceptionally bad luck.
After all, the Pursuit Team's base was fixed, while the locations of other contestants' crimes were entirely random. Catching someone within a short timeframe wasn't as simple as it seemed.
Moreover, if a contestant was truly cunning, they would commit their crimes as far away as possible.
There was even a case where a South Korean contestant immediately boarded a plane and fled the country at the start of the game.
This immediately sparked outrage among domestic viewers.
A competitor from our own region, filming the show abroad from the start? Are they looking down on their own country?
The contestant retorted, "Our region is too small—seriously, it's tiny! I didn't want my run to end after just one report."
Later, it was rumored that due to protests from South Korea, the show's rules were modified. Contestants now had to commit at least two thefts within their home region before being allowed to steal in other countries.
In the end, Zhiyin's success had not only fulfilled his fans' burning desire to dominate the rankings, but also earned him a reward of nine Carnival gifts from the Number One Big Sister.
Even if he were caught later, he had already achieved enough. He'd undoubtedly attract plenty of new fans!
With these thoughts, Zhiyin quickly straightened his clothes, smoothed his disheveled hair, and entered several different types of clothing stores, posing as an ordinary customer.
Soon, his arms were laden with shopping bags, clearly filled with newly purchased outfits.
Then, he dove headfirst into the men's restroom.
This series of maneuvers ignited a frenzy of discussion in the Bullet Comments:
[Don't even joke about it, Brother Zhiyin might actually be onto something!]
[Yes, he's planning to change clothes in the restroom. It's a high-traffic area, and the Pursuit Team doesn't know exactly what clothes he bought or how he'll combine them. This will undoubtedly complicate the Pursuit Team's assessment when he emerges.]
[The Production Team has announced that the effective capture time limit for Brother Zhiyin's theft is 30 minutes. Fifteen minutes have already passed—surprisingly, he actually stands a chance!]
[You're getting ahead of yourselves. I admit Brother Zhiyin has done remarkably well, but have you forgotten that kitty is stationed at the Pursuit Team's rear command center?]
[Exactly! You have no idea how terrifying Cifera is! I'm watching the live stream on two devices, and basically, the moment Brother Zhiyin steps into a place, Cifera locks onto him through the cameras within seconds.]
[Only two devices? I'm watching on three! Guided by Cifera, the Pursuit Team hasn't made a single wrong turn and has already reached the mall.]
[Breaking news: other Pursuit Team squads have secured all mall exits, while Nie Bing's team is leading the charge toward Brother Zhiyin's location.]
[My god, this efficiency! Cifera is an absolute godsend as support!]
Moments later, Nie Bing's team had arrived outside the men's restroom.
Despite her current popularity, Nie Bing remained rational and refrained from barging into the men's restroom.
Although this was a simulated crime show and contestants weren't allowed to use real violence, if Zhiyin was clever enough, he might use fake weapons as props to simulate taking hostages and threaten the Pursuit Team.
Therefore, Nie Bing decided against tipping her hand. Instead, she would wait for him to emerge and swiftly subdue him.
By now, her phone displayed over a dozen simulated outfit combinations Zhiyin might be using, compiled by Cifera to help identify his potential disguises.
Through the director's close-up shots, all viewers could see the images on Nie Bing's phone.
Everyone knew Brother Zhiyin was doomed. The look on his face when he emerged would undoubtedly be priceless.
He had done so well, yet he wouldn't earn a single point...
Was this the consequence of betraying the Cat God?
He'll surely regret it when he learns the truth!