As the audience had predicted, Zhiyin, now completely disguised and even wearing a wig; was immediately apprehended by Nie Bing the moment he stepped out of the men's restroom.
Two burly Pursuers stepped forward, seizing him and rendering him completely immobile.
"Who are you?! Why are you arresting me?!" Zhiyin demanded, his earlier confidence shattered. He had emerged from hiding brimming with assurance, only to have his world collapse around him.
"Contestant Zhiyin, I'm Nie Bing of the Pursuit Team. I'm formally arresting you. You've been eliminated."
"..."
Seeing Nie Bing, Zhiyin knew he was truly done for. But why had the Pursuit Team found him so quickly?
"Miss Nie, am I just unlucky enough to have committed my 'crime' right near your base?"
"You are unlucky, but not because of distance. You struck at the wrong time and provoked the wrong person!"
Nie Bing meant that he had provoked her, but Zhiyin immediately assumed she was referring to Cifera.
Because I interfered with her plans, she's retaliating! he thought. With Cifera's help, the Pursuers found me this quickly. What a terrifying woman...
Why would Nie Bing, a member of the Pursuit Team, know I'd angered Cifera? Holy crap! Could it be... she's been turned?!
This is so intense!
Before Zhiyin could say more, Production Team members approached and taped his mouth shut with special adhesive to prevent him from revealing Cifera's true identity.
Thus, the first contestant to be eliminated after the show began had been decided.
Zhiyin's personal live stream was immediately shut down!
His fans hadn't even had a chance to hear Brother Zhiyin's tearful farewell speech before they were already "homeless."
Liu Ruyan, however, remained relatively composed. She had already broken down when she saw Cifera become a technician and stay alone at the Pursuit Team's base.
In her view, Cifera's plan to steal intelligence had clearly succeeded, and Zhiyin's fate was irrelevant.
Now, her only hope was that the other contestants would be too foolish to use the stolen information effectively, causing Cifera some trouble.
For Liu Ruyan, witnessing Cifera's discomfort was now the only reason she continued watching the show.
In stark contrast to Zhiyin's fans, who were wailing in despair, most viewers in the official live stream didn't gloat over his elimination.
On the contrary, many felt that Zhiyin had genuinely given it his all, blaming his defeat solely on Cifera's overwhelming strength.
In the broadcast studio, Nie Junfeng offered his commentary:
"As an amateur 'criminal,' Contestant Zhiyin's performance was actually quite commendable. However, as we've all seen, in today's world of ubiquitous surveillance, criminals have nowhere to hide.
"While Contestant Cifera's brilliant maneuvers played a crucial role in this capture, even without her intervention, Officer Nie Bing would still have located Zhiyin—it just might have taken a bit longer.
"Perhaps Zhiyin could have held out for 30 minutes and claimed the prize, but that's only true within the confines of this show.
"In reality, once you break the law, you'll face relentless pursuit by law enforcement!
"Can you guarantee you can flee non-stop, without rest?
"Don't forget, you're alone, with limited stamina, while law enforcement has countless officers who can rotate shifts.
"One day, you might find yourself being handcuffed by a fully rested officer while you're sleeping."
This program was ultimately designed to showcase the power of law enforcement and deter criminals, so Nie Junfeng's commentary naturally focused on these aspects.
Nie Junfeng's previous repeated failures and embarrassments were entirely due to Cifera's outrageous performance, effectively turning the villain into the protagonist.
"Thank you, Inspector Nie, for your insights. We've just received new information: Contestant Cifera has made contact with the other contestants and shared the real-time locations of all Pursuit Team members.
"Now, with Contestant Cifera's assistance, will the other contestants stand a better chance of successfully stealing the score, compared to Zhiyin, who's been acting alone?"
"Hmm... that's... a complex question..."
Just as Nie Junfeng was considering how to answer Host Qiu Qiu's question diplomatically, an alarm suddenly blared through the studio.
It was the alarm from the Pursuit Team's base, signaling that another contestant had been reported.
"It seems some contestants, armed with Cifera's intel, couldn't wait to strike! Without further ado, let's see how they're performing!"
Seeing Host Qiu Qiu drop the previous question, Nie Junfeng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
In his heart, he believed that if the contestants didn't make any foolish mistakes, they had a high chance of scoring points with Cifera's help.
But stating this aloud would diminish the Police Force's prestige.
This alarm couldn't have come at a better time, he thought.
Second floor of the Pursuit Team's base.
Long after confirming that Zhiyin had no chance of escape, Cifera had stopped paying attention to him.
If the Pursuit Team couldn't capture him even now, Cifera figured they should just withdraw from the show and save themselves the embarrassment.
Earlier, while assisting the Pursuit Team in tracking Zhiyin, Cifera had found time to develop a small software program.
She distributed the installation package to all contestants except Night Shadow and guided them through the setup process.
Now, all the contestants could track the Pursuit Team's real-time positions on the software.
Cifera trusted that even the most clueless among them would know what to do next.
However, to make the show even more entertaining, Cifera didn't mind giving them a little extra help.
At this moment, on the largest monitor before her, the real-time locations of every contestant and Pursuit Team member were marked on a local map.
This map allowed Cifera to monitor the entire capture operation from a strategic overview while also micro-managing precise routes in specific areas.
The entire map resembled a chessboard, with the Pursuit Team and contestants serving as opposing chess pieces.
Cifera was the sole player in this game of wits.
Yes, she intended to dual-wield, simultaneously commanding the Pursuit Team and orchestrating the contestants' movements.
Regardless of the final outcome, only one victor would emerge—
And that victor would be Cifera herself.
As the alarms blared incessantly, Cifera glanced at another monitor.
The screen was divided into surveillance feeds, each displaying real-time footage of the Expert Team members and every contestant except Night Shadow.
Clearly, everyone had already begun their operations. Cifera once again showcased her astonishing keyboard mastery—even operating separate keyboards with both hands simultaneously!
Amidst the relentless clatter of keystrokes,
Cifera manipulated the surveillance feeds in real time, ensuring every participant's situation remained constantly exposed to her gaze.
This insane multitasking operation left everyone in the live stream utterly stunned.
Watching Cifera's calm, composed demeanor—a faint smile playing on her lips—
Viewers couldn't help but wonder: If she's human, then what are the rest of us?