Under Liu Shanhe's discreet instructions, a Security Captain contacted the Director of the Surveillance Center and sent the following message:
[Per Pursuit Team expert Liu Shanhe's request, immediately seal the Surveillance Center. Temporarily prevent anyone from leaving, especially the Security Guard who escorted the two Pursuit Team experts. Ensure he doesn't take a single step out of the center.]
[Did that kid do something wrong?]
[The Pursuit Team experts suspect he might be Cifera in disguise.]
[Holy crap! That's... incredible. Understood. Should we move in to detain him?]
[No need. Just secure the exits. Don't spook him. Wait for the Pursuit Team to arrive and make the arrest. If he tries to force his way out, intercept him immediately and report.]
[Copy that.]
The Security Captain showed the chat log to Liu Shanhe. Liu Shanhe nodded, his expression remaining neutral, but the fire of fury had already ignited in his heart.
After being played for so long, I've finally got you, Cifera!
Liu Shanhe didn't make a grand announcement. He simply summoned Wang Lei, gathered a few Pursuers, briefly explained the situation, and, accompanied by the Security Captain he'd been chatting with earlier, strode briskly toward the exit.
Before long, they arrived outside the Surveillance Center.
The fact that they hadn't received any messages from the Surveillance Center during their journey here confirmed that Cifera hadn't detected anything amiss. Liu Shanhe knew victory was within reach.
He could already imagine the look of shock on her face when he burst into the room.
As Liu Shanhe and his team pushed open the Surveillance Center's doors, the staff inside turned to stare at them in astonishment, as if they'd never expected the group to appear in person.
Instantly, Liu Shanhe sensed something was wrong. An ominous premonition flashed through his mind.
"You must be Liu Shanhe, Old Liu, and Teacher Wang Lei, right?" the Surveillance Center Director rushed forward, a puzzled expression on his face. "W hat brings you here in person?"
Why did you come personally?
Liu Shanhe once again sensed something was off in the Director's words, his unease growing stronger.
First, he scanned the entire Surveillance Center hall with his eyes, but couldn't spot the disguised figure of Cifera as the "rookie Security Guard."
Then, maintaining a poker face, he asked in a low voice:
"Are the two experts from our Pursuit Team and the young Security Guard who escorted them still in the temporary operations room?"
The Director was taken aback by the question and instinctively glanced toward the temporary operations room where Nie Bing and Lin Zhiyuan were.
"Experts Nie and Lin... they haven't come out since they went in. As for that... uh..."
The Director paused, suddenly realizing he didn't even know the name of the young man Minister Torre had pulled strings to get hired.
"You don't recognize the Security Guard?"
Seeing the Director's reaction, Liu Shanhe's suspicions hardened into certainty. This "Cifer" must be Cifera in disguise.
The Director hadn't expected Liu Shanhe to see through his facade so quickly. Slightly flustered, he said,
"Ha ha, right! That kid's new here. With so many employees in the Security Department, I haven't even remembered his name yet..."
"No problem. Is he still in his room?"
Upon hearing Liu Shanhe's question, the Director's awkwardness vanished, replaced by deep bewilderment.
"That young man? He just left. Said he had an urgent matter and had to hurry over to see you, Old Liu.
"What? You didn't run into him?"
"What?!" Before Liu Shanhe could respond, Wang Lei beside him blurted out in shock, his face instantly paling.
Though Liu Shanhe had mentally prepared for this, his heart plummeted as if plunging into an icy abyss.
As a microexpression expert, he could read the Director's face like an open book: confusion, bewilderment, genuine incomprehension—not a trace of deception!
The Director truly didn't know what had happened!
He genuinely believed the Security Guard, whom Cifera was impersonating, had been summoned by Liu Shanhe himself!
The worst-case scenario had materialized!
A chilling realization pierced Liu Shanhe's mind:
His covert instructions to the Surveillance Center to lock down the facility had never been delivered!
Cifera had long since realized she'd been discovered by the Production Team and even anticipated that her deductions would lead them to realize the Security Guard was her.
What's more, she'd foreseen her own strategy of "secretly notifying them to avoid alerting the enemy"!
She had likely already infiltrated and taken control of the Surveillance Center Director's communication devices... no, perhaps everyone's!
When the unexpected situation arose, she immediately activated her intercept. The Security Captain's lockdown order was intercepted en route!
Then, impersonating the Director, she replied to the Security Captain, creating the illusion that the lockdown order had been received and executed!
Finally, as the "Security Guard," she calmly and openly walked out of the Surveillance Center's main entrance, using the most plausible and unassailable excuse: "We need to find her ourselves."
Just as Liu Shanhe believed victory was assured and rushed to the scene with his team, Cifera had already vanished into the crowds of the Starry Building.
"We've been played again..." Liu Shanhe's voice carried a hint of bitterness and an indescribable weariness as he turned to Wang Lei.
"The Surveillance Center never received our lockdown instructions. The 'confirmation' we got earlier was from Cifera herself."
Liu Shanhe then briefly explained the conclusion he had reached in his mind.
Wang Lei had already guessed as much, even without Liu Shanhe's explanation.
After all, this was Cifera—deceiving people with cunning schemes was her specialty and her favorite pastime.
Wang Lei quickly regained his composure after the initial shock, perhaps having grown accustomed to being "played."
Unlike Wang Lei's calm demeanor, the Surveillance Center Director and staff listened in stunned silence, cold sweat instantly soaking their backs.
They had unwittingly become pawns in Cifera's flawless escape plan!
Meanwhile, the live stream's bullet comments erupted into a frenzy:
[Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!!! Cifera even predicted Old Liu's reaction perfectly!!!]
[I'm kneeling! Seriously kneeling! This is a goddamn pre-prediction of your pre-prediction of your pre-prediction!]
[[ How to Install Surveillance in Your Opponent's Brain] -Cifera's Masterclass in Psychology!]
[Old Liu: I thought I was on the fifth level, but Cifera's operating in the stratosphere!]
[Wang Lei's expression is hilarious! First, shock, then immediate relief.]
[Wang Lei: Standard operating procedure for Cifera. Nothing to be surprised about. Wait, am I a victim too? No, I'm just the errand boy.]
On-screen:
Liu Shanhe took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm. Remembering something, he immediately grabbed his phone:
"Zhang Hong! Feng Chiyu! Report on Minister Lei Gang's status!"
Zhang Hong's reply came swiftly:
"Reporting, Old Liu! Minister Lei Gang has been under our constant surveillance, never leaving the Safe House by a single step!"
"Excellent! Now immediately escort Minister Lei Gang to the temporary command center at the Surveillance Center! Immediately!"
Liu Shanhe's tone brooked no argument.