The entire customer service area instantly transformed into a battlefield filled with wailing. Sounds of remorseful chest-thumping, exasperated cursing, and tearful cries for help rose and fell, creating a degree of chaos no less intense than the pursuit from moments ago.
Even more shocking was that during the frantic running and shoving, several people had been knocked to the ground and trampled by countless feet. They were now curled in corners, emitting weak, pained moans.
However, no one was paying them any mind at this moment.
Everyone seemed to have been lashed by an invisible whip; though lost in soul, their movements were lightning-fast as they returned to their respective workstations. They picked up their headsets and donned hollow, professional smiles, as if the frenzied scene had never occurred.
Only those unlucky souls curled on the floor remained like forgotten trash, gasping in pain on the cold floor.
Pardofelis stood silently in the shadows of a corner, her brown cat eyes taking in this entire absurd, cold, and cruel transformation.
She watched the employees who had changed faces in an instant and looked at the injured ignored on the floor. The air was thick with a suffocating numbness and utilitarianism.
After a long while, she let out a soft sigh, a sound so faint it was immediately drowned out by the resumed customer service broadcasts.
Her gaze landed on the stairwell leading upstairs, then seemed to pierce through the walls to see the Receptionist downstairs—who, while greedy, was at least vivid.
"Heh..." A helpless curve hooked the corner of her lips as she whispered to herself, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible pity. "It seems... I jumped to conclusions too early."
"Compared to these people..." She shook her head slightly. "That girl downstairs who dared to rush in front of me to record for a bonus... at least... still seems like a person."
At least in that Receptionist's eyes, there was a longing for a future, even if that longing was mercenary.
But the group before her was more like a pack of machines, thoroughly domesticated by rules, leaving only stress responses and calculations of gain and loss.
Her lament finished, Pardofelis lingered no longer. Her figure, like a cat merging into the shadows, drifted silently toward the stairwell leading to the higher floors, leaving behind this corner of purgatory filled with distortion and numbness known as the customer service area.
After leaving the customer service area, Pardofelis intended to take an elevator to check out the upper floors.
However, just as Pardofelis stepped into the elevator and pressed the target floor button, waiting for the metal doors to slide shut and the elevator to begin its ascent—
"Ding-dong!"
"The Apex Moment you follow is now live!"
"Check the front page! Something big is happening!"
At this moment, countless users browsing the Apex Live platform—whether they were aimlessly scrolling, focusing on a gaming streamer, or seeking late-night ASMR—found an extremely eye-catching push notification forcibly popping up on their Terminal screens.
The background of the notification was a motion-captured frame: a female figure with light brown bangs, shoulder-length short hair, and a pair of light brown cat ears standing in an enclosed space that looked like an elevator.
Behind that figure, a dark brown tabby-striped tail was swishing with apparent impatience.
The title of the notification was filled with explosive hype:
[Exclusive Global Live: Real-time Strike! Multi-perspective Immersive Stream: The legendary phantom thief Cifera is invading the X District branch of Apex Entertainment! See if she will successfully ransack this X District branch just like last time, or if she will fall during this operation under the gaze of millions!]
This title was like a heavy bomb, instantly exploding within the calm waters of Apex Live.
The featured recommendation slot on the Apex Live homepage was seized by this new livestream in the same second. The massive cover image, the flashing LIVE icon, and the highly provocative title acted like a powerful magnet, instantly attracting countless eyes.
"Cifera? Apex Entertainment branch? Live invasion? What the hell is going on?"
"Holy crap?! Real or fake? Was Apex Entertainment hacked or is this their own scripted hype?"
"Quick! Click in and see!"
"Cifera?! Is that the wanted criminal who turned the Apex branch upside down before? Is she crazy? She actually dares to start a stream to cause trouble?!"
"Where are the Apex people? Go in and see if it's real!"
Carrying complex emotions of shock, curiosity, doubt, and schadenfreude, a massive number of users uncontrollably tapped into the livestream.
Only a minute after starting, the viewer count rocketed, soaring frantically from zero. The bullet-chat pool was instantly activated, and a dense torrent of text began to roll.
The broadcast image was clear and stable. The perspective seemed to be from a hidden camera facing the interior of the elevator.
In the center of the screen was the protagonist of the title, Cifera.
Regardless of how chaotic the livestream chat was, Cifera merely lowered her head slightly and stood there quietly, as if simply waiting for the elevator to reach an ordinary floor, completely unaware that her every move was being watched by countless eyes.
What made the audience's adrenaline spike even more was a prominent floating window in the upper right corner of the screen, designed like a wanted poster. On a scarlet background was a front-facing photo clearly showing Cifera's features, with a bold title below: Apex Entertainment Group Global Wanted Order: Cifera.
Codename: Cifera
Known features: Female, feline gene modification subject (suspected illegal modification), proficient in teleportation, stealth, phasing through walls, and close-quarters combat. The target is suspected to possess multiple highly threatening abilities.
Major crimes:
Month X, Day X: Successfully infiltrated and destroyed the core database server located in the Lower Pit District within a sub-base of the terrorist organization Countercurrent Alliance.
Month X, Day X: Successfully infiltrated and destroyed...
Month X, Day X: Successfully infiltrated and destroyed...
Month X, Day X: Invaded the Apex Entertainment Third District branch, paralyzed all its security systems, destroyed the core server room, causing direct losses exceeding [data masked] Credits and incalculable risks of trade secret leaks, leading to the near-total annihilation of the branch's security forces.
(New) Month X, Day X: Currently appearing at the Apex Entertainment Fifth District branch, intentions unknown.
Bounty amount: 500,000 Credits for those providing effective leads; 5,000,000 Credits and lifetime VIP service from Apex Entertainment Group for those assisting in capture or killing.
This wanted order was like a ladle of cold water poured into a pot of boiling oil, instantly igniting the atmosphere of the livestream!
All the viewers who clicked in, regardless of whether they had heard the name Cifera before, were shocked beyond measure by the list of crimes and the sky-high bounty!
In an instant, the already dense bullet-chat fell into a state of frantic spamming. Various exclamations, doubts, and conspiracy theories erupted like a volcano:
"Holy cow! One person took down an entire Apex branch?! Is this wanted order real or fake? This is too exaggerated!"
"Cat ears! Tail! Definitely a Genetically Modified Human! A work of Genesis Tech? Are they finally tearing off the mask and going to war with Apex Entertainment?!"
"Is Genesis Tech crazy? Even if they want to mess with Apex, they sent such an obvious cat girl to trash the place? Are they afraid people won't know they did it? How is this different from holding a company logo while committing a robbery?!"
"The person above is too naive! Maybe it's deliberately obvious as a psychological war tactic? Or... maybe it's not Genesis Tech at all? Which underground black workshop could produce a product of this level? Is this combat power mass-produced?"
"Look at her tail! That metallic luster and mobility! This level of technology definitely isn't from an ordinary black market! It's absolutely the work of a top-tier lab!"
"What is she looking at? The reflection on the elevator door? She seems to be... spacing out?"
"Where's security?! Is the security at Apex headquarters just a bunch of freeloaders?! They're just letting her take the elevator so boldly?!"
"Where did the live perspective come from?! Who is streaming?! Is an Apex insider causing trouble? Or is it an accomplice of Cifera?!"
"This stream is too exciting! More intense than any movie! Selling seeds and drinks in the front row!"
The massive volume of bullet-chats, mixed with various font colors and special effects, almost completely buried the broadcast image.
Various comments collided fiercely on the small screens, yet no one could give a definitive answer.
In the broadcast, the elevator rose steadily, numbers skipping continuously. Cifera remained standing quietly, like an actor detached from the scene, while the entire online world seethed because of her.
This live broadcast started by an unknown party turned the Apex Entertainment headquarters into a massive stage, and Cifera, accompanied by an intense spotlight, was walking toward the center of the stage.
...
"Tsk..."
Just as she pressed the button for L19 and the elevator doors slowly closed, Pardofelis's brow furrowed imperceptibly.
An extremely strong sense of being watched struck from all directions without warning! It was much denser than the fixed cameras she had felt outside the elevator.
"It seems they aren't just recording this time..." She turned her head slightly, a look of realization flashing in her eyes. The tail behind her began to swish irritably, entering a state of readiness. "...They plan to watch my every move the whole way? Heh, fine, film if you want."
She had checked this elevator long ago and knew the locations of the hidden cameras disguised as vent grilles and indicator light frames.
This level of exposure was within her expectations. She had initially thought they would avoid staring at her through screens so as not to alert her, only starting automatic recording to compile the video later.
But looking at it now, it seemed she had thought too highly of their intelligence. Do they really think I can't feel someone peering at me through a screen?
At this moment, she could even imagine the smug faces of the people in the monitoring room.
But Pardofelis never expected that Apex Entertainment's aggressiveness far exceeded her expectations.
They weren't just recording video or sending people to watch her; they were broadcasting her live!
At this moment, tens of thousands of eyes from all over the world were simultaneously gazing at her every move in the elevator through the window of Apex Live! This number was still climbing frantically at a geometric rate, and she was the sole protagonist of this grand reality show.
The elevator rose steadily, the floor numbers skipping quietly: L10... L12... L14...
Just as the number was about to jump to L15—
"Ding!"
A crisp but cold notification sound rang out!
The elevator had just reached L15 when it was suddenly forcibly intercepted on this floor.
The cat ears atop Pardofelis's head also shot up alertly in near-sync.
Immediately after, she heard the faint sound of mechanical operation, the meshing of gears, the hum of motors, and the subtle energy flow characteristic of an electromagnetic weapon system warming up.
...
"Good evening, viewers of Apex Live. I am Lin Ran, the commentator for this special event."
"I am commentator Su Xiaowei."
At this time, below the broadcast image of Cifera, a soft but highly present virtual light screen suddenly lit up.
Two clear voices, one male and one female, began to sound from the broadcast respectively.
On the light screen, a man and a woman with capable temperaments were dressed in well-tailored Apex Entertainment uniforms, sitting behind a high-tech virtual broadcast desk like news anchors.
After the two introduced themselves, the female commentator who called herself Su Xiaowei continued with a gentle smile:
"We apologize for interrupting the discussion in this manner. However, given the large number of speculations currently appearing in the stream that are seriously inconsistent with the facts, we have been authorized by the Apex Entertainment Public Relations and Strategic Investment Department to provide an official explanation here."
[Commentators? This stream even has commentators? That's interesting.]
[Since the commentators are here, does that mean this livestream was premeditated by you, Apex Entertainment?]
[Self-directed and self-acted, right? I really thought this Cifera was something special; turns out she's just hype you cooked up.]
[Are you out of money? Why are you even using the invasion of your own company as a gimmick for a script?]
[Hilarious. Unfollowed, what a waste of emotion!]
The moment the two commentators appeared, various mocking comments instantly occupied the entire screen.
Facing the surging skepticism, Lin Ran's expression didn't flicker in the slightest; even the curve of his professional smile didn't change at all.
He leaned forward slightly, fingers interlaced on the desk, his gaze seeming to pierce through the screen to look directly at every viewer:
"First, we understand everyone's confusion and doubt." His voice remained steady. "But we must solemnly clarify: this live event is by no means hype orchestrated by Apex Entertainment!"
Following Lin Ran's categorical denial, Su Xiaowei added with a hint of gravity in her tone:
"If those of you watching the stream right now have relatives or business dealings with our Third District branch, you may already know that the branch has been in a state of total paralysis for seven days due to the destructive sabotage of core facilities."
Lin Ran immediately followed up, his gaze sweeping across the camera to emphasize:
"And the culprit behind all of this is the wanted criminal currently inside our headquarters' elevator, codename Cifera!" He paused slightly, his tone carrying a seriousness sensitive to data.
"As a top-ranked multinational group in the United States of Pacific, the total shutdown of a Hive District branch for several consecutive days results in direct economic losses, the collapse of customer trust, and the loss of market opportunities... These losses are measured in hundreds of millions of Credits."
"So, I ask you, is there any reason for us to self-direct a piece of hype that requires paying such a tragic price?"