Chapter 3: A Distinguished Expert—Is This Su Chen?!

Chapter Three: An Expert of Distinguished Status—Is This Su Chen?!

“Switch to the expert panel’s live feed first, so the audience can become familiar with the specialists.”

“Yes.”

The live broadcast employed a rotation format, alternating between the expert panel and the suspect’s footage.

They showed the experts first—their frontal shots presented a proper, respectable image.

As for the suspect, knowing Su Chen’s temperament, he was likely still scheming and had yet to make a move.

On the screen:

As soon as the official live stream began, a flood of viewers poured in!

The comment section instantly exploded.

“Whoa! Look what I found—the star chase live stream has started!”

“I’m already lying in bed, phone fully charged, drinks ready. Can’t wait, hurry up and start!”

“This show better be amazing. Don’t disappoint us like that one anime that took forever and then was a letdown.”

“Come on, this is a collaboration between Yang Vision and Jinling Public Security Bureau, featuring top criminal investigation experts. It’s bound to be hardcore and fascinating!”

“Hehe, I hope the suspect can evade capture for a while—I love these cat-and-mouse games. Don’t get caught too soon!”

Watching the broadcast proceed smoothly, with comments and viewer numbers steadily climbing, Chen Qiming finally exhaled in relief.

The variety show had gotten off to a successful start.

According to the schedule, the next step was the appearance of the expert panel.

He found a stool, ready to catch his breath.

But before he could sit down, the door to the backstage studio suddenly burst open. The broadcast operator responsible for Su Chen’s live feed rushed in, frantic.

“Director, there’s been an incident!”

“That suspect, Su Chen, committed the crime right in the car! He’s stripped our crew member and is about to stuff him into the trunk!”

Hearing this, Chen Qiming stumbled back two steps, nearly losing his footing.

Nearby staff quickly stood up, steadying him on both sides.

“Director Chen!”

“Director Chen, are you alright?”

Chen Qiming had no time to respond; he took several deep breaths to calm himself.

He admitted that at that moment, he felt as if his directing career had come to an abrupt end.

“I... I’m fine.”

Chen Qiming steadied himself, straightened his jacket, and turned to the operator.

“Quick, switch to Su Chen’s live feed—I need to see it!”

“Understood.”

The operator hurried back to his computer and projected the miniature surveillance camera footage from Su Chen’s vicinity onto the large screen.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes:

Inside the rear seat of the sedan, the police officer from the show was reduced to just a vest and shorts, obediently frozen in place.

Meanwhile, the culprit Su Chen was now wearing the officer’s uniform.

A size 180, which fit him quite well.

The entire control room fell into stunned silence.

“Director, Su Chen acted so fast. What do we do now?” the specialist managing the live feed switches broke the quiet.

Since Su Chen had already started moving, protocol dictated that his live feed be broadcast immediately to the nation.

However, the directing team’s plan was to showcase the expert panel first.

Changing plans on the fly risked disrupting the entire sequence of live footage—any chaos now would be catastrophic.

Chief director Chen Qiming wiped his face with his hand.

“Continue airing the expert panel, but compress their appearance time.”

“Save some time for Su Chen. Once the experts finish, switch directly to Su Chen’s live feed.”

“Understood.”

With the order given, the broadcast team snapped back to their tense, orderly workflow.

Soon, high-definition footage from the other five miniature cameras was brought up.

One by one, the experts’ live feeds began cycling through the online stream.

Amid the bustle:

Director Chen Qiming stood silently in the hall for a long moment.

Then, quietly, he took out his phone and opened WeChat.

“Wife, if you have time, please bring the blood pressure medicine from the bedside table.”

“We might need it later, better be prepared...”

...

Meanwhile,

Across the Dragon Kingdom’s major streaming platforms, the “Chasing the Killer Live” broadcast was exploding.

The comment barrage covered the screen like snowflakes.

Within ten minutes, the viewer count had surged to two million, dominating every live-streaming chart.

“Hello everyone, and welcome to the live scene of ‘Chasing the Killer,’ jointly presented by Yang Vision and Jinling Public Security Bureau!”

“This program aims to strengthen national security awareness and showcase modern criminal investigation capabilities!”

“I’m host Guang Quan, here to introduce the expert panel’s opening!”

In the spacious, brightly lit conference room visible on the stream, Yang Vision’s professional host Guang Quan smiled warmly at the camera.

To broaden the program’s reach, a sign language interpreter appeared in a small window at the bottom left of the screen.

As Guang Quan introduced, the interpreter’s hands flew swiftly, painting fleeting shadows.

At that moment, the miniature camera panned back to focus on the round table in the room’s center.

Five figures sat around it.

“We have criminal investigation expert Cui Liwan, with thirty years of experience and over a hundred major cases solved. Foreign media have dubbed him the ‘Eastern Sherlock Holmes.’”

On one side of the table, a thin elderly man rose slowly, his smile gentle.

His deeply wrinkled face was dominated by a pair of extraordinarily bright eyes, piercing as lightning.

Even through the screen, viewers felt as if those eyes were inspecting their very souls, sending shivers down their spines.

[This old gentleman’s gaze is so sharp—I almost blurted out about the savings book I secretly kept as a child!]

[Thirty years in criminal investigation, with over a hundred major cases solved—he must have handled thousands in total. His expertise must be terrifying.]

[I heard most top public security criminal experts nowadays were trained by him—his contributions are immense.]

[The production team is incredible to bring out such a heavyweight.]

With such a heavyweight opening, many viewers swallowed nervously, turning their attention to the other four.

The expert panel was no simple lineup—who were these others?

The camera shifted again, landing on a young man wearing glasses.

Clad in a doctor’s white coat, half his face hidden behind a mask, gloved hands visible—he seemed fastidious.

Host Guang Quan’s voice came in timely.

“This is forensic doctor Qin Ming. He can make the dead speak, converse with corpses. Remarkably, he’s also a master of logical deduction. His forensic mystery novels have captivated millions.”

Qin Ming, clad in white, bowed slightly to the camera.

Suddenly, the comment section flooded with excited fans.

[Oh my god, it’s really Qin Ming! Isn’t he updating the second installment of ‘Forensic Qin Ming’? Why is he here on the show instead?!]

[It’s the real deal! The forensic expert, the master detective—a rare polymath!]

[With him here, the suspect probably wouldn’t dare commit murder!]

As the comments flew, Guang Quan continued.

“We also have cyber police expert Duan Yu and trace detection specialist Wang Yanxing—one is an information catcher, the other a tracking master. The former has full authority over public security’s cyber investigations; the latter possesses the entire trace information database of the Dragon Kingdom!”

Two middle-aged men in police uniforms stood, saluted the camera with perfect form.

Their faces hidden beneath the brims of their hats, they made no other gestures.

They appeared unremarkable.

Yet, insiders in the comments quickly warned viewers not to underestimate them.

[This cyber cop isn’t playing games—he can access official black tech like directly locating your phone.]

[With his network reach, he sees everything. If you live in the information age, you have no secrets. Your address, passwords, card numbers—all at his fingertips.]

[Isn’t that trace detection expert familiar?]

[He’s last year’s ‘Brain Master’ annual champion, nicknamed the ‘Human Scanner’—no detail escapes his eyes.]

The audience broke into cold sweats—no wonder these two kept such a low profile.

Talents in these fields usually have their identities classified; the show probably used aliases.

What a godly lineup!

Soon after, the miniature camera shifted to the last person by the table—a stark contrast to the seasoned elites: a young, beautiful woman.

“The last expert is psychologist Bai Su.”

At this point, usually eloquent Guang Quan faltered, his voice losing rhythm.

“Her information is currently... confidential...”

He glanced away from the script, curiously eyeing the scholarly-looking woman behind him.

Before the broadcast began, he already knew one expert’s identity was unusually secretive.

Who was she? Why was the production team so hush-hush? Could she possess some extraordinary attribute?

The woman, hearing her introduction, showed no surprise—just a gentle smile as she stood and gave a slight bow to the camera.

Viewers in front of the screen sensed that things were about to get more intriguing.

[Why is one expert’s identity secret? Could it be because her real-life work is sensitive?]

[A psychologist should be formidable—I’ve heard some top experts can spot fugitives in a crowd just by observing their expressions.]

[Regardless, these five—criminal investigator, forensic doctor, cyber cop, trace analyst, and psychologist—form a standard special task unit.]

[Pressure’s on the suspect. I can’t imagine how anyone could survive the night against such a powerhouse lineup.]

[If I were the suspect, I’d hide and stay hidden as long as possible!]

Just as the discussion reached a peak, what seemed the final introductory shot suddenly trembled.

Then, a sixth screen appeared!

On it was a young man in police uniform.

[Wait, wasn’t the expert panel supposed to have only five core members?]

[Could our donations have unlocked a hidden hero?]

The audience was stunned.

After a few seconds, someone with keen eyes noticed something odd.

The small title in the upper right corner of the live feed had changed.

From “Expert Panel” it now read... “Suspect!”

[That guy in police uniform is the suspect?!]

Viewers: ???!