Episode Summary
Episode 10 sees Liu Xinnian confess his criminal involvement and express deep regret for Sun Yaokuan's accidental death. While Guoan secures crucial computer evidence, Li Jian's team raids a Moss Trading apartment, uncovering significant intelligence, unaware that Luca is secretly monitoring them. Guoan then officially searches Moss Trading's main offices. The elusive Sande, after a decoy trip to Moscow, covertly returns to Yanping using a fake passport. He arranges a clandestine meeting with Luca to hand over vital data on a disk, ensuring it doesn't all fall into Guoan's hands if he's captured. Sande then attempts to flee disguised as an old woman. A tense city-wide manhunt, spearheaded by Yang Guang and Li Jian, tracks Sande from Yanping to the coastal city of Lianhai, and ultimately to Dayao Bay Port. After a dramatic car chase where Sande uses a large truck to create a diversion, Yang Guang makes a desperate leap onto Sande's departing ship, only to be immediately confronted and obstructed by the ship's captain and crew.
Spoiler Alert
"The Secret Path" Episode 10: The Walls Close In, But Sande's Still Got Tricks!
So, the episode kicks off with Liu Xinnian finally spilling the beans. Remember how Sande was after his access card? Turns out, Liu Xinnian clammed up because those cards are personally coded. After Sande dropped the subject, Liu Xinnian, bless his naive heart, thought the beefed-up security at the nuclear power plant's second institute meant Duke and his crew would pack their bags and leave. Nope. Not a chance. Now, drowning in regret over Sun Yaokuan's accidental death, Liu Xinnian is ready to face the music for his role in the whole mess.
While Liu Xinnian is having his confessional, Yang Guang and his team are on a high-stakes mission: escorting Sun Yaokuan's computer back to the Third Division, making absolutely sure no one messes with that crucial piece of evidence. Elsewhere, Li Jian's squad hits the jackpot, raiding an apartment used by Moss Trading to store their shady files. They unearth a mountain of intel. But get this – the ever-slippery Luca is holed up in another room, listening in on everything, completely undetected by Li Jian's crew. Talk about a ghost!
With the green light from the big boss, Zhang Baiqing, the Guoan Bureau (think Ministry of State Security) officially descends upon Moss Trading's offices. They tear through every office, and cracking open the safe reveals a treasure trove of professional spy-level equipment. And just to add a little cinematic flair, Luca casually bikes past the Moss Trading building as if he's just out for a leisurely ride. Meanwhile, our main antagonist, Sande, touches down at Moscow airport, only to get an immediate ping from Luca. The plot thickens!
Back at Guoan, Yang Guang and the team are busy drawing up plans to nab Sande. But the tech department throws a wrench in the works: Sande made it to Moscow, alright, but he never boarded his connecting flight. This means he either hopped to another country or, more alarmingly, is already on a different flight heading straight back to Yanping. Zhang Baiqing isn't taking any chances and orders all departments on high alert – if Sande is indeed returning to Yanping, they need to be all over him.
Hours tick by, and there's zero sign of Sande. Yang Guang, ever the responsible leader, is ready to take the fall for the seemingly botched operation, but Zhang Baiqing tells him to cool his jets. And then, a breakthrough! The tech wizards discover Sande used a bogus passport and is already back in Yanping. Fresh off the plane, Sande’s first call is to Luca. He’s not sticking to his original plan, instead making a detour towards the Future Business District. This guy loves to keep everyone guessing!
Fast forward to 8 PM on May 30th. Guoan has set up shop at both Liangma Apartment and Moss Trading, ready to pounce. Li Jian is scratching his head, wondering why on earth Sande would risk waltzing back into Yanping, the lion's den. Yang Guang has a hunch: whatever Sande's back for, it must be incredibly important. To make matters worse, after a chat with a former traffic police captain, they figure Sande's likely using a car with switched plates. The problem? There are a gazillion similar vehicles, and sifting through them is a nightmare.
The clock is ticking, and Yang Guang is practically pulling his hair out. If Sande slips through their fingers in Yanping this time, catching him later will be next to impossible. Li Jian tries to be the voice of reason, reminding Yang Guang that they managed to find Sande in a city teeming with people before, and they can do it again. He gently tells Yang Guang to ease up on the pressure he's putting on everyone (and himself).
Then, another lead: Guoan traces Sande’s potential escape route towards Lianhai. This makes sense for two reasons: Moss Trading has a branch in Lianhai, and it’s a port city, offering Sande a potential escape route by sea. Wasting no time, Yang Guang and Li Jian zoom off to Lianhai, linking up with Liu Qingdong, the head honcho of Lianhai's First Division, to coordinate a joint manhunt.
Back in the surveillance room, eagle-eyed Tian Ziwei spots their man! Sande, disguised as an elderly woman (classic!), is seen getting into an unmarked black car. He then meets up with Luca. This is where Sande plays his ace: he hands over a portion of the tech and a drive packed with crucial intelligence data to Luca. His logic? If he gets caught, at least not everything will fall into Guoan's hands. As they part ways, Luca, showing a surprising bit of sentimentality, calls Sande "Da Ge" (Big Brother) and vows to be the best darn mole he can be.
But the drama isn't over! As Luca heads downstairs, he spots Guoan cars closing in and quickly texts a warning to Sande. Yang Guang and his team storm the upstairs room, but Sande is already gone, making a swift exit by car with Yang Guang hot on his heels. What follows is a desperate, high-octane chase through the streets. Sande, ever resourceful, uses a massive truck to block the road, buying himself precious seconds to get away.
The tech team manages to lock onto Sande’s vehicle, confirming he’s making a beeline for the Dayao Bay Port's sea terminal. By the time Yang Guang and his crew screech to a halt at the docks, a ship is already pulling away from the pier. In a last-ditch, movie-hero move, Yang Guang makes a running leap, landing squarely on the deck of the departing vessel! He flashes his badge, demanding to search the ship, but the captain and crew are having none of it, doing everything they can to obstruct him.
And that's where they leave us – hanging by a thread! Will Yang Guang manage to search the ship? Is Sande even on it? Or has he pulled another fast one?
