Episode Summary
Jiang Yan confronts her brother Jiang Xiao, revealing her long history of manipulation and confirming he has evidence against her. After Jiang Xiao refuses to yield, Jiang Yan confesses to killing his mother and then murders him. Meanwhile, Ning Zhen fights the masked Shen Yuan ("Abyss") but fails to capture him. Ning Zhen deduces Jiang Yan killed Jiang Xiao, not Shen Yuan. Jiang Yan creates a diversion using Mo Bei and races to a nursing home, finding the evidence (on a laptop/USB drive) hidden via her father's account. Ning Zhen and Lu Fan intercept her, but during a struggle, the USB drive containing the evidence is destroyed in a fire. Due to lack of proof and a formal complaint, Ning Zhen and Lu Fan are suspended, but they vow to continue investigating.
Spoiler Alert
Major Spoilers Ahead!
The episode kicks off with a tense confrontation between siblings Jiang Yan and Jiang Xiao. Jiang Yan isn't there for a family reunion; she's demanding something Jiang Xiao has – incriminating evidence against her. It turns out Jiang Yan's supposed support for her brother over the years wasn't sisterly affection at all. She's been ruthlessly manipulative since they were young, constantly scheming for control of the family. She even admitted to giving Jiang Xiao money specifically to waste away in nightclubs, hoping he'd lose ambition.
And here’s a seriously creepy reveal: Jiang Xiao's disturbing fixation on women dressed in professional attire? It stems directly from Jiang Yan. Apparently, whenever he committed his crimes against these women, he was wearing her clothes. Yikes.
Despite Jiang Yan's pressure and threats, Jiang Xiao, knowing his sister all too well, refuses to hand over the evidence, even hinting he'd rather die with it. Seeing she won't get what she wants, Jiang Yan goes full ice queen. She drops a massive bombshell – she was the one who killed Jiang Xiao's mother years ago. Then, without missing a beat, she shoots Jiang Xiao dead. Cold. Blooded.
Meanwhile, things are heating up elsewhere. Ning Zhen is locked in a rooftop battle with the mysterious figure known as Shen Yuan ("Abyss"). She's clearly outmatched and gets subdued, but in a desperate move, she manages to snatch off Shen Yuan's mask for a quick look. Just then, Cao Jin, who had been locked away somewhere, breaks free by cutting through a chain. This distraction allows Shen Yuan to make a swift escape. Cao Jin immediately chews out Ning Zhen for going rogue with Lu Fan and nearly getting into serious trouble at the hospital.
Putting the pieces together, Ning Zhen figures Jiang Xiao must have planned his escape through an area without surveillance, likely the basement. But when they rush down there, they find Jiang Xiao's body hanging – he's already been murdered.
Back in the control room, Lu Fan spots Jiang Yan's car on the surveillance footage from near the hospital around the time of the murder. It seems Jiang Yan had her associate, Mo Bei, forcefully blow through a police checkpoint earlier to create a diversion or ensure her own escape. This sighting, coupled with a police report about a suspicious vehicle, raises red flags.
Ning Zhen connects the dots: Shen Yuan was busy fighting her on the roof when Jiang Xiao was killed in the basement. The timing doesn't line up for Shen Yuan to be the killer. Her prime suspect? Jiang Yan.
While Cao Jin leads a team to investigate a coffee shop (likely connected to the case), the police track down and intercept Jiang Yan's car. Surprise, surprise – only Mo Bei is inside. It was a deliberate decoy.
Jiang Yan, using the diversion, has raced to a nursing home. Based on something Jiang Xiao said before she killed him, she suspects the evidence is hidden somewhere related to their father. Ning Zhen and Lu Fan quickly deduce her destination and follow.
Inside her father's room at the nursing home, Jiang Yan frantically searches and finds a laptop. Aha! Jiang Xiao had been using their father's email account – that's why she could never find the evidence before. She struggles with the password but recalls Jiang Xiao's words and manages to guess it correctly. Just as she's about to bolt with the laptop, Ning Zhen and Lu Fan burst in.
They know that laptop holds secrets and demand to see it. Jiang Yan refuses. Lu Fan makes a grab for it, managing to snatch a USB drive plugged into the computer before getting into a brawl with Jiang Yan's bodyguard. In the chaos, the bodyguard recovers the USB drive and, in a devastating move, throws it into a nearby fire pit, destroying the chip and the evidence it contained.
Later, Mo Bei, playing dumb during police questioning, claims Jiang Yan sent him to the hospital purely to protect Jiang Xiao. Cao Jin reasons that if Shen Yuan had been the killer, he likely would have killed Jiang Xiao on the spot, not staged a hanging. He also suspects another group must have been involved in the basement events. Jiang Yan herself shows up at the police station, putting on a convincing act of a grieving sister furious that the police failed to protect her brother. With the physical evidence (the USB) destroyed and no concrete proof, the police have to release Mo Bei.
Unfortunately, the confrontation at the nursing home doesn't go unnoticed. A complaint is filed, and Cao Jin, despite knowing Ning Zhen and Lu Fan are onto something, has his hands tied. He's forced to suspend them both pending an internal review.
Lu Fan, worried the suspension will crush Ning Zhen's spirit, goes to comfort her. However, Ning Zhen proves resilient. She tells Lu Fan she was prepared for this and, suspension or not, they are not stopping. The hunt for the truth continues.
So, Episode 16 leaves us with a major antagonist confirmed (and colder than ever), the crucial evidence destroyed, and our lead investigators sidelined. What a cliffhanger!
