Episode Summary
In the winter of 1940 Shanghai, Liang Shuo, a director for the collaborationist secret service "No. 76," loses his memory after an ambush while escorting an explosives merchant. Waking in the care of hunters, he relies on instinct to survive. To navigate enemy territory, he steals the identity of a Japanese official and, on a train to Shanghai, helps a woman named Xie Nianci evade capture. Arriving in the city, he is guided by a single puzzle piece, his only clue to a past that feels both strange and familiar. His search leads him to a sealed house and a mysterious key, deepening the mystery of his identity and his connection to a high-stakes conflict over missing explosives and a rescue mission known as "Operation Abyss Dweller."
Spoiler Alert
Abyss Dweller Episode 1 Recap & Spoilers: A Stranger in the Abyss
Byline: Your Senior Editor
The premiere of Abyss Dweller throws us headfirst into the frozen landscape of East China in the winter of 1940, where the city of Shanghai is a powder keg of espionage and oppression. The Japanese occupation is tightening its grip through "No. 76," a ruthless secret service agency operating under the collaborationist Wang Jingwei puppet regime.Their mission is to crush any and all anti-Japanese resistance.
Against this backdrop, two critical events are unfolding. The Japanese are orchestrating a sham "Peace and Co-Prosperity Conference" to legitimize their invasion, while the lives of thousands of captured laborers and refugees hang by a thread, slated for a grim fate.A clandestine rescue mission, codenamed "Operation Abyss Dweller," has been launched by the Communist Party underground, but its key operative, "Maple Leaf," has vanished without a trace. As if the situation weren't volatile enough, a stolen shipment of high-explosive charges has become the focus of a frantic, four-way struggle between the CCP underground, the Kuomintang's Military Intelligence Bureau, the Japanese Army, and the agents of No. 76.
Amnesia in the Snow
The story centers on Liang Shuo (played by Huang Xiaoming), the director of No. 76's action division.While escorting an explosives merchant named Yan Jiu back to Shanghai, his convoy is ambushed. Liang Shuo fights for his life and manages to escape, only to collapse in the vast, snowy wilderness.
When he awakens, he is a man without a past. Rescued by a pair of local hunters, he has no memory of his name, his allegiances, or how he ended up wounded in the mountains. Though wary of his saviors, his instincts remain razor-sharp. He immediately senses the approach of Japanese soldiers and, drawing on a deep well of tactical experience he doesn't know he has, helps the hunters fend off the attack and tends to their wounds. Far away in Chongqing, the wartime capital, a man named Gu Chengchun is anxiously awaiting news, not just of Liang Shuo, but of the missing explosives.
A Stolen Identity and a Chance Encounter
Now a fugitive with no identity, Liang Shuo makes his way to the Harbin train station. In a desperate move, he spots a Japanese traveler, deftly steals his documents and luggage, and assumes his identity. This disguise grants him passage through enemy-controlled territory but wraps him in a new layer of danger.
At the Suzhou station, his new identity is put to the test. He sees a woman, Xie Nianci (Karlina Zhang), frantically trying to board the train to evade her pursuers.With quick thinking, Liang Shuo uses his status as a "Japanese" official to shield her, creating a diversion that allows them both to escape a close call. Xie Nianci is clearly suspicious of this stranger, but his calm demeanor and meticulous actions leave her with little choice but to play along. Meanwhile, the web of intrigue tightens as two of Liang Shuo's former contacts, Zhang Junping and Wang Jiubao, are captured. They are brutally tortured by their enemies but die without breaking, taking their secrets to the grave.
Shanghai's Ghosts and a Puzzle Box
Upon arriving in Shanghai, Liang Shuo uses his Japanese disguise to move freely through the city. The streets feel both foreign and hauntingly familiar, with the lanes of the French Concession stirring faint, ghost-like memories of his childhood. His only tangible link to his past is a single, intricately shaped puzzle piece.
Drawn by an unknown force, he stops at a small puzzle shop, hoping to find a clue. But his past finds him first. An assassin attacks, and Liang Shuo’s muscle memory takes over as he coolly and efficiently neutralizes the threat. Later, while wandering, he stumbles upon the former residence of Yan Jiu, the explosives merchant. The house is sealed with an official Japanese notice, but Liang Shuo discovers a mysterious key left behind. He instinctively knows this key is another piece of the puzzle, a vital clue to unlocking the truth of his identity and his mission.
As Liang Shuo grapples with his fragmented reality, we see glimpses of the forces moving against him. High-ranking Japanese officers Mizuho Genxin and Hirata Kiko are seen secretly discussing the transport of Yan Jiu. In a separate scene, Mizuho is captivated by the musical talents of a woman named Jiang Feiman, hinting at the complex personal dynamics and hidden power struggles simmering beneath the surface of the occupation.
The episode ends on a knife's edge. Liang Shuo stands alone in the shadows of Shanghai, holding a puzzle piece and a key—the only fragments of a life he can't remember. While his identity remains a mystery, he is slowly beginning to understand that he is at the center of a mission to save thousands of innocent lives and uncover the secret of the explosives. With enemies closing in from all sides, his journey to piece together his past has just begun.
