Episode Summary
In "Abyss Dweller" Episode 11, Liang Shuo navigates a series of betrayals and power plays. He warns Director Cui of an impending Japanese crackdown on smuggling, while a new Japanese-appointed official, Lu Xijian, creates tension. Chen Gengsheng sets a trap to frame Liang Shuo for colluding with the enemy. However, Liang Shuo turns the tables by orchestrating a fake assassination attempt on the Japanese officer Hirata Kiko during a staged firearms transfer. He successfully saves her, frames Chen Gengsheng for the plot, and solidifies his own position, all while hinting at a deeper conspiracy involving a mole known as "Scorpio."
Spoiler Alert
Abyss Dweller Episode 11 Recap: A Web of Deceit
A calculated power play by the Japanese sets off a chain reaction of betrayal and suspicion, forcing Liang Shuo to navigate a deadly maze where every move could be his last. When a frame-up goes sideways, the true predators are revealed.
This episode throws the fragile balance of power into chaos, starting with a dire warning. Liang Shuo informs a panicked Director Cui that the Japanese are about to launch a major crackdown on internal smuggling operations. Fearing he'll be the first to be sacrificed, Cui is desperate. Liang Shuo’s advice is cold and calculated: proactively offer the Japanese a cut of the profits to secure protection from their own superior, the Director. Cui reluctantly agrees, also warning Liang Shuo to be careful about his entanglements with "the two girls" to avoid arousing the Director's suspicion.
The political temperature rises when the Japanese official, Mizuho Genxin, makes a bold move. He arrives at a formal party with Lu Xijian, a man who has gone from a prisoner to a guest of honor in a stunning reversal of fortune. At the secret agent headquarters, Mizuho announces the formation of a new Supervision Department and names Lu Xijian its chief. The move is a blatant challenge to the Director, who was kept completely in the dark. During the tense gathering, Lu Xijian looks directly at Liang Shuo and says, "Long time no see," a greeting filled with hidden meaning. Liang Shuo, however, claims to have no memory of him. Lu Xijian smoothly dismisses it as a passing acquaintance, but the seed of mystery is planted.
Sensing an opportunity, the bitter Chen Gengsheng decides to eliminate Liang Shuo. He orchestrates a setup, having an associate approach Liang Shuo in the restroom and arrange a meeting at the Jiangfeng Restaurant, supposedly on behalf of the mysterious "Scorpio." Chen's plan is simple: once Liang Shuo shows up, he will be ambushed and accused of colluding with the Military-Statistics Bureau, a charge that would mean certain death.
Meanwhile, Liang Shuo sets his own complex plan in motion. With Director Cui's smuggling business frozen, Liang Shuo uses the situation to his advantage. He first sends a message to his Military-Statistics Bureau contact, Xie Jun'an, mobilizing their forces. He then approaches the Japanese officer Hirata Kiko, framing his next move as a favor to Director Cui. He reports a secret transfer of firearms from the headquarters' warehouse, insisting that the operation must be kept confidential and handled without any headquarters personnel.
Hirata Kiko agrees and assigns her own Kempeitai (military police) to assist. However, in a calculated double-cross, she deliberately orders the Kempeitai to withdraw from the transfer point at Pingjia Lane, creating the perfect window of opportunity for the waiting Military-Statistics Bureau agents to strike.
The climax unfolds at the Jiangfeng Restaurant, where Chen Gengsheng's men lie in wait. As the ambush is about to spring, news arrives that a Japanese search for a shipment to Chongqing has failed, confirming for Liang Shuo that there is a leak within their ranks. Upstairs, the Bureau agents, Xie Jun'an and Xie Nianci, launch their attack. In the ensuing chaos, Liang Shuo acts the hero, saving Hirata Kiko from the "assassins." He immediately declares that the entire attack was a setup and that Hirata Kiko was the real target. When the Japanese discover a weapon planted upstairs, they believe his story.
Liang Shuo and Hirata Kiko give chase and corner a masked assailant. After a brief struggle, the man is revealed to be none other than the newly appointed Lu Xijian, though Hirata Kiko faints before she can see his face. When she awakens, Liang Shuo presents evidence he "found," convincing her that the assassin, whom he speculates is "Scorpio," had a sinister agenda.
The fallout is swift. Hirata Kiko reports to the Director that the assassination attempt likely involves a mole within their own headquarters. With all evidence pointing to a conspiracy, Chen Gengsheng—found at the scene of his own failed trap—is arrested as the prime suspect. Despite his frantic protests, he is unable to escape the web he tried to weave for another.
