Episode Summary
In "Abyss Dweller" Episode 2, Liang Shuo's memory partially returns, leading him to investigate the Ruijin Pharmaceutical Company. Meanwhile, Military-Statistics Bureau agent Xie Nianci is tasked with assassinating the Japanese officer Mizuho Genxin at a banquet. The mission goes horribly wrong, resulting in the death of an operative and a massacre ordered by Mizuho. While escaping, Xie Nianci coincidentally meets Liang Shuo, who is also on the run. The two are forced to form a temporary alliance to survive, as multiple factions now converge on a new location: the Tailong Trading Company.
Spoiler Alert
Abyss Dweller Episode 2: Recap & Spoilers
With battle lines drawn and memories still fractured, the second episode of "Abyss Dweller" throws its amnesiac hero, Liang Shuo, headfirst into a web of espionage, failed assassinations, and unlikely alliances. As multiple factions chase their own agendas in the shadows of Shanghai, Liang Shuo’s quest for his identity puts him on a collision course with a deadly plot targeting the ruthless Japanese officer, Mizuho Genxin.
A Key to the Past
The episode opens with Liang Shuo on a rattling bus, where a mysterious key triggers fragmented memories. One name surfaces from the fog: Ruijin Pharmaceutical Company. Believing it holds the answers to his past, he immediately sets out to investigate.
Meanwhile, underground operative Jiang Feiman receives a seemingly innocuous package of medicine, which actually contains hidden intelligence. Her cover is nearly blown when Mizuho Genxin conducts a surprise inspection, but she manages to keep the information safe. Later, in a secret room, she deciphers the message, only to learn of the sacrifice of a fellow agent code-named "Maple Leaf."
A Mission of Poison
A new player enters the fray: Xie Nianci, a telegrapher for the Military-Statistics Bureau, who has just arrived in Shanghai. She is tasked by her superior, Jin Chengwen, with a high-stakes mission: assassinate Mizuho Genxin. The weapon is a potent poison, cleverly disguised in a cigarette case. Though reluctant, Xie Nianci bribes a guard with an identical case to smuggle the poison into a high-society banquet that Mizuho is attending.
At the same time, the Secret Service Section, led by Chen Gengsheng and under the watchful eye of Japanese supervisor Hirata Kiko, begins its own investigation into the "Yulong Mountain Assassin," setting up a power struggle between the competing intelligence agencies.
The Ledger and the Ledgerdemain
Liang Shuo infiltrates Ruijin Pharmaceutical, where he discovers massive orders for sulfa drugs, leading him to suspect a connection to war supplies. When the staff refuses his request to see the ledgers, he snatches the account book and makes a frantic escape just as Japanese military police surround the building. Creating a diversion, he scales a wall and slips away into the city.
By now, Xie Nianci has successfully passed the poison to her contact at the banquet, an operative named Lao Chu. The assassination is set to begin.
Blood at the Banquet
At the lavish Lin family dinner, Lao Chu proceeds with the plan, poisoning a bowl of soup intended for Mizuho Genxin. However, disaster strikes when Mizuho unexpectedly offers the poisoned soup to the host's young son. To prevent the boy from drinking it and to protect the mission's secrecy, Lao Chu deliberately causes a commotion, drawing the attention of the Japanese guards who shoot him on the spot.
As the gunshot rings out, Xie Nianci lights her signal, but receives a shocking order from Jin Chengwen: abort the mission and retreat. With no other choice, she leaps from a window to escape, only to run directly into Liang Shuo, who is also fleeing from his own pursuers.
An Alliance of the Desperate
Hunted by Japanese soldiers, the two strangers are forced into a tense and temporary alliance. With pursuers closing in, Liang Shuo uses his quick wits, lighting a string of firecrackers to create a diversion. He then grabs Xie Nianci, and using a rope, swings them both across an alley to the rooftop of a lower building, making a daring escape. In their wake, Mizuho Genxin, furious and paranoid, orders the massacre of everyone at the banquet to ensure there are no witnesses.
The episode closes on a grim note. At the Military-Statistics Bureau's contact station, Jin Chengwen and his men show cold indifference to Lao Chu’s sacrifice, even pocketing his pension. Disgusted, Xie Nianci vows to expose their corruption. The Secret Service, using clues from the Ruijin Pharmaceutical incident, sets a trap for the "Yulong Mountain Assassin" at the Tailong Trading Company—the very place Liang Shuo is heading towards, following his newest lead.
Spoilers & Key Developments:
- Liang Shuo's Identity: His memory is returning in pieces, directly connecting him to the Ruijin Pharmaceutical Company and its suspicious activities, marking him as a target for both the Secret Service and the Japanese.
- Failed Assassination: The attempt on Mizuho Genxin's life fails spectacularly, resulting in the death of operative Lao Chu and a massacre of innocent civilians.
- An Unlikely Team-Up: The botched mission forces a desperate alliance between Liang Shuo and Military-Statistics Bureau agent Xie Nianci, who are now fugitives together.
- Corruption Exposed: The callousness and corruption within the Military-Statistics Bureau's Shanghai station are revealed, creating a new internal conflict for Xie Nianci.
- Converging Paths: All factions—Liang Shuo, the Secret Service, and the Japanese—are now on a path that leads to the Tailong Trading Company, setting the stage for a major confrontation.
