Episode Summary
In "Abyss Dweller" Episode 5, Liang Shuo returns to No. 76 with amnesia and is immediately caught in a web of suspicion. While Jiang Feiman and Xie Nianci question his true identity, Chen Gengsheng brutally interrogates him about the failed Yulong Mountain mission. Through torture-induced flashbacks, Liang Shuo recalls that his objective was to intercept explosives from a Military-Statistics Bureau agent, and he decides to blame a mysterious figure codenamed "Scorpio" for the operation's failure. His interrogation by the formidable Hirata Kiko is cut short by the arrival of an urgent report, leaving his fate hanging in the balance.
Spoiler Alert
Abyss Dweller Episode 5 Recap: A Trial by Fire
Liang Shuo's return to the infamous No. 76 headquarters throws him directly into the lion's den. Stripped of his memories, he faces an identity crisis while surrounded by enemies and questionable allies. As Jiang Feiman and Xie Nianci probe into his past after a narrow escape, Liang Shuo is subjected to a brutal interrogation by a vengeful Chen Gengsheng. Under the watchful eye of the Japanese official Hirata Kiko, Liang Shuo must piece together fragmented memories of the disastrous Yulong Mountain mission to prove his loyalty and save his own life.
Highlights from this Episode:
- A Tense Standoff: After evading their pursuers, Jiang Feiman and Xie Nianci confront each other, both demanding to know the truth about Liang Shuo's identity.
- A Fog of Memory: Cornered by Director Cui's probing questions, Liang Shuo uses vague answers to protect himself while trying to understand his own past.
- An Old Score Settled: Chen Gengsheng takes matters into his own hands, torturing Liang Shuo to force out details of the Yulong Mountain mission where his cousin died.
- A Key Flashback: The truth of agent Yan Jiu's sacrifice emerges, allowing Liang Shuo to finally understand the sequence of events that led to the mission's failure.
- A Desperate Defense: Facing a sharp interrogation from Hirata Kiko, Liang Shuo buys time with a request for a cigarette, only for the meeting to be cut short by a sudden development.
Clouds of Suspicion
After shaking their tails from No. 76, Jiang Feiman and Xie Nianci face off in a dark alley. Jiang Feiman aggressively questions Xie Nianci's connection to Liang Shuo, while Xie Nianci fires back, casting doubt on whether Liang Shuo is truly a No. 76 agent. The tense exchange ends when Xie Nianci reveals that Liang Shuo is suffering from amnesia due to a head injury. Unsettled, Jiang Feiman coldly warns her to leave Shanghai immediately.
Testing the Waters
On the ride back to headquarters, Director Cui breaks the silence, bringing up the "Yulong Mountain Operation." He subtly warns Liang Shuo that Chen Gengsheng harbors a deep grudge over his cousin's death during the mission and points out that this incident cost Liang Shuo a promotion. Sensing the danger, Liang Shuo offers only ambiguous replies. Meanwhile, Chen Gengsheng reports Liang Shuo's "resurrection" to Hirata Kiko, whose interest is significantly piqued.
Torture and Interrogation
The moment Liang Shuo steps into No. 76, Chen Gengsheng has him arrested under Hirata Kiko's authority. In the interrogation room, Chen accuses Liang Shuo of being the "Yulong Mountain Assassin" and uses electrocution to force a confession. The intense pain triggers a critical flashback for Liang Shuo: on Yulong Mountain, a wounded Military-Statistics Bureau agent, Yan Jiu, took his own life after urging Liang Shuo to seize a shipment of explosives and find "the key."
Piecing Together the Puzzle
Through the agony of the electric shocks, Liang Shuo connects the dots. His original mission for No. 76 was to intercept explosives being transported by Yan Jiu for a top Military-Statistics Bureau agent codenamed "Scorpio" before the upcoming Peace Conference. The operation went sideways, leaving him as the sole survivor. Crucially, no one knows if "Scorpio" was ever at the scene. He decides his only way out is to pin the entire failure on this mysterious "Scorpio," creating a phantom enemy to deflect blame.
Power Play
Director Cui storms the interrogation room to save Liang Shuo, berating Chen Gengsheng for overstepping his authority. However, their superior, the Director, intentionally lets the conflict simmer until Hirata Kiko arrives before calling a halt. After changing his clothes, Liang Shuo is brought before a three-party tribunal. Hirata Kiko cuts straight to the chase: "How did you survive? Why didn't you report back?" Liang Shuo stalls by asking for a cigarette, but just as the tension peaks, an urgent report is delivered to Hirata Kiko, bringing the interrogation to an abrupt end.
What's Next: Does the report in Hirata Kiko's hands contain information that exposes the holes in Liang Shuo's story? The true identity of "Scorpio" looms large, while the arrival of Xie Jun'an threatens to spark an internal power struggle within the Military-Statistics Bureau's Shanghai station, setting the stage for an even more complex conflict between the factions.
