Episode Summary
The task force arrests police officer Jiang Hongjun after finding millions in cash and gold at his home, forcing him to confess he was working for Sun Fei. The investigation into the Wanchuan Mine accident uncovers a missing seventeenth miner. The whistleblower, Wan Chao, is in hiding from the ruthless Chen Shenglong, who learns of his location through an inadvertent slip-up. Meanwhile, Chen Shenglong, desperate to acquire the Hongjia Village land now awarded to his rival Jiang Yuan, confesses to orchestrating the mine disaster and blackmails public official Liu Yun to secure his interests, creating a web of crime, corruption, and fear.
Spoiler Alert
In the Name of Justice Episode 26: The Walls Close In
The investigation into the Wanchuan Mine accident takes a dramatic turn as the special task force makes a key arrest that begins to unravel a deep-seated conspiracy.
The episode kicks off with Cao Ye and his team searching the home of police officer Jiang Hongjun. Despite Jiang's wife being unemployed, they uncover a staggering 3.23 million in cash and 28 gold bars. Jiang claims the fortune belongs to his brother, who is supposedly a successful businessman abroad. However, his story quickly falls apart when his wife admits the money and gold are his. The final nail in the coffin is a video discovered by Hong Liang, showing Jiang in the control room tampering with the mine's brake system. Cornered, Jiang Hongjun breaks down and confesses that he was acting on orders from Sun Fei.
Meanwhile, the task force learns that Chen Hui's team was on duty the night of the mine disaster. They find Chen Hui in the hospital, who recalls a crucial detail: sixteen miners went down that night, but only fifteen were rescued. He remembers a quiet new miner named Xiong Erqiang, who is now missing.
Sensing trouble after Jiang Hongjun's sudden disappearance, Sun Fei drives by the task force's headquarters. Seeing the lights blazing, he panics and retreats. He desperately reaches out to Xu Yanwu for help, asking him to find out what happened to Jiang. When Xu Yanwu learns the full extent of Jiang's involvement—implicated not only in the mine disaster but also in the cases of Wanhai and Qiao Zhenxing, with a fortune in cash and gold found at his home—he erupts in fury, berating Sun Fei and demanding to be kept updated on every development.
In prison, Zheng Yaping, accompanied by Bai Ziyan and Wang Chunxiang, meets with Wanhai. She informs him that a new provincial task force is reinvestigating his case, the Qiao Zhenxing case, and the Wanchuan Mine accident, aiming to dismantle the criminal network and its protectors. Wanhai is cynical, but Zheng Yaping reveals the catalyst for the new investigation: his own son, Wan Chao, provided evidence that the mine disaster was an act of sabotage. Upon hearing that his son is now a wanted fugitive, Wanhai refuses to cooperate further until he can see Wan Chao.
Wan Chao is currently in hiding, sheltered by Wan Hong in an abandoned mine shaft. Anxious and tired of running, Wan Chao wants to flee the city of Dongping. Wan Hong, however, fears he'll be caught by the dangerous Chen Shenglong. Wan Chao reveals he has already given the evidence to the task force. Their tense conversation is interrupted by a call from Chen Shenglong, which Wan Hong nervously ignores. Later, when Chen Shenglong calls back, he pressures Wan Hong about taking over the mine from Wanhai. He then casually asks about Wan Chao, and Wan Hong slips up, accidentally confirming he knows his whereabouts. Realizing his mistake, it's too late. Chen Shenglong immediately dispatches his man, Xiong Lei, to find Wan Chao.
The conflict escalates as a new battleground emerges over a plot of land in Hongjia Village. Jiang Yuan has successfully secured the land for his new energy company, Yuanli Group. However, Liu Yun, a planning official, is shocked to learn this. She recalls that Chen Shenglong, brought to her by Cheng Zijian, had aggressively pursued the same land. She confronts Chen Shenglong, urging him to choose another location or cooperate with Jiang Yuan. Chen refuses and, in a chilling display of power, has her detained. He then makes a stunning confession: he orchestrated the Wanchuan Mine accident as a "gift" to her. When she threatens to report him, he blackmails her, reminding her of a discounted property she bought from his company—an act of bribery. Liu Yun is left speechless and trapped.
Unaware of these dark dealings, Jiang Yuan visits Hongjia Village to gain the support of the locals for his project, which he successfully does. But his plans are in jeopardy. When he returns home, his father, Jiang Xudong, sternly instructs him to abandon the Hongjia Village project, leaving Jiang devastated after three years of planning.
