Episode Summary
In this episode, Wu Si grapples with the monumental decision of whether to leave his special forces team for Tang Xin, a choice she urges him not to make out of sacrifice. As he hesitates, a new mission targeting the relic smuggler Han Changzhou emerges, and Wu Si's team is tasked with a perilous reconnaissance. A tender subplot reveals that Tang Xin and Wu Si had a chance encounter as children. The episode culminates with Wu Si's team successfully and covertly landing on Han Changzhou's fortified island, setting the stage for the impending conflict.
Spoiler Alert
Rose and Gun: Episode 33 Spoilers
The episode opens on a note of emotional conflict between Tang Xin and Wu Si. Tang Xin makes it clear that she does not want Wu Si to request a transfer from the front-line troops just for her sake; if he ever makes that choice, it should not be a reluctant sacrifice. After their conversation, a troubled Wu Si returns to the barracks. He quietly watches his sleeping comrades, pulling up their blankets as he usually does, before lying down, his mind filled with memories of their shared experiences and his unresolved feelings.
Meanwhile, Tang Xin immerses herself in her work and receives a significant assignment from Director Tian. INTERPOL has contacted the local police to launch an operation against an international artifact smuggling ring. Director Tian believes this case may be connected to a story Tang Xin was previously investigating and asks her to join the operation for on-site interviews. Concurrently, the special forces team undergoes a major shift. With many veterans having moved on, Brigade Commander Wang recalls Yi Nanwang from his training to take command. Yi Nanwang is initially apprehensive about the immense responsibility, but with Commander Wang's encouragement, he accepts the challenge.
A surprising revelation about the past comes to light when Wu Si's mother, after telling her son she is meeting a friend, instead visits Tang Xin's father. They talk about Wu Si's childhood, and later, Tang Xin's father tells her that the young boy she met on a warship many years ago was Wu Si, revealing a fateful connection that began long before they knew it.
The antagonist, Han Changzhou, is confirmed to be on a remote island, heavily protected by a private armed force. His operation takes a new turn when he detects a Southern Song Dynasty shipwreck. Although the wreck is in Chinese waters, making a salvage operation risky due to increased police vigilance, Han Changzhou and his greedy partner decide to take the chance. Their plan is to salvage the relics and transport them to an overseas island.
The police, now armed with intelligence about the smuggling group and their use of mercenaries, decide to deploy special forces. Wu Si's amphibious team is selected for the crucial first phase of the mission: a covert reconnaissance of the island. Their ability to infiltrate undetected from the water makes them the ideal choice. As the episode closes, Wu Si leads his team in a successful underwater infiltration of the island, setting up their operation while Han Changzhou remains blissfully unaware, enjoying a glass of wine.
