Episode Summary
A violent domestic dispute ends in a tragic double death for two brothers, creating a deep professional and personal rift between officers Ho Ho-fai and Shiu Tsz-chun. The incident is manipulated by the media, led by reporter Fong Dai-yu, to fabricate a scandal around businessman Wong Tung-hoi. As Ho Ho-fai investigates, he uncovers a conspiracy involving paid protestors, suggesting the brothers' deaths were not as straightforward as they seemed.
Spoiler Alert
Homeland Guardian Episode 10: A Double Tragedy and a Deepening Conspiracy
The episode opens with Leung Yuen-ting's mother, her hands clutching medicated oil, watching her daughter prepare soup for a colleague. This simple act triggers her deep-seated fears about her daughter's dangerous profession, leading to another fierce argument between them over Leung's refusal to quit the police force.
The Car 3 unit receives an urgent call about the two brothers from a prior conflict, who are now in a violent altercation. Upon arrival, they find a grim scene: the older brother is bleeding heavily from a knife wound, while the younger brother, Ah Tak, is sitting on a window ledge, appearing suicidal. Ho Ho-fai quickly brings their mother upstairs to help de-escalate the situation. He gently comforts the younger son, telling him he has already found a job for him so that no one can accuse him of being lazy. The words seem to work, and Ah Tak prepares to come down. However, a message suddenly comes through a pager announcing that his older brother has died. Consumed by guilt and believing he killed his brother, Ah Tak tragically jumps to his death.
The entire Car 3 team is devastated. An emotional Shiu Tsz-chun confronts Ho Ho-fai, blaming him for the outcome. He argues that if they had been decisive and arrested the brothers earlier, this tragedy could have been averted. In a moment of personal reprieve, Ho Ho-fai receives a happy call from his son, Hin Hin, who is excited about scoring a goal in his soccer game. Ho Ho-fai, filled with love, reminds his son to take good care of his mother.
Meanwhile, in the world of media, reporter Fong Dai-yu is being lauded by his superiors for the massive click-through rate on his story about a data center outage. While his colleagues celebrate, Lam Wai-yin looks on with a heavy heart, suggesting they should stop the coverage for fear of causing unintended negative consequences. Later, Fong Dai-yu visits the memorial for the two deceased brothers and publicly states to the media that their deaths are intricately linked to the stock market.
The narrative Fong creates successfully shifts the blame for the brothers' deaths onto Wong Tung-hoi, citing his alleged mismanagement of the stock market outage. The immense pressure takes its toll on Wong Tung-hoi, who decides to take a vacation on a friend's advice. His leave of absence only fuels more media speculation. In a seemingly unrelated event, a man named Scarface is brutally killed at the pier by Ah Ken's men while trying to flee Hong Kong. Ho Ho-fai begins to connect the dots, suspecting that all these events are part of a coordinated attack targeting Wong Tung-hoi. His suspicion falls on Fong Dai-yu, and he asks Lam Wai-yin about the reporter's character. Lam Wai-yin, having her own doubts, tries to secretly follow Fong Dai-yu after a work dinner but loses him, much to her frustration.
Elsewhere, Leung Yuen-ting, still giving her mother the silent treatment after their fight, works out her anger intensely at the gym. A concerned Shiu Tsz-chun visits the home of the deceased brothers, worried about their elderly mother, Granny Hao, now being left alone. She isn't there, but a neighbor reveals that another plainclothes officer—whom Shiu Tsz-chun immediately guesses was Ho Ho-fai—had already stopped by and left some money. Shiu Tsz-chun later runs into Granny Hao, who vehemently blames the police for her son's death, claiming he only jumped because he was terrified of being arrested.
Racked with guilt, Shiu Tsz-chun takes full responsibility for the incident and requests to be transferred from the Car 3 team, but his request is denied. His father, Shao Feng, tries to comfort him, reasoning that the same tragedy might have occurred even if the brothers had been taken into custody.
Ho Ho-fai's investigation takes a new turn when he discovers bruises on Ah Tak's body, suggesting he was beaten before his death. By questioning neighbors, he learns that Ah Tak had been trying to collect payment from a group for participating in a protest. The theory gains traction when Ho Ho-fai and Shiu Tsz-chun find Granny Hao, who was abandoned after attending a protest herself. In her grief and anger, she physically lashes out at Shiu Tsz-chun. Ho Ho-fai cleverly uses the chaotic moment to coax information from her, confirming that people were being paid to demonstrate.
Ho Ho-fai decides to let Granny Hao go, seeing that she has no more information to give. This decision infuriates Shiu Tsz-chun, who feels they have lost a crucial lead. The simmering conflict between the two officers boils over. Later, their superior, Chiu Siu-tong, sits Shiu Tsz-chun down and recounts a difficult case from years ago, emphasizing that controlling one's emotions and being adaptable are essential professional qualities for any police officer.
