Episode Summary

Racial tensions are deliberately inflamed by a series of targeted attacks on white foreigners, with South Asians being framed as the perpetrators. The police investigation leads to the arrest of a key middleman, Ah Ken, who implicates the Lanya Legion before he is murdered himself. Faced with increasing prejudice in his daily work, Officer Tse Ting-wai is asked to undertake a dangerous undercover mission to infiltrate the Legion.

Spoiler Alert

Homeland Guardian Episode 18: A Web of Deceit

At his son's school, Ho Ho-fai is approached by a teacher concerned about a recent viral video showing South Asians in a fight. She hopes he can help promote a message of racial tolerance. Ho Ho-fai, however, recommends a better candidate: Tse Ting-wai, a police officer of South Asian descent.

Tse Ting-wai gives a speech to the students, sharing his personal experiences and explaining that he has never looked down on himself for having darker skin. Although nervous at first, he is encouraged by the teacher. The experience is a positive one, and the teacher hopes he will return for another talk. For Tse Ting-wai, the encounter is unexpectedly moving, and he finds himself instantly smitten with her.

Meanwhile, after seeing news about Mr. Gupta, the ruthless triad leader Chow Hung orders both Gupta and the man he fought with, Kevin, to be captured. He coldly forces them to shake hands before shooting and killing them both. He then has Kevin's body left in a public place as a warning, while Mr. Gupta's body is buried in a hidden location. Officially, the police are told that Mr. Gupta is missing and Kevin is in a coma, fighting for his life in the hospital. Ho Ho-fai immediately suspects Chow Hung is the mastermind. As the police discuss the case, a new report comes in: a white man has been murdered. The witness tearfully claims the killer was South Asian. The victim is quickly identified as an engineer from M-Country named Jones. A pattern emerges—all the victims are white foreigners, and all the blame is being pointed at South Asians.

The violence continues when a woman is shot and wounded by two South Asian assailants. When Tse Ting-wai arrives to take her statement, he is met with hostility due to his ethnicity. The witness refuses to cooperate, even when questioned by Chiu Shiu-tong.

Ho Ho-fai decides to use Tse Ting-wai's identity to his advantage, sending him undercover into the black market to trace the source of the guns. A lead brings Chan Yiu-yeung to a pier, where he discovers a cache of illegal firearms. The cornered criminals confess everything, revealing they were working for a man named Ah Ken. The police quickly locate and arrest Ah Ken. During interrogation, Ho Ho-fai confronts him, laying out his crimes, including his conspiracy with Chow Hung to murder Chiang Kwun.

Hoping for a deal, Ah Ken agrees to cooperate. He confesses that the weapons were destined for Balong of the Lanya Legion and claims the Legion was also responsible for the recent attacks. Forced by Ho Ho-fai, Ah Ken calls Balong to set up a transaction for the following night.

However, the plan goes awry. Ah Ken stops at a barbershop, where he is ambushed and strangled to death by four assailants. Elsewhere, the leaders of the four major triad factions meet, all agreeing that Ah Ken's reckless actions were bound to get him killed. When Ho Ho-fai questions them about the murder, they all deny any involvement.

With Ah Ken dead, Ho Ho-fai turns his focus to Balong, suspecting a link between him and the mysterious "EGM plan." Shiu Tsz-chun proposes a high-risk strategy, but Ho Ho-fai rejects it. Instead, an idea forms in Ho Ho-fai's mind: he asks Tse Ting-wai to go undercover and infiltrate the Lanya Legion. Aware of the danger and doubting his own abilities, Tse Ting-wai politely declines. The next day, however, his unit responds to a reported theft where the shop owner falsely accuses a South Asian person. This blatant act of racism deeply angers and frustrates Tse Ting-wai, leaving him to reconsider his decision.