Episode Summary
In this episode, the police successfully capture drug lord Meng Hanchiu and dismantle his entire organization. However, the discovery of exceptionally high-purity methamphetamine launches a new investigation centered on a local chemical plant, where discrepancies in ephedrine shipments and suspicious activity in an abandoned warehouse point to a new group of suspects within the plant's staff.
Spoiler Alert
The Narcotic Operation: Episode 14 Spoilers
The episode kicks off with the takedown of Meng Hanchiu's operation, thanks to an inside man. Lin Qiangfeng's informant, Tuzi (Rabbit), successfully reports Meng's hideout to the police. As a reward and to ensure his safety, Lin Qiangfeng sends Tuzi back to his hometown with his personal savings, a gesture that moves Tuzi to tears.
Following the tip, Meng Hanchiu is captured. He is taken to a hospital due to an infected wound sustained during his arrest. Knowing his fate is sealed, Meng stubbornly refuses to cooperate with the police. The interrogator, Li An, tries to reason with him, but Meng remains defiant, even expressing regret for not killing Li An when he had the chance. Despite Li An's promises of better treatment until his sentencing, Meng only admits to his own crimes, shouldering all the blame to protect others.
The police, led by Li An, raid Meng Hanchiu's main base of operations, successfully arresting thirty-two suspects and seizing ten kilograms of heroin. The entire armed drug trafficking ring is officially dismantled. For his leadership and success, Chen Qingquan commends all the officers involved and recommends Li An for a personal second-class merit award.
However, a new threat emerges. The provincial department tests ten kilograms of methamphetamine seized earlier from Zhao Shuangxi and finds its purity is an astonishing 85%, a level rarely seen in the country. This is significantly higher than the 60% purity meth found previously in Xu Desheng's smuggled liquor. In response, Chen Qingquan orders a city-wide, thorough investigation into the production and sale of ephedrine, a key precursor chemical.
Wang Hui leads a team to a chemical plant to investigate their ephedrine supply but initially finds nothing unusual. As he is about to leave, he notices a locked, abandoned warehouse. A worker explains it's a neglected area that was sold half a year ago, but the buyer never took possession. Wang Hui finds the warehouse suspiciously clean, as if recently swept. Sensing something is wrong, he calls Lin Qiangfeng for backup.
Chief Chen from the plant unlocks the warehouse for them. Inside, they discover scattered crystal particles, which are sent for analysis. Feng Hao also finds human feces inside a concrete pipe, confirming someone had been staying there. Since the lock was intact, the person must have had a key. Meanwhile, Li An investigates ephedrine manufacturers, focusing on shipping orders to Xigang.
The lab results confirm the crystals from the warehouse are the same high-purity methamphetamine seized from Zhao Shuangxi. Lin Qiangfeng and Li An decide to combine their teams to focus entirely on the chemical plant. During his investigation, Lin learns from Chief Chen that two employees, Lu Shaohua and Wang Lin, have been working night shifts recently, and Lu Shaohua has a key to the abandoned warehouse. Chief Chen also recalls seeing the warehouse lights on one night; when he went to investigate, he was knocked unconscious from behind by Wang Lin.
When questioned, Wang Lin denies the lights were on and claims he mistook Chief Chen for a thief. He then tries to discredit his superior by accusing Chief Chen of being a gambling addict. Lin Qiangfeng's subsequent interview with Lu Shaohua yields no useful information, as Lu's answers are flawless. Digging deeper, Lin learns from Wang Hui that Lu Shaohua was a chemistry award winner in school, initially worked in the plant's lab, and was later transferred to the security department through his father-in-law's connections. His mentor was a man named Deng Jianli.
Panicked by the investigation, Lu Shaohua, Deng Jianli, and Wang Lin burn all their drug-making equipment and materials. Lu reassures a frightened Deng, telling him the police are just doing a routine city-wide check and that Zhao Shuangxi, their connection, is dead. He also gives Deng the money needed for his wife's kidney transplant.
Li An's investigation into sales records reveals a discrepancy in the chemical plant's ephedrine numbers. He questions Deng Jianli, who feigns ignorance about everything. When Li An casually brings up Lu Shaohua, Deng passionately defends him. Soon after, Li An receives a call confirming that three batches of ephedrine were sent from the Donggang manufacturer to Xigang, but the plant's records only show two. This confirms his suspicions, and he sends officers to the hospital to investigate the condition of Deng Jianli's wife.
At the hospital, Deng tells the doctor he no longer wants his wife to have the kidney transplant. Just as the doctor is urging him not to give up such a rare opportunity, his wife's condition suddenly worsens. Despite the medical team's best efforts, she passes away. Lu Shaohua, who was trying to sell his car to help pay for the transplant, receives a call from a distraught Deng. He and Wang Lin rush to the hospital, only to find out it's too late. Lu does his best to console the heartbroken Deng, feeling a deep sense of unease as he watches his grieving mentor.
