Episode Summary
Oufan confesses to being a mole for Luo Bingzhang's syndicate, revealing he was blackmailed into the role. While Luo flees to form a new alliance with the formidable Brother K, Zhou Shaoxiong pressures Lu Shaohua to begin production at a new drug lab. Zhou tests Lu's loyalty with a grim warning after Lu receives a mysterious offer of escape. In response to the new intelligence, the police form a task force led by Li An to pursue Lu Shaohua in Wanbei.
Spoiler Alert
The Narcotic Operation: Episode 23 Spoilers
The episode peels back the layers on how Oufan, a police officer with the anti-drug team, became a mole for Luo Bingzhang's syndicate. Two years prior, Luo's wife, Liang Hongmei, orchestrated a trap for Oufan's gambling-addicted father. Her brothers, Liang Dongping and Liang Dongchao, set him up to lose one million. Liang Hongmei then paid off the debt, and in return, Oufan's father introduced his son to Liang Dongping, forcing Oufan into the role of an informant.
In the present, Zhou Shaoxiong relocates his drug production, bringing chemist Lu Shaohua and his assistants, Wang Lin and Qiu Laibao, to a new base of operations: an amusement park gifted to his daughter, Yun Anna, which has been converted into a heroin processing plant.
Following the death of his brother-in-law, Liang Dongping, a paranoid Luo Bingzhang decides it's time to flee Xigang. He plans to take his wife, Liang Hongmei, and her remaining brother, Liang Dongchao, to seek refuge with the powerful "Brother K." Liang Hongmei is devastated by her brother's death and reluctant to abandon the empire they built, especially her cherished wishing tree. Luo persuades her by promising to rebuild everything and to create a permanent shrine for her deceased brother, emphasizing that capturing Lu Shaohua is the key to their comeback.
Wracked with guilt, Oufan confesses to his colleague Li An that he is the mole. During a formal interrogation with Tan Qinglin and Chen Qingquan, Oufan details his forced recruitment and admits to leaking information on four separate occasions. His first tip-off led to the failure of an operation to arrest Zhao Shuangxi and Lu Shaohua. He also reveals the true identity of the feared "Long Ge" as Luo Bingzhang. As the interrogation continues, Tan Qinglin abruptly leaves, letting Chen Qingquan finish. Based on Oufan's intelligence, a police team led by Ban Dehai and Yang Wei raids one of Luo's hideouts, seizing over 400 jin of drugs and arresting several suspects.
Meanwhile, Luo Bingzhang arrives in Fen'ang Country to meet Brother K, who is aware that Zhou Shaoxiong has already turned Luo away. To earn his place, Luo offers Lu Shaohua as a "gift," promising to deliver the master chemist. Intrigued, Brother K agrees to make Luo his general agent if he can make good on his promise.
Back at the new lab, Lu Shaohua faces immense pressure from Zhou Shaoxiong to fulfill a massive one-hundred-million-yuan order. Lu's attempt to delay by requesting a bigger factory is shut down. The situation intensifies when Zhou brings in "Lao Gui" to supervise the operation. Lu is stunned; Lao Gui was the man who taught him how to make meth, and whom Lu later betrayed to Zhao Shuangxi. Surprisingly, Lao Gui acts cordially. Later, at a dance hall, a female dancer secretly slips Lu a piece of currency with a phone number and a message: "Find me if you want to leave."
The revelation of Oufan's betrayal hits Li An hard, as they were once as close as brothers. As he processes the news, the police receive confirmation that Lu Shaohua and his team are in Wanbei. A new task force is assembled to capture them, with Li An appointed as the leader. Lin Qiangfeng, who spent three years undercover in Wanbei and is wary of corrupt local police, declines to join the main team but agrees to gather intelligence to support Li An's mission.
The episode culminates in a chilling warning for Lu Shaohua. After returning to his heavily guarded residence, he wakes up the next morning to find the dancer from the hall lying dead in his bed, a bloody message from Zhou Shaoxiong testing his loyalty.
