Episode Summary
Following a record-breaking twelve-ton meth seizure, police form a special task force. The investigation leads them to an abandoned factory, but the case seems too straightforward for officer Lin Qiangfeng, who suspects the supposedly deceased drug lord Lu Shaohua is still alive. Meanwhile, Lu Shaohua is revealed to be living under a new identity as a legitimate businessman. When news of the seizure reaches him, he plots to use a subordinate as a scapegoat. Lin Qiangfeng finds a candy wrapper at the crime scene—Lu's favorite brand—confirming his suspicions and setting the stage for a renewed manhunt.
Spoiler Alert
"The Narcotic Operation" Episode 28: The Ghost's Favorite Candy
The episode kicks off with the intense interrogation of two brothers, He Sheng and He Yongli. Under pressure from Zhang Kui, He Sheng cracks and reveals the drugs belong to his boss, Xiang Fu. But when the police raid Xiang Fu's home, they find it empty; he has already vanished.
The case escalates dramatically with the seizure of twelve tons of exceptionally pure methamphetamine in Xinzhou. The purity is an astonishing ninety-eight percent, and it's entirely chemically synthesized, a new and alarming development. The Southeast Provincial Government takes this matter extremely seriously, establishing the "11·3 Task Force" led by top officials Zhao Zhenhai and Tan Zhenlin. During the initial briefing, forensics expert Zhu Yan makes a critical observation: she knows of only one person in the world capable of producing meth of this quality—Lu Shaohua. The problem is, Lu Shaohua is officially dead, killed during a police operation in Wanbei. The immediate suspicion is that someone has inherited his advanced techniques.
The investigation into Xiang Fu reveals he's a small-time computer salesman with a minor record for smuggling alcohol and tobacco in the nineties, but no history of drug trafficking. He only rented the warehouses where the drugs were found late last year, putting He Yongli in charge. Meanwhile, a separate interrogation of He Yongli provides the task force with its first solid lead: the transport vehicles all had license plates from Jinchuan City in the northern Ningbei Province. The owner is traced to a man named Ma Dexian.
The Ningbei police are alerted and act swiftly. Ha Hong, the head of the Jinchuan anti-drug squad, personally leads the team to arrest Ma Dexian. Under questioning, Ma admits the drugs were loaded at the Hualin Biological Products Factory. But by the time police arrive, the factory is completely deserted. The Jinchuan police, unfamiliar with meth production, are at a loss.
While the main task force inspects the abandoned factory, officer Lin Qiangfeng, who has long harbored a gut feeling that Lu Shaohua is still alive, decides to re-interrogate Ma Dexian. He believes the story is too simple. Ma's confession that he transported twelve tons of meth—worth a staggering three hundred million—on three separate trips, alone and with no escort, seems unbelievable to Lin. He suspects it's a deliberate misdirection by the real mastermind.
The scene then shifts, revealing Lin's suspicions to be correct. Lu Shaohua is alive and well, living under the alias Lin Bin, a respectable overseas Chinese businessman in Guzhu County. He has established a legitimate-looking company, Binbin Biotechnology, and at its grand opening, he schmoozes with local government officials, including the county mayor, Song Jie. Lu has created an elaborate cover, investing millions in a yew tree plantation and promising to create thousands of jobs by producing anti-cancer health products.
His charade is interrupted when his associate, Ma Yingzi, pulls him aside with urgent news: their twelve-ton shipment to Xinzhou has been seized. Lu is furious, not at the police, but at his underling Xiang Fu, whose dispute over warehouse rent delayed the shipment to their client, "Brother K" Xie Guohao. Lu quickly formulates a plan, deciding to send his partner Luo Bingzhang to Fen'ang Country to explain the situation to Brother K, effectively setting Luo up as the fall guy.
Back at the Hualin factory, Lin Qiangfeng's instincts pay off. While inspecting the site, he notices several sewage pools and orders them to be dredged. From the sludge, his team pulls out a candy wrapper for "Daxiaosu" (Big Prawn Crispy Candy). Lin knows this is Lu Shaohua's favorite, a small but undeniable personal signature. He looks to the sky and laughs, finally having proof that his nemesis is alive.
In the episode's closing moments, Lu Shaohua's cunning is further revealed. He dispatches Ma Yingzi to Fen'ang Country on the same flight as Luo Bingzhang, instructing her to spread the news of the seizure far and wide, turning the police bust into a massive advertisement for the unparalleled quality of his product. A flashback reveals how he faked his death two years ago: after surviving an explosion that killed another criminal, he had a doctor remove one of his own kneecaps to be planted at the scene, creating a perfect illusion. The episode ends with Ha Hong, now fully aware of the ghost he's hunting, vowing to find Lu Shaohua and handing Lin Qiangfeng a piece of the tell-tale candy.
