Episode Summary
Luo Bingzhang confesses to a past murder, while the main target, drug lord Lu Shaohua, executes a complex escape plan. He uses his associate Ma Yingzi as a primary decoy, leading to her arrest, and then turns his unsuspecting wife, Wu Yanping, into a mobile tracker by planting his phone on her. While the police chase his false trails, Lu and his right-hand man, Wang Lin, go into hiding in a pre-planned, fortified shelter. The episode ends with the police receiving a tip that reveals his exact location.
Spoiler Alert
"The Narcotic Operation" Episode 31: The Net Closes In
The episode opens with a major breakthrough for the police. Lin Qiangfeng confronts the captured Luo Bingzhang, recounting the brutal murder of undercover officer Li Baichuan, whose body was dismembered and hidden in a fish tank. Hearing the story told from Li Baichuan's perspective, and with Li An's persuasion—promising he could be buried with his beloved Liang Hongmei—Luo Bingzhang's defenses completely crumble, and he confesses through tears.
Meanwhile, the primary target, Lu Shaohua, is meticulously planning his escape. He sends off a foreign contact, Gonzalez, with a gift of chili sauce that hides a new drug sample for a man named Guste. With his face now on wanted posters, Lu agrees to a plan with his associate, Ma Yingzi, to flee to Fen'ang Country. He instructs her to book tickets while he arranges for his subordinate, Wang Lin, to move their entire drug stash from a warehouse that very night.
Lu Shaohua's plan is a web of deception. After packing a suitcase full of cash and promising his wife, Wu Yanping, that he will send for her soon, he sets his scheme in motion. He tricks a driver, Wei Fu, into transporting the drugs to a remote location, creating a decoy for the police. He then swaps his phone's SIM card to cover his tracks.
The police, led by Zhao Zhenhai and Lin Qiangfeng, are hot on his trail, acting on a tip that Lu was seen in Yugui City. Lu's plan to escape with Ma Yingzi hits a snag at the airport when she is recognized and promptly arrested.
Forced to improvise, Lu immediately contacts Wang Lin, who is escorting Wu Yanping out of the city. He meets them on the Yugui expressway and executes his backup plan. He forces a reluctant Wu Yanping onto a long-distance bus to Xigang, telling her to find his brother, Lu Shaodong. Unbeknownst to her, he secretly plants his own cell phone in her bag, turning her into an unwitting decoy for the police to track. He also reminds her of a key to an apartment in Lvteng, where he has stashed a large sum of money for her.
With Wu Yanping on her way, Lu sends two other men in a different direction to create another false trail, before disappearing with Wang Lin.
The police now have Ma Yingzi in custody. During interrogation, she initially mocks Lin Qiangfeng for his inability to catch Lu. However, when Lin brings up her son, her resolve breaks, and she agrees to cooperate in exchange for seeing him one last time. She confesses everything about Lu's operations, including the fact that he uses three different phones.
The decoys begin to pay off for Lu, but also unravel. The truck driver, Wei Fu, realizes he's been set up and calls the police, who confirm the truck was a diversion. The police then track the phone Lu planted on Wu Yanping. Tragically, she suffers a miscarriage on the bus due to extreme stress and is taken to a hospital. It is there that Li An finds her. Li An reveals the crushing truth to Wu Yanping: not only was she a pawn in Lu's escape, but Lu was also married to Ma Yingzi.
Despite the chaos and misdirection, Lin Qiangfeng, who has been hunting Lu for five years, remains convinced that the cunning drug lord has not fled far.He believes Lu is a master manipulator who uses everyone around him as a chess piece and would choose to hide close by.Lin deduces that Lu is still somewhere in Guzhu County.
Just as the police feel they've hit a dead end, they find Lu's abandoned car near the expressway. At the same time, a critical tip comes in: Lu Shaohua and Wang Lin are hiding in an abandoned air-raid shelter in Guzhu County. Lu had prepared the hideout well in advance, stocking it with a month's worth of supplies and bricking up the entrance, leaving only a small, hidden opening facing the sea. The net has finally closed.
