Episode Summary
The police successfully raid the traffickers' new hideout in a villa complex, arresting most of the gang, but the leader, Qingpi, escapes. The manhunt for Qingpi leads to a shocking personal revelation for Officer Chang Rui. Meanwhile, the focus shifts to the rescued victims, as one girl's tragic backstory leads to the discovery of her true identity and a bittersweet reunion with her biological family.
Spoiler Alert
Sword Rose Episode 11: The Net Closes In
The episode kicks off with the trafficking ring in disarray. After the Anti-trafficking Office raided their last location, the ringleader, Qingpi, has moved the captive women to a secluded, high-end villa complex. The move spooks their clientele, drying up their income and leaving Qingpi's underlings restless and frustrated. His associate, Chen Amo, suggests luring some high-rollers to the new spot, but a paranoid Qingpi, fearing a police trap, shuts the idea down.
The police, led by Deng Yan, decide to use one of their captured clients as bait to smoke out the traffickers. The client makes a call to Chen Amo, who agrees to pick him up that evening. As Chen Amo drives the client, who is blindfolded as per their usual routine, he's tailed by officers Chang Rui and Yan Lei. To avoid detection, they take turns following the vehicle, while Deng Yan and Yang Jiajia monitor their movements with a tracking device.
Their surveillance hits a snag when a car accident blocks the road. Yan Lei, stuck in traffic, watches helplessly as Chen Amo's car takes a sudden right turn. He quickly calls for backup, and Chang Rui manages to pick up the trail. Yang Jiajia's tracker confirms their destination: the upscale Mangshan Villa area. Deng Yan immediately mobilizes the Anti-trafficking Office to converge on the location.
Chen Amo leads the client into Villa 12 and, after taking his phone, ushers him into a room with one of the women. Moments later, police storm the villa. As they round up the traffickers, Deng Yan and Yang Jiajia focus on freeing the imprisoned women. In the ensuing chaos, Qingpi manages to slip away, forcing Chen Amo to act as a decoy. Chang Rui arrests Chen Amo, but Yang Jiajia quickly confirms he is not the real Qingpi. Under interrogation, Chen Amo refuses to give up his boss's whereabouts.
Undeterred, Deng Yan has Yang Jiajia scan all vehicles that left the villa complex during the raid. They quickly identify Qingpi's car and trace its route to the base of Baiwu Mountain. Arriving at the scene, they find the car abandoned, with a container of Qingpi's favorite salted duck eggs inside—a clear sign he was there.
Meanwhile, a desperate Qingpi hitches a ride and calls his contact, Brother Fei, who reports the situation to their boss. The boss instructs Brother Fei to take care of Qingpi and then lay low. Back at the station, Yang Jiajia uncovers Qingpi's real name: Wang Guangqing. The name floors Chang Rui; years ago, his police officer father, Chang Yongjun, died while saving a young Wang Guangqing from drowning. The revelation that his father sacrificed his life for a man who would become a notorious human trafficker leaves Chang Rui devastated.
With a warrant out for his arrest, a cornered Wang Guangqing (Qingpi) calls Brother Fei for help. Brother Fei picks him up and hides him in the trunk, successfully getting him past a police checkpoint. He takes him to a secluded house deep in the woods and provides him with fake documents and some cash, telling him to leave by boat the following week. When Qingpi complains the money is insufficient, Brother Fei refuses to give him more. Qingpi threatens to expose him, which infuriates Brother Fei, who gives him a severe beating before leaving him stranded.
The episode also follows the victims' harrowing recovery. Zheng Weiwei, now awake in the hospital, is overcome with despair and attempts suicide, but is stopped by the timely arrival of Deng Yan and Yang Jiajia. In another storyline, they visit a shelter to check on a girl named Pingjiao, who is in a fragile mental state. Pingjiao reveals a childhood of horrific abuse by her adoptive parents, who named her "Zhaodi" (a name meaning "beckon for a brother") and treated her as a servant. She eventually ran away, only to be captured by traffickers.
Deng Yan and Chang Rui accompany Pingjiao to confront her adoptive family. They refuse to take her back, and her father admits they bought her from a man years ago. This new information allows Yang Jiajia to search the database for missing children, where she finally discovers Pingjiao's true identity: her name is Bai Xiujing, and her father is Bai Shengquan. Deng Yan takes her to her home village for a reunion. She is welcomed by her tearful father, but the joy is short-lived. Pingjiao discovers that her biological mother was so traumatized by her daughter's abduction that she has been mentally unstable ever since, bringing the episode to a heartbreaking conclusion.
