Episode Summary
Wanted fugitive Zhou Hongcai is captured by the police after luring Auntie Zhang into a trap. While being transported, a staged truck accident kills both Zhou Hongcai and his police escort, Yin Jiansheng. The incident is ruled a deliberate murder to silence Zhou, prompting the formation of a special task force. As the team mourns their fallen colleague, the traffickers behind the murder, led by Liu Gang and the mysterious "Brother Cripple," begin plotting a new scheme involving finding a young girl for a desperate businessman.
Spoiler Alert
On the run from the police, a desperate Zhou Hongcai turns to Liu Gang for help, only to be betrayed. Liu Gang, far from offering aid, sends his subordinate Xiao Wu to kidnap him. In a daring move, Zhou Hongcai escapes by leaping out of a window. With no options left, he devises a cruel plan to get money. He calls Auntie Zhang, lying that he knows the whereabouts of Lin Ranran. He initially demands 100,000 yuan but settles for 10,000, instructing her to bring the cash alone to the Qingcheng Road bus station.
Auntie Zhang, believing his story, takes the money from her shop and hails a taxi. Her hurried departure is noticed by Luo Xiaoxing, who quickly follows and manages to get the taxi's license plate number. Luo Xiaoxing immediately calls Deng Yan, who has Yang Jiajia track the vehicle's location.
As Zhou Hongcai waits at the bus station, planning his escape to a town called Xingtang, the police close in. Deng Yan, Chang Rui, and Yin Jiansheng arrive just as Auntie Zhang hands over the money. They swiftly arrest Zhou Hongcai, and Deng Yan is tasked with safely escorting the distraught Auntie Zhang home.
The situation takes a tragic turn while Chang Rui and Yin Jiansheng are transporting Zhou Hongcai to the Anti-trafficking Office. Their car's tire is punctured by a nail on the road, forcing them to stop. With no cell signal, Chang Rui ventures out to find help, leaving Yin Jiansheng to guard the suspect. Suddenly, a large truck appears and rams their car, sending it plummeting off a cliff. Chang Rui hears the crash and rushes back to a horrific scene: Zhou Hongcai is dead, the truck driver has vanished, and Yin Jiansheng is covered in blood. Chang Rui frantically calls Han Liang to report the incident.
Despite the medical team's best efforts, Yin Jiansheng succumbs to his severe injuries at the hospital. His wife collapses from grief, comforted by Yang Jiajia and Yan Lei. The news devastates Deng Yan, who is left stunned and speechless. The entire Anti-trafficking Office mourns the loss of their colleague, with Chang Rui consumed by guilt and self-blame. The police quickly determine the crash was no accident but a deliberate murder, as the truck was reported stolen a month prior. A special task force is established to investigate, with Han Liang appointed as its leader.
The killer, Xiao Wu, reports back to Liu Gang, who is furious that a police officer was killed in the process and orders him to go into hiding. Chang Rui, desperate for justice, repeatedly requests to join the task force but is denied by Han Liang, who tells him to focus on his regular duties. Undeterred, Chang Rui begins his own investigation at the crash site. He discovers that the truck had refueled three times in the vicinity, concluding that the driver had meticulously planned the attack with Zhou Hongcai as the intended target.
Meanwhile, Han Liang informs his superior, Xiao Wenjin, that Deng Yan has been cleared of the bribery allegations against her; an investigation proved that the 80,000 yuan found in her wardrobe was planted. Xiao Wenjin instructs Han Liang to reinstate her immediately. Later, at Yin Jiansheng's grave, Deng Yan encounters Chang Rui. He reassures her of her innocence and expresses his belief that Zhou Hongcai was silenced to stop him from talking, a sign that the human traffickers are growing desperate.
The conspiracy deepens as a new plot is introduced. Businessman Ye Xiuming is facing a financial crisis and pressures his vice president, Wu Bin, to secure a deal with Fu Haochen. Wu Bin proposes a sinister plan: since Fu Haochen's wife is in a state of mental distress following the death of their daughter, Wenwen, they should find a young girl to "replace" her. They believe that curing the wife's "sickness" will solve their business problems.
The network of criminals is further revealed when a figure known as Brother Cripple reprimands Liu Gang for the botched hit that killed a cop. Liu Gang, who fears he might be eliminated by Brother Cripple, agrees to find a girl for their new scheme, hoping to uncover his boss's true identity in the process.
