Episode Summary
In this episode, the police uncover that the wealthy Zhen Ni is actually Wan Guizhi, a former trafficking victim who has become a perpetrator. After a dramatic international rescue of 20 women, Zhen Ni is arrested. During a tense interrogation, she is emotionally broken by a video of her parents and falsely identifies her accomplice, Liu Gang, as the mastermind "Brother Cripple." As the police mobilize to capture Liu Gang based on this new lead, he flees toward the border, with the team setting a trap to intercept him.
Spoiler Alert
The episode opens on a personal, somber note as Auntie Zhang, having been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, makes the difficult decision to move into a nursing home. She is determined not to become a burden to Deng Yan and Luo Xiaoxing, who reluctantly accept her choice after failing to persuade her otherwise.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the trafficking ring intensifies on multiple fronts. When Tong Xiaoling's parents disappear from their guesthouse, Yan Lei and Feng Junjie find them sheltering under a bridge, trying to stay out of the way. On Deng Yan's orders, they are given a safe place to stay at the Reunion Diner. The focus then shifts to the enigmatic Zhen Ni. Surveillance by Yang Jiajia and Ai Xin reveals her lavish lifestyle—a yoga studio, a fully-paid luxury apartment, and a taste for designer goods—all seemingly beyond her known means. Deng Yan’s investigation uncovers a crucial fact: the real Zhen Ni moved overseas in 1995. This imposter, as Chang Rui discovers, has had plastic surgery. This leads the team to dig deeper, and Yang Jiajia makes a breakthrough: a pre-surgery photo of Zhen Ni is a perfect match for Wan Guizhi, a girl who was trafficked years ago. Ai Xin recalls the girl's mother insisting she had seen her daughter, leading to the chilling theory that Wan Guizhi has transformed from a victim into a criminal. To confirm this, Feng Junjie cleverly retrieves Zhen Ni's DNA from a discarded milk tea cup.
The case takes an international turn when Zou Yuhuai, with the help of Ruan Meiyu and local police in Qinmang Country, successfully rescues twenty trafficked young women. He also manages to photograph the gang's leader, "Ah Tai." Yang Jiajia identifies Ah Tai as Fei Yan, a subordinate of the notorious "Brother Cripple" who had fled the country. With this connection established, Xiao Wenjin gives the order to arrest Zhen Ni, and she is apprehended by Ai Xin and Yan Lei just as she prepares to flee.
Following the successful rescue, Tong Xiaoling and Ruan Meiyu are brought back and have emotional reunions with their families at the Reunion Diner. At the same time, the police are closing in on another suspect, Liu Gang, after Deng Yan spotted him in a photo that a previous suspect had swallowed. The real "Brother Cripple," whose identity is revealed to the audience as Wu Bin, calls Liu Gang, urging him to escape Linshan and head for the border.
During interrogation, the tech department confirms Zhen Ni is indeed Wan Guizhi. She confesses to kidnapping Tang Zhikui and Congcong but refuses to speak about Liu Gang or Brother Cripple. Deng Yan and Chang Rui suspect she has been brainwashed. In a second interrogation, they show Zhen Ni a video of her destitute parents, who are still desperately searching for her. This shatters the lie Liu Gang had told her—that her parents had sold her. Her psychological defenses crumble, and she makes a shocking confession: Liu Gang was the one who trafficked her, and he is the infamous Brother Cripple.
As the police act on this information and rush to capture Liu Gang, he has already vanished, destroying all his files. Unaware that the police now believe he is the mastermind, Liu Gang heads for the border, where Fei Yan is set to meet him. The episode concludes with Han Liang setting up a dragnet at all border crossings to Qinmang Country, while Ai Xin instructs Zhen Ni to call Liu Gang and stall for time, setting the stage for a tense confrontation.
