Episode Summary
In this episode, the police capture Liu Gang after he attempts to mislead them with a decoy. His confession reveals the operational structure of the trafficking ring and the fact that the real "Brother Cripple" remains at large. In parallel, a corporate deal inadvertently leads the police to Mu Zhenliang, whose adopted son is confirmed to be the long-missing Luo Xiaoyu, who was taken based on a superstitious belief.
Spoiler Alert
Sword Rose Episode 29: The Decoy and the Discovery
The episode opens with the police closing in on Liu Gang. At Ai Xin's instruction, Zhen Ni calls Liu Gang and asks him to pick her up in Ake Valley. While the tech department successfully tracks his phone heading to the location, the police ambush only manages to capture his subordinate. Liu Gang, ever suspicious, had anticipated a police trap. He switched cars with his subordinate, deliberately leaving his phone behind to create a diversion.
However, Xiao Wenjin uses surveillance footage to pinpoint Liu Gang's real movements, and Deng Yan dispatches a team led by Yang Jiajia to pursue him. In a separate operation, the police locate and swiftly arrest another suspect, Fei Yan.
The chase for Liu Gang leads Chang Rui, Yang Jiajia, and Feng Junjie to an abandoned house. They subdue a man inside, only to realize it's an imposter. A quick search reveals that the real Liu Gang escaped up a ladder behind the house and fled into the mountains. Xiao Wenjin sends reinforcements with Deng Yan in charge. In a clever move, they use the captured Fei Yan as bait, successfully luring Liu Gang out and arresting him.
During interrogation, Liu Gang is furious to learn that Zhen Ni identified him as the infamous child trafficker "Brother Cripple," and he defiantly admits to it. However, when presented with photos of abducted children, he knows nothing. Pressured by Yan Lei, Liu Gang finally confesses the truth: he is not the real Brother Cripple. He explains that a man named Xiao Wu was a mole placed by his side by the real mastermind, whom he has never met and only contacted by phone. Years ago, Brother Cripple tasked Liu Gang with "sourcing" the children and Zhou Hongcai with transporting them. After Zhou Hongcai was arrested on two separate occasions, the real Brother Cripple went completely underground, instructing Liu Gang to continue the operation under his name. Liu Gang then confesses to all the crimes he has committed over the years.
Meanwhile, a corporate drama unfolds. Ye Xiuming is desperately seeking investors to relieve financial pressure on his Shencheng tech branch of the Dingshun Group. Wu Bin recommends a Hong Kong investor, Mu Zhenliang, but he is only interested in the parent company. Fang Zilin sees that the investor is forcing Ye Xiuming to spin off the tech branch. Unwilling to burden the parent company, Ye Xiuming agrees, handing over full control of Dingshun Group to Fang Zilin and Wu Bin, who becomes the new chairman.
The two storylines collide when it's revealed that Deng Yan has long suspected Mu Zhenliang's adopted son, Mu Haobo, is actually the abducted Luo Xiaoyu. When Mu Zhenliang and his son arrive in Linshan to sign the contract with Wu Bin, Deng Yan sends Ai Xin and Chang Rui to the hotel to question him. Mu Zhenliang denies that his son is adopted and dismisses them. Chang Rui discreetly arranges for a cleaner to collect trash from their room to obtain a DNA sample. At the same time, Luo Xiaoyu's sister, Luo Xiaoxing, sees Mu Haobo on a TV news report and is convinced he is her brother.
As Ye Xiuming's problems worsen with a critical data leak that ruins his project and loses the company's investment, the truth in Linshan comes to light. The DNA test confirms that Mu Haobo and Luo Xiaoxing are siblings. Just as Mu Zhenliang and his son are preparing to return to Hong Kong, Deng Yan, Yan Lei, and Luo Xiaoxing confront them with the irrefutable proof. Cornered, Mu Zhenliang confesses everything. Years ago, a fortune teller told him that adopting a boy with two moles on the sole of his foot would bring him immense business prosperity, leading him to the abducted child.
