Episode Summary
Han Xu escapes from Chen Yaxin's clutches and, through his own investigation, confirms that the mysterious person who aided his escape is the same man who posed as a prison guard. A chance encounter with a local dialect triggers a critical flashback, causing him to realize that his memory of Xiao Wu might be a complete fabrication, hiding another man's true identity.
Spoiler Alert
Episode 12 of Hide Games begins right in the middle of the chaos at the pier. Before Han Xu can even see the face of the dead person, cops swarm the area, their flashlights blinding him as they demand to know who the victim is. The shock is too much, and he blacks out, falling straight into the sea.
He wakes up in a strange but familiar place: Chen Yaxin's old family house. A young girl named Nuonuo is there, dangling a small bell pendant she says was a gift from her father. Chen Yaxin comes over, all concerned, asking if he's okay. But Han Xu isn't buying it anymore. He's deeply suspicious and flat-out asks if she's someone he can trust. Meanwhile, we see Chief Zhou and Wang Jian watching this entire exchange on a monitor. Wang Jian worries that their last move was too sloppy, but Zhou coldly shuts him down, reminding him who's really in charge of the plan.
Just as Chen Yaxin gets ready to try and hypnotize Han Xu again, he makes his move. He leaps out of a window and escapes. The first thing he does is call the mysterious person he's been in touch with, vowing that he will find them. His next stop is a phone repair shop, where he asks the owner to do everything possible to recover a critical audio file. After that, he sneaks into Zhang Ahua's apartment. Using some software she had, he runs a voiceprint comparison. He gets a direct hit: the mystery man's voice is a perfect match for the guy in a prison guard uniform who helped him escape.
Now on the run, Han Xu checks into a remote, rundown hotel. He starts mapping out the entire case on his room wall, writing down the names of everyone involved, trying to connect the dots. He's hitting a dead end until he overhears a conversation in a distinct dialect outside his door. That sound triggers a memory—Xiao Wu once told him he hadn't spoken his local dialect in a very long time. In that instant, Han Xu has an intense flashback. The image of the young, admiring Xiao Wu he knew begins to transform into the face of a completely different man he doesn't recognize at all.
