Episode Summary
An attempt to arrest Liu Wanchun goes wrong when a sniper kills the lead Japanese officer, Morita Saburo. In the ensuing chaos, Liu Wanchun is wounded and sacrifices himself to save Lu Changshan. The group's cover is blown, and they are ordered by their superior, Instructor Wang, to lay low. Gao Yunhu volunteers for a new mission to retrieve a vital cipher book from Songlin Town. Meanwhile, Xiao Tielin, fearing his opium business will be exposed, rushes to sell his tavern. His subordinate, Zhao Qingtian, reports him to the Japanese, while the Japanese commander, Kawano, also decides to head to Songlin Town to investigate a new lead.
Spoiler Alert
The Long Way Back: Episode 27 Recap
The Teahouse Job Goes Wrong
A Sniper and a Sacrifice
The episode kicks off with Morita Saburo heading to a teahouse. He's there to arrest Liu Wanchun. But a sniper, Li Zhenghao, is already set up on a nearby roof. He takes out Morita with a single shot. All hell breaks loose. In the chaos, Fuqing and Gao Yunhu try to create a diversion for an escape. It doesn't go smoothly. Liu Wanchun gets hit.
Lu Changshan manages to grab the wounded Liu Wanchun and get him away from the immediate firefight. They run, but they end up in a dead-end alley. They have nowhere to go. Lu Changshan forces open a door to a nearby house so they can hide. It’s a short-lived solution. The Japanese puppet police follow the blood trail right to their hiding spot. Liu Wanchun knows he's a liability. He tells Lu Changshan to run. He then provides cover fire, sacrificing himself so Lu Changshan can escape. Liu Wanchun is shot and killed.
A Clever Escape
Gao Yunhu and Wan Fuqing are still trying to get out of the city lockdown. They manage to kill one of the puppet policemen. Gao Yunhu gets an idea. He strips the uniform off the dead officer and puts it on. He then pretends to be a policeman arresting Wan Fuqing. This clever disguise gets them through the heavily controlled streets.
Lu Changshan isn't so lucky. He's trying to blend in, but he's almost caught. Just as he's about to be arrested, Tang Deyuan happens to be passing by. Tang Deyuan spots him and immediately steps in. He lies to the police, claiming Lu Changshan is just a worker from his tavern sent to buy vegetables. The lie works. The police let Lu Changshan go. Tang Deyuan watches him walk away, and you can tell he's got a lot on his mind.
Cleaning Up the Mess
Xiao Tielin Sells Out
Xiao Tielin is in full-on panic mode. He finds out that Kawano had Morita Saburo watching his tavern. He's terrified his illegal opium business is about to be exposed. His first move is to tell Tang Deyuan to sell the tavern immediately.
Tang Deyuan finds a potential buyer named Boss Shao. Shao thinks the price is too high. Tang tells him to talk directly to Xiao Tielin. Xiao doesn't just refuse to lower the price. He doubles it. But he sweetens the deal by promising to include his entire secret stash of opium.
A Risky New Mission
Lu Changshan, Gao Yunhu, and Wan Fuqing make it to a secret resistance base. They report to Instructor Wang and tell him about Liu Wanchun's death. Wang tells them the obvious. Their cover is completely blown. They are ordered to stay at the safe house and not contact Tang Deyuan.
Lu Changshan still thinks they can win Tang Deyuan over. Instructor Wang disagrees. He thinks it's too dangerous. He gives a new order. If Tang Deyuan won't cooperate, he must be eliminated. Lu Changshan and the others can't bring themselves to do it. So, Instructor Wang says he will send someone else to handle the job.
Before he died, Liu Wanchun passed on a critical piece of information. There is a contact point in Songlin Town. That contact has a cipher book needed to communicate with their main headquarters in Yan'an. Gao Yunhu immediately volunteers for the mission to retrieve it.
The Walls Close In
A Snake in the Ranks
With Morita Saburo dead, Kawano puts a new man, Hayaki, in charge of his unit. This creates an opportunity for Zhao Qingtian, the head of the Economic Security Section. He goes straight to Hayaki and reports Xiao Tielin for illegally dealing opium. Hayaki is furious. He orders Zhao Qingtian to monitor Xiao Tielin's every move.
Xiao Tielin figures out that Zhao Qingtian snitched on him. He's too scared to even leave the police station, worried his enemies will kill him on the street. He calls Tang Deyuan and tells him to speed up the sale of the tavern and the opium. They bring Boss Shao to the police station. They finalize the deal for 128 gold bars.
A Race to Songlin Town
Kawano starts his own investigation into the now-dead Liu Wanchun. He discovers that Liu was active in Songlin Town. He also finds out Liu's fiancée, an actress named Xiao Hong Zao, is there. Kawano decides to go to Songlin Town himself to investigate.
The race is on. Gao Yunhu arrives in Songlin Town first. He finds his old shop, Yunhu Mountain Goods, is still standing. He then heads to a tavern run by Da Kuo Zhi. She is shocked but thrilled to see him. She immediately tells her staff to close the tavern for the night.
