Episode Summary
In this episode, the police hunt for the mysterious "Dragon," who gets away only to be kidnapped by a rival crew. We learn the tragic history between veteran cop Tu Hongjiang and the villain San Ma Hu, which is deeply connected to Zhan Peng's father. Dragon is forced into a deal with his kidnappers, while a new lead from a fake ID forger connects all the dots back to Gao Si's killer.
Spoiler Alert
The Hunt for a Ghost
The episode kicks off with the cops trying to track down this "Long Xing Tian Xia" guy. I'm just going to call him Dragon. It's easier. Zhang Nanyi is the hero of the hour here. He painstakingly goes through security footage. He manages to sync up the camera time with Gao Si's chats. This gives him a visual on Dragon and a good guess at where he's hiding out.
So, the team goes to investigate. They literally bump into Dragon on their way in. He sees the police, panics, and makes a run for it. He's slippery and actually manages to lose Zhan Peng and the others. But just as he thinks he's clear, a van screeches to a halt. A guy named Hua Long jumps out and just knocks Dragon unconscious. So much for that escape.
A History of Violence
Later, Zhan Peng takes Tu Hongjiang out for a meal. He wants to know the history between Tu and the crime boss, San Ma Hu. Tu opens up about his past. When he was a rookie cop, he got played by pickpockets and felt humiliated. He ended up learning the trade from an old master to get better at his job.
It turns out San Ma Hu was another one of the old man's students. After their master died, San Ma Hu went completely off the rails. In their last confrontation, Tu Hongjiang broke San Ma Hu's leg. In a brutal act of revenge, San Ma Hu murdered Tu's wife.
This is when Zhan Peng drops a bomb of his own. He reveals his father was Zhang Yaohua.Tu Hongjiang is stunned. He realizes Zhan Peng is the son of his old master. That night, Tu looks at a photo of Zhang Yaohua, calls him "Master," and promises to protect his son.
A New Job Offer
Dragon wakes up in a fancy club owned by San Ma Hu. He's not happy. The first thing he does is find the guy who hit him and pays him back. Then, two of San Ma Hu's people, Bing A Dou and Bai Taohua, give him the VIP treatment. They wine him and dine him.
Dragon cuts to the chase and asks what they want. Bai Taohua, who is apparently a skilled fighter, easily takes him down. She tells him they want him to join their crew for a big score. Dragon knows he's outmatched. So he pulls up his pant leg to reveal explosives strapped to his body. He threatens to take them all with him.
Bing A Dou quickly smooths things over. He apologizes and even returns Dragon's wallet, which he had lifted earlier. He offers a deal instead. They want a 20% cut of Dragon's next job. Dragon doesn't have much choice, so he agrees.
The Final Piece
Han Xin is finally recovered and back at work. She's a natural when it comes to digging into details. She examines Dragon's fake IDs and spots a connection. The style of the fake ID matches one from a previous fraud case. The forger uses a specific hand-carving technique, which really narrows down the search.
Han Xin tracks down the forger, a man named Hu Yidao. He admits he made the ID but says he only dealt with the client over the phone. The person also wore a mask. Based on his description, the police create a sketch. Han Xin takes one look at the drawing and recognizes the face. It's the man who murdered Gao Si.
