Episode Summary
In this episode, Luo Han sets an elaborate trap using a fake radio and codebook to lure out his enemies. The plan works, cornering Xian Biyun and Gu Yangshan. To protect Gu Yangshan's long-term mission, Xian Biyun sacrifices herself, taking Luo Han down with her in a tragic fall, which Ding Yi witnesses.
Spoiler Alert
The Trap Begins to Close
Gu Yangshan is suddenly back on the scene. This move makes Luo Han deeply paranoid. His immediate reaction is to scrap all the current codebooks. He wants to switch to a completely new set.
On a much better note, Ding Yi and Xian Biyun finally get to see each other. They have an emotional reunion at the base. Their recent missions have been successful. This is mostly thanks to the "Joseph Needham" code that Gu Yangshan provided. He's been stuck on a mountain in Nanjing for four years. But he managed to get intelligence to his old house, which created this opportunity.
A Dangerous Meeting
Gu Yangshan gets home and finds a mysterious package. He opens it carefully. The clothes inside have the Joseph Needham code stitched into them. He instantly guesses it's a message from Ding Yi asking to meet.
He goes to his usual noodle stand. Ding Yi is there, looking serious. He fills Gu Yangshan in on what Meng Jie and Xian Biyun have been doing. The problem is, Luo Han knows all about this meeting. He's just choosing not to act yet. He has his own plan.
Gu Yangshan has spent years studying the code. He finally cracked it completely. He gives the finished codebook to Ding Yi. At the same time, Luo Han is gathering his men. He plans to blow up key targets in Shanghai, like the docks and train stations. Ding Yi intercepts this dangerous plan. He and Xian Biyun decide to impersonate Luo Han. They will use the Joseph Needham code to send a fake message to the Kuomintang.
The Private Radio
While monitoring signals, Gu Yangshan notices a transmission at an unusual time. He learns from one of his contacts that Luo Han has a private radio. He also has a secret codebook that only he knows.
Gu Yangshan uses this information. He corners one of Luo Han's men in an alley. He threatens to report him for the illegal radio unless he hands over the codebook. The man refuses. So, Gu Yangshan kills him and takes the book. He quickly gets a message to Xian Biyun. He warns her about Luo Han's private radio and secret code.
Xian Biyun suspects this could be a deliberate trap by Luo Han. They make a plan. She will go to the location to pick up the new codebook. Ding Yi will stay behind and listen for Luo Han's transmission.
The Abandoned House
The time for Luo Han's scheduled transmission comes and goes. There is only silence. Ding Yi gets a bad feeling. He realizes Gu Yangshan and Xian Biyun are probably in danger. He rushes to find them.
Luo Han managed to escape being tracked earlier. He fled to a back mountain area. Gu Yangshan, out of breath, hands the codebook to Xian Biyun. She looks at it and knows they've been played. It's a fake. This is an encryption key, not the real codebook. Luo Han wanted Gu Yangshan to find out about the radio. It was all a setup to lure them into the open.
Luo Han shows up at an abandoned house and blocks Xian Biyun's escape. He smugly tells his men to go get reinforcements. He boasts that he has finally caught the communists.
No Way Out
They are trapped in the backyard. The tension is thick. Xian Biyun makes a hard choice. She tells Gu Yangshan he has to leave. His mission as a mole inside the Kuomintang is too important. He needs to get the real codebook. She says that as long as Luo Han has no proof they met, he will be safe.
Gu Yangshan follows her order. Before he leaves, he gives her his gun. As he escapes, Gu Yangshan finds Luo Han's subordinate and quietly kills him. But the gunshot reveals his own position. Upstairs, Luo Han and Xian Biyun are already in a fierce gunfight.
From a high vantage point, Gu Yangshan sees that Luo Han has Xian Biyun cornered. He's desperate. He yells at Luo Han, hoping to create a distraction. But we learn something awful. Luo Han had put special bullets in Gu Yangshan's gun. The bullets prove they are working together, even if they aren't in the same spot. Gu Yangshan is too far away to get a clean shot at Luo Han.
Xian Biyun has only one bullet left. To protect Gu Yangshan's cover, she makes the ultimate sacrifice. She shoots herself. As she falls from the building, she grabs Luo Han and pulls him down with her.
Ding Yi arrives at that exact moment. He sees Xian Biyun die right in front of him. He is completely broken. Gu Yangshan sees him and signals for him to run before anyone else arrives.
