Episode Summary
Zhu Feng is captured after a failed escape and attempts to take her own life by swallowing jewelry. Gu Zhengwen transports her to Taiwan for interrogation. Li Qing, now holding the crucial intelligence, manages to warn Wu Shi before being put under house arrest. The stress causes Wu Shi to collapse. Meanwhile, another key agent, Cai Xiaoqian, is captured due to his own carelessness and, under psychological pressure from Gu, betrays the entire network, leading to mass arrests.
Spoiler Alert
The Trap Closes on Zhu Feng
The episode kicks off right where we left off. Li Qing tries to create a diversion for Zhu Feng. She shoots herself in the arm. It's a bold move, but it doesn't work.
Zhu Feng knows the game is up. She can't escape. She gives Li Qing two critical items. One is the microfilm with all the intelligence. The other is a pocket watch, a special token for their group. She then tries to take her own life. But her gun is empty. Li Qing wrestles with her to stop her.
Just then, Gu Zhengwen and his men arrive. He sees the whole chaotic scene. He orders his men to arrest Zhu Feng. Then he tells them to take the "injured" Li Qing to the hospital. He's playing a very careful game here.
A Desperate Attempt and a Flight to Taiwan
Swallowing Gold
Gu Zhengwen visits Li Qing in the hospital. He acts all concerned, but you and I know it's an act. His real focus is on Zhu Feng. He has her locked in a military prison on Zhoushan.
Zhu Feng is trapped. She tries everything she can think of to end her own life. Nothing works. So she resorts to something truly awful. She swallows her own gold and silver jewelry. The guards find her unconscious when they bring her food.
Gu Zhengwen is furious. He needs her alive for interrogation. He rushes her to a local hospital, but the doctors there can't do anything. The equipment is too basic. Gu forces a doctor named Gu Sunmou onto a plane. His orders are simple. Keep Zhu Feng alive on the flight to Taiwan.
A Parting Glance
Gu Zhengwen is impatient. He can't wait for the special plane he was promised. He hijacks a military transport plane meant for wounded soldiers. The plane is crowded. There aren't enough seats. Li Qing "volunteers" to stay behind and wait for the next flight.
As guards carry Zhu Feng onto the plane, she manages to open her eyes. She gives Li Qing one last, meaningful look. The message is clear. Li Qing now carries the entire weight of the mission.
The Bad News Spreads
A Coded Call
Back in Taiwan, Wu Shi is pacing. He hasn't heard from Zhu Feng. He knows something is wrong. Nie Xi is there, trying to keep him calm.
Meanwhile, Gu Zhengwen has put Li Qing under house arrest. She has guards on her 24/7. But she finds a way out. She slips out a window and gets to a military phone. She tries calling Nie Xi's office, but nobody picks up.
Her next call is a huge risk. She phones Wu Shi's office. An adjutant answers, but Wu Shi walks in right then. Li Qing asks for Nie Xi. Wu Shi gets him on the line and sends the adjutant away. Spies are listening in on the line. So Li Qing pretends to chew Nie Xi out about issuing special passes. Buried inside her fake tirade is the real message. Zhu Feng has been captured. She has the intel. But Zhoushan is on lockdown, and she can't make contact again.
The Collapse
Wu Shi hears the news and just crumbles. He goes home and collapses at his front door from the sheer stress. Nie Xi rushes him to the hospital. His blood pressure is at a deadly 200.
Nie Xi meets with Chen Baocang and Old Du. They need a new plan to get the intel from Li Qing. They decide to try using a commercial radio station. But it's a dead end. No station is willing to risk transmitting coded messages for the Communists.
The Enemy in the Elevator
This next part is just cold. Nie Xi is taking Wu Shi back to his hospital room. The elevator doors open. And there stands Gu Zhengwen. He is pushing Zhu Feng in a wheelchair.
Gu sees Wu Shi and can't resist. He starts talking, loud enough for Wu Shi to hear. He describes in detail how Zhu Feng swallowed gold to try and kill herself. He is enjoying every second of Wu Shi's pain. Nie Xi finally steps in and tells him to stop bothering a sick man.
Back in the room, Nie Xi is furious. He wants to go check on Zhu Feng. Wu Shi has to physically stop him. He tells Nie Xi to calm down. Their main job now is to figure out how to get Li Qing to safety.
The Weakest Link Breaks
A Man and His Steak
The focus shifts to Cai Xiaoqian. He's the agent who has been hiding out in the mountains. We learn his mistress, Ajuan, is pregnant. This makes him careless. He sneaks into town to buy her some food. He decides he deserves a little treat. He changes into a nice suit and goes to a Western restaurant for a steak.
You can guess what happens next. One of Gu Zhengwen's men, Weng Lianwang, just happens to be in the same area. He spots Cai enjoying his meal. Just like that, Cai Xiaoqian is arrested.
The Interrogation
Gu Zhengwen is a master of psychological warfare. He doesn't beat Cai. Instead, he has a chef prepare him a perfect steak in his cell. Then he sits down and lays out everything he knows. He knows Cai stole money. He knows Cai is having an affair with his wife's sister.
Then he delivers the final blow. He tells Cai that his incompetence led directly to other agents getting caught. He tells him he is the reason Zhu Feng is lying in a hospital bed. That does it. Cai Xiaoqian's defenses are shattered. He says he'll tell them everything. He just wants to finish his meal first.
The Betrayal
Cai talks. He gives up name after name. Soon, Wu Shi starts seeing news reports. Underground party members are being arrested across Taiwan. He is watching his entire network get destroyed. He tells Chen Baocang they have to get Li Qing's intel out, no matter the cost. But Li Qing is still trapped.
In a final move, Wu Shi tells his wife, Wang Bikui, to take their children to Hong Kong. He tells her it's to "visit" Zhu Feng. It's a lie to get his family to safety. The episode ends with Gu Zhengwen sitting in that same Western restaurant. He's waiting for Ajuan, Cai's pregnant mistress. He's tying up every loose end.
