Episode Summary
In this episode, Cai Xiaoqian's betrayal gives Gu Zhengwen the leads he needs to corner Wu Shi. Wu Shi organizes a desperate escape for his family and passes on his work, choosing to stay behind as a decoy. The escape plan fails at the last second, leading to his wife's capture and confession, which gives Gu the final proof to issue arrest warrants. The episode closes as Nie Xi sacrifices himself to send one last intelligence transmission.
Spoiler Alert
The Walls Close In
Gu Zhengwen Breaks His Target
So, Gu Zhengwen gets his hands on Cai Xiaoqian again. You can tell he smells blood in the water. He correctly guesses that Cai is on the outs with his own people. Gu doesn't use force. He just gets inside Cai's head and dismantles him psychologically.
It works. Cai Xiaoqian completely breaks. He betrays the entire organization. This leads to a wave of arrests across Taiwan. It's a total disaster for the communists. But Gu isn't satisfied. He has one big fish he's after.
A Name in a Notebook
Gu's real target is Wu Shi. He is obsessed with proving Wu is the mole high up in the government. The problem is, Cai doesn't actually know who leads the East China Sea intelligence group. His only contact was Zhu Feng.
Gu decides to apply more pressure. He finds out that Ajuan is pregnant with Cai's child and uses that against him. Cai completely panics and swears he has told them everything he knows. While searching Cai's belongings, Gu finds a notebook. Inside, he sees the words "Deputy Chief Wu."
Cai admits he suspected Wu Shi. He saw Nie Xi at the Lin Yiliang rescue operation. It made him wonder if Wu Shi was the leader. But he dismissed the idea. He thought it was impossible. For Gu, though, this is the first solid link he's had.
A Desperate Escape Plan
The Travel Ban
Gu doesn't have enough evidence to move on Wu Shi yet. But Cai's confession did give up another name. Nie Xi. Gu reports this to Mao Renfeng, who immediately tells Chiang Ching-kuo.
Chiang doesn't want another public screw-up. He orders them to just put Nie Xi under surveillance for now. Mao Renfeng worries this will give Wu Shi time to escape. So, Chiang Ching-kuo uses his father's authority. He issues an order in Chiang Kai-shek's name. No high-ranking officials can leave Taiwan. The net is officially tightening.
Wu Shi's Final Move
Wu Shi sees the writing on the wall. He knows a travel ban on military families is coming next. He tells Nie Xi to get his wife, Wang Bikui, and their two sons to Hong Kong. He also prepares one last intelligence report for Nie Xi to deliver.
Nie Xi begs Wu Shi to leave with his family. Wu refuses. He says he needs to stay behind. He has to keep the Secrecy Bureau focused on him to give everyone else a chance. He knows his time is up. Fearing his identity is about to be exposed, he hands over his codebooks and film to Chen Baocang, telling him to take over the work.
The Morning of the Arrests
A Final, Tragic Goodbye
Nie Xi manages to get four boat tickets to Hong Kong for nine in the morning. He gives one of the tickets and a special pass to Gao Xiumei. She's ecstatic. She talks about them going back to the mainland to see her daughter. He promises he will find her soon.
Then he just hugs her. It's not a happy hug. You can feel it's a final goodbye. Weng Lianwang's surveillance team sees all of this. They report the hug, but they don't get it. They just know Nie Xi and Gao Xiumei were supposed to dislike each other. It feels off, but Gu Zhengwen tells them not to make a move yet.
That night, Nie Xi destroys all of his documents. He's preparing to die.
The next morning, Wu Shi says goodbye to his wife and sons at their front door. It's an incredibly sad farewell. His wife, Wang Bikui, wants him to come to the pier. He says he can't because he has a meeting. She makes him get in his car and drive away before she'll get in hers.
The Trap at the Pier
The whole plan unravels fast. Weng Lianwang goes to the hospital and learns Gao Xiumei just resigned. That's the trigger. Gu Zhengwen realizes Nie Xi is trying to get her out of the country. He sends Weng to arrest Nie Xi at his dorm and speeds to the pier himself.
At the pier, Wang Bikui is waiting with her sons. Gao Xiumei rushes up, also ready to leave. They both realize Nie Xi isn't there. Something is very wrong. They decide to abandon the plan and go home. But it's too late. Gu Zhengwen arrives and intercepts Wang Bikui. He takes her straight to the Secrecy Bureau for questioning.
The Confession and the Transmission
The Last Piece of the Puzzle
Gao Xiumei, meanwhile, runs to Nie Xi's dorm. She gets there just in time to see Weng's men breaking down the door to an empty room. She's just stunned.
Back at the bureau, Gu questions Wang Bikui. He asks why she was going to Hong Kong. She admits she was going to visit her good friend, Zhu Feng.
That's it. That's the confession Gu needed. He now has a direct link between Wu Shi's wife and a known communist agent. It's all the proof he needs. He officially detains Wang Bikui and calls for the immediate arrest of both Wu Shi and Nie Xi.
One Last Message
Weng reports that they can't find Nie Xi anywhere. Gu tells him to check Nie Xi's office at the ministry.
The episode ends with Nie Xi. He's at the communications unit. He walks over to an operator, pushes them aside, and begins sending a transmission. He's sending out Wu Shi's final intelligence report. He's sacrificing himself to complete the mission.