Episode Summary
Nie Xi is captured while sending a partial warning, leading to Wu Shi's own arrest moments after he transmits crucial defense plans. An intense chase ensues at sea where Old Du sacrifices himself to kill Weng Lianwang and help Li Qing escape, though she is badly wounded. In interrogation, Wu Shi remains unbreakable against Mao Renfeng's questioning, forcing his captors to search for his codebook and consider using the captured Nie Xi as leverage against him.
Spoiler Alert
The Walls Are Closing In
Nie Xi Makes His Choice
Wu Shi tells Nie Xi to escort Wang Bikui and her two children to Hong Kong. He wants them safe. But Nie Xi knows the game is up. He can feel their identities are about to be exposed.
So, he makes a hard choice. He gives the boat tickets to his wife, Gao Xiumei. He tells her to go. He is staying behind to face the music and maybe buy everyone some time.
The next morning, Nie Xi walks right back into the Ministry of Defense. He goes to the communications room. He uses their radio to send one last, urgent message to the mainland. The message is simple. He tells the party organization in Hong Kong to get to Dinghai to rescue Li Qing.
He doesn't get to finish. Weng Lianwang and his agents burst in. Nie Xi tries to shoot himself. He doesn't want to be taken alive. But Weng is too fast. He snatches the gun away. Nie Xi is captured.
Back on the mainland, Wan Jingguang gets the transmission. It's incomplete. All it says is "Go to Dinghai to meet." He has no idea what it means, but he knows he has to wait.
Wu Shi's Last Message
Wu Shi is on his way to the Ministry when he sees it all happen. He watches from a distance as Nie Xi is dragged away. Wu doesn't flinch. He just keeps walking calmly into the building. He knows he's next.
At the same time, Gu Zhengwen gets an arrest warrant for Wu Shi. He takes his men straight to the Wu Residence. But Wu isn't home.
He's at the office. He walks into the operations room. He orders a radio operator to transmit the entire defense plan for Zhoushan to the mainland. The operator thinks the frequency is strange. He's hesitant. But you don't disobey a direct order from Deputy Minister Wu Shi. He sends the message.
Just as the transmission finishes, Gu Zhengwen and his agents storm the room. They saw Wu's car parked outside. It's over. Wu Shi has sent his last and most important piece of intelligence. He just stands there, completely composed, as they arrest him.
The Escape from Zhoushan
Thanks to Wu Shi's message, Wan Jingguang now has the full picture. He immediately dispatches a team to Dinghai to rescue Li Qing. The race is on.
Duan Tuizhi finds out from Zhou Zhirou that Wu Shi is a communist spy. He completely panics. He was the one who vouched for Wu Shi when the Haidongqing plan first leaked. He's terrified he'll be dragged down, too. The first thing he does is make a frantic call to his wife.
Li Qing on the Run
Gu Zhengwen starts putting the pieces together. He remembers hearing gunshots from the back of Cunji Hospital when they went to arrest Zhu Feng. The back gate was locked. He wonders how Li Qing and Zhu Feng could have possibly escaped. He starts to suspect Li Qing is also a spy. He calls his men in Zhoushan. He tells them to keep watching her but not to make a move yet. Then he sends Weng Lianwang to Zhoushan to arrest her personally.
Chen Baocang also acts fast. He sends his man, Old Du, to Zhoushan. His mission is to get Li Qing out safely.
Old Du and Weng Lianwang end up on the same military transport plane to Zhoushan. What a coincidence. Old Du checks Weng's papers and has no choice but to let him on board.
In Zhoushan, Li Qing overhears the agents watching her house. She knows they're coming for her. She escapes through a window, finds her way to the docks, and disguises herself as a fisherwoman. She gets into a small boat and starts rowing out to sea.
A Shootout at Sea
Weng Lianwang lands in Zhoushan only to find that Li Qing is gone. He rushes his men to the docks. He sees her small boat out on the water. Weng jumps onto a nearby fishing boat to give chase. The poor boat owner gets so scared he just leaps into the water.
This is when Old Du arrives. He "offers" to pilot the boat for Weng Lianwang. He says he'll help them catch Li Qing. Instead, he deliberately steers the boat in the opposite direction.
When they're far enough away, Old Du makes his move. He pulls a gun and opens fire on Weng and his agents. Weng is hit but manages to get up. He shoots Old Du several times. Weng turns the boat around and speeds toward Li Qing. He fires his gun and hits her.
But Old Du isn't finished. With his last bit of strength, he raises his pistol. He fires one last shot and kills Weng Lianwang.
Li Qing is badly wounded. She forces herself to keep rowing. She eventually collapses from exhaustion, clutching a pocket watch and a roll of microfilm. Her little boat just drifts with the current. Luckily, the PLA rescue team sent by Wan Jingguang finds her. They pull her from the water, barely alive.
The Interrogation
Back in the capital, things are getting intense. Gu Zhengwen's agents tear the Wu Residence apart. The family's loyal servant, A Dou, tries to fend them off with a big stick. Wu's son, Wu Xuecheng, holds his terrified younger brother. The agents find nothing. No codes, no secret documents. The only thing Gu finds is a small piece of yellow jade hidden in a book.
Wu Shi Won't Break
Mao Renfeng interrogates Wu Shi personally. He demands to know what he transmitted from the operations room. Wu just says it was a classified document and refuses to say more.
Mao then pulls out a photo of Zhu Feng. He reveals that she survived her suicide attempt after being captured. Wu admits he and his wife are friends with her. That's all.
Then Mao brings out Cai Xiaoqian's notebook. It has the words "Deputy Minister Wu" written in it. Cai suspected Wu was a spy. Wu scoffs at it. He says Cai's word can't be trusted and even throws some sharp remarks back at Mao.
Mao tries another angle. He plays a recording of Wang Bikui. In it, she talks about going to Hong Kong to find Zhu Feng. She also tries to downplay any connection between Wu and Zhu. Mao thinks she's just covering for Wu. Wu is unmoved. He tells Mao to find some real evidence.
All this time, Chiang Ching-kuo is watching from behind a two-way mirror. Wu Shi is giving them nothing. They realize the only way to convict him is to find his codebook and decipher the message he sent. Mao orders his men to confiscate every single book from Wu's house. They will check them one by one.
A New Plan
Chiang Ching-kuo tells Mao to try interrogating Zhu Feng again. But Gu Zhengwen has bad news. The doctors saved her, but she swallowed a lot of gold fragments. She's bleeding internally and has lost the will to live. Gu tells his superior not to get his hopes up. Even if Zhu Feng wakes up, she will never cooperate.
Mao and Gu decide they need a new strategy. They have to attack Wu Shi's weak spot. Gu has an idea. He suggests they use Nie Xi to break him.
