Episode Summary
Ling ZhengRong grows suspicious of Chen HanSheng's past. A VR training exercise turns into a competition between the veterans and the new recruits. The trainees lose after Chen HanSheng freezes due to his fear of water, and their captain intentionally throws the match to preserve the veterans' authority. Afterwards, Chen HanSheng challenges Ling ZhengRong to a blindfolded gun assembly contest and loses, but the close result leaves Ling ZhengRong feeling unsettled about the rookie's potential.
Spoiler Alert
The New Guys Get a High-Tech Test
We start with Ling ZhengRong looking through Chen HanSheng's file. He notices the section for relatives is completely blank. This clearly makes him suspicious. You can tell he's already got his eye on this guy.
The next morning, Chen HanSheng is up early, training hard on his own. But the official training gets interrupted. Qiu Tian gets permission from the Chief of Staff to let the new trainees test out some VR equipment. Ling ZhengRong is furious when he finds the training ground empty. He goes to get his recruits back. He can't really argue, though. The order came from the Chief of Staff, and you don't argue with him.
Since the veteran Cheetah members are already there, the Chief of Staff gets an idea. He tells them to team up and have a match against the new recruits.
Vets vs. Rookies in Virtual Reality
The Game Plan
So, the teams are set. Ling ZhengRong leads the veterans. He picks four guys from Yan Su's dorm to be his squad. Captain Zhang Lan is chosen to lead the new trainees. Ling ZhengRong seems surprised to see Zhang Lan. He pulls his own guys aside and tells them not to lose face.
The competition is based on points. Zhang Lan is smart. He knows the rookies can't beat the Cheetah veterans on pure skill. He tells his team to focus on tactics. They need to find ways to score points. Capturing the enemy flag is worth the most, so that becomes their primary objective.
A Rookie Mistake Costs Them the Game
The match is pretty intense. The new guys have their own skills, but they lack real combat experience and teamwork. The veterans are just more seasoned.
It all comes down to the end. Only Ling ZhengRong is left on the veteran team. The trainees still have two people left. It's Zhang Lan and Chen HanSheng. Chen HanSheng has a real shot at capturing the flag. Zhang Lan is giving him cover. But then Chen HanSheng sees a virtual river. He completely freezes. We learn he has a serious fear of water. His hesitation makes him an easy target. Ling ZhengRong takes him out of the game.
A Calculated Loss
This is where it gets interesting. Zhang Lan now has a perfect opportunity to eliminate Ling ZhengRong. He has a clear shot. But he chooses not to take it. He basically forfeits the match.
Qiu Tian doesn't understand why. The Chief of Staff explains it to her. It was all about giving the veteran Cheetah members "face." Think about it. These recruits joined this elite unit to be trained by the best. If they beat their instructors on the very first day, they would get arrogant. It would make them impossible to train. Letting the veterans win maintains their authority.
A Personal Challenge and a Secret
A Shared Weakness
Later, everyone is eating in the cafeteria. Zhang Lan tells Qiu Tian to go check on Chen HanSheng. She finds him sitting alone on some steps. He tells her about his fear of water. In return, she tells him a secret of her own. She has a fear of heights. They agree to keep each other's weakness a secret. It's a nice little moment between them.
The Blindfolded Showdown
Ling ZhengRong can tell the new guys still think they could have won. He gives them another chance to prove themselves. He offers a one-on-one challenge. Chen HanSheng steps up. He challenges Ling ZhengRong to a light weapon disassembly and reassembly contest.
While picking out the guns, Chen HanSheng pulls a fast one. He secretly messes with the rear sight on one of the rifles. Then he proposes they do the entire competition blindfolded. Qiu Tian asks to be the referee so she can watch and learn. Ling ZhengRong agrees.
A Sniper's Skill
The contest begins. They both work fast. In the end, Ling ZhengRong finishes just six seconds faster than Chen HanSheng. Chen HanSheng asks to check the gun. He sees the sight he tampered with has been perfectly reset. He knows he lost fair and square. He realizes you can't pull a cheap trick on a master sniper. Ling ZhengRong fixed the sight without even seeing it.
An Unsettled Rivalry
Chen HanSheng is definitely humbled by the loss. But he isn't broken. He vows that one day he will be better than Ling ZhengRong.
The whole thing seems to have rattled Ling ZhengRong, too. He's a top-tier veteran. He only beat a rookie by six seconds. That margin is way too small for his comfort. Later that night, he's in his room practicing. He tries over and over to beat his time from the competition. He can't do it. He keeps landing between 2 minutes 30 seconds and 2 minutes 35 seconds. He gets so frustrated that he gives up and hauls his team out for a surprise drill instead.
