Episode Summary
A routine bomb disposal mission becomes a life-or-death situation when Lei Peng steps on a landmine. Chen Hansheng defies Ling Zhengrong's direct orders to stay with his friend, saving him from the blast but earning Ling's fury. As a result, Ling decides to expel both Chen Hansheng and a loyal Lei Peng from the program. Their only potential lifeline comes from Qiu Tian, who recognizes their talent and tries to recruit them for her own unit.
Spoiler Alert
A Simple Mission Goes Sideways
The episode kicks off on a day off. Chen Hansheng is trying to earn some goodwill with the squad. He offers to do everyone's laundry as a thank you for their help. But before he can even finish a load, the emergency alarm blares.
Everyone is scrambled for a mission. The new recruits are joining the veteran Cheetahs and the operations command team. The job sounds straightforward enough. They need to dispose of old, unexploded bombs left over from a past war.
Stepping on a Landmine
Lei Peng has experience with this kind of work. He steps up and volunteers to be the lead bomb disposal technician. Chen Hansheng immediately asks to be his assistant. Ling Zhengrong gives them the okay.
Things get complicated fast. While working, Lei Peng discovers a new, suspicious explosive. The tech expert, Qiu Tian, runs an analysis. She reports that this bomb is different. It can't be detonated on-site. It has to be disarmed manually. So, what looked like a routine cleanup just became extremely dangerous.
Qiu Tian rushes off to get the Chief of Staff. Her last order is crystal clear. Nobody moves. Nobody touches anything until she gets back.
Ling Zhengrong is back at the command post, getting worried about his trainees. He wants to go to the site, but his team tries to stop him. He insists he's just concerned for Chen Hansheng and Lei Peng. He just wants to see the situation for himself. They finally let him go, but only after he puts on a full bomb suit. It seems he got exactly what he wanted.
An Explosive Disobedience
The situation at the site is bad. Lei Peng has stepped on a landmine. Chen Hansheng is with him, but he has zero real-world experience. He only knows what he learned in a classroom.
Just then, Ling Zhengrong arrives and takes command. He tells Chen Hansheng to follow his orders precisely. Ling uses his deep experience to carefully disarm all the other explosives around Lei Peng. Soon, only the mine under Lei Peng's foot is left.
Ling Zhengrong orders Chen Hansheng to take the disarmed components back to safety. But Chen Hansheng refuses to leave. He's worried about Lei Peng. He also knows that having the intimidating Ling Zhengrong hovering over him is making Lei Peng even more nervous.
Ling tells him not to do anything until he returns. But the second Ling walks away, Lei Peng’s foot slips. Chen Hansheng acts instantly. He throws himself over Lei Peng to shield him as the mine explodes. Miraculously, they both survive without any serious injuries.
The Fallout
Ling Zhengrong is absolutely furious. He can't believe he has such a disobedient soldier on his hands. Word of the incident gets to the top brass. The mission was a success, but it was a messy and insubordinate one.
That night, Lei Peng breaks out a stash of snacks in the dorm. He wants to celebrate surviving the day. Wen Bin is doing room inspections and hears them talking about the explosion. He decides to give them a pass for now. But the party is still going when he gets to their room, so he has no choice but to confiscate the food.
Ling Zhengrong Drops the Hammer
The next day, Ling Zhengrong makes his decision. He is expelling Chen Hansheng. He lays out his reasons logically.
Lei Peng won't stand for it. He argues that Chen Hansheng saved his life. He declares that if Chen Hansheng is kicked out, then he's leaving too. Ling Zhengrong doesn't even blink. He agrees and puts in the paperwork to expel them both. The Chief of Staff signs off on it.
However, the Chief of Staff gives Ling a warning. He needs to prepare a clear explanation for his decision. He can't let people think the Cheetah unit is his personal dictatorship where he can fire recruits on a whim.
Qiu Tian Makes a Move
Qiu Tian hears the news and goes straight to the Chief of Staff. Normally, expelled recruits are just sent back to their old military units.
She argues that both Chen Hansheng and Lei Peng performed exceptionally during the crisis. She sees them as valuable talent who deserve to be trained. Qiu Tian formally requests to have both men transferred to her technical unit.
There's a catch, though. Both men came here with the goal of joining the Cheetahs. Their own wishes have to be considered. Qiu Tian says she will go talk to them herself to see what they want.
