Episode Summary
Li Heng orchestrates a complex plan by letting a rival soldier go, secretly stashing opium to fund his operations, and getting his boss's reluctant approval. The plan immediately gets complicated when a snitch gets one of his men arrested, a military commander confiscates the drugs, and the press exposes the entire conspiracy, putting every major player under suspicion and turning allies against each other.
Spoiler Alert
The Aftermath of the Ambush
A Risky Bet
The episode picks up with Li Heng waiting by Qing Tian’s bedside. He stayed there all night. The good news is she’s going to live. He asks if she’ll be addicted to the drugs. Jia Yunying explains that Qing Tian was just a test subject. She isn't hooked.
Jia Yunying then gets to work. She contacts Yu Tong with a new strategy. They’re going to stop the regular newspaper printing. Instead, they'll use special editions to get key intelligence out. They also plan to snatch a shipment of morphine. They need it for wounded soldiers on the front lines.
Meanwhile, Li Heng gives his report to Shen Yihe. He then leads his team to ambush the drug convoy. The fight is intense. They take out most of the traffickers. Only one guy, Xu Zhengxiong, manages to escape into the woods.
Li Heng isn't letting him go that easily. He chases him down and captures him. He can tell from Xu Zhengxiong's fighting style that he's a soldier from the Nationalist army. Xu admits it. Li Heng lays it out for him. He tells Xu he’s just a pawn who's been set up. He says a soldier’s duty is to his country, not to drug runners. Then he lets him go. This is a huge gamble. Li Heng is banking on this act of goodwill paying off down the line.
The Secret Plan
Before rejoining his team, Li Heng gives a secret order to Da Kui. He tells him to intercept a different vehicle heading into the city. Da Kui needs to divert some of the opium from that shipment to a secret warehouse. He has to do it without anyone noticing. Da Kui is completely loyal to Li Heng. He promises it will get done.
This is all part of Li Heng’s bigger scheme. He intentionally held back some of the opium from the ambush. He goes to Shen Yihe with a proposal. He points out that their funding from the Central Government got cut. They need money to keep their operations going. He suggests they sell the confiscated opium. They can use the profits and also set up a fake deal to lure out their enemies. Shen Yihe loves the idea. He puts on a little show and pretends to scold Li Heng, but he gives him the silent approval to go ahead.
Everyone Wants a Piece of the Pie
The Snitch and the Bust
Someone was watching all of this. Xiao Liu runs straight to Jia Yunwu. He reports that Li Heng kept some of the opium for himself. He also mentions that Da Kui is off on a secret mission for Li Heng.
Jia Yunwu acts immediately. He sends his men to surround Da Kui. They arrest him and drag him back to the Bureau of Investigation for questioning. Jia Yunwu then confronts Li Heng, demanding an explanation. But Li Heng drops the bomb. He tells him Shen Yihe approved the entire plan. This just makes Shen Yihe furious with Jia Yunwu for blowing up his operation.
A New Player Enters
The situation gets even more complicated. Wu Shiren learns that his own subordinate, Xu Zhengxiong, was part of the smuggling ring. He’s mad, but he doesn't press the issue. Xu tells him that Li Heng chose to let him live.
The next day, Wu Shiren makes a big public move. He leads his training regiment to confiscate all the opium. He announces that it will be destroyed. Shen Yihe is not happy about this at all. Cao Peng shows up to personally supervise the destruction. Shen Yihe has no choice but to let it happen.
Later, Wu Shiren arranges a formal meeting with Li Heng. He thanks him for sparing his subordinate's life. He says he trusts Li Heng’s character. He believes Li Heng is the right man to shut down the Deqing Society's drug trafficking for good.
The Walls Start Closing In
The Press Goes Wild
That night, Shen Yihe holds a secret meeting with Wang Xiaofei. He pressures him to get the opium trade moving again. Wang Xiaofei is scared. He tells Shen Yihe that Lu Kaide is watching his every move. If he gets caught again, he’s a dead man. Shen Yihe gives him a dark suggestion. If Lu Kaide won't back off, maybe Wang Xiaofei should use "appropriate means" to force him out of the picture permanently. The Secret Service then starts spreading rumors that Lu Kaide is the one working with drug traffickers, trying to muddy the waters.
At the same time, Lü Wenlu gets a tip from Tang Meng. He learns that Wang Xiaofei and Shen Yihe are secretly working together. Lü Wenlu sees an opportunity. With Cao Peng still in the city, he decides to use the media to expose everything. He wants to wipe out Shen Yihe's entire faction.
The next day, it works. The newspapers are filled with stories. They connect both the Deqing Society and the Bureau of Investigation to the drug scandal. Lu Kaide tells his daughter not to worry, then calls in Wang Xiaofei. He chews him out. Wang Xiaofei denies everything, but now he’s thinking about killing Lu Kaide.
A Teahouse Meeting
In the middle of this crisis, Li Heng makes a bold move. He leads his men on a surprise raid of the Deqing Society headquarters. He orders a full search for opium. This isn't a real raid. It's a show of force meant to control the chaos and protect the bigger picture. They find nothing and leave. Lu Kaide knows Wang Xiaofei is the source of all his problems. He gives him one last warning to fix the mess he created.
Cao Peng is now deeply suspicious of Shen Yihe. He gives him a three-day deadline to provide a full explanation for the opium incident. Li Heng plays his part. He goes to Shen Yihe and pretends to beg him to spare the Deqing Society. Shen Yihe agrees, but he can't figure out how the newspapers got such detailed inside information. He immediately suspects Jia Yunwu leaked it.
But then Li Heng does something unexpected. He actually defends Jia Yunwu. His calm and collected attitude completely surprises Shen Yihe. Later, Shen Yihe puts on a disguise and meets Lu Kaide at a teahouse. They finally talk face-to-face. Lu Kaide makes his position perfectly clear. He is the head of the Deqing Society. He will not stand by and let Wang Xiaofei’s actions go unpunished.
