Episode Summary
Shen Yihe tries to force a family reconciliation. Jia Yunying learns her new partner is Wu Shiren, right under her brother's suspicious nose. Li Heng gets a fake promotion and learns of a massive, city-wide arrest plan that could doom hundreds of innocent people.
Spoiler Alert
Later, Shen Yihe pulls An Mi aside for a private chat. He tells her that in these chaotic times, she's the one person he trusts most. He really values her skills. He basically asks her to put the grudge aside. He wants her to be there for An Ping during her final days. It's a heavy ask.
Whispers in the Underground
Jia Yunying has a secret meeting with Yu Tong. She wants to know if his group, "Wildfire," was behind Wang Mou's recent escape. Yu Tong says no. He ordered "Wildfire" to go completely quiet. It must have been other comrades.
He also gives her some important news. The organization has sent someone new to help her. They will connect using a specific code phrase. So, a new player is about to enter the game.
Old Flames and New Dangers
Li Heng is finally out of the hospital. He heads straight back to the Deqing Society. He can tell Lu Shufen is still bothered by his history with Jia Yunying. He shuts it down immediately. He tells her that relationship is firmly in the past.
Meanwhile, Jia Yunying is at the hospital. She's waiting to meet her new contact. Her brother, Jia Yunwu, shows up out of nowhere. He warns her that things are getting dangerous. He tells her to make sure their father watches what he says.
After he leaves, Jia Yunying rushes to her meeting. She doesn't realize her brother is secretly following her. Jia Yunwu watches from the shadows. He sees Wu Shiren pull up in a car and pick up his sister. His suspicion goes into overdrive.
In the car, Wu Shiren says the code phrase. Jia Yunying is floored. He's the guy! He uses the moment to ask if her opinion of him has improved. She tells him she'll answer that after the mission is over. They're both excited to finally be working together.
A Suicide Mission
Li Heng meets with Yu Tong again. He breaks down the current situation. He says Jia Yunwu's little test was planned all along. Li Heng had no choice but to play along with it. He also suspects Lu Shufen might know his real identity. But he thinks the Deqing Society can still be a useful ally.
Then Yu Tong delivers some bad news. A special commissioner is coming to launch a major operation. Yu Tong has been ordered to give his full cooperation. Li Heng knows this is a terrible idea. He thinks cooperating now is the same as walking right into a trap. But Yu Tong's mind is made up. All Li Heng can do is warn him to be extremely careful.
The Committee Meeting from Hell
Li Heng is still hurt but drags himself to a Special Committee meeting. Shen Yihe gets up and announces Li Heng's promotion to Section Chief. This isn't a reward. It's a political move to sideline him and reduce his actual power. To make it worse, Shen Yihe has Jia Yunwu sit in on the meeting, just to keep an eye on Li Heng.
Tang Meng gets the floor. He proposes a massive, city-wide search and arrest operation. He wants every department to submit their own lists of suspects. These will be combined into one giant master list. This is just an excuse to cast a wider net.
When Tang Meng shows off his new draft list, Li Heng knows this meeting is going to take forever. Jia Yunwu sees his chance. He publicly calls out Tang Meng's incompetence. He points out that nine out of ten of his raids come up empty. Tang Meng fires right back. He accuses Jia Yunwu of almost getting their colleague Li Heng killed in an explosion. The tension is thick.
The List of the Damned
After the meeting, Li Heng contacts Yu Tong one more time. He tells him the arrest list isn't final yet. He stresses that Jia Yunwu is a huge liability. If this list keeps growing, a lot of innocent people are going to get caught up in it. They won't have the power to save them all. Li Heng urges Yu Tong to get this intel to the organization so they can prepare.
At the same time, Deng Xilin pays a visit to Jia Zhong. He reveals that the top brass wants to conduct a purge within the army itself. Jia Zhong is furious. He can't believe that with everything going on, Chiang Kai-shek is busy having his own people kill each other.
Soon, the Secret Service has a preliminary list with over 400 names. The police department is already complaining that it's a waste of manpower. Li Heng goes over all the combined lists. He points out that some of the people on the list have special connections. He argues they shouldn't be included. The fight over this list has just begun.
