Episode Summary
Yan Tuo secures a major business deal while Lin Xirou's men find a dead associate killed by the "Mad Knife." A rescue attempt by Nie Jiuluo and Xing Shen fails because the prisoner, Jiang Baichuan, was moved. Yan Tuo and Nie Jiuluo use a dinner date to secretly pass intelligence, leading to the discovery of Jiang's new location.
Spoiler Alert
Corporate Climbers and Floating Cars
Things are getting messy for Lin Xirou’s clean-up crew. Her people scour the docks for Chen Fu’s car. They spot the vehicle floating just offshore. It is not empty.
Yan Tuo is busy playing the hero elsewhere. President Meng’s child has a sudden health scare. Yan Tuo calls in a favor and secures a specialist. Meng is incredibly grateful. Yan Tuo wastes no time. He leverages this gratitude to discuss business. He pushes a nine-year Chinese medicine technology contract. He flashes his credentials within the Roushan Group. Meng sees the benefits and signs the deal. Yan Tuo is cementing his place in the company.
Back at the docks, a henchman named "Old Four" pries open the trunk of the waterlogged car. He finds his partner’s corpse inside. The sight drains the color from his face. The water washed away most clues. But the wounds tell a story. The "Mad Knife" killed him.
The Torture Chamber
Lin Xirou demands answers. She has Jiang Baichuan in her clutches. She tortures him without mercy. She wants to know why he lied. He claimed the Mad Knife clan was extinct. Yet her man died by their blade. Jiang sticks to his story. He insists the clan is gone. The pain becomes too much. He passes out.
The Nanshan Hunter Organization receives a video of this torture. The crew is furious. They want blood. They start planning a rescue immediately. Que Cha feels useless. She cannot even draw a bow properly. Yu Rong sees her struggle. She steps in to help. She shows Que Cha how to aim and use her strength.
Nie Jiuluo watches the torture video too. Guilt eats at her. She regrets how she handled the Earth Owl corpse earlier. That mistake brought this heat on the organization. She makes a hard choice. They are moving the rescue plan up.
A Night at the Stone Park
Lin Xirou’s guards lock down the Stone Park that night. They do not see Nie Jiuluo and Xing Shen coming. The pair moves as one. They take out the guards with terrifying efficiency. They reach the backyard cell.
It is empty.
They are too late. Lin Xirou moved Jiang Baichuan.
Lin Xirou realizes someone hit the Stone Park. She smells a rat within her own organization. She confronts Yan Tuo when he gets home. She asks about his trip to Heyang. Yan Tuo plays it cool. He admits he saw a girl. He knows she watched the surveillance footage. Lin Xirou buys it. She tells him to take Feng Mi out on dates. Yan Tuo agrees. Then his phone buzzes. Nie Jiuluo texts him the bad news about Jiang.
Dinner Date Espionage
Yan Tuo sets a trap. He tells Nie Jiuluo where he is taking Feng Mi for dinner. Nie Jiuluo shows up at the same restaurant with a friend. She puts on a show. She talks loudly about "creative work" to her friend. The conversation is a code. She feeds information to Yan Tuo at the table behind her. Feng Mi eats her dinner. She has no idea she is sitting in the middle of an intelligence exchange.
The dinner pays off. Nie Jiuluo secures background info on four other Earth Owls. She passes this data to Xing Shen. She tells him to investigate these targets.
Xing Shen is still wary. He does not trust Yan Tuo. He demands a face-to-face meeting. Nie Jiuluo shuts him down. She knows Yan Tuo is in deep cover. A meeting is too risky right now. They need to focus on saving Jiang Baichuan.
Yan Tuo tries to contact Xing Shen later that night. He explains he cannot meet. He reveals that Lin Ling is being used as a "blood bag" for Lin Xirou. She cannot move. Xing Shen gives him a location called Hanlin. Jiang Baichuan is there. He is locked in a remote yard with other captured Nanshan members.
