Episode Summary
Zhuang Mingcheng reveals he murdered his mother to "free" her, then stabs Xu Jingzhi after a heated argument about their broken family bond. Liu Ming tracks Liu Wanyao to an abandoned building where she threatens a suicide bombing out of guilt for her friend's death. While He Ya rushes a wounded Xu to the hospital, Zhuang remotely detonates the bomb, catching Liu Ming and Wanyao in the blast.
Spoiler Alert
Supersensory Maze Episode 17 Recap: Dumplings and Detonators
Dinner from Hell
We open with a scene that is pure nightmare fuel. Xu Jingzhi is stuck watching Zhuang Mingcheng eat dumplings. It is not a cozy family meal. Zhuang eats with zero expression. We get a look inside his head here. He absolutely loathed his birth mother, Wu Min.
Wu Min had a tragic life. She was trafficked and forced to have a child. She hated Zhuang because he was living proof of her trauma. Yet, she tried to be a mother. Zhuang saw through it. He felt her resentment every day. We learn exactly how she died. She didn't just fall. She was injured on the floor. She had a sliver of consciousness left. Zhuang didn't call an ambulance. He took a plate and bashed her head in. He convinced himself he was setting her free. He thought his existence was just an insult to her.
Breaking the Bond
Back in the room, the tension snaps. Zhuang screams at Xu Jingzhi. He hates Xu’s moral high ground. He thinks Xu is a hypocrite. Xu doesn't flinch. He calls Zhuang out. He says Zhuang is just acting out to get attention.
Xu admits something heavy. He had suspicions about the crime scene years ago. He never confirmed them. But he tells Zhuang straight up that he cannot empathize with a killer. This breaks Zhuang. He grabs the dumplings and shoves them into Xu’s mouth. It is violent and desperate. He reminds Xu of their old lessons about family. Xu spits it back at him. He tells Zhuang that he killed their family. They are done. Zhuang responds the only way he knows how. He stabs Xu.
The Standoff at the Construction Site
While Xu is bleeding out, Liu Ming is busy going rogue. He tracks a suspect vehicle to an unfinished building. He calls his team but decides to go in alone. This is a classic mistake. Liu Wanyao is watching him from the shadows.
She steps out. She tells him to stop hiding. She also mentions she has a bomb. Liu Ming tries to talk her down. He says he wants to save her. Wanyao is past saving. She is drowning in guilt over her friend, Wu Xinxin. Xinxin was poor but happy. Wanyao can't understand why the good one died while everyone else lived. She wants to die. She wants to take everyone with her.
Rain and Fire
He Ya finally finds Xu Jingzhi. He is lying in the rain. He has lost a lot of blood. She throws him in the car and races to the hospital.
Back at the construction site, Liu Ming sees a chance. Wanyao gets distracted. He lunges and grabs the remote control from her hand. It looks like he won. But the show cuts to Zhuang Mingcheng. He is outside in the rain. He is playing on a slide like a little kid. It is deeply disturbing. He thinks about Xu calling him fragile. He laughs a cold, cruel laugh. He pulls out his own trigger. He presses the button. The bomb at the construction site detonates instantly. Liu Ming and Wanyao are engulfed in the explosion.
