Episode Summary
In 1991, museum staff recover glass artifacts that prove Unit 731's crimes. In 1941, Maiko dies a gruesome death from the plague, shaking the staff. Prisoners launch a hunger strike led by the mysterious inmate 909, who demands the release of captive children. Arakawa negotiates the deal and learns 909 faked his "mind-reading" powers to give other prisoners hope. Meanwhile, Yan Bingrui breaks his friendship with Kojima, and Yulan narrowly escapes capture while trying to get medical treatment.
Spoiler Alert
Evidence From the Ashes
We start in 1991. The curator of the Unit 731 museum is on a mission. He takes a staff member, Cheng Ming, to visit an old resident. This local has something terrifying. They hand over glass beakers and jars. These were used for bacterial research.
Ishii Shiro tried to hide this. He used explosives to destroy the facility before the surrender. He wanted no trace left behind. But he underestimated the locals. They dug through the ruins. They took the glassware home for daily use. Now, these jars are undeniable proof. The Japanese army’s crimes are out in the open. But these artifacts are dangerous. They need disinfection. This mirrors the "Great Disinfection" back in the summer of 1941.
The Plague Takes Its Toll
Back in the past, the Tong family is falling apart. Tong Changfu searches everywhere for Yulan. He finds nothing. Grandma has lost her mind. Guifen just weeps.
Inside the Kwantung Army’s facility, things get grim. Miyazaki Maiko loses her battle. She dies of septicemic plague. It is not a peaceful death. Her body is covered in dark purple wounds. Her eyes stay open.
Arakawa Ryohei has a sick job. He has to sketch her corpse. He draws every wound. He sees Kawaguchi Satoshi standing there. Kawaguchi looks broken. Arakawa feels a rare moment of pity.
The Legend of Prisoner 909
Trouble brews in the Special Prison. Inmates in Buildings 7 and 8 refuse to clean up. They launch a hunger strike. They only listen to one man. He is prisoner number 909.
Arakawa gets sent to negotiate. He doesn't understand why they picked him. He also doesn't know what a "Maruta" is yet. Takahashi Akihiko fills him in. He claims 909 has been there since the Zhongma Castle days. That is a long time to survive here. Takahashi has a theory. He thinks 909 reads minds. He warns Arakawa to never look 909 in the eye.
Arakawa enters the Square Building. He meets the legend. He learns the truth about his job. "Maruta" means logs. The prisoners are just wood to be burned. They are materials for infection. Arakawa hears screams. He flinches. 909 doesn't even blink. The screaming never stops here.
A Desperate Deal
909 makes his demand clear. He wants the children released. If the Japanese refuse, the prisoners won't clean. They will let the disease spread. Everyone dies together.
Elsewhere, the ideological cracks show. Kojima Yukio and Yan Bingrui sit in detention. Yan snaps. He sees through the lies. The "East Asia Co-Prosperity" sphere is a joke. It’s a trick for dreamers like Kojima. Yan cuts ties with him. He states firmly that this is China.
Outside the walls, the resistance moves. A unit captures Japanese medical supplies. A friend rushes Yulan to the Xifu Inn. It’s compromised. A woman guides them to a new hideout at Huifang Li Defeng. They try to administer the medicine to Yulan. Then, boots stomp outside. Soldiers are here. The group scrambles out the window just in time.
The Truth Behind the Magic
Arakawa takes the message back. Nakadome Kinzo actually agrees. He will release the three children.
Arakawa returns to 909. They share a moment. 909 drops the act. He has no special powers. He can't read minds. He lied to the new arrivals. He gave them a myth to believe in. Hope is better than constant fear. 909 keeps his end of the bargain. He leads the prisoners to clean the facility.
The episode closes on a quiet note. Ogasawara, the head of the Tianli Village group, gets a notice. He reads it over and over. Something is changing.
