Episode Summary
The police distinguish between two victims: the deceased Ye Yingying (the "doll") and the missing Xie Yaoqi. Evidence points to a killer mimicking funnel-web spiders who possesses medical skills. The trail leads from bovine organs found in the victim to a veterinary student named Liao Yunsheng. Police raid Liao's apartment, finding a spider-filled lair and sketches of the victims, plus a sketch of a third target: Xie's colleague, Li Shuting.
Spoiler Alert
The Spider's Web Tightens
The investigation at the pork shop yields some strange clues. The team finds long strands of hair and sends them for testing. Zhu Qingyue digs up local gossip. Villagers mention an unregistered film crew shot scenes here years ago. They left behind prop dolls. Qi Sizhe compares the crime scene to the movie photos. He spots a major discrepancy. The crew used standard spider webs. The killer built funnel-shaped webs. These mimic the highly toxic funnel-web spider. The killer isn't just dumping bodies. He is hunting like an arachnid.
The autopsy results are a nightmare. The victim had spider venom and strong hydrochloric acid in her system. But those didn't kill her. The actual cause of death was an air injection behind the ear. This requires precision.
Two Victims, One Ritual
The team breaks down the timeline at the station. They realize the "doll" and the girl who ran to the pork shop are different people. The bound girl likely escaped a cave, chewed through her ropes, and reached the shop for help. The killer caught up. He murdered the shop owner and dragged the girl back into the dark.
They identify the dead "doll" as Ye Yingying. She was a 25-year-old PR rep. She went missing a month ago. No one asked for ransom. Her money wasn't touched. Qi Sizhe drops another bomb. The internal organs inside the doll body belong to a cow. This suggests the killer has a medical background. Zhu Qingyue builds a profile. The killer has psychological issues and craves ritual. The doll was just practice.
The Clock is Ticking
Qi Sizhe finds a calendar in the cave. He combines this with the spider mimicry theory. The killer follows a strict feeding cycle. This gives the police a deadline. They have less than three days to find the second girl.
Han Feng barks out orders. Li Xiaoxi checks surveillance. Wan Guoxin hunts for witnesses. Su Huaining digs into Ye Yingying’s life. The cameras show nothing. But Su Huaining finds a connection. Ye Yingying loved cosmetic procedures. Qi Sizhe analyzes the cow organs again. They show signs of bovine tuberculosis. This is a rare find.
The University Connection
A new lead pops up. Parents report their daughter, Xie Yaoqi, missing. They provide WeChat logs. Han Feng and Su Huaining check the bovine TB angle. Only the Agricultural University conducts research on that specific disease. Qi Sizhe and Zhu Qingyue head to the campus.
They meet Professor Wang. He admits they ran experiments on infected cows six weeks ago. The samples were supposed to be destroyed. Qi Sizhe hands over a tissue sample for testing. Zhu Qingyue demands a list of every student involved in that lab.
The Cosmetic Link
Han Feng learns more about the new missing girl. Xie Yaoqi was terrified of spiders. He meets her colleague, Li Shuting. Li reveals Xie Yaoqi got fired recently. She worked part-time at a cosmetic clinic to fund her own surgeries. Back at the lab, the results come in. The organs in the doll came from their experiment. Li Xiaoxi hauls every student on the list to the station.
Han Feng and Su Huaining raid the clinic Xie mentioned. It poses as a massage parlor. In reality, it’s a black market plastic surgery den. The boss, Liao Dong, cracks. He recognizes both girls. Xie worked there as a nurse. Ye was a patient. Ye had a bad allergic reaction during a procedure. Liao Dong panicked. He called his nephew to help fix the mess. The nephew is a vet student at the Agricultural University.
The Lair
Zhu Qingyue scans the student list. She finds a student named Liao. Han Feng orders an immediate arrest. They storm Liao Yunsheng’s apartment. It looks like a house of horrors. A massive funnel web dominates the room. Spiders hang everywhere.
Drawings cover the walls. Han Feng sees sketches of Ye Yingying. He sees sketches of Xie Yaoqi. Then he spots a third face. It looks exactly like Li Shuting, the colleague he just interviewed. He dials Li Shuting’s number. A phone starts ringing right there in the room. It is stuck inside the spider web.
