Episode Summary
Flashbacks reveal Old Mai lost his badge after beating up gang members at a suicide victim's funeral. In the present, Qin Feng hides evidence from his superiors. The villains try to recruit Ye Tianyou's nephew through gambling. A chicken farm is poisoned, seemingly by a rival gang, but it turns out to be a complex inside job orchestrated by Liu Tianye to unite the villagers against their enemies.
Spoiler Alert
The Past Bleeds into the Present
This episode hits the ground running with a heavy dose of backstory. We jump back to 2002. Old Mai is buried in work when his phone rings. It’s Xu Li. She is hysterical. She begs Mai and his team to stop their investigation. Someone paid her a visit. They threatened her. Mai doesn’t waste a second. He grabs Qin Feng and Hu Xiaoyue and races to her apartment.
They are too late. Police cars are already there. Xu Li slit her wrists. It’s a gut punch. To make it worse, someone watches the whole scene from the shadows. The tragedy doesn't stop there. These criminals have zero shame. They crash Xu Li’s funeral to cause a scene. Old Mai snaps. He beats one of them up right there. That moment of rage cost him his career. It explains why he isn't a cop anymore and spends his time visiting Ye Sichen’s grave.
Office Politics and Hidden Agendas
Back in the present, the station is a pressure cooker. Chief Peng is nervous. He tells Old Zhong to keep a tight leash on Qin Feng. He knows Qin Feng is a loose cannon. Wang Tao tries to tell Qin Feng to play nice with Chief Yan. Qin Feng isn't having it. He actually wants the bad guys to target him.
Peng tries to fish for information later. He asks Qin Feng what he found. Qin Feng plays dumb. He shows Peng a photo of a fake police uniform but holds back the real intel. He promises to share future leads, but he is clearly lying. He is operating on his own terms.
Recruiting the Nephew
The villains are busy expanding their web. We see an illegal gambling den in the suburbs. Ye Siyuan, Ye Tianyou’s nephew, is there throwing money around. Luo Bo stages a "chance encounter." He teaches the kid some gambling tricks and lets him win a few rounds. Siyuan gets arrogant and leaves, but the hook is set. Luo Bo needs to get close to him on orders from Wang Lao and Ma Jin. They want an inside track to the family.
The Farm Sabotage
Luo Bo’s enforcer, Scar, grabs Little Fly. It’s about Fly’s brother. Luo Bo pays off Fly’s debt but demands a finger as interest. Fly is terrified. He says he can’t sign over the Longwan land without his mom. Luo Bo doesn't hurt Fly. Instead, he chops off another guy's finger right in front of him. It works. Fly is shaking.
Scar then kidnaps Zhao Wenxuan, the son of the Longwan Village director. He drags him to the Longwan farm. The next morning, every chicken on the farm is dead. Poisoned. Security footage shows Wenxuan did it. The villagers want to call the cops, but Liu Tianye stops them. He wants to keep it quiet.
The Double Cross
Director Zhao shows up with a mob of villagers to get his son back. It almost turns into a brawl. Liu Tianye steps in and calms everyone down. Wenxuan breaks down and admits Luo Bo forced him to poison the chickens. This only makes Director Zhao hate the Jinding company more. He refuses to sell out.
The farm gets shut down for violations the next day. The team heads to the seaside. This is the spot where Qin Feng and Liu Tianye’s parents were killed by a local tyrant named Boss Zhao years ago. It’s a somber moment.
Then comes the twist. Little Fly didn't just cave to Luo Bo. It was a setup. He and Liu Tianye planned it. Fly is a mole. They even staged the poisoning and reported the farm themselves. They sacrificed the business to make the villagers hate Jinding. That is a ruthless move.
