Resumen del episodio 26 de The Knockout
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Gao Qisheng secretly returned to Jinghai for his birthday, despite being wanted by the authorities. He called Gao Qiqiang, who was furious and told him not to call that number and to leave Jinghai immediately. Gao Qisheng insisted he had something very important to tell him face to face and arranged to meet, initially suggesting Diaolou Square, then moving to a small establishment called Xiangyuan Restaurant once inside.
Gao Qiqiang, still angry that Gao Qisheng had returned, told him to leave immediately, but Gao Qisheng reminded him it was his birthday. Gao Qiqiang then softened, wishing him a happy birthday and apologizing for the humble celebration. He promised a grander one after resolving Gao Qisheng's current predicament. Gao Qisheng asked for a bowl of noodles, promising to leave after eating. Gao Qiqiang ordered two bowls of pork knuckle noodles.
While Gao Qiqiang briefly stepped away, Gao Qisheng used his phone to send a message, claiming his own phone had died while he was replying to Gao Qilan. Gao Qiqiang, upon returning, warned him not to worry Gao Qilan with their current situation. Gao Qiqiang then revealed that he had been introduced to a very powerful municipal official, Zhao Lidong, who could help them. However, Zhao Lidong demanded a "pledge": Gao Qiqiang had to eliminate two individuals.
He had already captured Tan Siyan from the Municipal Government Research Office and was planning to kill him as a token of allegiance. The other target was Li Xiang, the Chief of the Criminal Investigation Unit. Gao Qisheng vehemently warned Gao Qiqiang not to harm Li Xiang, emphasizing that if he did, An Xin would pursue him relentlessly, and he would never be able to clear his name.
Gao Qiqiang acknowledged the warning, saying he hadn't agreed to eliminate Li Xiang and would try to find an alternative. Gao Qisheng pressed, asking if eliminating them was unavoidable, to which Gao Qiqiang reluctantly confirmed it seemed so for the time being. He urged Gao Qisheng to finish his noodles and leave. Gao Qisheng reminisced about their childhood, recalling a time when their mother could only afford one bowl of pork knuckle noodles for the three siblings.
Gao Qilan ate the pig hock, he ate the noodles, and Gao Qiqiang, claiming not to like them, only drank the soup. Gao Qisheng later realized it was Gao Qiqiang's favorite dish, a lie told out of sacrifice. He expressed a sense of despair, feeling that everything he did was wrong and that the harder he tried, the more mistakes he made.
Gao Qiqiang comforted him, saying everyone makes mistakes and he would rectify this situation, urging Gao Qisheng to be obedient and avoid making further wrong choices. As Gao Qisheng finished his first bowl, he asked for another, claiming he was still hungry. Gao Qiqiang, noticing plainclothes police outside, realized they were surrounded. Gao Qisheng then confessed that he had used Gao Qiqiang's phone to call the police himself. Gao Qiqiang, confused, questioned why.
Gao Qisheng, trying to shield Gao Qiqiang, abruptly grabbed a gun, held Gao Qiqiang hostage, and publicly accused him of betrayal. Police, led by Yang Jian, quickly surrounded the restaurant. Gao Qisheng, holding Gao Qiqiang at gunpoint, demanded that Gao Qiqiang publicly denounce him as a drug dealer and claim he had called the police, emphasizing that his earlier actions to clear Gao Qiqiang would be in vain otherwise.
Gao Qiqiang, under duress, reluctantly declared that Gao Qisheng shouldn't have dealt drugs and urged him to surrender, stating he couldn't escape. Realizing his fate was sealed, Gao Qisheng made one last request: to speak with Li Xiang alone. Li Xiang arrived, declining a bulletproof vest and handing over his sidearm to Yang Jian before ascending unarmed.
Gao Qisheng, after checking Li Xiang for weapons, tried to shoot him, but Gao Qiqiang intervened, pleading with Gao Qisheng not to ruin their last chance. Gao Qisheng retorted that without Li Xiang's death, the official would not help Gao Qiqiang. Li Xiang confirmed that Zhao Lidong was indeed behind the plot and pressed Gao Qiqiang about Tan Siyan's whereabouts. Gao Qiqiang offered to surrender Tan Siyan in exchange for Li Xiang ensuring Gao Qisheng's safety.
Li Xiang agreed, reasoning that only he could potentially save Gao Qisheng from a death sentence for drug trafficking and urged him to hand over his gun and release Tan Siyan. However, Gao Qisheng, refusing to trust Li Xiang, pushed Gao Qiqiang aside and lunged at Li Xiang. A police sniper, having found an angle, fired, wounding Gao Qisheng.
As Li Xiang desperately questioned him about Tan Siyan, Gao Qisheng, in a final act of defiance, tackled Li Xiang, and they both plunged from the building, landing directly in front of An Xin's newly arrived car. Yang Jian and medical personnel rushed to Li Xiang, while An Xin stood frozen in shock. Gao Qisheng was pronounced dead at the scene.
In the ambulance, with his last breath, Li Xiang told An Xin that it was not Gao Qiqiang who had called the police, and urged him to "go save Tan Siyan," pressing an unsent letter into An Xin's hand. Gao Qiqiang, heartbroken by his brother's death, feigned composure and maintained his story, claiming he was the one who had called the police, and was subsequently taken in for questioning.
A police chief noted Gao Qiqiang's calculated move, presenting himself as a righteous man who informed on his own brother, thereby deflecting suspicion from himself in Jinghai. An Xin later read Li Xiang's letter. In it, Li Xiang revealed that he and Tan Siyan had meticulously documented all evidence against Zhao Lidong and sent it to the provincial authorities, but a month had passed without any response.
Tan Siyan had gone missing, and Li Xiang feared he would be the next target. He had compiled all the detailed information in a notebook, which he left in locker 304 at the train station, along with the key, entrusting An Xin to continue the fight alone.
Li Xiang confessed to his compromising actions to gain Zhao Lidong's trust, describing how he was forced to clean up the messes left by Zhao Lidong's schemes of courting investors and developing the city, which ultimately enriched himself. Li Xiang expressed deep self-loathing, admitting he had repeatedly obstructed citizens making petitions, feeling unworthy of his police uniform and having betrayed his oath.
He also disclosed that Zhao Lidong and his accomplices had given him 24 gas cards and 57 shopping cards, totaling 181,000 yuan, all of which remained unused. Despite his efforts, Zhao Lidong's extreme caution prevented Li Xiang from completing a full chain of evidence. Knowing his methods had failed, Li Xiang bid farewell to An Xin, calling him "brother" one last time and describing the city's dark underbelly that had consumed him.
He urged An Xin to reconsider his path, warning him of the monster they faced that could destroy everything he held dear—life, dignity, family, friends, and loved ones—and suggested burning the diary and forgetting him if he wished to avoid a similar fate. Following Gao Qisheng's funeral, Gao Qiqiang ensured that Tan Siyan's body was disposed of without a trace. He then met with Zhao Lidong, and they formally established an alliance.
At a Construction Engineering Group board meeting, Gao Qiqiang proposed bidding for the government's green belts project. Despite a shareholder's endorsement of the project's benefits for the company's image and future "invisible income," Uncle Tai vehemently opposed it, calling it a loss-making venture. However, a vote revealed that three of the four remaining shareholders supported Gao Qiqiang.
Lawyer Wu then announced that, as of that morning, Gao Qiqiang, through recent acquisitions from Mr. Wu Qi and Mr. Jin Zhiyong, now held 51. 1% of the company's shares, making him the majority shareholder. Gao Qiqiang, now the chairman of the board, told Uncle Tai that he found his pace too slow.
Uncle Tai warned Gao Qiqiang about the treacherous "waves" of Jinghai, to which Gao Qiqiang confidently responded by referencing his past as a fishmonger, noting that "the bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish." He reiterated his past frustrations with having his projects rejected, asserting his new authority.
Gao Qiqiang, the new chairman, then pledged to Uncle Tai that he would not acquire his shares, would continue to pay his dividends annually, and would care for him until his death. In the aftermath of these events, the Municipal Bureau Committee of the CPC appointed Zhang Biao as the new Chief of the Criminal Investigation Unit. An Xin, however, was transferred and demoted to a regular police officer in the First Unit of the Traffic Management Bureau.
An Xin packed his belongings from the Criminal Investigation Unit, receiving a heartfelt salute from his colleagues, which moved him to tears. He then visited Li Xiang's grave and, honoring his late friend's wishes, burned the notebook containing the sensitive information. Meanwhile, at the Fourth Investment Promotion Conference for Jinghai City's Qinghua District, Zhao Lidong personally attended, and Gao Qiqiang spoke as a prominent business representative, pledging Construction Engineering Group's full commitment to contributing to society.
Later, Meng Yu informed An Xin that her mother had finally approved their marriage, albeit with four conditions: they must live with her parents (to care for her ailing mother), An Xin must be careful on missions (even as a traffic cop), her mother must have a granddaughter before turning sixty, and their wedding should be held on September 6th, Meng Yu's birthday. Meng Yu, excitedly planning, showed An Xin wedding invitations and discussed logistical details.
An Xin, however, claimed to be tired of her and confessed that his feelings were merely brotherly, not romantic love. Meng Yu, distraught, accused him of being anxious due to recent work events and tried to redirect the conversation to wedding plans. An Xin firmly reiterated that he did not love her and had never loved her, urging her to find someone who could truly love her, marry, have children, and live a happy, safe life.
He then turned and walked away. Meng Yu pleaded with him to stop, offering to compromise on any of her mother's conditions, but An Xin remained resolute, leaving her in tears. In a final act of heartbroken defiance, Meng Yu echoed An Xin's words, claiming she, too, had never loved him, before breaking down completely. Concurrently, Gao Qiqiang called Shuting, expressing his intent to visit her and the child in Hong Kong and bring them back.
Shuting, however, informed him that she was not returning and he should not wait for her. She explained that six years ago, she had vowed never to live a life of hiding again, but her life with him had not changed. She realized Gao Qiqiang had never truly changed and could not provide the life she desired. She asked him not to seek her out or disrupt their lives, wishing him continued success in Jinghai.
Later, while An Xin was on street duty, he received a phone call from An Changlin, who was furious about Meng Yu's tears and threatened to break An Xin's legs if he had hurt her. An Xin, overwhelmed, explained that too many innocent people had died and too many injustices had been suppressed, and he felt a duty to seek accountability, unable to keep so many burdens hidden in his heart.
An Changlin questioned what this had to do with Meng Yu, but An Xin, unable to elaborate, told him not to interfere as he had to resume his duties. At that moment, Gao Qiqiang drove past, observing a dejected An Xin squatting in his traffic booth, tears silently streaming down his face.
