Resumen, trama, sinopsis de The Truth

Sinopsis de The Truth

The Criminal Science and Technology Division of the Yunxi Municipal Public Security Bureau is a hub for major and extraordinary cases. Led by Section Chief Chen Guoxian, the investigative team—composed of Si Yuanlong, Ye Qian, Leng Qiming, Wan Jin, and intern Wu Danqing—forms a young and professional elite unit. Among them are minds skilled in deduction and understanding human nature, masters of the scalpel with a gentlemanly overseas-trained technical expertise, a tough yet captivating policewoman, and an intern officer with a delicate heart and obedient demeanor.

There is also a seasoned, shrewd veteran who provides guidance, alongside a slick and witty young colleague who never fails to amuse. Upholding the mission of "decoding the secrets of death and upholding the dignity of life," each member brings unique skills to their role, working together to crack one bizarre case after another. Through each bewildering investigation, they reveal truths, reflect human nature, and uphold justice. Beyond every mystery lies another, within every case hides deeper layers—until the truth gradually emerges, laying bare the essence of humanity.

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One night in the secluded He Village, a man named He Changchun methodically washed blood from his hands. Nearby, his victim struggled for her final breath, but he remorselessly silenced her forever. Before fleeing, he noticed a young boy shivering in the corner, a silent witness to the crime. Elsewhere that same night, a man in a black hat attempted to abduct a girl by the roadside but was scared off by a passing patrol car.

Despite this, the girl was later found dead in the thick brush. Desperate for resources, He Changchun contacted a mysterious associate he called "Boss," demandingly asking for cash. They arranged a hand-off, and He Changchun vanished from the scene. Meanwhile, the police converged on Huaibei Road where another body had been discovered. Captain Leng Qiming arrived to find his apprentice, Ye Qian, already deeply immersed in deducing the crime.

The victim was identified as Guo Bingbing, a fourteen-year-old student from the prestigious No. 2 Middle School. Chief Xu noted the intense pressure from city officials due to the victim's age and the school’s status. The scene yielded several clues: cigarette butts, three-dimensional shoe prints, and a single fish scale caught in the girl’s hair. Guo Bingbing’s parents were devastated as they identified her body at the morgue.

Ye Qian worked through the night, eventually falling asleep over the case files. In his dreams, he was haunted by the memory of a girl named Yumo, remembering the agony of finding her years ago after she had been assaulted—a trauma that mirrored the pain of the parents he saw at the station. The investigative team, including forensic experts Ziwu and Lei, gathered to analyze the findings. Ziwu concluded the cause of death was mechanical asphyxia.

Crucially, while there was a fresh tear in the hymen, there was no blood, indicating the assault occurred after the victim's heart had stopped. The killer had used a specialized snare, leaving parallel, comb-like skin folds on her neck. Furthermore, DNA from the scene linked this case to two others: an assault on Weigang Street and a rape on Tianpeng Street, all occurring within a single month.

While the police worked, another student named Xiaomeng was nearly abducted after skipping her evening self-study to meet a friend. She was grabbed and a black plastic bag was shoved over her head, but her friends arrived just in time to scare the attacker away. During her interview, she described the attacker as being about 1. 75 meters tall with rough hands.

Most importantly, she noted the bag had a nauseating smell of rotten fish and shrimp, an odor that triggered her seafood allergy. The search for more clues led Leng Qiming and Officer Zhang to the home of Li Ying, a previous victim. Her mother was hostile, detailing how the trauma had forced them to move and caused Li Ying’s grades to plummet from the top of her class.

Despite her mother's protests, Li Ying shared a vital detail: the bag used on her had a distinct, sour, rotten smell. Back at the station, the team pieced the evidence together. Si Yuanlong identified the fish scales as belonging to "single-scaled" carp, suggesting they came from brood fish or fry used to stock a private, newly established fishpond.

They also found cheap incense ash on the victim's clothes, likely used by the killer due to a superstitious belief that it could eliminate traces of the crime. Interestingly, while the cigarette butts at the first two scenes were from cheap seven-yuan packs, the one at Guo Bingbing’s scene was a premium brand costing nearly eighty yuan, suggesting the killer was a heavy smoker whose habits fluctuated with his stress levels.

In a different part of the city, Dan Qing, a core member of a drug trafficking organization, arrived at a club for a meeting. She felt neglected when no one arrived to receive her, unaware that the room was bugged. In a private garden, a man named Bao Hei watched her every move on a screen while casually torturing an associate for information, showing no mercy even as the man begged for his life.

As the investigation weighed heavily on the team, Si Yuanlong found Ye Qian’s brooding habits difficult to stomach in their shared dorm. However, Leng Qiming had ordered Si to stay close to Ye Qian to ensure he didn't do anything reckless. When Ye Qian insisted on going out to clear his head, Si followed him to a high-energy motorcycle race, where the two sought a brief reprieve from the grim reality of the serial cases.

Ye Qian and Si Yuanlong arrived at a vibrant night racing circuit where Han Zhao was enjoying herself with friends. Upon seeing Ye Qian, Han Zhao greeted him with childhood nicknames like "Xiao Qianqian" and "Qian Baobao," which he clearly found annoying. Despite his initial reluctance, Ye Qian grabbed a helmet and joined the race. Watching from the sidelines, Si Yuanlong questioned the legality of the event, but Han Zhao assured him it was fully licensed.

She even baited him into a verbal wager, predicting that Ye Qian would climb to at least fourth place within three laps. While the race thundered on, tension brewed in a private club. Dan Qing’s associate, Lao Liu, lost his temper after being ignored by their hosts, smashing several bottles in frustration. When the manager finally arrived, Dan Qing remained firm. She made it clear that being kept waiting was a sign of disrespect, regardless of their new partnership.

She signaled for Lao Liu to leave, prompting the manager to urgently call his boss, Xiang. During a phone conversation with Xiang, Dan Qing asserted her authority, stating she represented her boss, Brother Huo, and demanded to see the mysterious Bao Hei. Xiang, intrigued, realized that Huo was serious about their cooperation since he had sent his own woman to handle the negotiations. Back at the track, Si Yuanlong observed the plastic ring Han Zhao always wore.

He deduced it was a relic from a childhood game of house she once played with Ye Qian. He pointed out that her daily attempts to get Ye Qian’s attention were futile because Ye Qian either consciously rejected her or had long forgotten their childhood promises. Han Zhao admitted that Ye Qian’s heart had always belonged to his "White Moonlight." The next day, Si Yuanlong’s curiosity about this unrequited love only reopened old wounds for Ye Qian.

However, a breakthrough occurred when Si Yuanlong noticed the distinct way Ye Qian bit his cigarette with his molars. This led them to re-examine the deep marks found on cigarette butts at the crime scenes. The police narrowed their focus to trades where workers bite their cigarettes to keep their hands free. They ruled out plumbers and electricians due to work dust, painters because they wear masks, and carpenters because no wood shavings were found on the victims.

This left masons as the primary suspects. As the investigation intensified, Ye Qian caught a fleeting glimpse of his long-lost love, Chen Yumo, in a taxi. He chased the vehicle desperately but lost it in traffic. Meanwhile, Si Yuanlong scoured the city until he found a specific type of rope—a livestock hobble—that perfectly matched the ligature marks on the victims. The investigation led them to Meidu Concept Decoration Company.

The manager, Jiang Honghai, informed the police that his mason, Jiang Lianhong, had just finished his work. Jiang Honghai acted helpful, even offering to call the worker. Using the excuse that there was an issue with the tiling, Jiang Honghai lured Jiang Lianhong back to the worksite, where the police were waiting to arrest him. Jiang Lianhong was carrying a black plastic bag that reeked of fish.

During interrogation, he initially claimed he ran because he had recently assaulted a doctor over his father’s uremia treatments. He expressed bitterness toward the victims, recalling a rude encounter on a bus where he was insulted for being a "dirty" migrant worker. When the police showed him the photos of the livestock hobble marks, Jiang Lianhong suddenly shifted his story and confessed to the murders. However, the DNA evidence provided a twist.

The samples from the crime scenes did not match Jiang Lianhong, though they shared a high paternal lineage, suggesting the killer was a male relative. Captain Leng and Ye Qian realized Jiang Lianhong was protecting someone. The focus shifted to Jiang Honghai, whose DNA perfectly matched the evidence. Although Jiang Honghai had booked a flight to Shenzhen to throw off the trail, he never boarded the plane and remained at large within Yunxi City.

Jiang Lianhong eventually admitted he was covering for Jiang Honghai out of gratitude, as the contractor had provided him with money and a job when no one else would help an ex-convict. That night, a student named Xiaomeng felt she was being followed in the dark. Just as a shadow loomed closer, Ye Qian arrived on the scene, causing the stalker to flee.

The investigation into Jiang Honghai takes a psychological turn when the police notice a striking resemblance between the intended victim, Chen Xiaomeng, and a girl named He Jie from over twenty years ago. This connection prompts a deeper interrogation of Jiang Lianhong. Faced with the evidence, Jiang Lianhong finally breaks his silence about the past. He reveals that the sexual assault case from twenty-two years ago, for which he served a long prison sentence, was actually committed by Jiang Honghai.

At the time, Jiang Honghai had gotten the thirteen-year-old He Jie pregnant and forced her into an abortion. To protect his son, Jiang Honghai’s father, a powerful village official, orchestrated a massive cover-up by planting Jiang Lianhong’s underwear at the scene and coercing the victim into giving false testimony. Under the weight of the village chief's influence and a payoff of 20,000 yuan and an acre of land, Jiang Lianhong’s own father had begged him to take the blame.

To track Jiang Honghai’s current whereabouts, the police locate Jiang Han, a fellow villager and mason trainer. Jiang Han describes Jiang Honghai as a solitary man with poor health who obsesses over a specific diet, requiring soup made from expensive, live brood fish every day. Jiang Han also reveals that he had given Jiang Honghai the keys to a storage warehouse in an abandoned building at No. 28 North Xinyuan Lane a year ago.

Acting on this lead, the police raid the dilapidated structure. Though Jiang Honghai attempts to hide in an adjacent room, he is quickly apprehended. During the interrogation, Leng Qiming confronts him with the truth, noting that Jiang Lianhong was once again willing to take the fall for him. Jiang Honghai dismisses the sacrifice, claiming Jiang Lianhong only did it for the money needed to treat his father’s uremia and dialysis.

He shows no remorse, even though his actions have destroyed five separate families. With the DNA evidence and the truth of the old case finally coming to light, Jiang Honghai is sentenced to life imprisonment. With the serial killer case closed, the local officers gather at Lei Ge’s Restaurant for a retirement dinner honoring Old Yang from the propaganda department.

The diner’s manager, Jing Jie, a dedicated military wife, helps look after the children of the officers while they are busy. Later that evening, Leng Qiming returns home to find his retired father being cared for by a nanny. The house is filled with trophies of his father’s past glory, but the elderly man is now struggling with dementia.

The nanny informs Leng Qiming that his father had an episode earlier that day, frantically trying to use an outdated phone book of landline numbers to call his old comrades. Despite the resolution of the case, Ye Qian remains fixated on finding Chen Yumo. He visits a taxi company and manages to find the driver who picked her up.

Following the driver's lead, he arrives at a hotel to inquire about her, unaware that a mysterious figure is secretly following him and taking photographs. Meanwhile, in the criminal underworld, Dan Qing and Huo Ge meet with A Qiang, a representative for the crime boss Bao Hei, at a private club. The atmosphere is tense as they discuss the "Nanbang family" influence and their need to transition their drug business to the Wannan market due to tightening border controls.

To test their loyalty and ensure they aren't undercover police, A Qiang tries to force them to use drugs, which he refers to as "flesh." Dan Qing firmly refuses, stating that her organization has a strict rule against members using their own product. When a subordinate offers to use it instead to settle the tension, Dan Qing reprimands him and decides to leave.

Despite the friction, the following day, A Qiang provides Dan Qing and Huo Ge with a new residence at No. 4 Dongshan Road as an apology. Unbeknownst to the gangs, the Provincial Narcotics Division is closely monitoring the situation. They have identified Huo Ge’s group as the third-largest supplier of new drugs in the southwest and know that Bao Hei controls the majority of the distribution channels in Wannan. The police realize a partnership between the two groups is inevitable.

The temporary peace is shattered when local villagers discover a body with a slit throat in a field. At the same time, a patrol officer notices a suspicious man in black, identified as He Changchun, near a roadside eatery. When the officer approaches him to check his identification, He Changchun turns violent and kills the officer before fleeing. Leng Qiming and his team arrive at the scene shortly after, finding that the victim in the field has been dead for over twelve hours.

Leng Qiming stood with a heavy expression at a remote crime scene in Shuangta Village, where a local resident had discovered a body while searching for a lost sheep. After a careful examination, Leng determined the victim had been strangled before his throat was slit. Although recent rain had washed away many traces, Ye Qian’s keen sense of smell picked up the scent of engine oil in the mud.

Nearby, they discovered clear tire marks, which Ye Qian suspected belonged to a motorcycle. Leng noted that the absence of a blood trail leading to the body confirmed this was the primary crime scene rather than a dumping ground. The following morning, the police discussed the investigation. Technical analysis suggested the killer was left-handed and had pinned the victim down after a violent struggle. While a small amount of cash remained, the victim’s phone and identification were missing.

Based on the thick calluses on the man’s palms and his worn knee pads, Ye Qian initially theorized he was a long-term rider. Leng Qiming refined this, pointing out that since the area was too remote for delivery services, the victim was likely a motorcycle taxi driver killed for his vehicle. He ordered Ye Qian to prepare facial photos for an investigation notice and tasked the team with checking missing person reports and distributing flyers at transportation hubs.

The victim was soon identified as Xu Gang. His wife, Zhang Meifeng, was devastated, explaining that her husband had spent three years driving his motorcycle to support their family of six. She described the vehicle as a Dayang motorcycle covered in stickers that their children loved. Following this lead, Ye Qian attempted to call Xu Gang’s phone. On the road, the killer, He Changchun, ignored the call and eventually discarded the phone to avoid being tracked.

Ye Qian deduced that the killer had murdered Xu Gang specifically to obtain a getaway vehicle that wouldn't require real-name registration, unlike trains or buses. He Changchun later used a landline to contact his middle school classmate, Wang Lei, insisting they meet to settle a debt. However, Wang Lei was already cooperating with Captain Liao from the Liuhe City Police. Through Wang Lei, the police tracked the landline to a location near National Highway 322 in Linshui Township.

At the shop, the owner recognized He Changchun from a wanted poster, prompting the desperate criminal to brutally murder her before resuming his flight. As he hid under a bridge that night, He Changchun was haunted by nightmares of the massacre he had committed in He Village. The dream revealed the roots of his violence: a bitter land dispute with his uncle, He Shanxiang, and the years of humiliation his parents endured.

After his uncle blocked his father’s burial, He Changchun had snapped, killing four of his relatives and leaving only a four-year-old child alive. Back at the station, Chief Xu contacted Leng Qiming to discuss the progress. Leng confirmed that the suspect’s characteristics and modus operandi matched the perpetrator of the Liuhe City family massacre. He noted that He Changchun was using a diversionary tactic, drawing police attention to Liuhe while he slipped toward Yunxi to cross the provincial border.

The situation grew more dire as reports came in that He Changchun had stabbed a traffic officer at a checkpoint, bringing his total number of victims to seven. Away from the intensity of the manhunt, Leng Qiming faced a different struggle at home. His retired father, suffering from worsening dementia and paranoia, had a violent episode. He accused Leng of being a traitor who had implanted a chip and an antenna in his brain to keep him awake.

In his confusion, the old man knocked over his medication, claiming the pills were actually batteries meant to harm him. The next day, Ye Qian spent his free time at the No-Name Diner, personally cooking meals for local sanitation workers. As he served the food, he reminisced about his first day reporting to the Major Crimes Unit.

Leng Qiming had tested him by aggressively questioning the price of his watch, but Ye Qian had remained calm and fearless, eventually earning Leng's respect and a place on the team. After finishing his work at the diner, Ye Qian met with Han Zhao to show her the photo of Xu Gang’s motorcycle. He hoped she could use her connections in the motorcycle community to find the bike.

Han Zhao noted that since the bike was leaking oil, it would eventually need repairs, and she promised to spread the word among dealers. During their conversation, she urged Ye Qian to stop searching for his missing love, Yumo, but he remained focused only on finding her. Meanwhile, a man named Bao Hei had successfully investigated the background of a woman named Dan Qing. He discovered that her real name was Chen Yumo.

Her history was tragic, involving a traumatic assault that forced her family to move away years ago. After her parents died, she returned to Yunxi and became involved with a man named Ah Huo. Leveraging her intelligence and ruthlessness, she had managed to take control of the drug supply market in the southwest, making her a formidable figure in the criminal underworld.

Qiang reveals Dan Qing’s background to the group: she is actually Chen Yumo, a local who was gang-raped ten years ago at the age of sixteen. After her family moved away and her parents died in a car accident five years later, she returned to Yunxi City, met Huo Ge at a nightclub, and eventually moved to the border. Crucially, her high school boyfriend was Ye Qian, who is now a police officer.

Dan Qing reacts with intense bitterness, claiming she will remember Ye Qian until the day she dies because she blames her ordeal on her association with him. She stormily leaves the meeting, but the criminal boss, Bao Hei, decides to exploit her past connection to a cop for their benefit.

Meanwhile, Huo Ge shares a video of four kidnap victims to demonstrate their group's ruthlessness; Qiang later confirms the victims are dead and requests the burial location to verify the site. While observing Ye Qian from a distance, Dan Qing sees him buying wontons at a roadside stand. When two thieves snatch a pedestrian's bag nearby, Ye Qian acts instinctively, chasing them down and making an arrest.

Watching him triggers a painful memory for Dan Qing of being at a police station years ago after her rescue. At that time, she saw Ye Qian, but his sudden departure left her feeling rejected and abandoned. Despite her lingering resentment, she orders her driver to continue following him. Back at the police dormitory, Han Zhao arrives with fresh groceries to prepare a meal for Ye Qian and Si Yuanlong.

However, the situation becomes awkward when Si Yuanlong’s parents show up unexpectedly. Misunderstanding the relationship, the parents assume Han Zhao is their son's girlfriend and treat her with overwhelming warmth. Ye Qian, who was returning with takeout, receives a message from Si Yuanlong about the situation. To avoid the crowded room and the potential for more misunderstanding, he decides to stay away, eating his dinner alone on a park bench while waiting for the parents to leave.

Meanwhile, He Changchun continues his flight on Xu Gang's stolen motorcycle, but the engine begins leaking oil and eventually breaks down. He pushes the bike into a repair shop, unaware that Han Zhao has already alerted her contacts to look for a motorcycle covered in children's stickers. The mechanic recognizes the vehicle and notices the engine and VIN numbers match the description.

He tricks He Changchun into waiting at a nearby internet cafe to buy time and immediately contacts Han Zhao, who passes the location to Ye Qian. Sensing something is wrong when he returns to the shop, He Changchun notices the owner’s shifty behavior and realizes the man is stalling. When he discovers the identification numbers on the bike have been inspected, he draws a knife.

After knocking the shop owner unconscious, he flees just as Ye Qian and his colleagues arrive. A pursuit ensues into a rainy forest. When the motorcycle stalls again in the dense woods, He Changchun attempts to flee on foot, but Ye Qian and Si Yuanlong eventually catch and subdue him. In the interrogation room, He Changchun confesses to his crimes. He reveals that his vendetta against He Shanxiang’s family stemmed from years of humiliation.

His father, a selfless man, had taken the worst plot of land to spare the family trouble, yet his uncle’s family continued to bully them and eventually seized the land. This conflict led to his father's death from stress, and the family was even denied burial in the ancestral graves. When his mother later fell ill with cancer, his uncle’s family continued to harass her at the hospital over land contracts, ultimately causing her death.

He Changchun explains that he spared his young nephew because the child was innocent of the adults' greed. He also admits to killing the motorcycle driver, Xu Gang, claiming he acted out of desperation when the man fought back during the robbery.

He Changchun makes a final request to Ye Qian: he asks for his parents' ashes to be scattered in the sea, noting they had never seen the ocean and deserved to rest away from the village that treated them so poorly. Later, Ye Qian and Leng Qiming travel to the coast to fulfill this wish.

As they watch the ashes disappear into the waves, Leng Qiming reflects on the nature of fatherhood, telling Ye Qian that while a father's faults can be as numerous as the stars, his virtues are like the sun—when the sun rises, all the stars vanish.

Si Yuanlong arrived at the Bowang restaurant to join Han Zhao and Ye Qian. Han Zhao, who had opened the establishment specifically to create a space for Ye Qian, tried to be attentive by opening a drink for him. However, Ye Qian remained cold and distant, choosing water over alcohol to stay ready for duty.

Han Zhao openly questioned Si Yuanlong about his attempts to pursue her, even though she knew Ye Qian’s heart still belonged to his long-lost love, Chen Yumo. Si Yuanlong argued that since they were both single, he didn't need Ye Qian's permission to court her, though Han Zhao made it clear she hadn't agreed to anything. Despite Han Zhao’s efforts to impress him, Ye Qian bluntly told her that a relationship between them would never work.

Si Yuanlong teased that Han Zhao simply wasn't Ye Qian’s type, noting that the detective preferred gentle, delicate women with long hair. Their meal was interrupted when Ziwu, a colleague from the same department, arrived at the restaurant for a blind date. Han Zhao recognized Ziwu's date, Mr. Pang, as a frequent customer who brought different women to the restaurant every time. Ziwu was polite but firm, informing Pang she wasn't interested and insisting they split the bill.

When Pang excused himself to the restroom, he brazenly complained to a friend over the phone, unaware that Ye Qian was nearby. He disparaged Ziwu as an aging officer with no financial value, callously remarking that her only worth would be the death compensation his family might receive if she were killed in the line of duty. Disgusted, Ye Qian and Han Zhao ambushed Pang outside the restroom, covered his head, and gave him a well-deserved beating.

Ziwu, hearing the commotion, realized her teammates were defending her honor and couldn't help but smile. Later, Han Zhao confided in Si Yuanlong, admitting she had been captivated by Ye Qian's sense of justice since their school days. Back then, he was a talented athlete and artist, but he had chosen the dangerous path of a criminal investigator solely to search for Chen Yumo. For ten years, he had chased every lead regarding her, refusing to give up.

Despite knowing his heart was occupied, Han Zhao was willing to wait for him. Meanwhile, Si Yuanlong, realizing that his current salary could barely cover such high-end meals, resolved to earn more money to prove his worth. Elsewhere, Ziwu felt a pang of disappointment when her messages to Leng Qiming went temporarily unanswered, though she later showed her gentle side by checking in on Leng's son, Xiaoyu, and offering to help with his homework.

That night, a brutal murder occurred at the Shancheng Community. The killer, wearing gloves, meticulously processed the scene before departing with chilling composure. The next day, Han Zhao hoped to meet Ye Qian, but Si Yuanlong showed up instead and persuaded her to go to the movies. However, the outing was cut short when duty called. Simultaneously, Leng Qiming was in Shanghai, spending a brief, precious day with his son.

Their time was interrupted when Chief Xu summoned the team back for an emergency. The victim was identified as Wang Xiaole, a thirty-three-year-old teacher at a health school, whose body was discovered by her parents after she failed to respond to their messages. At the crime scene, investigators found five bloody footprints from size 43 sneakers and walls covered in vitriolic insults written in the victim's blood.

Ye Qian noted the steady, standard script of the writing, suggesting the killer was well-educated and composed. In the lab, Ziwu’s analysis revealed the killer likely used medical latex gloves, as evidenced by specific talcum powder residues. The victim had suffered seventeen precise wounds, suggesting the killer used a technique similar to a surgeon with a scalpel. Jiao Lei’s review of security footage identified the victim’s ex-husband, Wu Da, entering and exiting the community around the time of the crime.

While forensic evidence showed consensual activity had occurred recently, Wu Da’s presence made him the primary suspect. When the police tracked him down, they found him in a drunken stupor. His home contained various medical textbooks, and although he claimed to have been drinking alone near the community flower beds, his specialized knowledge and injured hands pointed toward a dark connection to the murder.

Leng Qiming visited Wu Da’s home to further investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Wang Xiaole. From his colleagues, he learned that despite their families' initial opposition—which was so strong that the couple had once stolen their household registration books to marry in secret—Wu Da had voluntarily given the apartment in Shancheng Community to his ex-wife following their divorce.

During the subsequent interrogation, Wu Da appeared broken, explaining that their separation was never his choice but had been forced by Wang Xiaole’s parents, who had threatened suicide to break them apart. He confessed that he had failed to provide her with a stable life after his career as a pharmaceutical representative took a downturn and he lost a significant amount of money. Despite the legal divorce, the two had continued to meet secretly several times a month.

However, on the night of the murder, Wang Xiaole had summoned him to say that she was moving on to marry a stable man named Huang Chong and that they must stop seeing each other. Distraught, Wu Da left at 10:00 PM and bought the cheapest liquor at a nearby supermarket, drinking himself into a stupor at a roadside flower bed before eventually stumbling home. The police set out to verify Wu Da’s alibi the following day.

Their investigation of the neighborhood supported his story. A local shop owner recalled Wu Da buying a bottle of cheap spirits on the night of the 9th and described him as a frequent customer who often became a "mean drunk," howling and crying by the flower beds. An elderly man walking his dog also confirmed seeing the young man slumped by the flower bed during his strictly timed walks between 11:30 PM and 1:50 AM.

Surveillance footage further corroborated that Wu Da had passed through the garden and remained there during the window of the crime, suggesting he lacked the time and the physical state to have committed the murder. The investigation took a significant turn when Ziwu discovered small fragments of fresh Masson pine bark on the doormat of the victim's home.

Noting that these trees were rare in the city center but abundant in the woods north of the community, Leng Qiming led a search of the forested area. The team discovered several discarded condom wrappers of various colors, suggesting a long-term presence in the area. Most alarmingly, they found a telescope mounted in a tree with a clear, direct view into Wang Xiaole’s bedroom.

It became evident that the killer had been stalking her for an extended period, possibly since she moved into the apartment four years prior. Forensic analysis of the evidence revealed a chilling level of precision. No fingerprints or DNA were found on the telescope or the condom wrappers, but Ziwu detected traces of latex and talcum powder on the tree bark, consistent with medical gloves.

This matched Ye Qian’s earlier profile of a meticulous and cautious killer with a medical background. Since both Wang Xiaole and Wu Da were medical school graduates, the police realized that the suspect could be anyone within their extensive social and professional circles of doctors and pharmaceutical representatives. Meanwhile, Dan Qing—the woman formerly known as Chen Yumo—visited her parents' graves.

She deliberately wore a bright red dress to ensure that the men working for the criminal boss Bao Hei could easily follow her. Discussing her strategy with Huo, she revealed her intent to manipulate the cold-hearted Bao Hei. She planned to use her relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Ye Qian, who was an active-duty police officer, as a way to prove her worth and intimidate her criminal associates.

Dan Qing harbored deep-seated resentment, making it clear that she had no intention of letting Ye Qian live a peaceful life after their paths had crossed again. Ye Qian was at a pharmacy investigating the specific brand of contraceptive found at the crime scene. He learned that the product was not for sale but was a free supply distributed by the city’s family planning departments, hospitals, and community centers. During this investigation, he unexpectedly encountered Dan Qing.

Her warm greeting and composed demeanor left him visibly unsettled. She told him that she had changed her name to Dan Qing and suggested they start their acquaintance over, eventually exchanging WeChat information. After she left, Ye Qian was overwhelmed by memories of their past, particularly a promise he had made to paint for her until he was no longer able to hold a brush.

He later asked a colleague to quietly look into her history over the past few years. Seeking more clues from the past, Ye Qian visited the medical university where the victim and her ex-husband had studied. Their former homeroom teacher, Mr. Liu, remembered them well. He noted that Wu Da had only chosen clinical medicine to be near Wang Xiaole and had eventually tried to transfer because he felt unsuited for the profession.

When shown the surgical precision of the victim's fatal wound, the teacher confirmed that Wu Da had never been able to handle a scalpel properly during his training. He also recalled that Wu Da had once been disciplined for a fight with a close male friend, providing Ye Qian with a new lead to investigate. That night, Si Yuanlong questioned Ye Qian about his feelings for Han Zhao.

After learning that Ye Qian saw her only as a colleague, Si Yuanlong used Ye Qian’s name to invite Han Zhao to a late-night meal at a small diner. The restaurant was run by a woman named Jing, whose husband, Jiao Lei, was a fellow police officer. She provided meals for field officers as a way to honor her son, a border guard who had died on duty five years prior.

The gathering was cut short when a large group of officers from the Public Order Unit arrived for a meal only to be immediately called away for an urgent mission. Ye Qian and Si Yuanlong were also summoned by Leng Qiming, leaving Han Zhao alone with Jing. Jing comforted her, explaining that the life of a police officer’s family was defined by these sudden departures and a shared sense of duty.

After the police recovered the murder weapon from the riverbed, Ziwu worked tirelessly through the night to conduct a forensic analysis. Outside the laboratory, Leng Qiming paced back and forth, consumed by anxiety as he waited for the results. Noticing his distress, Ziwu offered him a piece of bread, but Leng Qiming was too preoccupied with the case to eat. Meanwhile, Ye Qian made a breakthrough while reviewing surveillance footage.

He observed the suspect leaving Wang Xiaole's home and tossing a bag into the lake, but the individual seemed to vanish like a ghost immediately afterward, disappearing from the camera’s view entirely. In his personal time, Ye Qian struggled with his feelings for Dan Qing. He spent a long time staring at his phone, drafting and deleting messages until he finally found the courage to ask her to meet over the weekend.

While he looked forward to seeing her, he felt a sense of trepidation. Back at the station, Ziwu’s tests confirmed that the bag retrieved from the lake indeed belonged to the killer. However, when they ran the DNA profile through the database, they found no matching records. The perpetrator had been incredibly cautious, ensuring his face was never captured on any cameras, which brought the investigation to another standstill.

Determined to find a lead, Ye Qian and his fellow officers began canvassing the local villagers. During their rounds, a man wearing glasses walked past Ye Qian and looked back at him several times. This peculiar behavior caught Ye Qian’s eye, and he quietly noted the man's appearance. That evening, Leng Qiming’s nanny subtly brought up the idea of a pay raise.

Feeling guilty about his inability to care for his elderly father due to his demanding job, Leng Qiming agreed to the increase, hoping she would remain committed to the task. The next day, Ye Qian’s inquiries led him to a man named Niu Bosheng, a local and a former classmate of Wu Da and Wang Xiaole. He learned that Niu Bosheng had once gotten into a fight with Wu Da because he had been harassing Wang Xiaole.

To get closer to the suspect, Ye Qian went to the hospital and intentionally registered for an appointment with Dr. Niu. Si Yuanlong accompanied him, and once inside the office, they staged a loud argument over a woman to distract the doctor. During the commotion, Si Yuanlong feigned a sneeze toward Niu Bosheng, forcing the doctor to remove his mask to wash up. Seizing the opportunity, Ye Qian swiped the discarded mask and rushed it to the lab.

The laboratory results provided the breakthrough they needed: the DNA from the mask was a perfect match for the evidence found in the bag. Ye Qian wasted no time and took Niu Bosheng into custody. With the case seeing major progress, Ye Qian was in high spirits and decided to cook a special meal for Han Zhao and Si Yuanlong at Han Zhao's restaurant.

Han Zhao quickly realized he was trying to play matchmaker for her and Si Yuanlong, and she firmly told him that her feelings were her own business. Despite her annoyance, she noticed the new spark in Ye Qian's eyes, guessing that he might have finally received news regarding Chen Yumo. In the interrogation room, Niu Bosheng admitted to his obsession with Wang Xiaole, confessing that he had set up a telescope in the woods to spy on her.

He expressed deep resentment toward Wu Da, believing the man was unworthy of her. Niu Bosheng revealed that he had even funneled money through a classmate to lend to Wu Da for their house just so Wang Xiaole could live nearby. He had maintained a rigid routine, watching her through his telescope before heading home.

While he admitted the bag found in the lake was his, he claimed it had been stolen recently along with some clothes, insisting his colleagues could verify his whereabouts. As the weekend arrived, Han Zhao and Si Yuanlong secretly followed Ye Qian to an art exhibition to see what he was up to. Ye Qian, dressed carefully, waited anxiously for Dan Qing. When she finally appeared in a graceful white dress, she looked exactly as she had years ago. Ye Qian stood there dazed, his gaze locked on her as the rest of the world seemed to fade away.

Ye Qian and Dan Qing sat across from each other, reminiscing about their shared past. Dan Qing, concealing her true motives, claimed she had abandoned her art to run a small business. She deliberately steered the conversation toward their former romance, hoping to exploit Ye Qian’s lingering feelings for her own professional gain. As they were about to part ways, Ye Qian noticed someone secretly taking photographs of him from behind.

Later, Ye Qian received a digital copy of a portrait he had painted of Dan Qing years ago. The image stirred up painful memories, leaving him in a somber mood. Meanwhile, the police confirmed that Niu Bosheng’s bag had indeed been stolen, but the investigation remained stalled. During a search of Niu’s room, Ye Qian and Si Yuanlong discovered disturbing albums on a bookshelf.

Instead of artwork, the books were filled with voyeuristic photos of Wang Xiaole’s daily life, alongside a bizarre collection of multi-colored condoms. This unsettling discovery immediately became a primary focus for the team. Under interrogation, Niu Bosheng admitted to his obsession with Wang Xiaole but adamantly denied being her killer. He claimed he had never confessed his feelings, even wishing for her to be happy with Wu Da.

However, he described how Wu Da became abusive and constantly extorted money from Wang Xiaole after their divorce. Niu admitted he often wanted to intervene, though the couple frequently reconciled. When confronted about the condoms, Niu defended them as a "special hobby" and a symbol of his loyalty to Wang Xiaole, even providing receipts for his purchases. Ye Qian felt that Niu’s arrest had been suspiciously easy, as if the investigation were being manipulated.

Suspecting that either Niu or Wu Da was lying, he returned to the flowerbed at the crime scene. He became convinced the real killer had deliberately misled the police to frame the two men by exploiting security blind spots. He began a series of physical simulations in the garden, meticulously tracing the possible escape routes.

In the meantime, Si Yuanlong reviewed surveillance footage from the day Niu’s bag was stolen, while Leng Qiming tracked down the classmate who had supposedly lent money to Wu Da. The classmate revealed that Wu Da likely knew the funds actually came from Niu Bosheng. However, when Wu Da was brought in for questioning, he denied any such knowledge and cursed Niu, calling him a pervert.

That night, Ziwu spotted a fleeting figure on the surveillance footage, though the image was too blurry to distinguish between Niu and Wu Da. Simultaneously, Ye Qian continued his reenactment, mimicking Wu Da’s drunken state at the flowerbed. Observing an elderly man walking a dog, Ye Qian realized that by using a shortcut and a quick change of clothes, the killer could have reached Wang Xiaole’s home, committed the murder, and disposed of the backpack in the lake.

The killer could then have returned to the flowerbed to pose as the unconscious Wu Da just as the elderly witness passed by, perfectly matching the man's testimony. During this simulation, Ye Qian noticed a scrape on his own arm that mirrored a wound on Wu Da’s hand. The following day, he successfully located bloodstains on a nearby wall along the route and secured the evidence.

Bao Hei captures a video of Dan Qing meeting secretly with police officer Ye Qian and immediately forwards it to Huo. To mislead A Qiang into believing Dan Qing has a secret history with the officer, Huo and Dan Qing stage a violent domestic dispute. Huo strikes Dan Qing in a fit of feigned jealousy, and she retaliates by grabbing a kitchen cleaver, putting on a convincing performance for their observer.

Meanwhile, the police arrest Wu Da, who confesses to murdering his ex-wife, Wang Xiaole. He admits his resentment grew after their divorce because she constantly belittled him and fixated on past grievances from their wedding. This toxic dynamic eventually escalated into frequent domestic violence. Wu Da reveals he meticulously framed Niu Bosheng, choosing him as a scapegoat because of his highly predictable lifestyle.

Following a plan that Ye Qian had accurately theorized, Wu Da stabbed Wang Xiaole seventeen times to represent the seventeen years she had known Niu. He even spent a significant amount of time practicing Niu’s handwriting and mimicking his specific knife techniques to ensure the frame-up was airtight. With the murder case closed, Captain Lin and Director Zhao from the provincial narcotics division arrive at the station late at night.

Ye Qian is haunted by his recent encounter with Chen Yumo, struggling to understand why she is involved in drug trafficking and why she intentionally hid the nature of her business from him. Suspecting her initial approach to him was a calculated move, Ye Qian is assigned the primary responsibility of taking down her trafficking syndicate.

Elsewhere, Huo and Dan Qing host a dinner for Wang Yong, known as "Gui Tou Le," despite the minor injuries they sustained during their staged fight. Wang Yong, who rose from a lowly henchman to a trusted confidant after saving the boss's life years ago, expresses his admiration for the couple’s fiery relationship. He relays Bao Hei’s requirement for a reliable partner to smuggle a shipment across the border into Yunxi to finalize a deal.

Dan Qing assures him that she will have news for him soon. The peace is shattered that night when a man armed with an axe breaks into a residence. The following day, police are called to a desolate field where a dismembered body has been scattered across multiple locations, with another dump site discovered five kilometers away. While Ye Qian prepares wontons for the team, they begin profiling the suspect.

They believe the killer is a local farmer, as the gunny sacks used to transport the remains contain peanut shells and vegetable scraps. The perpetrator’s familiarity with the terrain and the strategic placement of the remains suggest a local resident. Si Yuanlong notes that dismembering a body would require a power saw and significant physical strength. He spends the night simulating marks left by various saws on bone, hoping to identify the specific tool used in the crime.

Si Yuanlong easily wins a bet against Han Zhao and invites her to participate in a volunteer charity event. Though initially uninterested, Han Zhao immediately changes her mind when she learns that Ye Qian will also be attending. Ye Qian visits a hair salon to find Chen Zhi and informs him that the dismembered remains found by the police belong to his father, Chen Daning. Chen Zhi reacts with cold indifference, revealing a deep-seated animosity toward his father.

He describes Chen Daning as a man loathed by the entire village, noting that his only close associate was the mentally challenged widow of the late Xie Hanguo. Chen Zhi suggests that his father was likely just swindling the woman for the inheritance left by her late husband, an oil mill owner who died in a highway accident years ago. The widow has a reclusive, solitary son named Xie Wenle.

Back at the station, Jiao Lei identifies the vehicle used to dump the remains from surveillance footage. The van is registered to Li Dong. When the police attempt to apprehend Li Dong at a market, he panics and flees. His escape is cut short when Dan Qing’s car accidentally clips him, allowing the officers to move in. During questioning, Li Dong denies knowing Chen Daning but admits to an illegal business partnership with Xie Wenle.

Xie renders cooking oil from meat scraps provided by Li Dong. Li Dong explains he only fled because he thought the police were raiding his illegal oil operation. Leng Qiming leads a team to Shipu Village to find Xie Wenle. After a pursuit that leads to a mountain cave, Xie Wenle—armed with an axe and muttering incoherently—attacks Leng Qiming. The police manage to subdue him after a shot is fired.

Under interrogation, a motive for the murder is uncovered: Chen Daning had been extorting 30,000 yuan from Xie Wenle for gambling debts, threatening to report the illegal oil mill to the police. He taunted Xie with the prospect of being locked in a "dark room," a psychological trigger for Xie, who had been traumatized by such imprisonment as a child. To ensure Xie is not faking his mental instability, the police arrange for a professional psychiatric evaluation.

Meanwhile, a police dog leads the team to the backyard, where Chen Daning’s severed head is found buried beneath the floor of the very "dark room" mentioned during the investigation. In a separate development, Niu Bosheng visits the station to present Leng Qiming with a commendation banner. Having been cleared of the false accusations made by Wu Da, Niu is deeply grateful for the police's diligence.

Although Leng Qiming considers it his basic duty and tries to decline, Niu insists on the gesture. As one case closes, another opens when the body of a young woman is discovered in the Sishui River. The victim is covered in silt, leading the forensic team to theorize she may have been sucked into the suction pipe of an illegal sand dredger.

Ye Qian begins coordinating with field officers to track down modified dredging vessels that operate under the cover of night, using his father's connections in the local fishing community to gather leads. Later that evening, Dan Qing invites Ye Qian to dinner. During the meal, she brings up a promise he once made to "always stand on the side of light." Ye Qian is persuaded to drink a small amount of red wine, unaware that Dan Qing has drugged it. After Ye Qian leaves the restaurant in a heavily sedated state, the wine glass is surreptitiously removed to destroy any evidence of the tampering.

Following his dinner with Dan Qing, Ye Qian realizes too late that his wine was spiked. As he drinks, his mind slips into a drug-induced stupor, and he grows increasingly incoherent. Amidst the haze, he is haunted by the traumatic memories of Dan Qing being assaulted years ago, a tragedy he feels he failed to prevent.

Deeply wounded by his own perceived failure to protect her, he hears Han Zhao calling his name desperately from outside the door, but his body fails him, and he slips into a deep coma. It is later revealed by Bao Hei that Dan Qing used a high-potency new drug called "Meat" on him, a move the gang leader finds morbidly fascinating. While Ye Qian remains incapacitated, the investigation into the female body found at the river reveals crucial details.

By measuring potassium ion levels in the cerebrospinal fluid and vitreous humor, forensics determine the time of death was roughly one week ago. Low diatom content in her internal organs confirms she was murdered and dumped into the water post-mortem, as her blood circulation had stopped before she was submerged. The autopsy further notes cranial bone deformity and defensive wounds on her hands, with male DNA trapped under her fingernails.

While her identity is initially unknown, her cheap clothing and heavy residues of mineral oil—a staple in low-quality cosmetics—suggest she habitually wore heavy makeup. The police track down Hu Yong, an illegal sand dredger, who admits his crew found the body near the Sishui Second Bridge a week earlier. Fearing legal trouble for their banned dredging operation, they had callously thrown her back into the river.

The search for the victim's identity gains traction when Si Yuanlong discovers the character "flower" on the victim's stockings. Recognizing the low-quality fiber, he deduces these are wholesale items typically sold in bulk to massage parlors, saunas, and foot bath centers rather than retail stores. Meanwhile, Leng Qiming leads the team back to the riverbank to search for missing clues. They discover suspicious Range Rover tire tracks leading to the dump site.

The marks show erratic speeds and a sudden U-turn, suggesting the driver was under extreme duress. Nearby, a urine sample is collected from the riverbank. Because of an unusual concentration of ants, which are highly sensitive to sugar, the team concludes the person who left the trace likely suffers from severe diabetes. This sample eventually matches the male DNA found under the victim's nails.

A breakthrough occurs at the Huadu Club, where manager Pang Xianglan identifies the facial composite of the victim as Zhan Qiuman. Zhan had come to Yunxi from Min City two years prior and worked as a hostess. Ye Qian later questions Pang, who reveals that Zhan came from a destitute family and had quit school early to support her sick parents and her brother’s education.

Though she was provided with dorm space, Zhan mostly stayed at a private apartment in Baiyuan South Village. Pang mentions that Zhan seemed to have a regular benefactor but kept her private life guarded. Meanwhile, Jiao Lei reviews footage and flags a suspicious, unlicensed SUV passing the turn-off to the dredging site on the night of the crime. He notes a specific dent on the rear of the vehicle that fails to reflect light in the black-and-white footage.

The investigation leads to Wang Meng, the head of Huitongda Import and Export Trading Co., Ltd., who had signed the lease for Zhan’s apartment. Wang admits to their relationship, describing Zhan as an honest, frugal girl who avoided luxury goods to save money for her family. He explains that he used his company’s name for the lease to avoid tax and keep the affair from his family, who have lived abroad for years.

However, Wang has a solid alibi, having been overseas for the past month, and his DNA does not match the evidence found on the victim. When questioned why she hid the fact that she introduced Zhan to Wang, Pang Xianglan dismisses it as a trivial matchmaking favor she often does for clients. As the case reaches another impasse, Leng Qiming is forced to deal with a domestic crisis.

His elderly father, suffering from worsening dementia, gets into a heated confrontation with a delivery man, accusing the youth of spying on him. The situation escalates until the residential committee intervenes. Leng arrives to apologize and offer compensation for the delivery man’s injuries. His housekeeper, Ms. Wang, warns him that the father’s condition is becoming unmanageable and urges him to seek professional medical help, noting that her own contract is nearing its end. Just as Leng is grappling with these personal burdens, he receives a call from Jiao Lei with critical news: the suspicious vehicle has finally been located.

Police successfully located the suspected vehicle, which traffic police had recovered a week prior, finding it stuck in a drainage ditch leading from Sishui River to the city. It was believed the driver had inadvertently veered off the road in the dark and then abandoned the car after its fuel tank ran empty. Forensic investigators discovered cosmetic smudges and long strands of hair on the trunk lining, which they collected for testing.

The accidental ditching of the car meant the perpetrator likely hadn't had time for a thorough cleaning, suggesting that further evidence could be found. Indeed, a magnetic car camera was found in the passenger seat, which Ye Qian believed had fallen off when the vehicle jolted. Subsequent analysis confirmed that the tire wear patterns on the car matched the marks found at the riverside dump site, and a dent on the car's rear aligned with surveillance footage.

The cosmetic residue and hair in the trunk were identified as belonging to the victim, Zhan Qiuman. Moreover, short-acting insulin was found in the car. DNA from sweat on the steering wheel was collected, which matched other DNA evidence, and the suspect seen in the camera footage was described as thin and sweating. This vehicle was registered to Wang Meng's company, who had assigned it to Zhan Qiuman for her use.

Police determined that the individual who drove the car was likely unaware of the hidden camera and was not an employee of Wang Meng's company. The footage showing the suspect moving the body indicated the primary crime scene was nearby, possibly a residential complex parking lot. Through painstaking enhancement, the name "Hexie Jiayuan" was identified from the video.

Upon arrival at Hexie Jiayuan, the property management confirmed that the man in question was a tenant, but the apartment had been leased by Pang Xianglan. She quickly arrived, revealing she had rented the unit for her brother, Pang Xinghua. Upon entering the apartment, she was horrified to discover her brother dead. Initial police investigation into Pang Xinghua's death revealed he suffered from severe diabetes but had continued to consume sweets and alcohol, leading to speculation of suicide.

His death was estimated to have occurred at least three days prior, likely the day after Zhan Qiuman's body was dumped, with the air conditioning having delayed decomposition. Pang Xinghua's DNA matched the DNA found under Zhan Qiuman's fingernails, and defensive wounds were present on his body.

Signs of a struggle were evident in his apartment; Zhan Qiuman's bag was found under the sofa, and the shape of her head wound perfectly aligned with the edge of the end table in his living room, suggesting his apartment was the primary crime scene. Pang Xinghua's computer showed frequent logins to overseas gambling websites, and his phone contained numerous debt collection calls and messages from online loan companies, with repayment deadlines from a week earlier.

This circumstantial evidence led investigators to conclude that Pang Xinghua had murdered Zhan Qiuman for money. His cause of death was determined to be ketoacidosis, a complication of diabetes with a low mortality rate if treated promptly. The short-acting insulin found in the car meant he required multiple daily injections to manage his condition.

The approximately six hours he spent moving and dumping the body, coupled with strenuous activity and intense psychological stress, without medication, was extremely dangerous for someone with a disrupted endocrine system. No other medication was found in his home. Surveillance footage showed Pang Xinghua returning home near dawn, his mode of transport unknown, and he did not leave again. Pang Xianglan visited him a few hours later but stayed only briefly.

During an interrogation, Leng Qiming questioned Pang Xianglan about her brother's repeated calls to her the night of the crime, which she hadn't answered, claiming her phone was dead. She said when she finally spoke to him at 5 AM the next morning after charging her phone, she just asked if something was wrong and if he had taken his medicine.

Leng Qiming noted that a normal person would immediately call back a family member after so many missed calls, fearing an emergency. Footage from the night before the murder showed Pang Xianglan leaving her brother's apartment visibly agitated. She admitted to arguing with him about money, as his gambling debts were due, and he was pressuring her for funds again. She had told him she couldn't help, which led to a fight, and she left in anger.

She explained that Pang Xinghua frequently used her phone number for loans, and she had always repaid his debts in the past. This time, however, she couldn't, as her club income barely covered her own expenses, and she had exhausted all sources of borrowing from friends, colleagues, and clients, feeling too ashamed to ask again.

Pang Xianglan confirmed she knew Zhan Qiuman, as they were from the same hometown, and believed her brother might have learned about Zhan Qiuman's financial situation through casual conversation. That night, Dan Qing arranged a date with Ye Qian, which he approached with guarded skepticism. Si Yuanlong, teasing Ye Qian about Dan Qing's invitation to a theme park, suggested he reciprocate her interest. Meanwhile, in the hospital, Leng Qiming accompanied his father for a follow-up check-up.

His father, exhibiting signs of severe memory and cognitive impairment, along with hallucinations and aggressive behavior, wandered off. Leng Qiming frantically searched for him, eventually finding him sitting alone outside an operating room, repeating, "Who am I?" Leng Qiming gently reassured his father that he was his son. A doctor informed Leng Qiming that his father's symptoms indicated a progression of his disease, suggesting further tests including an MRI.

However, given his father's remaining self-care abilities and non-persistent aggressive behavior, hospitalization was deemed unnecessary at this stage due to limited beds, with home care being encouraged for its stable and comforting environment. Dan Qing and Ye Qian visited an amusement park, a place Dan Qing remembered from her childhood and where she still enjoyed collecting commemorative stamps. She recalled wanting to ride the Ferris wheel as a child, a wish Ye Qian now fulfilled.

As they ascended, Dan Qing offered him water. Ye Qian, with lingering suspicion, wondered if it was drugged, but chose to drink it, then asked her about her experiences over the years. In another development, Jiao Lei’s pet dog tragically died after accidentally ingesting rat poison, leaving Jing heartbroken. Jiao Lei launched an investigation into the poison's source.

Neighbors reported similar incidents in their community and others, despite the local authorities no longer deploying rat poison due to concerns about children accidentally eating it. Jiao Lei noted that while such incidents were usually classified as public security cases resulting in fines, the recurring nature raised questions about deliberate acts, especially given recent severe incidents involving dogs, including a child's death from a rabid dog bite. Meanwhile, Leng Qiming continued to investigate Zhan Qiuman's case.

He learned that Pang Xianglan had abruptly resigned from her job, vacated her rented apartment without taking her belongings, and only left with her car. Surveillance footage showed her car parked for an hour and a half on a small road outside Hexie Jiayuan the day Pang Xinghua died; she neither exited the vehicle nor made any calls.

Leng Qiming contacted Pang Xianglan while she was driving out of Yunxi, having just received a threatening debt collection call which she firmly rejected. Leng Qiming revealed that he knew she had used Pang Xinghua's electronic health insurance card to obtain insulin from the hospital on the day of his death. He pressed her about what she was thinking during those 90 minutes in her car while her brother slowly died.

Pang Xianglan initially denied her brother had confessed to the murder, even though he had confessed to her earlier that day, and maintained she believed he was faking his illness when they met.

She admitted to buying the medicine but claimed she didn't take it upstairs because she was still furious from their argument and didn't believe he was truly out of medicine, when in truth she had decided to abandon him and deliberately delayed going upstairs, allowing her brother to die. She expressed profound regret for failing her brother and their parents' trust, and for Zhan Qiuman, stating she would apologize in the afterlife.

Leng Qiming challenged her, asking if she truly wasn't sad about her brother's death and if she believed she could find an easy life free of burden. Pang Xianglan replied that she wanted to try. The conversation triggered a flashback to Pang Xinghua’s confession to Pang Xianglan. He was drinking and unwell, begging her for help, saying he had killed "Xiao Man." He explained he had urgently borrowed money from her, and in a panic, pushed her, causing her death.

He then admitted to driving her car and dumping her in the river because her phone was off, adding that he had tried to call Pang Xianglan but she didn't answer. Pang Xianglan, rushing out for medicine, was torn by an inner monologue: if he didn't get the shot, he would die; if he did, she would die with him.

Her inner voice scorned him as a parasite, a cash machine, questioning her parents' dying wish for her to care for him. She wrestled with the thought of watching him die versus the years of being dragged down by his endless troubles. She bitterly asked herself why she, who diligently worked and supported their parents, was constantly exploited, while they cherished him until their last breath. She wondered if she didn't hate him, if she hadn't considered escaping his burden, or even killing him. Despite her internal turmoil, she repeatedly stated, "He's my brother."

Due to a lack of concrete evidence proving Pang Xianglan was responsible for her brother Pang Xinghua's death, the police are unable to restrict her movements. Leng Qiming explains to Ye Qian that while physical evidence at the scene speaks, they currently lack the proof to move forward with the case.

He takes the opportunity to reprimand Ye Qian for his impulsive behavior during the investigation, reminding him that solving cases requires a level head and logic rather than raw courage. He insists that Ye Qian rewrite his report, emphasizing that as a police officer, he only has one life and must prioritize his safety. Meanwhile, a larger conspiracy unfolds. Huo and Dan Qing observe Ye Qian from afar.

Huo is convinced that Ye Qian is becoming dependent on the "medicine" they have been secretly giving him, predicting that the detective will soon come begging for more. To escalate their plan towards a final showdown, Huo instructs Dan Qing to select several photos of herself with Ye Qian and send them to Bao Hei. In their personal lives, the team seeks brief moments of normalcy. Leng Qiming invites Ziwu to dinner, much to her surprise and delight.

At the No-Name Diner, Jiao Lei tries to cheer up his wife, Jing, by suggesting they adopt a new puppy from a neighbor. However, Jing is still traumatized by the recent loss of their previous dog to rat poison and refuses, unable to face the potential pain of another loss. Elsewhere, Pang Xianglan’s situation takes a dark turn when her car is involved in a serious accident shortly after she leaves the city.

The following morning, Si Yuanlong discovers that Ye Qian has abruptly moved out of the police dormitory. When Si Yuanlong brings breakfast to Ye Qian's new residence, he learns that Ye Qian moved primarily because he found Si Yuanlong's noisy and energetic personality annoying. At the No-Name Diner, Ziwu waits for Leng Qiming, hoping for a quiet breakfast together, but her disappointment grows when he simply grabs his food to-go and rushes off to work.

A new case soon demands their attention. A nanny named Jiang Yuzhen reports a tragedy at the Fuquan Community. She arrived to find her employers, Liao Guangyong and his mistress Song Ying, unresponsive in their bedroom. Song Ying, who was pregnant, is pronounced dead at the scene, while Liao is rushed to the hospital in critical condition. The nanny explains that Song Ying had given her the previous evening off to celebrate Song Ying's birthday with Liao.

Liao’s legal wife, Mrs. Miao, also arrives at the hospital, where she speaks privately with her son, Liao Huasheng, seemingly avoiding Ye Qian. During the initial investigation, Si Yuanlong finds a suicide note on Song Ying's laptop. The note suggests she was depressed because Liao refused to divorce his wife and marry her, further exacerbated by pregnancy mood swings. However, the nanny reveals that Song Ying had actually been relentlessly pressuring Liao for a divorce.

Jiang Yuzhen also discloses that she was originally the nanny for Liao’s legal wife, Mrs. Miao, before moving to care for Song Ying a few years ago. While the surveillance footage shows the nanny leaving and returning at the times she claimed, the lack of cameras in the fire escape stairwell means they cannot rule out an intruder. Ye Qian interviews Mrs. Miao at the hospital.

She reveals that she had agreed to a divorce years ago on the condition of an equal split of assets, as she and Liao had built their supermarket empire from nothing. She claims to have been at Jiulong Hot Springs with friends from the previous evening until the following day, an alibi that would have lasted until the police call. Song Ying’s father arrives at the station, refusing to believe his daughter committed suicide.

He claims she called him on her birthday, ecstatic because Liao had finally agreed to a divorce and marriage. He shows the police a photo of his daughter looking happy and hopeful, contradicting the narrative of a suicide-murder pact. He also mentions she kept expensive gifts, like a jade bracelet and gold jewelry, in her safe. Ye Qian returns to the apartment with Mrs. Miao to search the master bedroom.

Using her knowledge of Liao’s habits, she helps him find a spare key hidden in a ventilation duct. When they open the safe, they find property deeds and bank cards, but the large amounts of cash and high-end jewelry Mrs. Miao expected to see—including a luxury watch and the jade bracelet mentioned by Song Ying's father—are gone.

This leads Leng Qiming to believe the safe was tampered with and that the case likely involves a robbery disguised as a domestic tragedy. He instructs Si Yuanlong to thoroughly examine the key's hiding spot for crucial evidence. As the investigation continues, Dan Qing grows impatient when Ye Qian fails to respond to her cryptic messages. She decides to escalate her tactics to gain his attention. Simultaneously, chaos erupts at the city hospital.

A woman armed with a knife launches a brutal attack in the ICU, murdering the nanny, Jiang Yuzhen, and repeatedly stabbing the unconscious Liao Guangyong. As she is apprehended, she cries out that she has finally secured revenge for her mother.

Leng Qiming and the team from the department gather at the No-Name Diner, where everyone is busy wrapping dumplings. Despite the communal effort, Han Zhao remains bitter, unable to move past her resentment toward Ye Qian. When she notices his cold attitude, her anger boils over, and she storms out of the restaurant. Meanwhile, Jiao Lei attempts to play matchmaker for Ziwu and Leng Qiming.

He mentions that Director Hu from the neighborhood office knows a young man who is a perfect match for Ziwu and encourages her to meet him. Ziwu looks to Leng Qiming for a reaction, but he simply agrees that she should go. Dejected by his lack of interest, Ziwu forces a smile and suggests meeting the man another time. The tension between Han Zhao and Ye Qian persists as they enter a cold war.

Recognizing that this stalemate cannot last, she confronts him one last time about his feelings. Although she expects the answer, her heart still sinks when Ye Qian confirms that he has only ever viewed her as a friend. After she leaves in tears, Si Yuanlong rushes to catch up with her. He offers a patient ear and comforts her, quoting Oscar Wilde to explain that true love means being able to love again even after a departure.

He encourages her to look forward, promising that someone more suitable is waiting for her. That night, Leng Qiming drives Ziwu home. She lingers by the car, secretly hoping he will tell her to skip the blind date. Instead, he pushes her away, advising her that social compatibility is vital and that a woman should never marry beneath her status. His words reveal that he feels unworthy of her and is intentionally maintaining a distance.

The next day, Dan Qing goes shopping for an outfit to wear to her meeting with Ye Qian. As Huo waits impatiently, she finds a garment with a panda pattern, which triggers memories of an old date where Ye Qian chose a similar design for her. Nearby, Bao Hei's men keep a close watch, puzzled by why Huo would allow his girlfriend to meet her former lover.

The investigation into the hospital stabbing takes a major step forward when the caregiver, Zhao Junxin, is arrested for the murder of Jiang Yuzhen and the attack on Liao Guangyong. In a tearful confession, she reveals that her motive was revenge for her son, who was killed eight years ago in a drunk driving accident involving Liao's BMW SUV.

Zhao, who lost the use of her leg in the same crash, insists that while the news claimed Liao’s driver, Li, was at fault, Liao had actually paid Li to take the fall for him. She claims she never intended to kill the nanny, Jiang Yuzhen, but the woman had blocked her path. To verify the details of the accident, Ye Qian and Leng Qiming interview Mrs. Liao.

She stands by the original report, claiming that Li was indeed the driver. Mrs. Liao shows little grief over her husband’s condition, noting that he was already planning to start a new family with his mistress, Song Ying. She explains that it was Liao who insisted the nanny go to care for Song Ying, as the professor's daughter had never lifted a finger to do housework and needed constant attention.

Mrs. Liao mentions that Jiang Yuzhen’s son, Geng Tianchou, had agreed to the arrangement. Later, Dan Qing meets Ye Qian as planned. She feigns drunkenness to lead him into a hotel, putting on a show of intimacy for Bao Hei’s watchers. Once inside, however, she suddenly pulls a gun on him. Unfazed, Ye Qian reveals that he has known her true identity all along.

He admits he was aware that his drinks had been laced with drugs during their first meeting and bluntly informs her that his uncle is Chief Lin, the head of the Narcotics Bureau. He suggests that his status could be an asset to her. While they talk, Bao Hei’s team decides to investigate the truth behind Ye Qian's family connections.

The police continue to dig into Zhao Junxin’s past, learning from her ex-husband that her obsession with seeking justice for their son eventually destroyed their marriage. Meanwhile, Ye Qian seeks out Jiang Yuzhen’s son, Geng Tianchou, at his home. Geng is initially oblivious to his mother’s death and speaks of her with cold indifference, complaining that she spent all her time at the Liao household or caring for the mistress, Song Ying.

He seems more concerned with his phone than his mother’s fate. Even after learning she was killed in a stabbing incident at the hospital, he shows no genuine grief. As the officers leave the premises, they notice a sanitation worker clearing away rodenticide. They take the packaging into evidence and manage to extract several fingerprints from the bags of Poison Bait, providing a crucial new lead in the investigation involving the Sterile Room.

A chaotic scene unfolded in the neighborhood when an elderly woman, convinced her dog had been poisoned, began physically and verbally attacking a delivery man. Jing, witnessing the standoff, called Mr. Cao to the scene. The police eventually cleared the delivery man's name after surveillance footage identified a different suspect—a young man who had begun poisoning local pets out of a deep-seated resentment caused by his unemployment.

When Jing later learned that the culprit was a struggling university graduate from a poor, single-parent home—much like her own late son, Hui—her anger turned to pity, and she decided to drop her plans to sue, unwilling to further devastate his family. Meanwhile, the investigation into Liao Guangyong’s death deepened. Ye Qian discovered that Zhao Junxin had carried out the assault using a fruit knife she had borrowed from the family of another patient in the hospital ward.

While the act appeared to be an impulsive crime of opportunity, Leng Qiming remained skeptical, suspecting that Jiang Yuzhen was more involved than she seemed. Forensic analysis by Ziwu soon confirmed that the rat poison found hidden at Jiang’s house was a perfect match for the substance that killed Song Ying, right down to the specific chemical impurities from the manufacturer.

Surveillance footage further supported their suspicions; by comparing Jiang’s entry and exit from the crime scene, the team noticed her canvas bag was significantly heavier when she left, leading Si Yuanlong to conclude she had stolen the large amount of cash and valuables missing from the safe. Under the shadow of the criminal underworld, Bao Hei’s men continued to monitor Ye Qian.

Wiretaps of his conversations with Dan Qing revealed his alleged connection to a high-ranking official in the narcotics bureau, which made the gang suspicious that he might be an undercover cop. To determine if he was a mole, they began planning a series of tests, fearing they might need to cut ties with Huo if the risk was too high. Unaware of the immediate danger, Leng Qiming continued his investigation by visiting a flower shop frequented by Zhao Junxin.

The owner revealed that Zhao was a regular who often bought flowers with symbolic meanings for children. On the night of the crime, however, she had specifically requested premium packaging for sunflowers and took a taxi to the site of a fatal traffic accident from eight years prior, where she stayed emotionally distraught for half an hour. The search for physical evidence led the police to the home of Geng Tianchou, Jiang Yuzhen's son.

Ye Qian and Officer Luo questioned him about his mother’s canvas bag, but Geng defensively denied ever seeing it, even threatening to report the officers for harassment. His behavior became even more suspicious when Ye Qian uncovered a major accidental death policy in Jiang Yuzhen’s name, listing Geng as the sole beneficiary for a two-million-yuan payout.

Records showed that Geng had called the insurance company’s claims hotline the very afternoon of the crime, long before news of the incident had been public. Furthermore, the insurance company refused to pay, citing that Jiang had concealed a late-stage lung cancer diagnosis that had already metastasized to her brain. This led Ye Qian to theorize that Jiang and Zhao Junxin were actually accomplices in a calculated "murder swap" designed to look like accidents.

On a personal front, Han Zhao attempted to drown her sorrows by hosting a loud drinking party for her friends. Si Yuanlong arrived to check on her, bringing food and a game console as a gift. Although he worried about her heavy drinking, he chose to leave her to her friends, hoping she would find a way to vent her frustrations. Later that night, Han Zhao found him waiting alone in the garden.

Despite his clear concern, she firmly rejected his romantic advances, stating they had no future together. Simultaneously, Dan Qing returned home to find Huo waiting for her. Jealous and suspicious, Huo warned her not to let her performance with Ye Qian turn into real feelings, suggesting she was losing herself in the role.

The investigation took another turn when Ye Qian identified a mysterious promotional text message regarding duplex apartments that had been sent to both Zhao Junxin and Jiang Yuzhen. The number was unregistered and the contact number provided was void, suggesting it was a covert communication method.

While Ye Qian kept a close watch on Geng Tianchou—who had recently looked at expensive properties and tried to deposit large sums of cash without explaining its source—Leng Qiming tracked down the driver involved in the eight-year-old hit-and-run that killed Zhao Junxin's son. The driver was visibly shaken during the questioning, struggling to explain why Liao Guangyong had paid his five-hundred-thousand-yuan legal settlement through a series of complex, layered transfers.

Leng Qiming utilized his sharp intuition to confront the driver who had taken the fall for Liao Guangyong's past hit-and-run. Upon learning of Liao’s death and realizing he was a suspect in the murder investigation, the driver spiraled into a panic. He finally confessed that Liao was the one driving drunk years ago, but because the driver was desperate for money to pay for his mother’s medical bills and his child’s education, he had agreed to take the blame.

Although he had held a license for years, he admitted he had barely touched a steering wheel before the incident. That same night, Leng Qiming’s father, Leng Xingguo, suffered a fall at home. Leng Qiming discovered him just in time and rushed him to the hospital. Given the elderly man's history of Alzheimer's, the doctor treated the severe bruising and ordered a CT scan for the following morning to check for bone damage.

While Leng Qiming dealt with the family emergency, Si Yuanlong made a breakthrough in the case. By tracking digital payment records and mobile notifications, he discovered that Zhao Junxin and Jiang Yuzhen had visited the same children's playground on the same day, entering just minutes apart. Meanwhile, Ye Qian and his team maintained a close watch on Geng Tianchou.

Despite the fact that his mother's insurance claim was being held up by the investigation, Geng was already window-shopping for luxury apartments he could never afford. He spent his days wandering through malls, eating excessively, and even tipping large sums to livestreamers despite having only pocket change left in his account. Ye Qian noted Geng’s hyper-vigilance and concluded that the stolen jewelry and cash must be hidden somewhere within a five-kilometer radius of his home.

During her interrogation, Zhao Junxin defiantly claimed responsibility for the deaths of Liao Guangyong and Jiang Yuzhen, as well as Liao’s mistress and her unborn child. She expressed a cold desire for revenge for her own lost child, stating that none of them deserved to live. It was revealed that she and Jiang Yuzhen had conspired at the playground. Jiang Yuzhen, who was terminally ill with cancer, had secured a high-value accidental life insurance policy for her son's sake.

On the day of the murder, Zhao had posed as a caregiver to kill Liao, and Jiang Yuzhen had ultimately guided Zhao’s hand to take her own life, welcoming death as part of their dark agreement. The news of Leng Qiming’s father being hospitalized reached the CID, and his colleagues expressed their concern. Jiao Lei brought home-cooked soup to his wife, Jing, and they discussed the difficulties of elderly parents living alone.

Jing shared that she had recently dreamed of their deceased son, who told her he wanted them to live well and find peace. Back at home, Leng Qiming began looking for a more reliable caregiver for his father. Ziwu called him to check on the old man’s condition. After the call, she found herself reminiscing about her first day on the force.

She fondly remembered how Leng Qiming had noticed her eating instant noodles and had insisted on sharing his own lunch with her. He had given her his sandwiches and tomatoes, explaining that he liked tomatoes because they helped reduce internal heat. These small acts of kindness were the reason she had developed feelings for him. The police eventually decided to flush out Geng Tianchou.

They called him, claiming that his mother’s bag and phone had been recovered and were ready for identification. Though Geng was initially skeptical, he eventually succumbed to the bait and went to a set of self-service lockers at a supermarket. The police watched as he opened the locker and caught him red-handed with the stolen goods.

During questioning, Geng shamelessly shifted all blame onto his mother, claiming he was merely following her instructions to hide the items and knew nothing of her crimes until after she was dead. Geng revealed that Miao Xiaolan was the one who had informed him of his mother’s death via text message. Ye Qian used this as an opportunity to reconcile with Han Zhao, asking for her help as a silent apology.

The next day, the police questioned Miao Xiaolan about her relationship with Jiang Yuzhen. Miao admitted they were childhood friends and primary school classmates, which was a secret Jiang Yuzhen had insisted on keeping out of pride. Miao also confessed to knowing about Liao’s hit-and-run cover-up but claimed she had only encouraged Liao to provide more financial compensation to the victims. Despite her explanations, Leng Qiming and Ye Qian remained suspicious of her involvement, wondering if she had tacitly allowed Jiang Yuzhen to steal from the safe.

After navigating numerous obstacles, Dan Qing and her team finally secure a cooperation agreement with Bao Hei. However, the victory feels hollow to Dan Qing, who realizes that Bao Hei’s compliance is merely a superficial test rather than a genuine commitment. During their meeting, Bao Hei remains elusive, settling on a plan but refusing to disclose the specifics until the very moment they are set to depart.

Despite the uncertainty, Dan Qing tells Leng Qiming that they must proceed and adapt as they go, noting that Bao Hei's final test is likely directed at someone else entirely. Meanwhile, Leng Qiming is preoccupied with his father’s declining health. He spends his evening on the phone desperately searching for a 24-hour caretaker for the elderly man, who suffers from Alzheimer’s.

He finds that temporary workers are unwilling to take on such a demanding role, and while he understands his father's refusal to be hospitalized, the situation is becoming increasingly difficult to manage. His focus is soon pulled back to the case when Geng Tianchou reaches out to Miao Xiaolan. The following day, Geng Tianchou meets Miao Xiaolan at an amusement park. He arrives early, mocking her for the failure of his mother, Jiang Yuzhen, and Zhao Junxin.

He makes a staggering demand for five million yuan, threatening to hand over a recording of Miao Xiaolan egging his mother on if she refuses to pay. He justifies the price by calculating his mother’s insurance payout and the contents of Liao Guangyong's safe, adding an extra million as a fee for her years of service. He even threatens her son, Hua, mentioning that as a civil servant, Hua's reputation would be ruined by the scandal.

Miao Xiaolan claims she cannot withdraw such a large amount from the company without drawing police attention and offers him one million yuan the following day at her home instead. Unbeknownst to them, Leng Qiming and Ye Qian are watching the entire exchange, though they realize that without a wiretap, they need the physical evidence Geng Tianchou is holding to finalize their case. The next day, Geng Tianchou visits Miao Xiaolan’s villa to collect the money.

He is awestruck by the luxury of the house, comparing his own home to a chicken coop. Miao Xiaolan hands him a bank card and a deposit slip for one million yuan, but Geng Tianchou refuses to surrender the incriminating video until the full five million is paid. Under the guise of hospitality, Miao Xiaolan offers him a drink.

Just as the police arrive, Miao Xiaolan drinks from her glass and immediately accuses Geng Tianchou of masterminding the murder of Liao Guangyong. The police intervene and discover that the drink contains the same rat poison used to kill Song Ying and Liao Guangyong. Realizing he has been framed and that the bank card Miao Xiaolan gave him contains less than twenty yuan, Geng Tianchou desperately tries to prove his innocence.

He tells the police that the evidence is on a flash drive hidden behind the air conditioner in his bedroom. The video on the drive reveals a heart-wrenching confession from Jiang Yuzhen. She admits to poisoning the victims at Miao Xiaolan's request to ensure a better future for her son.

The recording is filled with maternal advice on how Geng Tianchou should take care of himself after she is gone, proving that Miao Xiaolan was the true architect of the crimes. Miao Xiaolan eventually regains consciousness in the hospital, her guilt now fully exposed. Her son, Hua, visits her, but the reunion is cold. He informs her that he has no interest in the company or the assets she fought so ruthlessly to secure for him.

He explains that he is content with his own job and life, and has no desire to manage a business built on such a dark foundation. In another part of the system, Zhao Junxin has completely lost her grip on reality. In prison, she exists in a delusional state, hallucinating that she is peacefully at home, singing her son to sleep.

Relieved that the Liao Guangyong case is nearing its end, Ye Qian and Han Zhao organize a surprise birthday barbecue for Si Yuanlong, presenting him with a gift to celebrate. However, a new mystery emerges elsewhere. During a cemetery relocation project for a new reservoir, villagers discover an unclaimed grave containing a skeleton without a coffin. Forensic examination by Ziwu and Jiao Lei reveals that the victim was a man, approximately 1.

7 meters tall, who was murdered two to four years ago. Based on the specific wear patterns on his cheap cloth shoes, they deduce the deceased was likely a driver of a manual-transmission vehicle, such as a taxi or ride-share car. With the Liao Guangyong case officially closed, Hua decides to sell the company and donate all the proceeds to charity as a way to atone for his mother's sins.

Meanwhile, Ziwu uses the victim’s skull to successfully reconstruct a facial likeness. After cross-referencing the image with missing person records, the police identify the deceased as Ding Youcai, a former taxi driver who disappeared three years ago, providing a new lead for the investigators to pursue.

Forensics experts examining the remains of the victim, suspected to be Ding Youcai, discover that the fatal injury was a sharp-force puncture to the skull. The shape and spacing of the wounds are consistent with a push dagger, and the angle of the attack suggests the killer was positioned higher than the victim. Numerous punctate marks on top of the head indicate that the perpetrator lacked sufficient strength, requiring multiple strikes to penetrate the bone.

While the absence of a phone or cash among the victim's clothes initially hints at a carjacking, the police learn that the car Ding Youcai drove actually belonged to a taxi company and was returned after he supposedly resigned. Leng Qiming and Ye Qian travel to Ding Youcai’s registered hometown to dig deeper into his past. Along the way, Leng Qiming asks Ye Qian if his connections can help secure a new Alzheimer’s medication from abroad for his ailing father.

Upon arriving at the village, they find that everyone remembers "Baldy Ding," a man known for being lazy and squandering his family’s inheritance on gambling. Villagers recall that his parents once exhausted their savings to get him a wife. While that first marriage was volatile, his wife was a resilient woman who cared for her in-laws until their deaths before eventually moving to the city with their son, Ding Yu, so he could attend a better school.

The investigation reveals that Ding Youcai had been bitter about his son being registered under his wife's urban hukou, feeling it was a blow to his pride. He left to find work twenty years ago and rarely held a steady job. After his first wife died of cancer when Ding Yu was in middle school, Ding Youcai eventually remarried a much younger woman named Yu Meigui.

The couple held a wedding banquet in the village about a decade ago, though it was unclear if they ever officially registered the marriage. Forensic evidence from the burial site adds a layer of complexity; traces of burnt tin foil from paper ingots suggest the killer might have felt a sense of guilt or remorse, performing a ritual to provide for the victim in the afterlife.

Ye Qian shifts the focus to Ding Yu, who now works as a ride-hailing driver. Meanwhile, the police visit Fang Qihang, a travel agent who formerly ran a matchmaking agency specializing in cross-border marriages. Fang was an old friend of Ding Youcai from their days as taxi drivers, frequently gambling together while listening to Teresa Teng’s music. Fang notes that Ding Yu began driving taxis as a minor, often passing for an adult due to his mature appearance.

Crucial evidence emerges showing that Ding Yu was the one who returned his father's taxi and processed the resignation using his father's ID, claiming the elder Ding had already returned to the countryside. When Leng Qiming and Ye Qian confront Ding Yu at his home, the young father is found caring for his son, Xixi. Under questioning, Ding Yu admits to burying the body but denies committing the murder.

He claims that three years ago, he received a text from his father’s phone telling him to pick him up at a specific location. When he arrived, he found his father already dead in the car. Because of their historically tense relationship—fueled by his father's past treatment of his mother—Ding Yu feared the police would immediately label him the prime suspect.

In a moment of panic and misplaced duty, he decided to bury his father near their ancestral village to honor the old man's wish of returning to his roots. Ding Yu leads the officers to his father's old phone, which has a cracked screen and has long since been disconnected. He explains that he buried the body at night using a shovel he always kept in the trunk for driving on rough suburban roads.

He even left a rare, limited-edition Teresa Teng CD in the grave, a tribute to the music his parents once enjoyed together. Regarding his stepmother, Yu Meigui, Ding Yu claims they were never close and that she vanished immediately after his father's death. He points the police back to Fang Qihang, mentioning that the two were quite close and often hosted gatherings for foreign brides at Fang’s place of business.

As the CID team investigates Yu Meigui, they find that her name was likely an alias and that she has no record of leaving the country. Her visa renewals had been handled by Fang Qihang even after Ding Youcai died. When the police arrive at Fang’s agency, they find him besieged by a group of angry clients. These men claim Fang is a swindler whose "imported" brides invariably run away shortly after arriving in China.

While Fang desperately tries to dismiss the accusations as simple business disputes, the police step in to take him into custody. Meanwhile, the forensics team prepares to meticulously examine Ding Youcai’s old taxi, hoping to find traces of blood or other evidence hidden deep within the fabric of the seats.

During the meticulous forensic examination of Ding Youcai's taxi, investigators discovered his DNA on a felt mat at the bottom of the trunk. More importantly, they found the DNA of an unknown female on the phone case. Leng Qiming suspected that if this sample didn't belong to the victim, it likely belonged to the killer. Meanwhile, Fang Qihang was summoned to the station for questioning.

He initially tried to distance himself from any wrongdoing, claiming he merely ran a travel agency that organized group tours abroad. He insisted that his business was ethical compared to competitors who forced clients to take high-interest loans from loan sharks. However, Leng Qiming pressured him regarding his connection to Yu Meigui, warning him that his repeated lies were making him a primary suspect in Ding Youcai’s death.

Feeling the heat, Fang Qihang finally admitted that he was aware of an intimate relationship between Ding Yu and his stepmother, Yu Meigui. He claimed he once caught them together in a car and suggested that Ding Youcai had likely found out about their scandal. According to Fang, Ding Youcai was a heavy-handed man who frequently abused Yu Meigui, even beating her during her pregnancy four or five years ago, which resulted in a miscarriage.

Fang also confessed that he was planning to fly southwest to find Yu Meigui himself because an unusual number of foreign wives had been running away lately, and he needed to investigate the situation. The investigation into Ding Yu revealed that the child he was raising had a birth certificate listing the mother as Ruan Shihong, whose passport number was identical to Yu Meigui’s.

Ding Yu confessed that while he initially tried to view Yu Meigui as a maternal figure, their similar ages led to a complicated emotional bond. He described how his father’s paranoid nature and constant suspicion made life a misery; any time he spoke to Yu Meigui, his father would take his rage out on her. Eventually, they became close, and she pleaded with him to take her away, but he felt powerless.

When Ding Youcai died, Ding Yu suspected Yu Meigui was the killer, especially since the lunchbox found in the car contained a meal only she could have prepared. He admitted he didn't report the death to protect her. He also dropped a bombshell: the child he raised was actually Ding Youcai’s biological son—his own younger brother. Ding Yu expressed deep guilt, feeling he had failed to protect his own mother, Yu Meigui, and even his father.

On another front, Ye Qian continued his undercover mission, successfully infiltrating the criminal organization run by Huo and Bao Hei. The police were aware that Bao Hei was testing both Huo’s ability to move shipments into Yunxi and the validity of Ye Qian's fake identity. Amidst the danger, Dan Qing accompanied Ye Qian to Huashan for a meeting. Walking together under an umbrella in the rain, they were both struck by the similarity to their days as a young couple.

During their journey, they reminisced about their time in college and the moments they shared before Ye Qian’s life took a different path. Dan Qing asked if his choice to become a police officer was rooted in a sense of guilt toward her, but they ultimately agreed to focus on their current cooperation. The police used technology to confirm that the female DNA in the taxi indeed belonged to Yu Meigui.

After monitoring her arrival in Yunxi City, Leng Qiming led a raid on her residence, where they found several young women. Yu Meigui remained defiant, arguing that she was protecting women's rights and providing an escape route for wives fleeing domestic violence. She denied murdering Ding Youcai, claiming she found him dead in his taxi after he called her in a drunken, agitated state.

She explained that she took a photo of the scene as a safety net to prove her innocence, used his phone to contact Ding Yu, and then fled to stay with other hometown sisters. She also mentioned that her hand was cut by a zipper pull while she was frantically searching for her passport and residence permit on Ding Youcai’s body.

Furthermore, she pointed a finger at Fang Qihang, revealing that he had scammed Ding Youcai out of 50,000 yuan during the marriage transaction, which had left Ding Youcai vengeful. Faced with three suspects—Yu Meigui, Ding Yu, and Fang Qihang—all of whom had motives and opportunities, Leng Qiming devised an experiment. He had each of them use a push dagger to stab the back of a mannequin's head to see who possessed the strength and temperament required to pierce a skull.

While Yu Meigui likely lacked the physical strength for such a feat, Fang Qihang’s behavior was the most telling. He hesitated, his hands trembling violently as he insisted he didn't know how to use such a weapon. His visible panic and evasiveness led Leng Qiming to believe that Fang Qihang was hiding a deep sense of guilt.

Ye Qian and Dan Qing arrive at Huashan to meet with Bao Hei. Bao Hei is suspicious of a man named Monkey, who runs the Flint Bar and is his largest distributor. Rumors suggest that Monkey plans to go clean or has been compromised by the police, and Bao Hei believes Monkey is holding a record of his dirty dealings. Bao Hei promises to cooperate with Dan Qing only if she can retrieve those files.

Ye Qian, having done his homework, suspects that this task is a test and that there is more to the situation than a simple recovery of records. Before heading into the bar, Dan Qing helps Ye Qian adjust his appearance, as it is his first time in such an environment. Despite his nerves, Ye Qian puts on a swaggering, thuggish act to blend in.

Once inside, Dan Qing uses the cover of being drunk to move toward the back of the building while Ye Qian stays in the dance floor area. To create a distraction, Ye Qian intentionally causes a brawl over a spilled drink, turning the club into a chaotic scene. As Monkey leaves his office to deal with the fight, Dan Qing neutralizes the security guards and begins copying the files from Monkey’s computer.

She manages to finish and escape just as Monkey returns and realizes his accounts have been compromised. On the drive back, Ye Qian and Dan Qing are stopped by a roadblock caused by an overturned truck. Ye Qian smoothly talks to the traffic officer, claiming that he and Dan Qing are colleagues from the Yunxi CID returning from a long day on a case.

They are advised to take a detour, but they soon realize they are being followed by a black Buick with Huashan plates. Monkey’s men are persistent, and more vehicles join the pursuit. Ye Qian leads them to an abandoned high-rise, where they use the darkness to take out the trackers one by one. However, they eventually find themselves outnumbered.

Just as the situation reaches a breaking point, the sound of police sirens in the distance scares the thugs into a hasty retreat. Meanwhile, simulation results and forensic data from the Ding Youcai murder case point to Fang Qihang as the prime suspect. During interrogation, the police trick him by claiming they found a push dagger in his office. Startled, Fang slips up and mentions that he had already thrown the weapon away.

Realizing his mistake, he confesses to the killing. He explains that Ding Youcai had lured him to a remote location to demand the return of a 50,000-yuan commission because Ding’s wife was pregnant and they needed money. Fang claims that a drunken Ding Youcai attacked him with a knife first, and he killed the man in an act of self-defense. He eventually led the police to a sewer drain where he had discarded the weapon.

With the murder case closed, Fang Qihang faces sentencing for the killing and his role in illegal marriage agencies. Yu Meigui is also handed over to the authorities for further investigation into her business dealings. In a private admission, Ding Yu reveals to the police that he always knew the baby wasn't his, but rather Ding Youcai’s, making the child his own brother. He asks the officers to keep this a secret to protect the child's future.

At home, Leng Qiming struggles with his father’s declining health. His father, Leng Xingguo, suffers a severe episode of dementia, failing to recognize his son and driving away his caregiver. Realizing he can no longer manage the situation alone, Leng Qiming admits his father to a hospital for specialized care. He patiently demonstrates to his father how to move carefully and handle daily tasks, like using the bathroom at night, to avoid accidents or injury.

Elsewhere, Jing reflects on her own life and decides against adopting a pet, fearing the eventual pain of loss. Instead, she chooses to support a local adoption agency by participating in their charity sales. She spends her time making natural, handmade treats for the dogs, finding fulfillment in helping the animals and treating them with the care they deserve without the fear of a final goodbye.

Dan Qing receives a photo of Ye Qian participating in a community activity for senior citizens. Seeing how well he has integrated into his surroundings, she feels that their long-term preparation has finally paid off and decides it is time to formally finalize Ye Qian’s involvement in their drug trade. Meanwhile, Si Yuanlong visits Ye Qian at his new apartment since Ye Qian moved out of the police dorms.

Feeling dejected over a perceived heartbreak, Si Yuanlong pesters Ye Qian for comfort and a bowl of instant noodles, though Ye Qian is largely preoccupied with his own mission. At the police station, Leng Qiming is greeted by Ye Qian, who tries to get on his good side with a breakfast of beef patties.

Ye Qian asks for a few days of leave once their current case is wrapped up, but Leng Qiming dismisses the request immediately, noting that the station is far too busy. Later, Leng Qiming's son, Xiaoyu, arrives unexpectedly from Shanghai to visit. During a meal at a fast-food restaurant, Leng Qiming learns that Xiaoyu told his mother the police station was a fun place.

Leng Qiming sternly corrects his son, reminding him that the station is a place for solving crimes, not games, and urges him to focus on reading rather than his phone. The city is soon shaken by a gruesome discovery when a sanitation worker finds a black plastic bag containing fetal remains near the shore. This is the third such discovery recently.

Forensic analysis by Ziwu reveals that the fetuses were over twenty-eight weeks old with fully formed faces, open eyelids, and developed limbs, yet all suffered from brain development deformities. The police determine these were likely induced abortions from a back-alley clinic, performed only a few days prior. Surveillance footage shows the body dumper is a tall man around 190 cm with a distinct out-toed gait who escaped via a taxi near the Guoqing East Road subway station.

Further lab tests detect methamphetamine in the fetuses' organs and blood, linking the deformities to drug use. Ye Qian travels to the production facility managed by Dan Qing to meet with Bao Hei. Dan Qing, wearing a vibrant red outfit, welcomes Bao Hei to the site Ye Qian selected for the operation. Bao Hei is impressed with the setup and asks if they can guarantee quality while cooking on-site.

Seeing that Monkey is now being monitored by the police and can no longer threaten them, Ye Qian takes the opportunity to negotiate a much higher return, eventually demanding twenty percent. Bao Hei agrees, admitting that he finds his current partners like Huo to be a waste of talent compared to the resources and channels Ye Qian can provide. The police arrest Wu Cuimiao, a known drug user whose DNA matches one of the fetal remains.

During her interrogation, she shows no remorse, complaining instead that she lost money because the clients refused to pay the final installment for the deformed infants. She explains that she had been staying at a resort in the western suburbs where she stole a stash of drugs from her handler, Liu Yong, simply because she was bored. Acting on her information, the police raid a private clinic at the resort.

The person in charge admits to the illegal surrogacy business but blames the driver, Liu Yong, for ruining his reputation. After a pursuit, the police capture Liu Yong. He admits to his own drug use but insists he never gave drugs to the surrogates, claiming Wu Cuimiao stole his supply while he was away working.

Liu Yong reveals he dumped the fetal remains in a public square as a form of retaliation against his boss, who had scolded and physically abused him after the pregnancies failed. Liu Yong’s confession provides a crucial link to a key figure in Bao Hei’s group, allowing the police to move up their timeline for dismantling the drug syndicate. Despite the success of the operation with Bao Hei, Ye Qian feels a deep sense of unease.

He struggles to suppress his growing feelings for Dan Qing, knowing that their lives are fundamentally incompatible. Meanwhile, Si Yuanlong is left to exercise alone at the station now that Ye Qian has moved out. A new crisis emerges when a woman named Mai Qianqian is found dead at the Rose Garden Hotel. She died from blunt force trauma to the head, likely caused by an ashtray.

A neighbor heard fighting during the night and complained, but the hotel staff did not investigate after a man answered the room phone and claimed it was just a domestic dispute. The investigation at the hotel reveals that the victim was hit twice with a twenty-minute interval between the blows. While her wallet and documents were left behind, her phone is missing.

Ziwu and Si Yuanlong soon discover a major discrepancy: the victim’s DNA shows she is actually a fugitive named Liu Min, meaning the ID used for the hotel was fake. Furthermore, fingerprints on the ashtray and the phone belong to another fugitive, Liu Jianyuan, who was previously sentenced for robbery and assault. Tissue samples found under the victim's fingernails confirm that Liu Jianyuan is the one who fought with her, linking the two fugitives to the violent crime.

The investigation into the death of the woman using Mai Qianqian's identity reveals she is actually Liu Min, a 47-year-old from Yushan with a history of theft, fraud, and child trafficking. Under her fingernails, forensic teams found the DNA of Liu Jianyuan, another trafficker from Yushan with a record of robbery and assault. The detectives suspect the two criminals had a violent falling out.

Surveillance footage from the Rose Garden Hotel shows Liu Jianyuan entering through the main entrance and visiting Liu Min in Room 601. However, at 2:10 AM the following morning, he was seen leaving the room and avoiding the elevator, opting instead for the unmonitored fire escape stairs to reach the back parking lot. Captain Leng Qiming and his team realize the hotel is near the train station, but Liu Jianyuan likely used a fake identity if he fled by rail.

They decide to track down a motorcycle taxi driver seen in the area. After speaking with a group of drivers, they find one who remembers a passenger with a thick accent getting on at the hotel’s back door early that morning. The driver recalls dropping the man off at the Tech University Staff Community near the north gate. Though he could not remember the exact building, he mentioned the passenger had made a call about Building 11 or 17.

Property management confirms that Building 17 is closer to the north gate. At Building 17, the police find Room 502, where they encounter Li Feng, a former cellmate of Liu Jianyuan. Li Feng had reported the crime, claiming he found his friend murdered after using a spare key to enter the apartment when Liu Jianyuan failed to answer his calls. The scene is a mess, with blood spattered across the walls.

During interrogation, Leng Qiming pressures Li Feng to be honest. Li Feng eventually admits that he provided the lodging because Liu Jianyuan had looked out for him in prison and he wanted to repay the kindness. He also recalls seeing blood on Liu Jianyuan’s sleeve when he first arrived, though the fugitive claimed he had just been in a fight on the road.

Further investigation reveals that Liu Jianyuan died from blunt force trauma caused by a vase found in the room. Jiao Lei reviews the community’s surveillance and confirms that Li Feng left the building shortly after bringing Liu Jianyuan inside, leaving him without a window of time to commit the murder. Ye Qian notes a discrepancy: while Liu Min had ordered takeout containing leek-stuffed pastries, neither she nor Liu Jianyuan had leeks in their stomachs.

This, combined with the lack of brain tissue on Liu Jianyuan’s clothes, suggests a third person entered the hotel room after Liu Jianyuan fled. Ye Qian and Si Yuanlong examine the exterior drainpipes at both crime scenes and discover matching fingerprints. The ridge spacing indicates the suspect is a slender male around 18 years old. The police department receives an anonymous package addressed to the chief containing two cell phones.

On these devices, they find videos of the suspect interrogating both Liu Min and Liu Jianyuan before their deaths. In the footage, the suspect demands information about a newborn baby kidnapped in 2008 from Baijia Village in Qili Town, Renshan County. Liu Min is seen denying knowledge, while the suspect accuses her and Liu Jianyuan of the crime.

The technical department attempts to enhance the images, while some officers wonder if a teenager is being used as a front for someone else’s revenge. Amidst the intense investigation, Leng Qiming’s son, Xiaoyu, arrives in Yunxi. Since Leng is preoccupied with the case, he brings the boy to the station. Xiaoyu demonstrates a high intelligence, easily defeating Si Yuanlong in a Sudoku competition during the lunch break.

He even remarks to Ziwu about her feelings for his father, advising her to think carefully about the relationship. Despite his pride in his father’s reputation as a top police officer, Xiaoyu expresses that Leng Qiming is not a very present parent, noting that he does not want to grow up to be like him. Ye Qian travels to Baijia Village to investigate the 2008 kidnapping mentioned in the video.

Although the village secretary initially denies any such incidents, the police eventually learn the truth. A young man named Ning Haiyang had returned to the village months ago searching for his birth parents, the Bai family. It is revealed that Ning Haiyang was never actually kidnapped; instead, his father, Bai Youfu, had sold him as an infant to pay for a betrothal gift to his wife.

Bai Youfu had recently lied to Ning Haiyang, telling him that traffickers had stolen him to deflect blame from himself and his wife. The police realize that Ning Haiyang’s motive is a calculated revenge against the people he believed kidnapped him. They learn that his biological mother, Xiao Lan, runs a shop in Yunxi. Ye Qian and his colleagues track down her stall in a local mall. Just as they begin to question Xiao Lan, they spot Ning Haiyang.

Realizing the police are there for him, the young man leaps over the back of the shop and flees toward the riverbank. The officers give chase as he disappears into the distance.

Ning Haiyang catches sight of the police and immediately bolts, leading them on a high-stakes chase. Being agile and intimately familiar with the local terrain, he manages to lose several officers, but his escape is eventually cut short when Ye Qian and Si Yuanlong successfully corner him. Trapped on a high floor, a desperate Ning Haiyang threatens to jump, claiming his life is worthless.

Ye Qian attempts to de-escalate the situation by telling him his mother is waiting downstairs, hoping the power of family might reach him. However, Ning Haiyang remains cold, stating that his biological mother died long ago and he refuses to acknowledge the woman downstairs as family. Just as he is about to fall, the officers manage to grab him and pull him to safety. In custody, Ning Haiyang reveals the bleak history of his life.

He explains that he attended a martial arts school to learn skills for a future career since his academic performance was poor and his mother wanted him to be able to support himself. While he initially had no desire to leave his adoptive family, his mother’s illness changed everything. On her deathbed, she confessed that he was originally from Renshan, leading him to Baijia Village to find his roots.

There, he discovered his biological father had moved on to a new life where he felt like an outsider. After threatening his father to learn the identities of the traffickers who took him, he discovered a more painful truth: he had actually been sold by his own parents. Driven by a desire for vengeance, he hunted down the traffickers Liu Min and Liu Jianyuan.

He admitted to killing them and sending their phones to the police because their fake identities made them difficult for the authorities to track. The police discuss the legal ramifications for Ning Haiyang. Despite his tragic background, he is now eighteen, meaning he faces the full weight of the law for premeditated murder, likely resulting in life imprisonment or even the death penalty. That evening, Leng Qiming, his son Xiaoyu, and several colleagues gather for a meal at No-Name Diner.

The atmosphere turns somber when Officer Lao Gao suddenly collapses from a heart attack. He is rushed to the hospital just in time, while the team reflects on the immense pressure and health risks inherent in their profession. During the commotion, Ye Qian receives a call from a superior who informs him that the "big fish" has been caught and his special mission is officially complete, meaning he is no longer required for the operation.

The next day, Xiaoyu watches the news coverage of the Ning Haiyang case and finally begins to grasp the dangers and responsibilities his father faces every day. Feeling a newfound sense of guilt for his past lack of understanding, Xiaoyu tells Leng Qiming to take better care of himself before heading back home.

Touched by his son’s rare display of concern, Leng Qiming arrives at the station in an uncharacteristically jovial mood, even humming to himself, which leaves his colleagues wondering if he won the lottery. The peace is soon shattered when a new murder is reported at a local residential complex. The victim is Zhao Sihui, also known as Zhao Heizi, a man notorious for his gambling debts and poor reputation.

A neighbor discovered the door to room 208 in building 8 standing open and found Zhao Heizi lying in a pool of blood. Investigators find a blood-stained kitchen knife at the scene and note that the victim was still wearing his leather shoes. This suggests he was attacked almost immediately after entering his home, either followed by the killer or ambushed by someone lying in wait.

The brutal nature of the crime and the lack of a struggle suggests the killer acted with significant malice. Si Yuanlong and Ye Qian track down two men, Shanzai and Haozi, who were seen at the building earlier that day. The pair admits to being there but insists Zhao Heizi was already dead when they arrived. Haozi explains that they were debt collectors working for a loan company owner named Uncle Bo, to whom Zhao Heizi owed 100,000 yuan.

Haozi had pried the door open after getting no response, hoping to collect on a recent 150,000 yuan gambling win they heard Zhao Heizi had secured. While the police suspect illegal debt collection, Haozi suggests that the victim’s windfall might have made him a target for a robbery rather than a hit ordered by Uncle Bo, as the debt amount wasn't high enough to warrant murder.

Ye Qian cautiously approached a neighborhood recreation center, where a secluded room tucked away in the shadows immediately caught his attention. He moved quickly to investigate, but by the time he reached the room, the mysterious occupant had already vanished. The facility was soon raided by police on suspicion of illegal gambling. Meanwhile, the investigation into Zhao Heizi’s death continued as Ziwu meticulously worked in the lab while Si Yuanlong scrutinized surveillance footage for any overlooked leads.

That evening at the station, Ye Qian noticed Leng Qiming had fallen asleep at his desk after a long shift. He quietly turned off the lights to let his master rest. Moments later, Ziwu arrived with some yogurt for Leng Qiming. Seeing him asleep, she gently draped a jacket over him in a quiet moment of care.

The team eventually gathered to discuss the surveillance results, which cleared Shanzai and Haozi of suspicion; their presence at the scene was consistent with their roles in reporting or prying into the apartment later. However, the footage confirmed that Zhao Heizi had left the mahjong parlor at 6 PM with 150,000 yuan in a black plastic bag but did not arrive home until 8 PM.

This two-hour gap suggested he had visited his mistress, Bai Xue, before returning to his own apartment. The following day, after failing to reach him by phone, Bai Xue went to Zhao Heizi’s apartment only to find it sealed off by the police, confirming the rumors of his death. Forensic evidence at the scene suggested the killer had been lying in wait. The murderer had intentionally cut the main power supply, exploiting a biological process known as dark adaptation.

By waiting in the dark, the killer’s eyes had adjusted while Zhao Heizi was momentarily blinded upon entering the pitch-black room, allowing for a swift and lethal strike. The police found that the killer wore cut-resistant gloves and a black leather jacket; traces of leather finishing oil containing shellac and aniline black were recovered from a red towel used by the suspect to wipe away blood. The investigation shifted toward those who might have access to the apartment.

There were no signs of forced entry on the lock cylinder, suggesting a "soft entry" with a key or a specialized tool. While local gamblers gossiped about Zhao Heizi’s debts and his family in Shanghai, Bai Xue tried to maintain her composure during a game of mahjong.

When Ye Qian eventually tracked her down, she surrendered the 150,000 yuan, explaining that Zhao Heizi had left it with her for safekeeping on the night he died, intending for them to spend it later after his creditors stopped looking for him. Ye Qian followed Bai Xue after she left the police station and watched as she purchased funerary offerings at a local shop. He also noticed a suspicious figure tailing her from a distance.

Returning to the crime scene, Ye Qian and Si Yuanlong discovered that the killer had likely entered by manipulating the lock through the peephole. Ye Qian also noted a significant detail: while Zhao Heizi had many family photos, a specific picture taken during his most recent birthday was missing from the cabinet. Further review of the complex's security footage showed a man entering with a suspicious bulge in his abdomen—likely hidden tools—and leaving later with a flat profile.

The police eventually recovered the discarded lock-picking tools from a pool within the community. Ziwu successfully extracted DNA from the recovered tools, identifying the suspect as Lu Jun, a man with prior records for assault and drug use. Ye Qian led a team to a hotel to apprehend him, but Lu Jun had already checked out, leaving behind a business card for a funeral service.

The police tracked him to a cemetery, where they found Lu Jun mourning at the graves of his wife, Wang Mengqing, and their child. He spoke of a final reunion, stating that no one would ever hurt them again. Following his arrest, Lu Jun confessed to the murder without hesitation, claiming that killing Zhao Heizi fulfilled his final wish. He revealed a tragic history that began in 2000 when he met Mengqing at a bar where he worked.

He had rescued her from being drugged and assaulted by customers, and the two eventually fell in love. Though he discovered she was addicted to heroin, he stayed by her side and helped her through a difficult recovery. By 2001, they had scraped together enough money to open a small restaurant, but they were soon extorted by a local thug named Monkey, who forced them to buy spoiled meat.

In a fit of youthful rage, Lu Jun stabbed Monkey and was sentenced to jail. During his incarceration, Zhao Heizi and his associates targeted the vulnerable Mengqing, leading to the tragedy that Lu Jun had finally chosen to avenge.

Years ago, Lu Jun was detained by the police after impulsively stabbing a man named Houzi. During his incarceration, Houzi’s gang relentlessly threatened Lu Jun's partner, Wang Mengqing. In a desperate attempt to protect their landlord, Zhao Heizi, Mengqing sought a settlement with Houzi. However, Houzi demanded sexual favors in exchange for peace. Despite her firm refusal, he brutally assaulted her. Upon his release, an enraged Lu Jun murdered Houzi in retaliation.

To pay the court-ordered compensation to Houzi’s family, Mengqing was forced into sex work. Consumed by guilt and desperate to stay by her side, Lu Jun followed her into a downward spiral of drug use, sealing their tragic fate. Their landlord, Zhao Heizi, eventually discovered the couple using drugs and began extorting them.

This malice led to a dire situation where Wang Mengqing suffered an overdose; due to the lack of timely medical intervention during the chaos of the blackmail, she was presumed dead. However, Ye Qian later received a mysterious message suggesting otherwise. He confronted Lu Jun, exposing the fact that the man was lying about the circumstances of his wife's disappearance.

While being interrogated at the station, the woman known as Bai Xue dejectedly claimed that Wang Mengqing had actually died shortly after Lu Jun went to prison. She expressed deep regret over her relationship with Lu Jun, describing how he had kept her under house arrest, claiming it was out of love. This stifling environment led to a heated argument during which she suffered a miscarriage.

Desperate to escape his suffocating and increasingly erratic behavior, she had once hidden a plea for help inside a rent envelope for Zhao Heizi, though he failed to notice it at the time. The truth behind Wang Mengqing's "death" was a calculated ploy. After she injected Lu Jun with drugs, Zhao Heizi—acting on her previous plea—returned and called the police to report the drug use.

Once Lu Jun was hauled away, news reached him that she had died from an overdose. In reality, Wang Mengqing and Zhao Heizi had conspired to fake her death so she could finally escape Lu Jun’s grasp. The investigation took a turn when police discovered that Bai Xue had purchased a pair of men's sneakers a month prior, the prints of which perfectly matched those found at the scene of Zhao Heizi’s murder.

Analyzing the communication records between Bai Xue and Lu Jun over the past month, the authorities realized both were weaving a web of lies. Lu Jun stubbornly insisted that Wang Mengqing was dead and that Bai Xue was a different person, unable to face the reality of her betrayal. He had murdered Zhao Heizi believing he was "saving" her.

Meanwhile, Bai Xue had her own motives for wanting the landlord dead, as Zhao Heizi had frequently sown discord between her and Lu Jun, even convincing Lu Jun that her miscarried child belonged to another man. By claiming Zhao Heizi was abusing her, she manipulated Lu Jun into committing the murder upon his release. In a separate development, a man fell to his death from a building, prompting Si Yuanlong to rush to the scene.

Preliminary analysis suggested the victim had been incapacitated before being pushed. Jiao Lei identified the deceased as Liu Xiaofeng, a young man from a poor background who had previously been involved in a dog-poisoning incident. When Ye Qian and local officers visited the family home, Liu Xiaofeng's mother was unaware of the tragedy, believing her son was simply resting in his room. Investigation into Liu Xiaofeng’s digital trail revealed a mysterious email inviting him to meet on the rooftop.

Following the IP address to an internet cafe, the police found footage of a girl in a red dress who had sent the message. She had been highly cautious, using a fake identity and fleeing the cafe just as the police arrived. That night, the "girl" discarded her disguise, revealing himself to be a young man. He meticulously set a chemical trap in his apartment before leaving. Shortly after his departure, the room exploded, effectively destroying all physical evidence.

Ye Qian later tracked the figure in the red dress through alleyway surveillance. Arriving at the site of the explosion the next day, he spoke with the landlord, who confirmed that the room belonged to the person in the photograph Ye Qian carried.

Amidst the scorched ruins of the room ravaged by the explosion, Ye Qian discovered the charred remains of a mobile phone. Investigations into the property revealed it was rented by a man named Gao Liang, a mysterious figure who always paid his rent in cash to avoid leaving a digital trail. Although the landlord provided photographs of the tenant, they offered little help; the man was always pictured from a distance wearing dark sunglasses, leaving his features a blurry enigma.

Meanwhile, Jiao Lei shared the somber news of Liu Xiaofeng’s death with Jing. The news deeply affected her, as she recalled Liu Xiaofeng approaching her days earlier to apologize. Looking back, she noted that his demeanor at the time gave no indication that he was someone driven to take his own life. Later that evening, Ye Qian attended a confidential briefing with a heavy heart.

The meeting brought news of a major victory: the drug enforcement unit had successfully dismantled the criminal organization led by Huo and Bao Hei. However, the triumph came at a devastating cost. Officer Chen Yumo had died on duty during the operation. It was only at this moment that Ye Qian learned the shocking truth—Chen Yumo had been an undercover cop embedded within Huo’s inner circle.

Overwhelmed by a wave of guilt, sorrow, and anger, he struggled to process the revelation that his friend had been living such a dangerous double life. The following day, Ye Qian visited the martyrs' cemetery to pay his respects. Standing before her grave, he found it impossible to reconcile the vibrant woman he knew with the cold reality of her passing. Her past words echoed in his mind, and he was consumed by regret.

He blamed himself for not seeing the signs of her true identity, believing that if he had only been by her side, he could have protected her from harm. Seeking to pull Ye Qian out of his deepening grief, Leng Qiming spent the evening sharing stories about his son’s childhood. He used these lighthearted memories as a way to offer comfort, though he also spoke with a hint of self-reproach.

Leng Qiming admitted that his dedication to his career had often come at the expense of his family, and he urged Ye Qian to cherish the people in his life and make time for those who mattered most. The investigation into Liu Xiaofeng continued as the police questioned his mother. She appeared confused, claiming she had never heard of anyone named Gao Liang. She described her son as a loner who rarely spoke to anyone.

When pressed further, she became defensive and impatient, arguing that the police were making too much of a fuss over a boy who had merely poisoned a few dogs. However, she eventually remembered a crucial detail: Liu Xiaofeng had received threats from someone online. Acting on this lead, the police returned to the internet cafe.

After a meticulous search, they managed to recover a fingerprint from a freezer, believed to belong to the mysterious girl in red who had used the computer to send the messages. Simultaneously, Jiao Lei pored over security footage, discovering that while the girl in red was seen entering the residential complex, there was no record of her ever leaving. Ye Qian soon visited a local shooting range, which turned out to be Liu Xiaofeng’s only hobby.

The owner remembered him well, noting that Liu Xiaofeng had commissioned a custom crossbow and had been asking around for a source of cyanide. This revelation alarmed Leng Qiming, who began to suspect that the young man had been planning a murder. A search of Liu Xiaofeng’s room by Ye Qian and Si Yuanlong finally yielded his mobile phone.

The device contained damning evidence: videos of the young man practicing with his crossbow and making explicit threats against the neighbors who had demanded he apologize. Upon learning of the videos, Jiao Lei was struck by a sense of dread, realizing how close his own wife had come to danger. He felt a wave of relief that she had ultimately chosen not to pursue legal action against the boy, potentially sparing her from his planned revenge.

Life continued in small ways despite the ongoing tension. Jiao Lei and his wife returned home to find the stray dog they had previously helped waiting faithfully at their doorstep. Moved by the animal's persistence and sad eyes, they decided to officially adopt it. In his own quiet moments, Ye Qian remained lost in thought, staring at a portrait of Chen Yumo as he mourned the loss of the woman he had never truly known.

The next morning, Ziwu visited the No-Name Diner and thoughtfully ordered a hot bowl of wontons for Leng Qiming. Elsewhere, Liu Xiaofeng’s mother was spotted sneaking into a secluded courtyard. She had brought the crossbow and the cyanide, intending to hide them to prevent her son from doing anything more foolish. However, the police had been tailing her and moved in to make an arrest. Following the recovery of more evidence, Si Yuanlong matched the fingerprints to three previous cases. Realizing they were dealing with a serial offender, the authorities decided to merge the investigations into a single, comprehensive case to finally uncover the full truth.

Following the decision to merge the investigation of the recent suspicious deaths, Gao Liang meticulously disguises himself and enters a secluded rental apartment. He accesses a computer to browse Yu Xiaona’s webpage, his focused gaze suggesting the formulation of a new, calculated plan. Meanwhile, the police re-examine the circumstances surrounding the earlier cases. Although Cheng Jianmin’s official cause of death was a heart attack, the discovery of his medication left conspicuously next to his body raised immediate red flags.

Furthermore, despite his habit of never using heat, the heating system in his home had been strangely activated on the very day he died. Leng Qiming visits the neighborhood committee to delve into Cheng Jianmin’s background. He learns that the old man’s children, who live abroad and typically neglect him, had recently returned to engage in a bitter, chaotic dispute over his inheritance.

During one particularly violent argument, the children pushed the old man to the ground, requiring help from committee members to return him home. When questioned about the heating, a staff member recalls that neighbors had frequently pressured the old man to turn it on to keep the surrounding units warm. Back at the police station, the greed of Cheng’s children is on full display as they continue to argue over the estate even after their father's death.

Ye Qian tracks down Cheng Xiaowei to investigate a gas leak report from the previous year. Xiaowei recounts how a young girl borrowed his phone to call for help during the incident. In the ensuing confusion at the fire scene, he lost his company vest.

This detail proves vital when forensic testing reveals that the red fibers found at the scene of Liu Xiaofeng’s death are an exact match for the material of that missing vest, establishing a tangible link between the girl and the crimes. The investigation leads Si Yuanlong and Ye Qian to a local guesthouse. While they find a security camera mounted on a tree, its range is unfortunately limited.

The owner expresses frustration over the death of a guest named Zhou Lianqin, whose body was found hanging in a room shortly after the business opened. Since the reservation and payment were handled entirely online, the owner had no direct contact with the family and only entered the room after the guest failed to emerge for several days. Based on the scene, Si Yuanlong suspects that Zhou might have been rendered unconscious before being hoisted up with a pulley system.

As Jiao Lei and Ye Qian review surveillance footage, they spot a delivery driver near the resort whose physical build bears a striking resemblance to Gao Liang. Elsewhere, Wen Yong’s wife arrives at the station to report her husband missing. He has been out of contact for two months, and she refuses to accept the police’s previous assertions regarding his involvement with prostitutes.

Leng Qiming notices scars on her arms, but she remains evasive when asked about them, despite her insistence that their marriage was harmonious. Leng Qiming eventually locates the last woman to see Wen Yong alive. She reveals a startling story: while Wen Yong was brutally beating her, a mysterious girl in red intervened. With a quick, decisive movement, the girl killed Wen Yong and vanished.

The witness had initially assumed the killer was Wen Yong's wife, given that their history of domestic violence had previously made the news. It appears the elusive girl in red has been acting as a vigilante across multiple cases. Later that evening, Gao Liang boards a bus and takes interest in a woman, eventually following her back to her apartment building.

Xia Tian returned home exhausted, unaware that Gao Liang had been following her and now knew exactly where she lived. The next morning, a passerby happened to find Wen Yong’s wallet. At the same time, police dogs assisted the investigation by identifying a location where something mysterious had been buried. These developments coincided with Ye Qian being haunted by a childhood memory, leading him to contact his father in hopes of uncovering a lead.

Gao Liang visited a dilapidated, abandoned building that evoked a sense of desolation. His mind drifted back years to when he was known as Jiang Yue. His parents had operated a fireworks factory, but their peace was constantly disturbed by a car that would park outside and broadcast accusations about it being a "heartless factory." One day, shortly after the car drove away, the factory exploded. His mother sacrificed her life to shield him from the blast.

Later, at her funeral, Jiang Yue spotted the same vehicle and locked eyes with the man inside before the car sped away. The image of his mother dying to protect him remained a permanent scar on his soul. Ye Qian’s investigation revealed that Cheng Jianmin’s business growth was largely due to a project involving the East Wind Culture Plaza. To secure the land, Cheng had acquired an urban village fireworks factory.

At the time, there were rumors among the workers that Cheng had bribed someone to trigger the explosion, which resulted in the deaths of the Jiang couple. Ye Qian began to suspect that Cheng Jianmin’s death was a calculated act of revenge by someone connected to that past tragedy. Ye Qian eventually deduced that Gao Liang and the mysterious girl in red were the same person. He also learned that Jiang Yue had effectively vanished after the factory explosion.

Meanwhile, Xia Tian was being bombarded by threatening phone calls, which she angrily hung up on. Her situation worsened when her landlord, influenced by news reports about her alleged misconduct, evicted her. Xia Tian was forced to move out while facing the judgment and whispers of onlookers. Desperate and nearly penniless, Xia Tian visited a real estate agency while keeping her face hidden under a hat to avoid being recognized.

She reached out to her mother for financial help but was met only with verbal abuse. In her desperation, she came across a listing for an incredibly cheap apartment in a remote area. She didn't realize that the rental was a trap carefully set by Gao Liang to lure her in. Ye Qian spoke with Gao Liang’s college roommate, who explained that Gao Liang had entered the software industry after graduation but was devastated after being scammed.

Gao Liang had sought revenge against those responsible and subsequently distanced himself from his old life. The roommate mentioned that Gao Liang always kept a delicate box, a precious memento left to him by his mother. Analyzing the current media landscape, Si Yuanlong identified three trending news stories and predicted that Gao Liang would target one of them. He believed the case of a female intern being harassed by a well-known reporter was the most likely choice.

Ye Qian and Leng Qiming began investigating the individuals involved in these stories to find a lead on Gao Liang. During this time, Xia Tian woke up to find herself bound by Gao Liang. He stared at her coldly, stating he would only release her if she told the truth about how Yu Xiaou was killed.

Records from the past murder case showed that Zhang Wei was currently serving time for killing Yu Xiaou, but Xia Tian, the key witness, had gone missing. The tragedy had stemmed from a dispute when Xia Tian tried to break up with Zhang Wei. Yu Xiaou had stepped in to mediate, only for Zhang Wei to use a murder weapon to kill her.

In the aftermath, Xia Tian was subjected to intense cyberbullying, with the public accusing her of being selfish and disloyal, which eventually forced her into hiding. Xia Tian regained consciousness again and discovered a glass shard nearby. She used it to cut through her restraints and quietly opened the door to find herself in total darkness.

She moved toward a light, hoping for a way out, only to realize she was trapped on a high floor of a building with no means of descent. Looking out at the height, she was overcome with a sense of total despair.

Xia Tian’s desperate attempt to escape the abandoned building was thwarted when Gao Liang caught her before she could find a way out. Despite her firm insistence that her courtroom testimony was the absolute truth, Gao Liang remained unconvinced, accusing her of being a cold-blooded observer who had stood by while a life was taken. During their confrontation, the police called Xia Tian’s phone.

Gao Liang answered it while recording the interaction, using the opportunity to force the truth out of her. Terrified by Gao Liang's revelation that her landlord had recorded footage of her with Zhang Wei—a recording he threatened to send to her parents—Xia Tian finally broke. She admitted that while Yu Xiao'ou was Zhang Wei's girlfriend, she also harbored feelings for him.

In a moment of jealousy and malice, she had handed Zhang Wei the knife, claiming she only intended to scare Yu Xiao'ou, never expecting that he would actually commit murder. Listening to the call, Ye Qian’s sharp intuition led him to identify Gao Liang as Jiang Yue. He maintained a calm demeanor, attempting to negotiate and buy time by agreeing to Jiang Yue's demands.

However, Jiang Yue was consumed by a desire for vengeance, declaring his intent to punish the wicked and finally bring justice for his parents' deaths. The police managed to trace the signal to a cluster of abandoned buildings. Though they mobilized quickly and located the site where Xia Tian had been held, they arrived to find a grim scene. Jiang Yue had already pushed Xia Tian into an underground well, leaving her life hanging in the balance.

Following the act, Gao Liang deliberately left bloody fingerprints at the scene, which were later found to contain traces of formalin. Soon after, an anonymous post titled "Doing Justice for Heaven" surfaced online, featuring videos of the murders of Xia Tian and Zhou Lianqin. The post immediately went viral, topping the trending charts. Ye Qian correctly deduced that Jiang Yue was the one behind the upload.

Anticipating Jiang Yue’s next move, Ye Qian and Leng Qiming headed to the site of the former firework factory, believing he would return to where his family's tragedy began. A massive fire suddenly erupted in the derelict building, prompting Leng Qiming to lead a team toward the flames. Ye Qian, sensing a diversion, instead headed toward the development office. There, he found Jiang Yue waiting quietly, holding the exquisite box that had belonged to his mother.

Jiang Yue spoke with eerie composure, clarifying that he had not physically killed Cheng Jianmin; rather, the man had suffered a fatal heart attack out of sheer terror upon recognizing Jiang Yue's identity. He explained that his disguises and the intentional fingerprints were breadcrumbs designed to force the authorities to reopen the investigation into the firework factory explosion. As Leng Qiming and the rest of the force arrived, they found that Jiang Yue had rigged the area with explosives.

He urged the officers to leave, stating that since his revenge was complete, it was time for him to depart the world. He triggered a remote, causing a massive explosion. As he reached to press the button again, the police were forced to open fire, killing him. However, the subsequent "bombs" turned out to be nothing more than fireworks, serving as a final, tragic tribute to his parents. Xia Tian was eventually rescued and regained consciousness.

Overwhelmed by guilt, she confessed her role in the past murder. Moved by the weight of these events, Ye Qian committed himself to a thorough reinvestigation to ensure the truth was fully revealed for all those who had died. The following day, the staff of the No-Name Diner organized a heartwarming meal at a nursing home. During the event, Ye Qian received a mysterious package containing Chen Yumo’s police badge, a poignant reminder of his fallen colleague.

Later, Ye Qian visited Chen Yumo’s grave and noticed two traveler’s medals placed before her headstone, honoring her lifelong passion. Inspired by her memory, Ye Qian vowed to continue the fight against the darkness, determined to let their shared sense of justice light the way forward.