Guardian Episode 30 Recap
> Guardian Recap
The Night King's power grew exponentially as he devoured more energy and lives, quickly subduing the entire Subterrane, from the Palace of Lord Earth down to its lowest ranks. Meanwhile, Shen Wei returned to the Subterrane with Sha Ya and Yuzhu, intending to face judgment. However, upon their arrival, they were ambushed by the Regent and his forces.
The Regent, who had switched his allegiance, revealed that the Night King's influence had spread to the Palace and exposed Shen Wei's current weakened state, noting that Shen Wei had shared his life energy with someone, which severely reduced his longevity and combat effectiveness. Despite his defiance, Shen Wei was quickly overwhelmed and captured while trying to protect his companions. Later, at the Sky Pillar, the Night King confronted a restrained Shen Wei, gloating over his victory.
He acknowledged Shen Wei's diminished strength and reiterated that his own power stemmed from consuming lives and psychic energies. Shen Wei condemned the Night King for treating sentient beings as mere sustenance, but the Night King, filled with millennia of hatred, vowed to make Shen Wei witness the slow, agonizing deaths of his closest friends and loved ones.
In the human world, the Night King instructed Yaqing to execute the next phase of his plan: to dismantle the Special Investigation Unit by manipulating public opinion. He ordered her to alter the SIU's personnel information and leak it to the public, believing that a loss of public trust would cause the unit to collapse from within. Realizing there was no turning back for her and that the future of the Sub-beasts depended on this, Yaqing agreed.
She acted swiftly, disseminating the modified information before Cong Bo, who had been tasked by Zhao Yunlan to delete all sensitive data, could complete his work. The leak quickly exposed the existence of Subterranean members within the SIU, fueling public outrage, panic, and unrest as citizens felt deceived. The SIU found itself mired in public condemnation.
Chu Shuzhi wanted to reveal the truth to the public, but Guo Changcheng dissuaded him, fearing his identity as a Subterranean would only worsen the crisis. The SIU mobilized, with Zhu Hong and Chu Shuzhi setting out to find Cong Bo, while Wang Zheng and Sang Zan were dispatched to locate the Werecrows responsible for spreading the misinformation, quickly realizing the Night King's forces had already successfully guided public opinion.
Earlier, Zhao Yunlan had grown suspicious of Lin Jing when sensitive evidence, securely bagged and recorded, mysteriously vanished. Noticing subtle shifts in Lin Jing's behavior, Zhao Yunlan brought him to the Marine Administration building under the pretext of work. There, Zhao Yunlan confronted Lin Jing, who admitted to being a mole. Lin Jing confessed that Professor Ouyang, his former mentor, had planted him in the SIU three years prior to gather intelligence.
Although Lin Jing insisted he had never provided any information detrimental to the SIU and had remained loyal to the unit's mission against their common enemies, Zhao Yunlan firmly stated that he would dismiss anyone who betrayed his trust. Lin Jing’s dismissal was met with strong protests from the rest of the SIU. Guo Changcheng, Da Qing, and Zhu Hong passionately defended Lin Jing, highlighting his conscientiousness. Guo Changcheng was particularly distraught, begging Lin Jing not to leave.
Zhao Yunlan remained resolute, reiterating that Lin Jing was a spy. Lin Jing accepted his fate, acknowledging that with his identity compromised, he could no longer work there effectively. He expressed his genuine gratitude for his time with the team before departing, with Guo Changcheng seeing him off. Following his departure, Lin Jing joined Professor Ouyang's laboratory as an assistant. Professor Ouyang, needing personnel after disruptions caused by Yaqing, immediately immersed Lin Jing in secret documents and experiments.
Lin Jing expressed his internal conflict to Professor Ouyang, questioning the ethics of experiments that violated scientific principles, but Ouyang brushed aside his concerns, believing his work would ultimately make him a hero. Back at the SIU, Chu Shuzhi received a transfer order supposedly from the Black Robed Envoy, instructing him to return to the Subterrane to assist with the defense of the Palace.
However, both he and Zhu Hong realized the letter was a forgery due to a subtle difference in handwriting. This confirmed the letter was fake but also indicated that the Black Robed Envoy was likely in grave danger. Chu Shuzhi was determined to save him, but Zhu Hong cautioned him against acting rashly given the SIU's delicate situation, and they decided to consult Zhao Yunlan.
Meanwhile, Zhao Yunlan was locked in a tense discussion with Minister Gao from the Marine Administration. Minister Gao insisted on strictly controlling information about the crisis to prevent public panic, but Zhao Yunlan vehemently disagreed, arguing that the public had a right to know. Frustrated, Minister Gao threatened to revoke the SIU's authority. General Zhao, Zhao Yunlan's father, intervened, diffusing the tension. Later, General Zhao invited Zhao Yunlan to his home, but upon entering, Zhao Yunlan sensed something was wrong.
He confronted the man before him, revealing that he knew he was not his true father but a Subterranean. Zhao Yunlan then produced a specialized gun, harmless to humans but lethal to Subterraneans, and aimed it directly at the impostor, demanding answers.
