Archives: The Nanyang Mystery Episode 11 Recap
> Archives: The Nanyang Mystery Recaps
Zhang Hailou and He Jianxi finally arrived in Xiacheng, exhausted from their long journey. As they stepped ashore, Zhang Hailou looked around, his mind drifting back to a memory of Zhang Haixia. He recalled how he had promised to take him to Balongzhou to make a name for themselves, so they could eventually return to Xiacheng in glory to see their mentor.
Shaking off the painful memory, Zhang Hailou turned to He Jianxi, who was preparing to leave for Jinfan to search for his brother. Zhang Hailou stuffed his remaining money into He Jianxi's hands, urging him to use it to secure a larger, safer ship. Though He Jianxi initially refused on principle, Zhang Hailou insisted, stating that all debts and grudges had been settled, before bidding him farewell.
As Zhang Hailou walked away, He Jianxi suddenly remembered the man on the ship who had originally given him the money, telling him to hand it to Zhang Hailou and calling him the "Plague of Nanyang." Realizing that the deceased man Zhang Hailou was carrying on his back was that very benefactor, He Jianxi turned around and shouted, trying to stop him. However, Zhang Hailou had already vanished into the crowd.
Desperate, He Jianxi began asking passersby if they had seen a uniformed man carrying someone on his back. His search led him to a strange man who recognized him from the ship. When He Jianxi asked for directions, the man made an unsettling request, offering to exchange his own money for He Jianxi's under one condition: he wanted to borrow He Jianxi's face. Terrified by the bizarre proposal, He Jianxi called him a lunatic and quickly fled.
Meanwhile, Zhang Haiqi, still posing as Miss Dong, disembarked from the ship. Her father, Mr. Dong, was waiting to receive her. Landon Warner, who had escorted her, tried to introduce himself to Mr. Dong in hopes of securing a future business partnership. However, Mr. Dong politely declined, explaining that he was too old and no longer did business with foreigners, and was simply waiting for his daughter to inherit the family business.
Warner then brought up the incident on the Nan'an, praising Miss Dong's bravery in using his musketeers to capture pirates, but subtly threatened them by mentioning the unidentified corpses found in the cargo. He pointedly asked if he should tell the police those bodies were related to the Dong family.
Mr. Dong calmly but firmly countered the threat, stating that while he had made many enemies, anyone who dared to scheme against him in his hometown would not leave Xiacheng alive. Mr. Dong then ushered Warner to a separate car so he could speak with his daughter in private. Inside their carriage, he questioned her sudden return with so many foreigners. He then handed over the intelligence she had requested, including a decrypted telegram she had sent from the Nan'an.
The message, encrypted with a military code, had been sent to a highly secretive warlord unit last seen near Beilian, led by a man named Mo Yungao. The decrypted text delivered a chilling update: the members of the Southern Archives had been eliminated and their bodies recovered, with a meeting planned in Xiacheng. Hearing this, Zhang Haiqi realized that Mo Yungao was the mastermind behind the attacks on her organization, and she grimly foretold a coming bloodbath in Xiacheng.
Oblivious to these developments, Zhang Hailou carried Zhang Haixia back to their childhood home. To his dismay, the residence had been converted into a dried seafood shop. The current shopkeeper told him he had run the business for years and had never seen anyone else live there. Realizing his mentor had moved without leaving a word, Zhang Hailou pushed his cart toward the Danan Telegraph Office, which had served as the secret headquarters for the Southern Archives.
He recalled their childhood, when Zhang Haiqi had explained that they disguised the secret agency within a redundant department, hiding like hermit crabs to avoid detection. However, when he arrived, he found that the building was now a bank. The clerk inside insisted it had always been a bank, leaving Zhang Hailou deeply unsettled. Refusing to give up, Zhang Hailou went directly to the Nanyang Maritime Supervisory Office.
He asked the receptionist for the new location of the Southern Archives, explaining that it was a secret division under their administration. The receptionist checked with senior commissioners who had worked there for over twenty years, only to return with the news that no such archive had ever existed. Infuriated, Zhang Hailou left Zhang Haixia outside and barged into the office, presenting his agent badge.
When the commissioner dismissed the badge and stated they only handled ship crews, Zhang Hailou lost his temper. He grabbed the commissioner by the neck, demanding the truth. Seeing the genuine terror in the man's eyes, Zhang Hailou realized he was not lying. He released his grip, but slunk away only after secretly pocketing the commissioner's keys.
With his home, his job, and the very existence of the Archives erased, a shattered Zhang Hailou sat by the road next to Zhang Haixia's body. He lamented that they had sent thirty-six regular monthly report telegrams since returning from Panhua Reef without receiving a single reply, wondering if the mastermind behind the toxic weed had wiped out the Archives completely. He then pulled out the invitation card Miss Dong had left him.
Reading the words warning him that it was best they did not meet, he flipped the card over and noticed the stamped emblem of the Southern Archives on the back. Realizing she held the answers, he immediately wheeled the cart toward the Dong Residence. At the mansion, Zhang Hailou was escorted into a private room. Miss Dong stood with her back turned to him.
She remarked that he had arrived much sooner than expected and asked if his self-treated wounds had healed. Zhang Hailou ignored the small talk, demanding to know why she had left him clues about the hermit crabs and the Southern Archives. He asked where his mentor, Zhang Haiqi, and the rest of the Archives had gone. When she feigned ignorance and suggested he had merely had a dream, Zhang Hailou grew desperate.
He offered to do whatever she required, pleading only for acknowledgment that the Archives had existed, so his partner would not have died in vain. Seeing his anguish, she offered to tell him a story about two partner agents: one smart and one a troublemaker. During a mission on Panhua Reef, the two had infiltrated an enemy stronghold.
Instead of retreating after gathering evidence, the troublemaker had recklessly revealed his identity, asking the enemy if they had heard of a man named Zhang Haiyan of the Southern Archives to gather more information. This single blunder allowed their enemies to locate the Archives' headquarters, leading to a swift, overnight massacre of almost all its agents. The troublemaker survived, while his brilliant partner did not.
She then directed his attention to the document on his right—the closing report of the Panhua Reef case written by his late partner. Zhang Hailou picked it up and read Zhang Haixia's words, which detailed how their identities and the Archives' information had been leaked during the operation. At the end of the report, Zhang Haixia had written that he was willing to bear full responsibility for the oversight.
The realization that his own carelessness had caused the destruction of the Archives and the death of his beloved partner left Zhang Hailou utterly devastated. As she told him he was free to leave, Zhang Hailou stared at her back in stunned disbelief, asking one final question about who she really was.
