Archives: The Nanyang Mystery Episode 13 Recap
> Archives: The Nanyang Mystery Recaps
Zhang Haiqi returned to the Dong Mansion, heavily wounded from her previous encounter at the military base. Recognizing the imminent danger, she urged Mr. Dong to take his family and flee Xiacheng immediately, suggesting they go out to sea. However, Mr. Dong refused to leave her behind. He reasoned that because they were in the foreign concession and she was widely known as the daughter of the influential Ship King, no one would dare to make a move against them.
He believed that any gunfire would prompt immediate military intervention from neighboring consulates. Zhang Haiqi warned him that their enemy this time was a ruthless warlord, and that Lu Junxiang, a dangerous prisoner she had once captured at the Archives, would stop at nothing to kill her. Even when she confessed that she had only been using him and the identity of Miss Dong to protect herself, Mr. Dong remained steadfast in his devotion, refusing to abandon her.
Meanwhile, Warner received word from his associate that the surrounding three kilometers had been completely cleared and a warlord's army was rapidly encircling the estate. Fearing a slaughter, Warner prepared to withdraw his musketeer team. To secure his help, Zhang Haiqi enticed him by offering valuable antiques from a secret vault beneath the mansion's floorboards.
Tempted by this display of real wealth, Warner changed his mind and agreed to honor their deal, rallying his men to prepare their Maxim guns for the upcoming assault. The confrontation began swiftly as Lu Junxiang’s forces launched their attack. Using the mansion's structural layout, Zhang Haiqi expertly positioned Warner’s men at clever, hard-to-detect shooting angles, allowing them to suppress the initial wave of soldiers with their machine guns.
However, the tide turned when Lu Junxiang ordered his artillery to fire. Faced with devastating cannon fire, Zhang Haiqi realized they could not hold the perimeter and ordered a retreat into the inner rooms. In the city, while Zhang Hailou was searching for clues, He Jianxi suddenly found him. He Jianxi handed over a stack of bills, explaining that it was money left by Zhang Hailou's partner, Zhang Haixia.
He recounted how, during a chaotic moment on the ship, Zhang Haixia had slipped the money to him to deliver. He Jianxi explained that he had nearly died in a robbery while trying to track Zhang Hailou down, but was saved by Mrs. Wesley, the president of Haili Bank. Upon learning of his quest, Mrs. Wesley mobilized her bank staff to locate Zhang Hailou.
Because Mrs. Wesley's father was a military man, she recognized that the markings on the bills formed a two-square cipher, a military decryption method used for transmitting secret intelligence. Zhang Hailou arranged the bills by their serial numbers, a technique they used during their training. Deciphering the ciphertext, he read the hidden message: "This is a trap. I have a plan. I need to disguise myself. Come save me ASAP." He realized that Zhang Haixia had faked his death.
Arranging the remaining bills revealed more clues: Danan Telegraph Office, Haili Bank, cracks, and eyes. Zhang Hailou deduced that the outer defense mechanism of the Southern Archives lay directly beneath Haili Bank. Deeply grateful, he thanked He Jianxi and rushed toward the bank, with He Jianxi quickly following. Sneaking into Haili Bank, Zhang Hailou began searching the premises. He Jianxi cautioned him not to destroy the property of Mrs. Wesley, who had been their benefactor.
Zhang Hailou apologized and focused his search on the clues of "smoke" and "cracks." Lighting a cigarette, he watched the drifting smoke to locate a draft, which led them to a crack in the floor. Inside, they discovered a hidden mechanism piece. Zhang Hailou warned He Jianxi to stay back, but they both ended up sliding down a hidden shaft.
At the bottom of the shaft, Zhang Hailou spotted a white jade door, but the moment he turned his head, the door vanished. He Jianxi, unable to see it, complained that Zhang Hailou was playing tricks on him. However, Zhang Hailou realized the "eyes" clue meant they had to keep their eyes locked on the door without blinking. By staring intently, Zhang Hailou successfully approached and opened the jade door.
As they tumbled through, He Jianxi accidentally fell on Zhang Hailou's hand. Despite the rough landing, they realized they had successfully breached the entrance. Back at the Dong Mansion, Warner reassured Zhang Haiqi that the machine guns in the passage were fully set up and could eliminate the invaders within half an hour. He reported that while three of their men had died, thirty-seven servants had been safely relocated.
Zhang Haiqi's instincts flared; she knew the mansion employed only thirty-six servants. Sensing an intruder, she rushed to the living area and found Bai Yu, disguised as a servant, slaughtering the household staff. Bai Yu threw an explosive toward them. Mr. Dong shielded Zhang Haiqi from the blast, sustaining fatal injuries. Summoning his remaining strength, he shot Bai Yu in the arm before collapsing. He died in Zhang Haiqi's arms, urging her to survive.
Grief-stricken, Zhang Haiqi led the remaining survivors into the secret underground passage, while an enraged Lu Junxiang ordered his troops to tear down the entire room to find her. Deep in the passage beneath Haili Bank, Zhang Hailou and He Jianxi continued their search.
Zhang Hailou noticed that He Jianxi's behavior was highly unusual—his acute sense of smell seemed to be gone, and his physical reflexes and skills were unexpectedly sharp, as he had managed to catch Zhang Hailou during their fall. Suspecting this might be an impostor, Zhang Hailou chose not to expose him and let him tag along. They reached a locked door at the end of the tunnel.
When He Jianxi suggested forcing it open, Zhang Hailou smelled sulfur, realizing the door was rigged with explosives. They discovered multiple containers filled with key fragments, offering thousands of possible combinations. Zhang Hailou paused to consider what Zhang Haixia would do, recalling a training exercise with their mentor, Zhang Haiqi. She had taught them that when faced with a dilemma, one must step back and think in reverse to avoid falling into a trap.
Realizing the locked door and the key fragments were merely a decoy to keep intruders trapped in endless calculations, Zhang Hailou decided to search in reverse. He bypassed the door and located the Bronze Ball Mechanism. Activating the reverse sequence, he triggered the real mechanism. The wall parted, and before them lay the breathtaking, magnificent expanse of the Southern Archives.
