Reset Episode 5 Recap
> Reset Recap
Distraught over Officer Jiang Feng's death, for which she felt responsible after calling the police, Li Shiqing voiced her deep regret. She lamented involving the police in such a dangerous situation and admitted she would have gone crazy if she were alone. She also acknowledged that for her and Xiao Heyun, sleeping was the only way to reset the loop and escape their current reality.
Meanwhile, police had identified Xiao Heyun as the man seen with Li Shiqing and the source of the phone call to her. Captain Zhang led a team to apprehend him. Desperate to re-enter the loop, Xiao Heyun sought out pharmacies for sleeping pills. Unable to obtain them without a prescription, he settled for melatonin and then purchased a high-proof white wine from a supermarket, hoping to induce sleep before the police found him.
His erratic behavior attracted the attention of store owners, who helped the police track his movements. Despite his attempts to avoid detection, his phone was briefly turned on to make a payment, allowing the police to pinpoint his location and close in. Xiao Heyun, having consumed both the melatonin and the white wine, eventually passed out in an alley. When Captain Zhang and his team found him, he was delirious.
He pleaded with them not to take him back to the police station or the "small black room" without windows. He vehemently questioned why the police were dispatched if they weren't experiencing the time loop, stressing that police officers' lives also matter, and dismissed Li Shiqing's story as "bullshit." Captain Zhang, looking somber and reflecting on Jiang Feng's recent death, ordered Xiao Heyun to be taken away.
As Xiao Heyun finally succumbed to sleep in the police car, he was startled awake by Li Shiqing's voice on the bus, confirming their return to the loop. Profoundly regretting that involving the police had led to Jiang Feng's sacrifice, Li Shiqing resolved not to call them again, deciding instead that she and Xiao Heyun would investigate the bomb's location themselves.
Xiao Heyun, apologetic for abandoning her in the previous loop, affirmed they were partners and would face the challenge together. They soon noticed a suspicious passenger: a man wearing a mask and clutching a backpack. Li Shiqing suggested they pretend to be a quarreling couple to get close to him and search his bag.
However, Xiao Heyun's inexperience in acting and arguing caused him to hesitate, as he was waiting for a specific traffic light to avoid an early loop reset. His delay led to them missing their chance, and the bus exploded once more. Li Shiqing expressed frustration at his inaction, while Xiao Heyun defended himself by explaining his fear of an early loop reset and his unfamiliarity with artificial arguments. In the next loop, they adjusted their strategy.
Xiao Heyun decided to confront the masked man, accusing him of secretly filming Li Shiqing. He attempted to snatch the man's bag, leading to a struggle. The masked man denied the accusation and fiercely protected his bag. In the midst of the scuffle, he appeared to suffer a severe asthma attack, collapsing while still clinging to his bag. The bus driver pulled over, and other passengers offered help, urging the man to open his bag for medication.
However, he adamantly refused to let go. Li Shiqing and Xiao Heyun debated whether the asthma attack was genuine, noting his surprising strength despite his apparent distress. They remained convinced that his intense protectiveness of the bag was highly suspicious and that they absolutely needed to find out what was inside. Despite their efforts, the bus exploded again. A new plan emerged: prevent the masked man from boarding the bus entirely.
In the next loop, as the bus arrived, Xiao Heyun got off while Li Shiqing blocked the entrance, feigning distraction with her phone. This delay allowed Xiao Heyun to pull the masked man away from the bus doors. After a struggle, they managed to open his backpack, only for a small stray cat to leap out. Xiao Heyun quickly apologized, fabricating a story about a friend losing a similar bag.
They realized the man was merely an animal lover trying to transport his rescued cat, which was prohibited on public transport, hence his protective behavior. After helping the masked man retrieve his cat, the bus exploded as usual, leaving Xiao Heyun and Li Shiqing to calmly depart, a reaction that bewildered the man. Later, seeing news of the bus explosion, he grew increasingly suspicious of them.
Li Shiqing, however, was optimistic, suggesting that since they had pulled him off the bus, he might also enter the loop, becoming a new "teammate." She highlighted his strength and compassion for the cat, arguing that "there's more power in numbers." Xiao Heyun vehemently disagreed, offering various nonsensical reasons why the man wouldn't be in the loop, such as not having fully boarded the bus.
He also seemed keen to impress Li Shiqing, boasting about his own increased strength from previous loops, much to her amusement. He worried that an unprepared third party could hinder their efficiency. Deciding they needed to regroup, Xiao Heyun led Li Shiqing to a secluded cafe he had "scouted" in a previous loop. There, they analyzed the mechanics of the loop.
Xiao Heyun explained that physical changes like injuries, energy consumption, or even weight gain did not persist between loops, and money spent would reset. This realization prompted Li Shiqing to indulge in a hearty meal, freed from the worry of gaining weight or wasting money. Despite a fleeting moment of guilt, Xiao Heyun reassured her, "Man is iron and rice is steel. You can only save the world when you are full."
They then discussed delaying their re-entry into the loop by taking turns staying awake, hoping to gather more information from police reports in the "real world" before the reset. They clarified that simultaneous sleep was required for both to enter the loop; otherwise, one would enter a "standby state" in a prolonged dream, waiting for the other to join before the loop could restart.
Xiao Heyun argued that relying on police intelligence for victim lists and suspect profiles would be more efficient than their current, limited, and time-consuming individual efforts. Later, while browsing online, they identified a frequently filming and talkative passenger as "Brother Yi," a web celebrity. They saw a live stream from the accident scene where his colleagues mourned his death, describing him as annoying but optimistic, and announced a memorial event for his fans and friends.
Li Shiqing suggested attending the memorial to gather more information about other passengers, and Xiao Heyun agreed. They watched one of Brother Yi's old videos, where he enthusiastically promoted bus travel as clean, scenic, and eco-friendly. As Xiao Heyun and Li Shiqing were at the accident site, watching videos related to Brother Yi and other passengers, the masked man, the cat rescuer, suddenly confronted them.
He directly questioned why they had previously tried to search his bag and if they knew the "inside story" of the bus explosion. Xiao Heyun attempted to dismiss it as a misunderstanding, but the man countered, asking if they were there to save him. When he threatened to call the police, Li Shiqing, feeling cornered, admitted that the situation was "hard to explain." The masked man, sensing there was more to their story, then instructed them to follow him to discuss it further away from prying eyes.
