Stealth Walker Episode 13 Recap
> Stealth Walker Recap
Zhang Xianhe was preparing to leave when Lin Qiang approached him, explaining she had cooked a meal for him as a gesture of thanks for his past hospitality. Zhang Xianhe, not rushing, went to her apartment. While he found her cooking to be burnt and overly salty, he ate it without complaint. He observed that her cooking style indicated a person who either grew up without proper guidance or lacked a stable home, probing her to confess more about herself.
Lin Qiang countered by accusing him of being overly suspicious. During this exchange, Zhang Xianhe received a phone call, during which he discussed an offer from Vanuatu and complex financial analyses. While he was occupied, Lin Qiang poured him a drink and secretly added meth to it, as instructed by Qiu Hu. Just as Zhang Xianhe was about to drink, he noticed a burnt smell emanating from the kitchen, which Lin Qiang quickly attributed to her cooking.
He went to assist her in the kitchen. Shortly after, Coco arrived. Zhang Xianhe offered Coco the doctored drink, but Lin Qiang rushed out of the kitchen and intercepted her, quickly disposing of the beverage. Realizing what had almost happened, Zhang Xianhe angrily sent Coco home, then warned Lin Qiang never to approach Coco again, threatening dire consequences if anything befell the child.
Later, Lin Qiang spotted a gambling advertisement at the Haoting Hotel, recognizing the URL as a disguised digital code similar to those Cheng Ji had received. She promptly retrieved the code book from Cheng Jingsong and deciphered the message, revealing a meeting time and location for Iron Sword, with a rose as the signal.
Lin Qiang expressed her desire to meet Iron Sword, but Cheng Jingsong insisted on reporting to Cao Yongming and advised her to first resolve Zhang Xianhe's suspicions. Lin Qiang claimed the matter was settled, admitting she had only pretended to drug Zhang Xianhe with Qiu Hu's meth, without letting him consume it. Cheng Jingsong relayed the information to Cao Yongming, who, after considering Iron Sword's long disappearance, viewed the contact as too risky.
He believed that when risks outweighed opportunities, inaction was the best course, emphasizing the priority was to gather evidence of Qiu Hu's drug manufacturing and trafficking without alerting him. Cheng Jingsong informed Lin Qiang of Cao Yongming's decision to prohibit the meeting. However, Lin Qiang defied the order and secretly went to the rendezvous point. She observed Zhang Xianhe placing a rose with a beggar on the roadside.
She began to follow him and was almost discovered, but agents sent by Cao Yongming intervened just in time to conceal her presence from Zhang Xianhe. Cao Yongming personally confronted Lin Qiang, reprimanding her for her recklessness and insubordination. He stressed that her exposure would have jeopardized the entire operation, and consequently, he ordered her withdrawal from the mission. He further revealed that the police had identified Iron Sword as Sun Dapeng, confirming that Zhang Xianhe was not the informant.
Cao Yongming concluded that Zhang Xianhe's possession of the code book strongly implicated him in Cheng Ji's death. Feeling a deep sense of guilt, Lin Qiang earnestly pleaded for another chance, vowing never to repeat her mistakes. Concurrently, Fourth Uncle provided Zhang Xianhe with Lin Qiang's orphanage records, confirming she was not Wang Qian. Zhang Xianhe acknowledged he was already aware, explaining that a genuine police officer would not use meth in a drink.
He stressed that Lin Qiang was one of Qiu Hu's people, and that eliminating her would provoke Qiu Hu, hindering their current objective of cooperating to locate Fang Lin. Fourth Uncle then informed Zhang Xianhe that Lord Ma had called, not to press about Fang Lin, but to request Sun Dapeng's autopsy report, which Lord Ma then instructed him to burn without further explanation.
This led Fourth Uncle to voice his suspicion of Zhang Xianhe, believing him to be 'protecting his own' and warning that such behavior would lead to their downfall. Zhang Xianhe stated that he still needed to personally go to Lingnan to find Fang Lin, while Fourth Uncle assured him that he would handle other matters. Later, Zhang Xianhe, worried about Coco's safety, decided to move. Coco, however, was distraught and cried, refusing to leave their current home or Lin Qiang.
Hearing Coco's cries, Lin Qiang approached Zhang Xianhe's door. After sending Coco back to her room, Zhang Xianhe pressed Lin Qiang for the truth. Lin Qiang confessed to placing the substance in his drink, claiming Qiu Hu had coerced her, and reiterated that she had not intended for Coco to be harmed. Under his persistent questioning, she admitted to not being Wang Qian.
She fabricated a story about meeting the real Wang Qian at a nightclub after moving from America, eventually joining Wang Shanshan's (Wang Qian's sister) heroin dealing operation due to financial hardship. She claimed that after Wang Shanshan's arrest and Wang Qian's disappearance, Cong mistook her for Wang Qian, leading her to impersonate her for drug transactions. Zhang Xianhe then inquired about her whereabouts on the afternoon of the eighth day.
Lin Qiang recalled watching the movie "King Kong" on Qingyuan Road with hotel waiters, followed by hotpot. Understanding Qiu Hu's intent to control him through addiction, Zhang Xianhe offered to keep her secret if she fully cooperated, threatening to expose her true identity otherwise. He resolved to feign addiction to fulfill Qiu Hu's expectations. Meanwhile, Chu Jiaojiao observed Heipi burning joss paper for Lei Jie outside the Haoting Hotel, which she found inauspicious.
Back inside, she instructed one of Qiu Hu's men to dispose of Cong's belongings. The man discovered a seemingly valuable camera among the items and handed it to her. While Chu Jiaojiao was distracted, Heipi subtly swapped out the medicine in her bag. Later, Chu Jiaojiao conversed with a hotel waiter who mentioned that Cheng Jingsong had repaired the bathhouse boiler during the hotel fire incident.
This information raised Chu Jiaojiao's suspicions, as she knew Cheng Jingsong was a fitness coach, not a plumber. Subsequently, Lin Qiang and Zhang Xianhe executed their plan, staging a scene for Qiu Hu to believe Zhang Xianhe had become addicted to meth. Convinced that Zhang Xianhe was now under his control, Qiu Hu discussed a large drug deal, proposing Zhang Xianhe invest at least 3,000 units.
Qiu Hu suggested Wang Qian (Lin Qiang) as a trustworthy intermediary to handle the signing and financial transactions for both parties. Back at home, Chu Jiaojiao examined the camera from Cong's belongings and found photos of Cheng Jingsong wearing a police uniform. This discovery led her to the shocking realization that Lin Qiang, posing as Wang Qian, was indeed the mole.
