Stealth Walker Episode 6 Recap
> Stealth Walker Recap
Chu Jiaojiao questioned Lin Qiang, asking if her kindness had ulterior motives. She shared her frustration about being disliked by the hotel staff, who outwardly showed respect but secretly wished for Qiu Hu to dismiss her. When pressed, Lin Qiang feigned ignorance, prompting Chu Jiaojiao to directly accuse her of trying to reclaim the 200,000 U. S. dollars Qiu Hu had taken.
Lin Qiang, relieved that her deeper identity wasn't suspected, played along and admitted to this, praising Chu Jiaojiao's insight. Chu Jiaojiao then warned Lin Qiang to abandon her attempts to retrieve the money, explaining that Qiu Hu would surely kill her if he ever discovered her "ideas," and advised her to simply follow Qiu Hu's orders.
Lin Qiang had previously copied the data from Hong's phone card before it was given to Chu Jiaojiao, and Cheng Jingsong passed this information to Cao Yongming. Cao Yongming immediately ordered his team to analyze the contacts and their backgrounds. Cheng Jingsong reported that Lin Qiang had been attempting to glean information from Chu Jiaojiao about Qiu Hu's operations, particularly the location of the stolen goods, but had been unable to access Qiu Hu's heavily guarded top-floor office.
Cao Yongming, reasoning that Qiu Hu would never trust Chu Jiaojiao after her prior arrest, instructed Lin Qiang to change her strategy. He advised her to gather intelligence from less prominent figures within Qiu Hu’s network, emphasizing that even seemingly unimportant individuals could hold crucial clues. Following Cao Yongming's instructions, Lin Qiang initiated conversations with the hotel's waitstaff, treating them to snacks and wine.
During their chat, a waitress revealed that a specific, discreet, and easily overlooked backyard storeroom, hidden behind piles of miscellaneous items, was used for storing valuable liquor. She clarified that only Qiu Hu possessed the key, and a few days prior, Hei Pi had used it to have her husband, Liu, and other men move several boxes of red wine into it. Lin Qiang immediately suspected the storeroom's significance.
She visited it early the next morning but discovered the lock was connected to an alarm system, preventing forced entry. She photographed the lock and sent the images to Cheng Jingsong, explaining her deduction that the stolen red wine must be there. She also recalled Chu Jiaojiao's earlier, unheeded tip about Qiu Hu robbing red wine, suggesting it might have been true. Cheng Jingsong assured her that Wang Ye was analyzing the lock and would identify the key type soon.
As Lin Qiang was leaving the warehouse area, Lei Jie spotted her and questioned her presence. Lin Qiang quickly retorted that she was merely exercising, implying Lei Jie herself was loitering. Later, back at her apartment, Lin Qiang noticed a small girl following her. The girl introduced herself as Coco, Zhang Xianhe's daughter and Lin Qiang's neighbor.
Coco, with a melodramatic plea, begged Lin Qiang to help her with her math homework, claiming poor grades and severe punishments from her "evil dad." Lin Qiang initially dismissed Coco’s attempts to manipulate her, even tearing the practice paper, but Coco’s persistent pleading eventually led Lin Qiang to agree to tutor her.
During a meal, Coco explained her father's harsh punishments, and Lin Qiang, seemingly empathetic, promised to help her pass her exams, boasting about her own nickname, "Divine Power Little White Dragon," and her ability to handle any challenge. Qiu Hu met with Delta, who reported on Chen Zhiyong, Hong's new supplier. Delta described Chen Zhiyong as a new, inexperienced businessman from Chaozhou who had turned to illicit trade.
Delta advised Qiu Hu to maintain peace, suggesting that buyers turning to new sellers was a reasonable response after Qiu Hu's recent police incident. Qiu Hu, however, stressed the importance of Lingnan's underworld "rules" that he had established, asserting his sole authority over who could profit from the trade. He then offered Delta a batch of "No. 4" goods to sell, splitting profits 50/50. Delta agreed but insisted on a new, unknown person for the delivery.
Afterward, Delta informed Zhang Xianhe about the deal, expressing confusion over Qiu Hu’s financial concession, which he attributed to desperation due to police pressure and Chen Zhiyong's competition. Zhang Xianhe acknowledged that Qiu Hu's stolen goods were in his hotel storeroom but stated his preference for strategic methods over direct confrontation. He revealed the storeroom key was in Qiu Hu's office, but he would not retrieve it himself.
Zhang Xianhe had identified Lin Qiang (whom he knew by her alias, Wang Qian) as someone in significant debt from her time in the U. S. , making her susceptible to bribery. He had strategically moved next door to her to facilitate his approach. Cheng Jingsong contacted Lin Qiang, confirming that the warehouse lock was indeed alarmed and Qiu Hu held the key.
Lin Qiang updated Cheng Jingsong on her tense encounter with Lei Jie near the warehouse, believing Lei Jie was now suspicious. Lei Jie had summoned Lin Qiang to the hotel and assigned her a delivery task, providing the route and time. Lin Qiang tried to ascertain the nature and value of the goods, but Lei Jie only promised good payment upon successful completion, warning her to be careful.
Lei Jie later questioned Qiu Hu about assigning an important delivery to an inexperienced newcomer like Lin Qiang (referred to by her alias, Wang Qian), fearing the goods might be lost. Qiu Hu dismissed her concerns, admitting he deliberately intended for the shipment to fail. He used an analogy about raising oysters, explaining that sometimes one must sacrifice the smaller ones or use external forces to clear the way for larger ones.
He then gave Lei Jie Hong’s phone and instructed her to use it to leak the delivery details to Chen Zhiyong. En route to the delivery, Lin Qiang noticed she was being followed. She cleverly pulled into a secluded area where men quickly surrounded her, attempting to rob the goods. However, Lin Qiang had anticipated this, having already swapped the real consignment for a decoy and dispatched the actual goods with Cheng Jingsong as a delivery driver.
She then called Qiu Hu, confirming the attempted robbery but assuring him that she had substituted the goods and the real shipment was successfully delivered. Realizing his plan had backfired, a furious Qiu Hu ordered his men to capture one of Chen Zhiyong's men for interrogation. Meanwhile, at the designated drop-off point, Cao Yongming's team was ready to arrest the recipient when officers from the Meijiang Police Station arrived first and made the arrest.
Cao Yongming’s subordinate reported that someone had tipped off the police. Cao Yongming initially thought Chen Zhiyong was responsible, playing into his own plan to frame Chen Zhiyong. However, he quickly deduced that a direct police tip-off would destroy Chen Zhiyong’s credibility in the underworld, concluding the situation was more complex.
Delta, having learned that his men were arrested and falsely believing Chen Zhiyong had tipped the police, publicly declared that anyone doing business with Chen Zhiyong in the future would face his wrath. Chen Zhiyong, learning from his subordinate that Hong had lost her phone days earlier, realized that Qiu Hu had deliberately leaked the delivery information via Hong's stolen phone to frame him and incite Delta's anger.
Enraged by Qiu Hu's calculated betrayal, Chen Zhiyong resolved to confront him directly. Delta, whose men were arrested and fearing police repercussions, called Zhang Xianhe, stating he would leave Lingnan temporarily and urging Zhang Xianhe to retrieve Ma Hongtao's goods quickly. Zhang Xianhe assured him his plan was in motion. Lin Qiang, updating Cheng Jingsong, acknowledged the ongoing difficulty in approaching Qiu Hu.
She saw Zhang Xianhe as a potential gateway to Qiu Hu's office and the storeroom key, despite their recent awkward interactions. Qiu Hu met with Chen Zhiyong. Qiu Hu, noting Chen Zhiyong's reported success and dismissing his men, initiated a tense discussion. Chen Zhiyong immediately confronted Qiu Hu about Delta's death threats and the loss of his customers due to the false belief that he had tipped off the police. He accused Qiu Hu of orchestrating the framing.
Qiu Hu, in turn, challenged Chen Zhiyong's claim over customers, asserting his long-established dominance in Lingnan. Chen Zhiyong firmly stated his intent to stay and compete, warning Qiu Hu that if he continued to target him, he would not hesitate to fight until both were destroyed. He revealed that his subordinate had seen Lin Qiang make a phone call during the delivery, thereby exposing Qiu Hu's tactic of using his own people to alert the police and frame Chen Zhiyong.
Chen Zhiyong warned Qiu Hu that such malicious actions, if left unchecked, would only lead to more trouble for him. Qiu Hu, with a chilling nod, acknowledged Chen Zhiyong's "logic" and then, without further hesitation, drew a gun and shot Chen Zhiyong dead.
