Sword Rose Episode 6 Recap
> Sword Rose Recap
Deng Yan meticulously reviewed surveillance footage from the park square, focusing on the moments Little Spud went missing. She observed a woman quickly getting into a van while holding something that, based on its size, she suspected was a child. Although the camera only captured the woman's lower body, Deng Yan noticed a man standing by the vehicle.
Recalling a previous interrogation, she recognized the distinctive fidgeting of Meng Gui's feet and the specific shoes he wore, which matched those of the van driver in the surveillance. This strongly suggested Meng Gui and the woman collaborated in Little Spud's abduction. However, with Meng Gui's persistent denials and no definitive proof that the package was Little Spud, Deng Yan knew they needed more concrete evidence before making an arrest.
Meanwhile, Little Spud's mother, Cai Xin, was consumed by grief, unable to eat or sleep, dedicating all her time to distributing missing person flyers. Her boss, Mr. Liu, urged her to return to work, stating the project couldn't wait and suggesting she "let go." Heartbroken and overwhelmed, Cai Xin defiantly resigned. Overcome by exhaustion and distress, she collapsed. Lin Hao, desperate, called Deng Yan for help.
Deng Yan rushed to the hospital to comfort a distraught Cai Xin, who felt hopeless after losing her son, being swindled, and quitting her job. Deng Yan vowed to bring Little Spud back, no matter the cost, and Cai Xin, holding onto Deng Yan, wept uncontrollably. Deng Yan later advised Lin Hao to seek psychological help for Cai Xin, noting her condition resembled post-traumatic stress disorder.
At the Anti-abduction Office, Luo Xiaoxing, accompanied by Lawyer Sun Wenhan, confronted Ai Xin and Yang Jiajia about her brother, Luo Xiaoyu, who was abducted 24 years ago. Frustrated by the lack of progress, Luo Xiaoxing accused the police of inaction. Sun Wenhan presented a sketch.
Yang Jiajia explained that Director Deng had already commissioned a portrait of Luo Xiaoyu, based on his bone structure, after meeting Luo Xiaoxing at the Public Complaints Administration, and had distributed it to various public security departments for assistance. Luo Xiaoxing, however, expressed dissatisfaction that she hadn't been shown the portrait earlier. Ai Xin clarified that police protocols prevented them from communicating with families unless new leads emerged and urged Luo Xiaoxing to be patient and cooperate with their efforts.
Deng Yan then visited the welfare home where Qiu Luoluo was staying. The director informed her that Qiu Luoluo, who they called Fafa, had been refusing to eat or drink since her relatives were found. Deng Yan brought Qiu Luoluo's sister, Tingting, and Tingting's adoptive parents to the welfare home. Tingting gently explained to Qiu Luoluo that their parents had died in a car accident and that her adoptive parents could only afford to adopt one child.
Qiu Luoluo was heartbroken, crying and begging her sister to take her along. The director assured Deng Yan that social workers specializing in child psychology would be assigned to monitor and provide counseling to Qiu Luoluo, alleviating Deng Yan's concerns about the child's psychological well-being. Later, Chang Rui was seen comforting Qiu Luoluo, who was quietly crying. After being discharged from the hospital, Vice Director Yin Jiansheng immediately returned to the Anti-abduction Office, eager for updates on Little Spud's case.
Meanwhile, Ai Xin and Yang Jiajia continued reviewing surveillance footage but still found no clear images of the woman who abducted Little Spud. A crucial new lead emerged when Sun Wenhan's client, who was at the square during the abduction, recounted seeing a woman carrying a child towards a "beat-up van." Although she couldn't see the woman's face clearly, the description of the van matched the one seen in earlier surveillance.
Deng Yan immediately instructed Yang Jiajia to track the movements of this white van, license plate South C 1798B, which was frequently seen near the Qingluo Town wholesale market. Deng Yan and Chang Rui located the van at the market. Its driver, Wang Laoshi, panicked and fled, mistakenly believing they were debt collectors pursuing him for an unpaid loan.
Once apprehended, Wang Laoshi vehemently denied knowing Meng Gui or ever lending his van, explaining he uses it daily for seafood deliveries. Deng Yan discerned Wang Laoshi's truthfulness, deducing that Meng Gui was operating a cloned vehicle. Yang Jiajia’s subsequent investigation confirmed Meng Gui was indeed driving the cloned van, which had an irregular travel pattern, appearing in multiple cities like Lingnan, Linjiang, Hongxi, and even neighboring provinces within a month, often avoiding highways.
Its last known location was Youyi Mall in Lingnan at 8 PM the previous night. Deng Yan proposed expanding the search radius, suggesting this indicated a larger criminal ring, a theory Yin Jiansheng supported, believing it might connect to existing girl trafficking cases. Simultaneously, Sun Wenhan learned about a family in Xibang Village, Jinglong Town, Shanyang County, who adopted a child resembling Little Spud.
He contacted his former coworker, Fan Dacheng, who confirmed the child's presence and warned Sun Wenhan about the close-knit and wary villagers. Sun Wenhan traveled to the village, using the excuse of visiting Fan Dacheng to approach the adoptive family's house. He secretly took a photo of the child, noting the child’s pale and unwell appearance.
The child’s adoptive father, Zheng Mingguang, returned home and confronted Sun Wenhan, accusing him of being a child trafficker and forcing him to delete the photo. Zheng Mingguang then warned other villagers to be vigilant against strangers. Deng Yan continued to analyze the cloned van's movements, observing that it consistently passed through Linshan regardless of its destination (Lingnan, Jijiang, Changqing, Hongxi, Jiuguan County), leading her to suspect Linshan was their operational base.
Despite the van's cunning attempts to evade most city cameras, four specific intersections consistently captured its presence. Deng Yan, wary of alerting the suspects, decided against involving local police and instead assigned herself, Yin Jiansheng, Chang Rui, and Yang Jiajia to stake out these four critical intersections. Based on the van's consistent three-day return pattern to Linshan, they anticipated its arrival soon, as it had been three days since its last sighting in Jijiang.
Yang Jiajia arranged for assistance from traffic control to aid their surveillance efforts. Sun Wenhan made a second attempt to visit the adoptive family, but the adoptive mother discovered him and alerted her husband, Zheng Mingguang. Believing Sun Wenhan to be a child trafficker, Zheng Mingguang incited the villagers, who trapped Sun Wenhan in his car and smashed its windows. Sun Wenhan attempted to call Yin Jiansheng, but his phone was on silent.
Fortunately, the village security chief, Debang, intervened, stopping the agitated villagers and taking Sun Wenhan to the village committee for questioning. Later, Deng Yan spotted the cloned van (C1798B) and immediately notified her team. She dispatched Chang Rui to the Tianxia Shuiyi Bathing Center, where Meng Gui was apprehended while taking a shower. Deng Yan pursued the target van, which briefly entered and then quickly exited the Hongtoushan Residential Area. She continued to follow it to its final destination, observing multiple children inside. The driver then dropped off one of the children to a waiting man.
