The Knockout Episode 10 Recap
> The Knockout Recap
As An Xin reached for the locked cabinet, Gao Qisheng quickly interjected, urging his brother not to open it as he didn't want others to witness their family's humiliation. Gao Qiqiang, however, reminded him that they had faced public disgrace many times before. When the cabinet was opened, An Xin saw an old, broken plasma TV inside and expressed confusion, asking if they had too many televisions to put one in a locked cabinet with a seal.
Gao Qisheng explained that this specific TV was a gift from Gao Qiqiang to Tang Xiaolong and Tang Xiaohu, which they had then smashed after assaulting Gao Qiqiang. Gao Qisheng had kept the damaged TV as a constant reminder to himself to study hard and become successful, to avoid being bullied again. Gao Qiqiang, seemingly dismissive, told him to throw away the broken TV.
As Gao Qiqiang recounted this, he subtly touched a box containing a pistol hidden behind the TV and then naturally locked the cabinet. An Xin apologized for being insensitive, acknowledging he had touched on a painful memory for the brothers. After the strained dinner, An Xin left. As he was about to drive away, An Xin advised Gao Qiqiang to tell Gao Qisheng not to be so serious all the time.
Gao Qiqiang then gave An Xin an address for Guo Zhen, Bai Jiangbo's former driver, instructing him not to ask about the source but to go quickly before Guo Zhen could disappear. An Xin immediately departed to find Guo Zhen. Upon returning home with some oranges, Gao Qiqiang found Gao Qisheng tied up by Crazy Donkey and Pock, along with other men.
Crazy Donkey introduced himself, stating he worked for Xu Jiang, and indicated that Xu Jiang had upheld his end of a prior agreement (implicitly, regarding Tang Xiaohu's release). He now demanded Gao Qiqiang provide the address he had promised. Gao Qisheng frantically urged his brother not to speak. With Pock holding a knife to Gao Qisheng's neck, Crazy Donkey pressured Gao Qiqiang to write down the address.
Before leaving, Crazy Donkey issued a grim warning: if the driver wasn't found, Gao Qiqiang and Gao Qisheng would pay with their lives by the next afternoon. Once Crazy Donkey and his men were gone, Gao Qisheng rushed to the cabinet, expecting to retrieve his hidden gun. He was alarmed to find the compartment empty and questioned Gao Qiqiang about its whereabouts, claiming he would have fought back if he had the weapon.
Gao Qiqiang calmly replied that he had sent it away, suggesting that his brother couldn't have handled armed men with a mere toy. Gao Qisheng then worried that if Gao Qiqiang had given a fake address, Crazy Donkey would return for revenge, and if the driver were killed, they would lose their crucial evidence against Xu Jiang.
Gao Qiqiang, however, revealed that he had given Crazy Donkey the genuine address for Guo Zhen, but added that he had already provided the same address to An Xin earlier, hoping the police would reach Guo Zhen before Crazy Donkey did.
Later, An Xin met with his mentor, Cao Chuang, and partner, Li Xiang, for dinner, explaining that he trusted them more than anyone else in the bureau, including An Changlin and Meng Dehai, due to their hesitant response to his internal investigation request and their association with Xu Jiang. An Xin revealed he had learned from Gao Qiqiang that Guo Zhen, Bai Jiangbo's driver, was an eyewitness to Xu Jiang's murder.
He planned to immediately travel to Xiping County to bring Guo Zhen back. For this inter-provincial operation, An Xin requested Cao Chuang issue a cooperation request and a letter of introduction, and asked Li Xiang to lend him his pistol, as his own had been lost. Li Xiang was adamant about not lending his gun, explaining that it was paramount to a police officer's life.
Cao Chuang also hesitated, concerned about An Xin's safety and the potential repercussions from An Changlin and An Xin's deceased father. An Xin passionately argued that their duty as Jinghai police officers demanded they act against Xu Jiang, even if it meant personal sacrifice. Li Xiang then recounted two instances where An Xin had saved his life, highlighting An Xin's selfless nature.
While still refusing to lend his personal weapon, Li Xiang declared he would accompany An Xin, even if it meant losing his police uniform, taking his own gun with him. Seeing their resolve, Cao Chuang relented, providing the necessary official documents. He cautioned An Xin against recklessness, advising him to be flexible and remember that being a police officer was a lifelong commitment, not just a single case.
An Xin thanked his mentor, and he and Li Xiang set off for Xiping County that night. Meanwhile, Crazy Donkey and Pock were also on their way. Pock requested a stop at a service area, but Crazy Donkey, suspicious of Pock's intentions and fearing he might be a police informant, refused and instead handed Pock Guo Zhen's photo, ordering him to personally kill Guo Zhen to prove his loyalty to Xu Jiang.
At a service area early the next morning, Pock again asked to use Crazy Donkey's phone to call his family. Crazy Donkey denied the request, insisting Pock stay within his sight until the job was done. An Xin and Li Xiang coincidentally stopped at the same service area. Li Xiang overheard Crazy Donkey and Pock's conversation. Noticing Crazy Donkey and Pock entering the restaurant while An Xin's phone was in the car, Li Xiang loudly honked the car horn.
An Xin rushed out to meet him. Alerted, Crazy Donkey and Pock immediately left without eating. An Xin recognized them but couldn't guess their purpose in Xiping County, so he decided to follow. Li Xiang attempted to report their suspicious vehicle to the traffic control bureau, but its license plate turned out to be fake.
The pursuit led An Xin and Li Xiang to Rongzhao Auto Repair Factory, Guo Zhen's location, only then confirming Gao Qiqiang had given the address to both parties. Crazy Donkey and Pock then drove to a nearby restaurant, where Pock coerced Crazy Donkey into drinking heavily. An Xin, observing their intoxication, concluded they wouldn't act that night and sent Li Xiang to seek assistance from the Xiping Public Security Bureau.
At the Xiping Public Security Bureau, Li Xiang presented the cooperation request and letter of introduction to Chief Li and other officers, explaining their mission to apprehend Guo Zhen, Crazy Donkey, and Pock. An Xin specifically requested the officers to handle Pock gently, subtly indicating Pock was his informant. The local officers prepared to mobilize. Concurrently, back in Jinghai, An Changlin reprimanded Cao Chuang for bypassing proper channels to obtain the cooperation request.
Cao Chuang defended An Xin and Li Xiang's actions, pleading with An Changlin not to inform Meng Dehai. However, Xiping Public Security Bureau Chief Wu Changjiang, having learned of the situation, called Meng Dehai for confirmation. Meng Dehai, completely unaware of the operation, ordered all Xiping police actions related to the case to halt for verification. Xiping Chief Li relayed this order to An Xin.
Despite the halt order, Crazy Donkey and Pock arrived at the Rongzhao Auto Repair Factory, feigning car trouble to lure Guo Zhen. Sensing danger from the unusually busy factory, Guo Zhen slipped away into the backyard. Seeing Crazy Donkey and Pock move to the backyard, An Xin and Li Xiang, without waiting for official authorization, rushed in to make the arrests. Crazy Donkey and Pock quickly found and cornered Guo Zhen.
Crazy Donkey injured Guo Zhen's leg, but Guo Zhen managed to escape through a window. Pock initially hesitated to continue the chase, but Crazy Donkey threatened to kill his entire family, forcing Pock to follow. An Xin and Li Xiang arrived at the scene. An Xin immediately recognized his missing Type 64 pistol in Crazy Donkey's hand. Despite Li Xiang's warnings, An Xin charged upstairs, desperate to retrieve his weapon and prevent it from being used to commit murder.
Guo Zhen, limping, tried to flee. An Xin quickly located him and helped him downstairs. Crazy Donkey fired at them, but Li Xiang provided covering fire. Crazy Donkey emptied his magazine, tossed the gun, and fled. Li Xiang retrieved the pistol, confirming it was indeed An Xin's. An Xin, still assisting the injured Guo Zhen, was joined by Pock. An Xin instructed Pock to cover Guo Zhen while he pursued Crazy Donkey. Taking a shortcut, An Xin intercepted Crazy Donkey.
During their struggle, Crazy Donkey fell down a staircase. An Xin lunged, grabbing Crazy Donkey's hand, but a steel rebar impaled his arm. Enduring intense pain, An Xin held on until Li Xiang arrived, pulling An Xin to safety and finally apprehending Crazy Donkey. Back in Jinghai, Meng Dehai met with An Changlin for an explanation. As Cao Chuang began to explain, he received an urgent call informing him of An Xin's injury, alarming both Meng Dehai and An Changlin.
Despite having just undergone surgery and still feeling the effects of anesthesia, An Xin insisted on being taken to the police station in Xiping County to interrogate Crazy Donkey. Li Xiang returned An Xin's retrieved gun, and An Xin resolved to keep it close from now on. During the interrogation, Crazy Donkey thanked An Xin for saving his life, but then claimed ignorance regarding Xu Jiang's activities.
An Xin pressed him, detailing the severe charges Xu Jiang faced: organized crime, hiring Crazy Donkey to kill Guo Zhen, and the murder of Bai Jiangbo. He informed Crazy Donkey that Guo Zhen had confessed everything, including the location of Bai Jiangbo's body, ensuring Xu Jiang's downfall. An Xin urged Crazy Donkey to cooperate for a more lenient sentence, dismissing Crazy Donkey's naive belief that his "backer" could protect him. Meanwhile, Gao Qiqiang considered turning himself in to the police.
Gao Qisheng vehemently opposed this, highlighting their newly established and profitable business, arguing that Gao Qiqiang's confession would lead to a lengthy prison sentence. Gao Qiqiang, however, felt that with their business now stable, he could afford to be away for a few years. At the same time, Xu Jiang, realizing the impending danger, sought out his powerful "backer."
He complained about the relentless police investigation, emphasizing his past contributions as a "distinguished entrepreneur" who had assisted in state enterprise reforms and resettled laid-off workers. His backer, unimpressed, dismissed the actions of "a couple of policemen" as insignificant, urging Xu Jiang to maintain a low profile and avoid causing further trouble.
