The Knockout Episode 35 Recap
> The Knockout Recap
Xu Zhong's team kept a close watch on Ma Tao and Yang Jian. After observing Ma Tao secretly purchase drug-laced milk tea powder from a dealer, the dealer was arrested and interrogated. Initially evasive, the dealer confessed that Ma Tao had insisted on buying a drug specifically described as "milk tea." Unable to refuse, he provided a white powder that could dissolve in drinks and tasted like milk tea.
The interrogator confirmed that Ma Tao's movements had been monitored and his fingerprints would be found on the money exchanged. Meanwhile, Meng Dehai spoke with his granddaughter, Dou, who excitedly shared Yang Jian's plans for a family trip abroad and invited Meng Dehai to join, reminding him of his promise to teach her how to swim. Despite his unease, Meng Dehai agreed.
When Meng Yu arrived home, she inquired if the overseas trip was truly happening, to which Meng Dehai replied Yang Jian had mentioned it but nothing was finalized. Meng Dehai expressed his concern for Meng Yu, acknowledging the stress of her work, raising Dou, caring for her sick mother, and his own duties with the People's Congress. He remarked on Dou's growing maturity but highlighted the impending challenge of her transition to middle school, suggesting they hire another maid.
Handing Meng Yu his life savings, he urged her to prioritize her own well-being and use the money for herself and Dou. Meng Yu then directly asked if he was aware of the special investigation team's probe into Yang Jian.
Meng Dehai confirmed that Yang Jian had confessed everything to him, stating firmly that his son-in-law must take responsibility for his mistakes, and that turning himself in was the only way for the family to potentially reunite and for Yang Jian to secure a lighter sentence. At the hospital, while Yang Jian was with his mother-in-law, Ma Tao burst in, revealing that Meng Dehai’s advice for Yang Jian to surrender meant they had run out of options.
Ma Tao stressed the severity of their situation, warning that they faced either life imprisonment or the death penalty. When Yang Jian asked for alternatives, Ma Tao presented a desperate plan: a boat arranged through his contacts would pick them up at Pier No. 9 at midnight. To create a diversion for their escape, Ma Tao suggested they make An Xin drink the drug-laced milk tea.
If An Xin, the deputy team leader, tested positive for drugs, the ensuing chaos would provide them with a window to flee. Yang Jian was horrified, calling Ma Tao crazy and refusing to involve Meng Yu. He argued that a positive drug test would be a lifelong stain on a police officer's career, even if framed, potentially costing An Xin his badge. Ma Tao, however, countered that An Xin would only lose his uniform, while they would lose their lives.
In a moment of desperation, Yang Jian offered to administer the drug himself, agreeing to meet Ma Tao at the pier. Ma Tao, however, questioned if An Xin would trust Yang Jian to take the drink from him. Ma Tao then slammed the door and left, leaving Yang Jian in a dilemma. Meng Yu, having overheard the entire conversation, confronted Yang Jian. He admitted he had "no way out."
She pressed him on the extent of his corruption, asking if he had taken millions, tens of millions, or hundreds of millions. Yang Jian insisted he had kept secrets to protect her, a claim Meng Yu angrily scoffed at. He then emotionally declared that every action he took—leaving the police force, joining the power supply bureau, and accumulating wealth—was for her, to prove himself worthy of the Meng family.
Meng Yu retorted that her father had never taken a penny, prompting Yang Jian to cruelly remark that was why her mother had "disliked him forever." Devastated, Meng Yu expressed her sorrow at realizing he felt so "wronged" by their family. Yang Jian apologized, blaming his words on anger, but Meng Yu maintained he knew the truth of his feelings. Concluding that the Meng family had "wronged" him, she told him to "just go."
Yang Jian pleaded with her to leave with him, suggesting she bring Dou if she could accept their fate. Meng Yu then asked for the drug-laced milk tea, offering to give it to An Xin herself. Yang Jian, however, firmly refused, arguing that she was a target of the investigation team and An Xin would never trust her. Meng Yu ultimately told him to leave alone, asserting that she would remain in Jinghai, no matter what happened.
Yang Jian expressed his regret, saying he had always listened to her and had only wished for a simple life, lamenting how everything had gone so wrong. He embraced her tightly, whispering, "In the next life, I'll pay you back. You've suffered a lot being with me." Meng Yu later arranged a blind date for An Xin, which he found tiresome, stating he was content being single and didn't feel he deserved the girl.
Undeterred, Meng Yu invited him for milk tea. At the cafe, An Xin jokingly accused her of trying to poison him, to which she playfully retorted that his comment reminded her she'd forgotten her "poison." When An Xin received a work call, he stepped outside to take it, citing confidentiality, despite Meng Yu's lighthearted remark about her past role in covering for him as an undercover cop.
Meanwhile, Ma Tao met with Yang Jian, confirming their escape boat was waiting for an hour at Pier No. 9. Ma Tao tried to give Yang Jian a pistol for self-defense, but Yang Jian refused, asking if he intended to shoot "their own people." Ma Tao, however, cynically questioned if anyone still considered Yang Jian "one of them." Yang Jian then took the gun from Ma Tao.
Back at the cafe, An Xin returned, noting his milk tea was cold and offering to swap with Meng Yu, whose drink was still warm. Meng Yu declined, claiming she had already drunk from hers. An Xin then sipped his own milk tea, musing on its sweetness and the idea that sweet things allow people to temporarily forget life's other flavors, describing it as a "compromise."
After exchanging wishes for happiness, officers from the Anti-drug Detachment suddenly entered, announcing they had a tip about drug use and needed to take An Xin and Meng Yu for investigation. An Xin denied the accusation.
Meng Yu then courageously confessed that she had placed the "drug" into "her own" milk tea, explaining that she couldn't bring herself to frame a good police officer like An Xin, but also couldn't abandon her husband, asserting it was her choice, just as An Xin had once made his own.
As the officers prepared to take An Xin for a check-up, two individuals, disguised as cafe staff, revealed themselves as Yang Youzhu and Lu Song from the Provincial Special Investigation Team. They clarified that An Xin was their deputy team leader and the drug accusation was a misunderstanding, as everything had been recorded. They then revealed that the "drug" was fake.
It was further disclosed that the drug dealer, coerced by Ma Tao, had actually supplied a packet of "fake, shoddy instant milk tea" because he had genuinely quit drug dealing and dared not offend Ma Tao. Meng Yu was stunned, realizing An Xin had known everything from the start and had been testing her. An Xin confirmed he had "gambled" on her integrity and won.
After a brief exchange with a ten-year veteran Anti-drug officer, An Xin made a call, confirming that Yang Jian and Ma Tao were together in a car passing through the city center, likely armed. He ordered a clear path for their arrest once they were out of populated areas. The Anti-drug officer asked if Meng Yu needed handcuffs, but An Xin declined, simply instructing him to secure the evidence bag.
Yang Jian and Ma Tao then went to Yang Jian's mother's house for a final goodbye. His mother, overjoyed to see them, quickly offered to cook noodles. After she served two bowls, Yang Jian insisted she eat with him. He mentioned settling his nephew's school admission, assuring her it was a favor from friends.
Yang Jian then brought up the nursing home, telling her he had paid for it and his sister would help her register, urging her to move in. She firmly refused, stating that with Meng Yu and Dou visiting often, she wasn't lonely. Ma Tao then pressed Yang Jian to leave. With a heavy heart, Yang Jian took one last look at his mother before he and Ma Tao departed.
They arrived at Pier No. 9, a location Yang Jian recognized as the site of his "last battle" as a police officer in 2007. He vividly recalled how his eight-person Anti-drug team, despite being outnumbered and outgunned by over 20 armed drug cartel members in a full-fledged drug factory, had fought for nearly two hours, preventing any escapes. He mused on the irony of returning to such a significant place after all these years.
Deciding to act, Meng Dehai went to the hospital to inform his wife of his intention to confess Yang Jian's crimes to the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection. He explained that he had previously given Yang Jian time in hopes of a voluntary surrender, but could no longer bear to watch him "go down this way."
To his surprise, his wife, who had appeared unconscious, opened her eyes, grasped his hand, and encouraged him to "do what you have to do," assuring him he had done nothing wrong to her. Meng Dehai then met with An Changlin, explaining that while Meng Yu wasn't yet ready to accept his decision, she was sensible and would eventually understand that reporting Yang Jian was the only way to save their family.
An Changlin commended Meng Dehai for his difficult choice, contrasting it with many leaders who are strict with themselves but lenient with their families. Meng Dehai expressed deep regret for not realizing Yang Jian's problems sooner, acknowledging the pain parents feel seeing their children go astray, and lamenting that some things are simply beyond their control.
An Xin arrived, and An Changlin instructed him to drive Meng Dehai to the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, commenting on An Xin's prematurely gray hair from constant worrying. Meng Dehai reassured An Xin, telling him to always "stand tall and straight" in his high position. Meanwhile, at Pier No. 9, Sun Xu led a joint force of officers and SWAT, completely surrounding Yang Jian and Ma Tao.
The team noted that the suspects had intentionally moved away from the bustling downtown to the secluded, currently shut-down dockyard, suggesting they wished to avoid harming innocents but were likely prepared for a final, desperate stand. Through loudspeakers, police urged them to surrender. Yang Jian, however, shouted back, demanding to speak only with Xu Zhong.
Despite Ji Ze's warnings about the danger, Xu Zhong insisted on going to the scene personally, emphasizing that Yang Jian could not die as his information was crucial. Xu Zhong approached the dockyard, calling out to Yang Jian and Ma Tao. He brought a bottle of Maotai, claiming he heard Yang Jian loved drinking and wanted to share a drink, visibly showing he was unarmed. In response, Yang Jian fired a shot, shattering the bottle.
Xu Zhong, unfazed, criticized Yang Jian for wasting the expensive wine and then provocatively asked if Yang Jian was merely "showing off his shooting skills," implying Xu Zhong didn't understand the hardships of frontline police. Xu Zhong firmly stated he "did" understand their struggles and immediately sent Sun Xu to buy another bottle of good wine. With no wine or snacks, Xu Zhong declared they would "just chat."
Xu Zhong then appealed to Yang Jian's past, reminding him that he was once a good, loyal captain in the police force, but had since "changed." He "bet" that Yang Jian still possessed humanity and would not open fire on the uniform, the "honor" he once wore, or the police officers behind Xu Zhong who had once protected the public alongside him.
When some officers instinctively reacted, aiming their weapons, Xu Zhong subtly corrected them, reminding them of the full "Don't move! Police!" command. Once Sun Xu returned with another expensive bottle, Xu Zhong declared it "worth it for the martyrs" and ordered the Anti-drug Detachment to "fall out." He explained to the assembled officers that their presence was crucial to "truly save Yang Jian," their former captain. The Anti-drug Detachment formed a solemn formation, facing Yang Jian and Ma Tao.
Xu Zhong addressed Yang Jian directly, calling the officers his "juniors" and recalling Yang Jian's role in setting a good example for the team. He then poured the expensive wine onto the ground and established a new tradition for fallen officers: "People die, names remain forever." Xu Zhong then began to call the roll, listing several names of officers, to which each living officer present replied "Yes."
When Xu Zhong called out "Ma Guoan," all the Anti-drug officers snapped to attention and saluted, and Xu Zhong declared that he was calling the roll on behalf of Yang Jian and Ma Tao. He continued calling out more names, and with each response of "Yes" from the assembled officers, Yang Jian's psychological defenses completely crumbled. He finally surrendered his weapons.
