The Knockout Episode 9 Recap
> The Knockout Recap
Tang Xiaolong, wearing a disguise, discreetly met a black market dealer, offering an item for sale. The dealer recognized the outline of a handgun and pulled him aside to discuss the transaction. Meanwhile, Cao Chuang reviewed surveillance records showing Gao Qisheng tutoring Chen Shuting's son, which raised his suspicions about the Gao brothers. An Xin visited Qiangsheng PHS Store, pretending to be passing by.
He saw both Gao Qiqiang and Gao Qisheng there and invited Gao Qiqiang to eat at a nearby noodle shop. Gao Qisheng excused himself to mind the store. Over noodles, An Xin mentioned that Chen Shuting was uncooperative with the police and asked Gao Qiqiang about his brother's tutoring job.
Gao Qiqiang made excuses, claiming that Sheng took the high-paying job to help the family, as the new PHS store wasn't profitable yet and the tutoring fee was several times the usual rate, as Sheng was recently graduated. An Xin also inquired about Tang Xiaohu's disappearance, but Gao Qiqiang claimed ignorance, stating Tang Xiaolong refused to report it. An Xin then subtly revealed that the police were questioning Gao Qisheng and Tang Xiaolong. Gao Qiqiang remained calm.
An Xin pressed further, asking about Xu Lei's electrocution death and showing a surveillance photo of Gao Qiqiang, Tang Xiaolong, and Tang Xiaohu near the lake. Gao Qiqiang explained they were going to a fish pond four kilometers away in a southern suburb to buy cheaper fish for his stall, and the Tang brothers happened to be driving that way. An Xin noted the location was less than two kilometers from where Xu Lei drowned and the timings matched.
Simultaneously, Li Xiang brought Gao Qisheng in for questioning. Gao Qisheng calmly answered questions about his Provincial Tech University education and finance and trade major, but when asked about his activities on a specific Saturday, he feigned unpreparedness and repeatedly requested a toilet break. Tang Xiaolong was also brought in. Cao Chuang sent samples for DNA testing, comparing them to skin tissue found under An Xin's fingernails.
The test confirmed that the skin belonged to Tang Xiaolong, and he had visible scratches on his hand. Faced with this irrefutable evidence, Tang Xiaolong confessed to assaulting An Xin and identified his accomplice. Back at the noodle shop, Gao Qiqiang ordered another bowl of pork knuckle noodles. He recounted his childhood, sharing how after their parents died, he, Sheng, and their sister, Lan, would share a single bowl, with him often only getting the broth.
He spoke about how he now enjoyed the noodles again. As Gao Qiqiang finished his story, a colleague covertly informed An Xin that Tang Xiaolong had confessed and named an accomplice. An Xin, prematurely assuming it was Gao Qiqiang, asked his colleagues to step outside. He urged Gao Qiqiang to surrender, stating it was his last chance. Gao Qiqiang calmly finished his noodles, then simply stood up, implying he would not confess.
An Xin was stunned when his colleague then clarified that Tang Xiaolong's accomplice was "not" Gao Qiqiang. With no further grounds to hold him, An Xin let Gao Qiqiang leave. As he walked away, Gao Qiqiang told An Xin he considered him his best friend and promised him a gift soon. Later, Gao Qisheng, realizing the police would use DNA to trace Tang Xiaolong, advised him not to implicate Gao Qiqiang, arguing that only Gao Qiqiang could save Tang Xiaohu.
Gao Qisheng then arranged for another man, a "small-time hoodlum," to act as a scapegoat, meticulously detailing the fabricated story of the assault for him. During practice, the hoodlum could recite the story forward but faltered and claimed a headache when asked to tell it backward, confirming Cao Chuang and Li Xiang's suspicion that he was coached.
They deduced that Gao Qiqiang, despite his calm demeanor, lacked the education for such a sophisticated cover-up, pointing to Gao Qisheng, a highly intelligent university graduate, as the mastermind. They searched for the stolen gun but found nothing. An Xin reviewed the case, piecing together the events: Gao Qisheng, needing money for his business, prompted Gao Qiqiang to accept Bai Jiangbo's debt collection job from Xu Lei, which resulted in Xu Lei's accidental death.
Xu Jiang then killed Bai Jiangbo for revenge for his son. Chen Shuting, Bai Jiangbo's wife, possessed evidence of Xu Jiang's murder. Xu Jiang, in turn, kidnapped Tang Xiaohu to coerce Tang Xiaolong into killing Chen Shuting, but the attempt failed as Chen Shuting was not in the car. Li Xiang pondered the Gao brothers' motives for approaching Chen Shuting. Gao Qisheng arrived at Chen Shuting's home for a tutoring session, finding Cao Chuang and Li Xiang waiting.
Cao Chuang searched Gao Qisheng's bag but found nothing. Gao Qisheng maintained his composure, answering all questions calmly. Xiaochen's insistence on starting the lesson forced the officers to wait. During the lesson, Chen Shuting discreetly wrote Uncle Tai's phone number on Xiaochen's test paper and subtly pressed it into Gao Qisheng's hand. Using a public phone, Gao Qiqiang called Uncle Tai with the number obtained from Chen Shuting.
Uncle Tai, acknowledging Gao Qiqiang's newfound trust from Chen Shuting, provided the address of Bai Jiangbo's escaped driver and warned him to be cautious, adding that he must "get rid of Xu Jiang." Gao Qiqiang then called Xu Jiang on his special PHS, informing him that the "matter was handled," but clarified that Chen Shuting was alive. He asserted that the driver, not Chen Shuting, was the key. Gao Qiqiang offered the driver's address in exchange for Tang Xiaohu's release.
Xu Jiang was skeptical but, after Gao Qiqiang threatened to give the address to the police, reluctantly agreed to release Tang Xiaohu. Feng Dazhuang and Pock dumped Tang Xiaohu in Old Factory Street. Tang Xiaohu immediately borrowed a nearby vendor's phone to call the public phone Gao Qiqiang had used. Gao Qiqiang, anticipating police questioning, instructed Tang Xiaohu exactly what to say, warning him not to come home or to the store.
Soon after, Li Xiang found Tang Xiaohu, who repeated the pre-arranged, unhelpful answers, providing no new leads. Still suspecting Gao Qiqiang, but lacking a search warrant, An Xin decided to visit the Gao family's home under the guise of "cadging a meal." Gao Qisheng, seeing An Xin approach, quickly concealed a gun on the balcony. An Xin complimented the simple, cozy home, walking around and observing, subtly searching for his stolen gun but finding nothing.
He noticed a cabinet with a new lock and inquired about its contents, suggesting it might hold something valuable. Gao Qiqiang initially claimed he had no recollection of a lock being on the cabinet, which Gao Qisheng pointedly reminded him "he" had asked to be installed just two days prior. An Xin, sensing a hidden object, inquired further, suggesting it might hold something valuable. Gao Qiqiang then expressed his own curiosity, asking Gao Qisheng for the key.
Gao Qisheng resisted, trying to deflect An Xin's attention and avoid embarrassment in front of a police officer, highlighting that An Xin lacked a search warrant. Gao Qiqiang, however, insisted on opening it, declaring, "Haven't people laughed at our family enough?" He demanded the key from Gao Qisheng.
