Tientsin Mystic Episode 18 Recap
> Tientsin Mystic Recap
Guo Deyou and Gu Ying ascended to the second floor of the consulate, where, despite being heavily intoxicated, Gu Ying's sharp senses remained intact. They witnessed an elderly woman in black performing a "Bone Array" ritual, a sinister formation using nine corpses to revive one, a practice considered evil and invoking demonic energies. This woman was Supervisor Hu's wife and Hu Tianming's mother.
She confessed that she orchestrated Sun Laoqi's transformation into a living dead and Feng Erma's death, as well as secretly assisting The Door of Life, all as part of her desperate plan to revive her son. With the nine-corpse array complete, Hu Tianming, now a zombie, roared to life from the water-filled coffin and stumbled towards his mother with stiff movements. Hu Tianming's gaping maw nearly bit his mother, but Gu Ying quickly intervened, kicking the zombie aside.
Overwhelmed by her grief and trusting Lian Huaqing's deceptive promises, Hu Tianming's mother had made a grave mistake. The ten corpses resurrected, crawling out of their wooden crates and running amok. Downstairs, the British Consul was on stage, inviting Miss Wang Meiren to perform. However, Wang Meiren had been knocked unconscious and locked in a room by Gu Ying, an act orchestrated by Guo Deyou who, anticipating danger at the consulate, had implemented this measure to protect her.
As Wang Meiren remained confined, the revived corpses stormed out from the second floor. The British Consul himself fell victim to the rampaging zombies, and most of the hundreds of guests were infected, turning the banquet into utter chaos. Amidst the pandemonium, Ding Mao spotted Lian Huaqing disguised among the crowd and gave chase. He was intercepted by his good friend, Hu Tianming, who had also turned into a zombie.
Despite her drunkenness, Gu Ying's martial arts skills proved more than a match for the living dead. Guo Deyou managed to lead Gu Ying out of the consulate, but then remembered Wang Meiren was still trapped inside. Risking his life, he returned to rescue her. Ding Mao was nearly killed by the zombified Hu Tianming when Hu Tianming's mother suddenly appeared. She embraced her son and, holding him tightly, plummeted from the second floor.
Though she couldn't save him, her final act fulfilled her desperate wish to be with him. Watching Hu Tianming and his mother lie dead on the first floor, Ding Mao, leaning on the second-floor railing, was overcome with profound sorrow. Police reinforcements eventually arrived, bringing the chaotic situation under control. Lian Huaqing, meanwhile, revealed his motives to a companion, explaining that he finds it easier to control "parasites" than dead people, and dead people easier than the living.
He stated his attack on the British Consulate was to avenge over a hundred members of the Demon Sect who died due to opium supplied by the British and transported by the Chamber of Commerce, stating that his goal had been achieved. Outside, survivors recounted the horror of being attacked by the frenzied living dead. In Xiao Xiguan Prison, a blindfolded old man in a cell was seen receiving food from a young girl named Ashuang.
He told Ashuang that he was imprisoned because people feared his hypnotic abilities, which could make disobedient children compliant. He noted that not everyone could be hypnotized, like the deaf and blind or innocent children, but hinted that there was "always a way." The next morning, Xiao Lanlan presented Guo Deyou with the deciphered encrypted file, which contained only five words: "Xiao Xiguan Special."
She explained that Xiao Xiguan Prison was Tianjin's most heavily guarded facility, housing important prisoners, and "special" referred to an inmate requiring particular treatment. Guo Deyou became anxious, realizing Huang Yu had just been transferred there, and feared what this could mean. Xiao Lanlan, a reporter from a prominent family, driven by her curiosity about strange occurrences, asked Guo Deyou to let her join the investigation.
The Junior Tientsin Mystic initially refused, citing the difficulty of entering Xiao Xiguan Prison without special permission. However, Xiao Lanlan countered that her influential background offered her distinct advantages in gaining access. Guo Deyou pondered her words, acknowledging their merit. Leveraging her family connections, Xiao Lanlan effortlessly brought Guo Deyou into the Xiao Xiguan Police Station.
Meanwhile, Ding Mao offered to help Captain Fu retain his position as police captain, using this as leverage to gain access to Xiao Xiguan to interrogate Huang Yu. Ding Mao, speaking on the phone to his superior, assured them that the situation would be handled, implying he would take responsibility. He later urged Captain Fu to immediately burn all the bodies at the consulate, emphasizing the extreme danger.
Captain Fu, lamenting his impending dismissal due to the British consul's death, initially resisted, but Ding Mao suggested a strategy: blame the British themselves. He explained that the British consulate's corruption and security failures, combined with their opium shipments carrying parasitic worms, caused the outbreak. Ding Mao offered to have his German mentor, Dr. Schroeder, who had close ties with the German consul, corroborate this story, thus protecting Captain Fu's career.
Ding Mao then expressed his suspicion that Huang Yu's earlier madness was an act, and he intended to use a new German medical paper on psychiatric testing to prove it. Sure enough, Huang Yu, using the Colored Door technique, The Art of Soft Bones, easily slipped out of his handcuffs and extended his arm through the cell bars, signaling that a new, extraordinary event was about to unfold at Xiao Xiguan Prison.