Tomb of the Sea Episode 11 Recap
> Tomb of the Sea Recap
A woman's scream pierced the morning silence, waking everyone. Outside, under a pile of straw, they found Ye Xiao's lifeless body, covered in knife wounds. Master Ma questioned why his man was in such a state, to which a subordinate explained that Ye Xiao was frantic last night but had calmed down before his death. Wu Xie examined the body, asserting that Ye Xiao inflicted the wounds himself with a small blade.
The cuts were vertical, on the inside of his arms, along with numerous scratches all over his body and even on his ears, suggesting he had tried to insert the blade. Wu Xie concluded that Ye Xiao must have suffered immense pain, possibly from tinnitus, before dying quietly and swallowing the blade. Li Cu, visibly shaken, recalled Huang Yan's similarly gruesome death, stating that Ye Xiao's state was identical to Huang Yan's.
Back inside, Wu Xie speculated that Ye Xiao, overwhelmed by pressure, had committed suicide. However, to provoke a reaction, he posited that Ye Xiao might have been poisoned, which then induced the frantic self-harm. Master Ma scoffed at the idea of a man deliberately cutting himself to death, insisting Ye Xiao had no mental problems. Wu Xie clarified that the poisoning led to the self-mutilation, making everyone present a suspect.
Enraged, Master Ma immediately confined everyone to the premises, forbidding anyone from leaving. Su Nan attempted to logically narrow down the suspects, listing items consumed by everyone: Surige's food and water, the antibiotic tablets she gave to Ye Xiao, and the medicine Wu Xie gave to Master Ma. Wu Xie then pointed out that everyone also drank from the same water source in the desert, extending suspicion to all.
He proposed various motives for different individuals: Li Cu's reluctance to follow Master Ma, Master Ma viewing Li Cu as a burden, his own desire not to be Master Ma's hostage, and Surige's potential for financial gain. He noted Su Nan seemed to lack a clear motive, yet she was the one who provided Ye Xiao with medicine. Su Nan, acknowledging the widespread suspicion, resignedly suggested they might all be stuck there indefinitely.
As the group debated, Surige's son, Galu, began singing a song that Marera used to hum, "Do you sell empty wine bottles?" . Seizing an opportunity, Wu Xie poured water on Li Cu, fabricating a story that the boy had wet himself in fear, and asked Su Nan for permission for Li Cu to relieve himself outside. Once outside, Li Cu, recalling Wu Xie emerging from a cellar hidden under straw during an earlier trip, decided to investigate.
Descending into the cellar, he discovered various strange equipment and, on a shelf, a handgun. Further exploration behind a woodpile, where he bravely shone his light, revealed Marera's lifeless body. Li Cu returned, dragging Marera's body and the retrieved equipment into the room. Su Nan immediately recognized the gear as belonging to the previous tour group, instantly making Surige the primary suspect. Surige, feigning innocence, vehemently denied involvement.
However, when she challenged them, asking how they could assume the discovered gun was "hers," Wu Xie discerned that she had accidentally revealed the existence of another weapon. Su Nan quickly produced a gun she had taken from Surige, confirming Wu Xie's deduction. As Su Nan questioned her, Galu rushed in, crying out for his mother. Surige calmly sent him away to play.
Conceding defeat, Surige admitted to robbing the tour group and committing murder, asking Su Nan to kill her. Su Nan stated that the police would decide her fate and she needed to interrogate her further. During a brief distraction, Surige attempted to seize Su Nan's gun, but Su Nan quickly kicked her away. In a shocking act of defiance, Surige then fatally smashed her head into a nearby pillar, committing suicide. Galu rushed back, cradling his dead mother.
With Surige dead, Su Nan believed only her son, Galu, held the remaining answers. She ordered her men to tie him up and interrogate him, using both gentle and forceful methods. However, they extracted no information, leading Su Nan to conclude that Galu was genuinely simple-minded. Su Nan confiscated Surige's gun for self-defense, promising to hand it over to the police later. Soon after, Uncle Zeng from the film crew collapsed, gravely ill.
Director Wang angrily confronted Master Ma, accusing him of leading them to this dreadful place. Master Ma retorted that no one was forced and that their only path to survival was forward. Wu Xie intervened, advising everyone to rest. In their room, Li Cu questioned Wu Xie's deception, noting that Ye Xiao's death mirrored Huang Yan's, indicating it wasn't just poisoning.
Wu Xie calmly explained that their ultimate goal was to reach GuTongJing, and the specific individuals who made it there with them were inconsequential. He enigmatically advised Li Cu to cherish his current ability to be a "coward," suggesting that sometimes one can't even be a coward if they wanted to.
Later, a young woman named Guozi from the film crew, worried about Uncle Zeng's worsening condition and Director Wang's increasingly volatile temper, came to Wu Xie for medicine, expressing her fear that they were like a clay idol crossing a river, unable to save themselves. Meanwhile, Master Ma, severely coughing and unsteady, reassured a distraught Lulu of his affection, promising to treat her well if their mission succeeded.
He urged her, if he failed, to remember above all else, to live well. When Guozi returned with the medicine, Director Wang was also coughing, confirming a spreading illness. The next morning, Li Cu awoke from a nightmare. He saw Galu at Surige's makeshift grave, attempting to place flowers. Li Cu went out to help, showing Galu how to properly bury them.
Lulu also emerged, carrying a water bottle, and gently explained to Galu that picked flowers needed water to live, not just burial. Galu then burst into heartbroken sobs, understanding the pain of loss. Lulu knelt to comfort him, sharing that she too had no mother and understood his grief, relating it to her own difficult situation with Master Ma, but emphasizing the importance of living on.
Wu Xie and Su Nan discussed the progress toward GuTongJing, with Wu Xie confirming he had a general direction but needed more time to find the exact path. Wu Xie remarked that Su Nan reminded him of a woman he once knew, who was both a friend and an enemy, intelligent and formidable, whose thoughts were always inscrutable. He recounted how this woman had died years ago from a snakebite by a river while sifting through sand.
Su Nan, asserting her difference from such a "careless" person, then removed her headscarf and went for a swim. Wu Xie, clearly uninterested, walked away. Later, back at the inn, Wu Xie's companion, Wang Meng, noted the unusual quietness, as Master Ma and the entire film crew had not come downstairs. Shortly after, Su Nan returned from her swim, looking incredibly weak, bleeding from her nose. She then collapsed, convulsing and spitting up a large pool of blood.
Lao Mai and others rushed to carry her to her room. Wu Xie theorized that the escalating illness was not due to poisoning but rather an infectious bacterial disease. He noted that since their arrival, everyone had shared food and water, no one had left the premises, and now Su Nan had fallen ill even after Surige's death, making poisoning less plausible. He highlighted that many were exhibiting early symptoms similar to Ye Xiao's: coughing, colds, self-scratching, and even self-harm.
Lacking proper equipment to definitively identify the pathogen, Wu Xie decided that an autopsy on Ye Xiao might provide the crucial answers. When they uncovered Ye Xiao's body, his stomach was unusually swollen, a symptom Wang Meng recalled seeing in Huang Yan's body at the hospital. They proceeded to move Ye Xiao's body to the cellar for dissection, with Galu, who had been playing with mud, curiously following them.
Upstairs, Director Wang, having overheard Wu Xie's discussions, grew increasingly agitated as Uncle Zeng's condition deteriorated, causing him immense pain and leading him to scratch at his face. Desperate, Director Wang decided to take Uncle Zeng to the county hospital via camel, dismissing Wu Xie's efforts and distrusting all the "outsiders." He lashed out at Master Ma for their current plight, calling him a bastard and urging his crew to follow him.
While a mysterious illness plagued those in the desert, Zhang Rishan in the city also faced challenges. Liang Wan, who had treated the injuries he intentionally sustained, found herself constantly thinking of him, speaking to his picture daily and wondering why he hadn't returned for a dressing change. Her colleague, Xiao Qi, encouraged her to be more assertive, noting Zhang Rishan's handsome appearance and suggesting that no man could resist "Dr. Liang's doctor's robe."
Meanwhile, at the Crescent Hotel, Zhang Rishan was informed by Luo Que that several Jiu Men representatives, including Master Li, Master Qi, and the Huo family, had gathered in the meeting hall. He understood their true motive: to ascertain if his injured hand was permanently disabled, which would diminish his value to their association. He instructed Luo Que not to dismiss them, as it would only heighten their suspicions.
The Huo family's delegate, a young girl, displayed considerable arrogance, defiantly occupying Zhang Rishan's seat until his arrival, at which point she grudgingly moved aside. A heated exchange erupted between her and another Jiu Men member, with the Huo girl accusing others of having "gone for wool but come home shorn," while the other man retorted that she was putting on airs with unearned authority. Zhang Rishan then calmly asked the gathered representatives about the purpose of their visit.
