Episode Summary

Anti-pickpocket legend Fang Zhao mentors Guo Pengfei through chaotic stakeouts and comically painful lessons. A stolen cornea, a missing sister, and a trio of earring-snatching thieves collide as Guo juggles surveillance on a shady playboy, medical mishaps, and flowerpot ambushes in 90s Licheng City.

Spoiler Alert

Let’s talk about Fang Zhao, the legendary anti-pickpocket cop at Dayuan Station. This guy’s got style. Back in 1994, rookie Guo Pengfei watched Fang Zhao literally stomp his foot mid-crowd and magically ID thieves like some kind of human lie detector. When Guo begged for the secret, Fang Zhao hit him with the classic “figure it out yourself” mentorship. Cue years of Guo overthinking until he finally cracked the code: Thieves don’t flinch.

See, regular folks jump when Fang Zhao slams his foot down like he’s auditioning for Riverdance. But pickpockets? They’re too busy eyeing wallets to react. Fast-forward to present day: Guo tries the same trick, but rookie Li Tang levels up by slam-dunking a water bottle while yelling. Chaos ensues, thieves scatter… and Guo gets a bottle to the foot. Karma’s a jerk.

Meanwhile, Guo’s got problems:

  1. Fang Hui, his missing sister, got sucked into a sketchy pyramid scheme (RIP her office job).
  2. Someone swiped a cornea transplant meant for a patient. (Yes, corneas. This show’s wild.)
  3. Jiang Jifeng, the shady dude linked to the stolen eyeball parts, keeps getting cockblocked by Guo during his Tinder-esque bar crawls.

Cue the stakeout squad: Guo recruits Hua Jie’s team (including Li Hongqi) to 24/7 surveillance on Jiang. But surprise – Jiang’s a player who cold-calls every woman in Licheng City until one picks him up in her ride. Li Hongqi chases them via motorcycle taxi (priorities, people).

Medical Drama Alert: Guo’s popping mystery pills prescribed by Dr. Teng while nurse Li Xiaolian side-eyes him. Bonus: Local thief Dong Fugui gets caught stealing meds for his sick mom. Awkward.

Meanwhile in Thief Land:

  • Trio Dachun (mute ringleader), Siyan, and He Xiaozhu set up shop in Licheng City. Their MO? Snatching earrings mid-bus stop. Classy.
  • A Zhengzhou businessman gets royally scammed via flowerpot ambushes, fake cops, and a Mission: Impossible-style cash swap. Classic 90s grift.

Final Clues:

  • The Zhengzhou gang’s 5-year wholesale routine made them easy targets.
  • Hua Jie’s squad nabs two small-time crooks… but the big fish? Still swimming.

Hot Take: Guo’s got more plates spinning than a circus act – missing sisters, stolen organs, and a water bottle injury. At least the thieves keep it entertaining with their flowerpot heists and earring snatches. Stay vigilant, folks – this game of cat and mouse is just getting started!

Next episode: More stakeouts, less foot trauma? (We doubt it.) ♂️