Episode Summary
Police investigate a dismembered body found in a stolen van. The trail leads them to Li Mingyi, the van owner's brother-in-law, who reveals Zhou Daming used the van. Zhou Daming is a tomb raider, and while surveilling his crew, an explosion occurs in the tomb. The lead investigator, Lin Guoqiang, is frustrated when the focus shifts from the murder to the tomb raid.
Spoiler Alert
"Hanging Mirrors" Episode 4: Recap & Spoilers
Episode 4 opens with Lin Guoqiang hot on the trail! After spotting the killer's van, he leads the team to scour the area. Their search leads them to a pond, where they discover the abandoned vehicle. And inside? A dismembered female corpse. Grim stuff.
This discovery hits Lin Guoqiang hard. Xu Xiao feels a pang of guilt, especially since it's Lin Guoqiang's birthday. She also can't help but think that if she'd listened to him and given him more manpower, they might have caught the perp already. Xu Xiao tries to comfort Lin Guoqiang, who's understandably crushed by the thought of another father losing his daughter.
Following the van's trail, Xu Xiao tracks down its original owner, who reported it stolen over ten days ago. At the scene of the theft, Xu Xiao and Lin Guoqiang find a shared bike. The last user? Li Mingyi, who just happens to be the stolen van owner's brother-in-law!
They head to Li Mingyi's place, but as soon as he sees Xu Xiao, he bolts! After a chase, Xu Xiao and Lin Guoqiang manage to nab him. Just then, Chen Nan calls Xu Xiao with a new discovery, wanting her to come to the site. But Xu Xiao, still skeptical about working with the archeologists, decides to interrogate Li Mingyi instead.
Initially, Li Mingyi is uncooperative. But the cops see right through him. They call his bluff and lay out his past misdeeds, and he immediately confesses to stealing the car. However, he conveniently leaves out the part about stealing his brother-in-law's van. Lin Guoqiang sees through this, but Li Mingyi sticks to his story. Under pressure, Li Mingyi finally drops a key piece of information: a guy named Zhou Daming used the van.
Xu Xiao's decision to brush off Chen Nan's call comes back to bite her. She completely forgets about it until Chen Nan calls again, annoyed. Xu Xiao still doesn't seem to take it seriously, which infuriates Chen Nan, and she hangs up. Right after that, Lin Guoqiang informs Xu Xiao that Zhou Daming is a known tomb raider. Looks like Xu Xiao has to eat crow and go back to Chen Nan.
Despite being angry, Chen Nan puts the bigger picture first and shares what she's found at the tomb.
The police tech team manages to tap Zhou Daming's phone, but they're stumped by the coded language. They suspect something's going down that night, so Xu Xiao and her team stake out the area. They notice Zhou Daming is left-handed, matching the description of the person who attacked Lin Guoqiang. Plus, Lin Guoqiang understands the tomb raiders' slang and realizes they're planning a dig. For safety, he urges Xu Xiao to call for backup.
As they watch Zhou Daming and his crew dig, Lin Guoqiang keeps pushing for an arrest. However, Xu Xiao is focused on the murder case and doesn't see a direct connection. She wants to keep watching. But then, after two more people enter the tomb, there's a huge explosion! Lin Guoqiang, knowing the dangers of ancient tombs, immediately orders a raid, and Xu Xiao has no choice but to follow.
Outside, one of the lookouts puts up a fierce fight during the arrest. Lin Guoqiang, desperate not to lose the lead, wants to excavate the tomb and rescue the two inside. But just like that, the lead vanishes, leaving Lin Guoqiang frustrated and Xu Xiao feeling guilty for not listening to him earlier. They manage to arrest one of Zhou Daming's accomplices, but he's a tough nut to crack during interrogation.
The episode closes with Lin Guoqiang alone in the library, lost in memories of his daughter.
