Episode 12 recap: Zhang Ya enabled An Qiu to start anew, while Fang Guofeng faced legal sanctions.
Fangbu approached Zhang Ya and invited her to collaborate on developing a bioengineered memory erasure agent, which would reduce the casualties among investigators. Zhang Ya understood that Fangbu wanted the bioengineered individuals to forget their initial motives and even their emotions when captured. Zhang Ya felt that it was selfish to do so, as whenever humans encountered problems, they blamed the bioengineered individuals as mental drugs.
Fangbu admitted his selfishness as well, but when confronted with the families of his team members who died during missions, he felt immense pain. If given the choice, he would prioritize the safety of his team members in dangerous situations. Zhang Ya did not immediately agree, so Fangbu asked her to think it over before making a decision. In the end, Zhang Ya chose to cooperate with Fangbu. However, she accidentally discovered that Fangbu was conducting a separate experiment without her knowledge. She witnessed a group of captive subjects, only to realize that they were actual humans.
It turned out that Fangbu's experiment was not aimed at eradicating the bioengineered individuals' initial motives but rather researching how to apply the technique of erasing their motives to alter human genes. Zhang Ya believed that the bioengineered individuals had already suffered enough, and they should not continue down this path, as it would lead to uncontrollable consequences. However, Fang Guofeng insisted on his course of action, leading to a fierce argument with Zhang Ya.
Fang Guofeng asked Zhang Ya about the bioengineered individual who had previously undergone a successful experiment, and she revealed that she had let her go. In the midst of their struggle, Fangbu accidentally pushed Zhang Ya downstairs, causing her to fall to her death. Panicking, Fang Guofeng staged the scene and swiftly fled the location.
Cheng Nuo searched everywhere but couldn't find Fang Guofeng. Through inquiries, he arrived at Fang Guofeng's home, but his wife had already cut off contact with him. Cheng Nuo informed Fang Guofeng's wife about his research. Meanwhile, Fang Guofeng was driving with An Qiu to a villa in the mountains, a place they used to frequent. Fang Guofeng told An Qiu that their experiment would take place there that night.
An Qiu noticed a crayon drawing depicting two adults and a child, and Fang Guofeng revealed that it was a picture of his daughter. Just then, Fang Guofeng's phone rang. Due to poor signal reception in the room, he went outside to take the call and made sure to lock the door behind him. One of his subordinates informed him that there was a problem in the laboratory, and their experiment could not proceed as scheduled.
At that moment, Fang Guofeng heard Cheng Nuo's voice and followed it. Upon seeing Cheng Nuo, he realized that his wife had informed him about their daughter.
So he could find this place. It turned out that years ago, he came to the mountains for a vacation with his wife and children. Suddenly, he received a call from his unit, saying that a high-ranking leader was coming and he needed to receive them. So, disregarding his wife and daughter's dissatisfaction, he took them down the mountain. On the way, his wife noticed a problem with the car and asked him to check it. In order to return to meet the leader as soon as possible, Fang Guofeng ignored the technical issues with the vehicle and continued to drive, resulting in a car accident halfway through the journey. He and his wife were seriously injured, and their daughter was forever separated from them.
Since then, his wife could never forgive Fang Guofeng. Cheng Nuo pointed out that the experiments Fang Guofeng conducted were only to erase his painful memories, but human memories cannot be erased. Fang Guofeng mentioned his deceased mother, and Cheng Nuo pressed him about whether he was responsible for his mother's death.
A strange smile appeared on Fang Guofeng's face, and he stopped Cheng Nuo from looking for An Qiu. They fought each other, and Fang Guofeng was knocked unconscious by Cheng Nuo. An Qiu was locked inside the room, and suddenly there was an electrical fire. An Qiu couldn't open the door and desperately called out to the minister. Cheng Nuo heard the sound and broke the window to enter. In the thick smoke, he found An Qiu and placed her in a safe place. An Qiu didn't want him to leave, but the narrow space could only accommodate one person. He told An Qiu to let him protect her this time.
He closed the door to prevent An Qiu from being overwhelmed by the smoke, while he himself fell into the raging flames. An Qiu woke up in the hospital, recalling everything that Dr. Zhang had told her. Dr. Zhang said she had surpassed the physiological and emotional structure of a bioengineered individual and had become a completely new living being, capable of independently protecting anyone she wanted to protect according to her own will.
An Qiu saw the fruit by her bedside and knew that Cheng Nuo had been there. She ran out and caught up with Cheng Nuo, telling him that she had remembered everything. She told Cheng Nuo that the reason his mother ended the experiment was because she could now independently protect anyone she wanted to protect. She had promised not to abandon Cheng Nuo.
The news reported that Fang Guofeng had conducted unauthorized experiments on both humans and bioengineered individuals, causing significant psychological and physiological harm. His laboratory had been sealed, and he had been handed over to the judicial authorities for further processing. Cheng Nuo brought An Qiu to pay respects to Zhang Ya. He didn't have time to apologize to his mother, but he could do what she wanted to stop, protecting the people she wanted to protect.
An Qiu silently held Cheng Nuo's hand, knowing that Cheng Nuo was the person Zhang Ya most wanted to protect. Any advancement in technology must be based on respect for humans. The development of bioengineered individuals is a technology that should not be pursued. It is hoped that humans will become better versions of themselves through progress and development.
(The end of the drama)
Replicants, in essence, are human-like beings created by humans. Apart from their initial programming, they are almost indistinguishable from humans. Humans created them and integrated them into society, solely to enjoy the benefits of replicants and treat them as tools.
However, they cannot tolerate the flaws that come with replicants, leading to a forceful eradication. This illustrates that humans possess more flaws than replicants. It suggests that one day, humans may also face extinction due to certain circumstances, just like replicants.