Original subtitles

[Under the Skin Ⅱ]

[Episode 27]

Destroying embryos is quite simple.

Frozen embryos need to be preserved in

liquid nitrogen at minus 196 degrees Celsius.

The experimental embryos

that need to be disposed of

are left at room temperature

after being taken out of storage.

They become inactive within a few minutes.

Then the storage manager collects them

and disposes of the test tubes.

The entire process

is then over.

How many people

are involved in this process?

[Strict Regulation, Fairness and Justice, Procedural Legality, Objectivity and Impartiality]

Usually, it's the lab tech and the storage manager

working as a pair

to be each other's witnesses.

Captain Cheng.

A destruction record from eight months ago shows that

one of the people

who confirmed the destruction

was Tang Keying,

and the other was…

Do you know someone

named Liu Lian?

With so many items going in and out of storage every day,

how could I possibly remember

something from eight months ago?

Do you remember the liquid nitrogen tank

Tang Keying borrowed?

No.

You usually keep records

and verify the number

of experimental embryos destroyed,

right?

Yes.

Then eight months ago,

when you were verifying,

did the numbers match?

I guess they did.

What do you mean you guess?

Listen.

Even though Tang Keying is dead,

we'll still thoroughly investigate

[Beijiang Criminal Investigation Team]

her illegal activities.

You'd better be honest with us

and not beat around the bush.

At that time,

I-I think there was one missing.

When I was verifying,

I specifically mentioned it.

Tang Keying said she had forgotten about it

and would destroy it with the next batch,

so I just let it be.

She said she forgot about it,

and you just let it slide?

Officer,

I just work there.

Tang Keying took orders from the boss.

Who am I to ask questions?

Has this kind of thing

happened

at Kailai Biotechnology

before?

Yeah, I guess.

How many times?

A few times.

Be specific!

I…

I really can't remember.

It definitely wasn't the first time.

If experimental embryos were taken abroad,

what would they be used for?

Experiments

or

implantation into human bodies.

Both are possible.

Did Fang Kaiyi

know about this matter?

I don't know about that.

I took a close look at it.

Zhou Shanshan's baby

indeed no longer has

the MAOA gene mutation,

which means

Cao Jian is really going to have

a child without genetic defects.

But I still have

a strange feeling.

In this overall heat map

of sequencing expression,

something feels dissonant.

Although the bug no longer exists,

it doesn't mean

the genes are flawless.

You've been conducting genetic tests

on this baby since July this year.

At that time, the baby was only

about three months old.

It was all requested by Cao Jian.

Then didn't you

further investigate

why this child

didn't inherit

Cao Jian's genetic defect?

I can't see the baby.

What I can see

are just sets of codes.

That child

has its own genetic codes.

Good or bad, they are what they are.

I still have many codes

that need to be studied and deciphered.

For me,

the present and the future

matter the most.

Captain Cheng, I've found it.

All the experimental embryos

of Kailai Biotechnology

were provided

by Hua'an Medical Center.

Hua'an Medical Center?

The one run by An Luran?

Have you found the source

of the embryo that An Luran took abroad?

Yes.

But you may be surprised

by to whom it belongs.

Who is it?

Cao Jian, Zhou Shanshan.

Zhou Shanshan underwent

IVF at Hua'an.

After the embryo was created,

it was sent to Kailai Biotechnology

in the name of experimental donation.

Then Fang Kaiyi edited

the genes of the embryo.

That embryo was supposed to be destroyed,

but Tang Keying stole it

and took it abroad.

Seven and a half months ago,

Zhou Shanshan went abroad

for an embryo transfer.

The hospital where the transfer was done

was introduced by Hua'an.

I see.

Cao Jian has a genetic defect.

He planned to have Zhou Shanshan

give birth to a child

whose genes had been edited.

But this genetically edited embryo,

according to regulations,

should have been destroyed.

It's getting more and more complicated.

Not at all.

The whole thing only involved three people.

Tang Keying is dead.

An Luran has fled.

And the last one is...

Fang Kaiyi.

Yes.

Fang Kaiyi.

We've discovered

an illegal operation at Hua'an Medical Center

that involved Kailai Biotechnology.

Please come with us

to assist with our investigation.

[Summons]

This is the summons.

Officer Du.

Why do you suspect me

in every one of your cases?

Our investigation has revealed

that in your laboratory,

three embryos numbered

3203, 3304,

and 3725

were not destroyed as required.

They were taken out of the country

by your assistant, Tang Keying.

Tang Keying is already dead.

Have you found the murderer?

Are you aware of

what I just said?

Yes.

I edited the genes…

of Embryo 3304.

Why didn't you report it to the police?

Officer Du,

we're scientists.

In a sense,

we're also adventurers.

Based on current scientific ethics

and laws, Tang Keying did

do something wrong.

But to be honest,

I admire her courage.

We have been conducting

embryonic gene editing research.

This research concerns

the future of all humanity.

But due to current scientific ethics,

all experimental subjects

can only grow for 14 days.

After 14 days, they must be destroyed.

It's such a pity.

We really wish

our research subjects

could be born

and we could watch them grow up…

Impossible!

That's illegal.

Of course I know it's illegal.

That's why I criticized Tang Keying.

And she promised me

that she would never

do such a thing again.

The embryo

that Tang Keying took abroad

belonged to Cao Jian and Zhou Shanshan.

After you edited its genes,

it was implanted back into

Zhou Shanshan. Do you know that?

No.

All I know is

when Zhou Shanshan was

three months pregnant,

Cao Jian brought her to me

and asked me to do genetic tests

for his child.

A major incident

happened in your institute,

yet you're telling me

you know nothing about it?

Officer Du.

I can't admit to something

I know absolutely nothing about,

can I?

Are you pressing me like this

because you want to take me back

and force a confession out of me?

Or is it like last time,

when you suspected me of murder

based on just one person's statement?

Officer Du.

I completely understand you.

The investigation isn't going well,

so you're in a bad mood.

I admit

there was negligence

in management on my part.

But the whole thing

was done by Tang Keying alone.

Moreover,

she's passed away.

What's wrong?

Nothing.

Just a misunderstanding.

Fang Kaiyi!

Fang Kaiyi!

He's gone.

The child is gone.

Mr. Cao, calm down.

Take your time. What happened?

Embryonic demise.

The baby's heart suddenly stopped.

It caused Shanshan

to suffer placental abruption and severe bleeding.

She died on the way to the hospital.

How is that possible?

How is that possible?

You tell me!

Mr. Cao.

How is that possible?

Mr. Cao, Mr. Cao.

-You killed my son! -Mr. Cao.

You killed Shanshan!

I'll make you pay!

Didn't you say the baby was fine?

Didn't you say he was doing well?

Thanks to your gene editing,

both of them died!

I won't let this go!

[Jiangcheng Kailai Biotechnology]

I won't let this go!

Mr. Cao, please calm down.

What exactly happened?

Du Cheng.

Good. I need to file a report.

He…

He killed my child.

He killed Shanshan.

Arrest him! Arrest him!

Calm down.

Go back with us

to sort this out.

Arrest him!

Mr. Cao, Mr. Cao.

It's really him!

-Mr. Cao. -Let go of me!

Now, another person

is accusing you of murder.

There must be a misunderstanding.

Please come with us

to clear up

all the misunderstandings.

Alright.

What happened to Zhou Shanshan

and your unborn child?

It's all my fault.

I believed Tang Keying.

She promised

that if I found Fang Kaiyi

and let him do gene editing on the embryo,

my genetic disease

wouldn't be passed on to my son.

So Shanshan and I

decided to donate

our fertilized eggs.

Then they arranged

the gene editing

and the follow-up procedures.

They?

Who do you mean?

Tang Keying

and An Luran.

Zhou Shanshan had a natural miscarriage.

The cause of her death was placental abruption.

They're normal.

There's no evidence to prove

that Fang Kaiyi had anything to do

with their deaths.

No.

I was present for all the other steps.

It was only the gene editing

that I didn't witness.

Something must have gone wrong

during gene editing.

He's a mad scientist.

He experimented on my family!

The steps you mentioned just now,

how were they carried out specifically?

An Luran arranged

the IVF.

Then Tang Keying

transported the embryo abroad.

After that, An Luran

helped me contact a hospital

for the surgery.

So you're saying

throughout the entire process,

you never

met Fang Kaiyi?

No, I didn't.

Then why did you

go to Fang Kaiyi

when Zhou Shanshan was three months pregnant

to have him

perform genetic tests

on your child?

Because he edited the genes.

He knew about the whole thing.

So I felt most at ease

having him do the tests.

During this process,

did he mention to you

whether he had encountered

any problems

when he edited the genes?

No.

He always told me

everything was fine, nothing to worry about.

How could I have possibly imagined

that something like this would happen?

Right?

Mr. Cao,

think hard.

Is there any

concrete evidence that can prove

Fang Kaiyi is responsible

for the deaths of Zhou Shanshan and your child?

No.

He never showed up

throughout the entire process.

But he must have been

the mastermind behind this whole thing!

Thank you for talking with us.

Cao Jian insists

that you caused the deaths of Zhou Shanshan and his child.

I understand his feelings,

but there are many reasons that could cause embryonic demise.

The reasons for placental abruption are also complex.

During the embryo implantation,

whether there was medical malpractice,

I'm not sure.

Mr. Cao is too emotional,

so he's jumped to conclusions.

I request

a thorough investigation

to give Mr. Cao justice

and clear my name.

The current gene editing technology

is not mature.

Is it possible that

your editing

caused the abnormality of the fetus,

which led to its death?

Officer Du,

that's not the point.

Gene editing

is a part

of my research.

Even if something had gone wrong,

the embryo should've been destroyed.

The key point now is that

the embryo, which was supposed to be destroyed,

was implanted into a human body.

This is the true reason

for the tragedy.

Implanting an edited human embryo

into a human body

is an action

that is absolutely not allowed.

So this tragedy

is also Tang Keying's fault.

I'm at fault too.

As the legal representative

of the research institute,

I neglected my responsibilities

when I didn't hold

my employee accountable

after she stole the embryo

and transported it abroad.

I've learned my lesson.

I used to think that besides research,

you weren't capable of anything else.

Alright.

You can leave in a moment.

I'm really sorry

that this happened.

I'm a victim too.

Don't leave the country

or Beijiang.

Be ready to cooperate with the investigation at any time.

Okay.

I know Fang Kaiyi too well.

Do you know how much money he needs

to keep his institute running?

He's done a lot of research.

Plants, animals,

human organs, and such.

Even the slightest imperfection

could make him want to destroy it all.

My child

was killed by him just like that!

Why are you so certain

that it was Fang Kaiyi's

gene editing

that caused the deaths

of Zhou Shanshan and your child?

If it wasn't the editing,

what else could it be?

I've seen that child's

gene sequencing chart.

There's no problem.

Now,

unless you have evidence to prove

that Fang Kaiyi intentionally

performed gene editing on the child

and implanted it into

Zhou Shanshan

and that Fang Kaiyi

had improper operations

during the entire process

that led to their deaths,

your appeal

might not even meet

the conditions for filing a case.

Take him to sign.

Let's go, Mr. Cao.

You can go now.

Let's go.

Is this what you meant by

different paths leading to the same destination?

If one day,

your job

and your passion didn't line up,

how would you choose?

I believe

they are different paths to the same destination.

Are you here

as a friend of the suspect

or as my colleague?

The fact that you let him go

shows that

you have no evidence

to prove

my friend is a suspect.

I let him go only because

I haven't found the evidence

to prove your friend committed a crime.

If you have evidence,

feel free to come to me again.

Shen Yi.

The right path

always leads to what's right.

The wrong path

will only lead you to make

bigger mistakes.

Different paths can't lead to the same destination.

Sorry.

I'm still on leave.

Will you come back when your leave is over?

I can no longer control

the impulses brought by

my subjective feelings and intuition.

If my instincts

make me no longer suitable

for a profiler…

I'll let them guide me

to do something more meaningful.

Are you alright?

Fang Kaiyi!

You bastard!

Stop right there!

Mr. Cao.

I'm very sorry

for what happened to you.

Shanshan and your child died.

I'm sad too,

but I won't accept

your indiscriminate accusations.

Please entrust a third party

to properly examine the miscarriage

and Zhou Shanshan's death.

I'll accept any result.

Stop acting like a scientist.

You talk about your technology

as if it's miraculous,

but it's not mature at all!

Shanshan was just your experiment,

a failed experiment!

You swindled so much money from me!

This isn't over between us!

Cao Jian, calm down!

This is the police station!

Give me back my money!

You can insult me,

but you can't

deny my research

or science.

Science? Bullshit!

Listen up,

you and your Kailai Biotechnology

are finished!

Are you okay?

Shen Yi.

Can you understand me?

Many years ago,

I said something

to a criminal.

"Being different

might mean misunderstanding,

but it should be respected."

I also need to face

my own inner self.

Now, for me,

that perfect embryo

is what interests me the most.

It had been eight months.

Only one step away

from success.

What you just said

to Du Cheng…

Wasn't it a bit too harsh?

I believe in you.

You can definitely understand me.

Back to the studio.

Okay, Professor Fang.

So, what's moving on the screen

is the gene editing tool,

CRISPR/Cas9?

Yes.

I used it to edit out

the MAOA gene mutation

inherited from Cao Jian.

The hormones that were triggers for violence

would become a source of creativity.

The baby would have a stronger immune system,

enhanced ability to repair damage,

and theoretically be more stress-resistant.

None of this

could guarantee

he'd become an elite,

but so far,

in my field of knowledge,

he was the most perfect baby.

The most perfect baby.

Unfortunately, he's gone.

I want to use painting

to preserve this perfection

so that more people can see it.

I've always believed

that my mission

is to use genetic science

to fix the Creator's flaws

and to create a human race that

becomes better with each generation.

Implanting the edited embryo

into Zhou Shanshan's body

is the most amazing thing

you've done.

What a pity.

You were so close to success.

If it had worked out,

this would be

your most perfect gene editing.

I'm glad he wasn't born.

I've been checking

Zhou Shanshan's test records,

but I still haven't found out

where exactly the problem lies.

Could it be that

the original editing

triggered other issues,

which led to the sudden stop

of the baby's growth?

Experiments always come with risks.

Genes mutate, you know.

With this flaw fixed,

another flaw will show.

It's just like

the Human Nature Atlas I tried to develop.

Too many variables.

With each confirmation,

new problems arose.

Even now,

I still haven't developed a complete system.

But this isn't

a reason to stop us.

What's this?

This is a

DNA diffraction image.

Its name is

Photo 51.

Do you know who my role model is?

No.

James Watson.

He and Crick

discovered the double helix structure

of DNA,

ushering in the era of molecular biology.

They won the Nobel Prize for it.

This photo

was taken by a female scientist

named Franklin.

Watson

saw this photo

and keenly captured

its shape and appearance.

Then he was sure that

the structure of DNA

was a double helix.

So Watson's winning

the Nobel Prize was highly controversial.

Some say he cobbled together

many people's research results.

What's the truth?

That is the truth.

But regardless of

how much controversy it caused,

he is the father of DNA science.

People can only see the results,

not the process.

Moreover,

without Crick's help,

Watson wouldn't have succeeded.

On the path to your goal,

companions are important.

Shen Yi.

Your choice is right.

I'm going to continue my experiments.

Wish me success

after countless failures.

[Beijiang Criminal Investigation Team]

To analyze complicated human nature

and categorize it

is why I want to create the Human Nature Atlas.

I think

her murders were not entirely

motivated by love.

I have to draw this devil.

We're the police.

Our job is to find the truth

and catch the murderer.

But as a profiler,

if I can't capture

the criminal's personality

hidden in their heart,

my work will never be complete.

Drawing the appearance doesn't matter.

What I want to draw

is the heart.

I want to apply

to visit some felons.

Shen Yi.

You can do research,

but you can't act rashly.

If I can express

these things through paintings and colors

and understand criminal personalities,

then maybe in the future

I can predict a crime

before it's committed.

Shen Yi,

it's all in the past.

Don't push yourself too hard.

I can no longer control

the impulses brought by

my subjective feelings and intuition.

If my instincts

make me no longer suitable

for a profiler,

I'll let them guide me

to do something more meaningful.

I'm just a painter!

I'm not a cop!

It's you who can't catch the criminal.

Why blame me?

Your painting caused a police officer's death!

Your paintings only bring harm.

You don't deserve to be a painter.

You can't even draw a face.

How dare you show up here?

I hope I can help you in the future.

Just when I was about to drown…

I almost saw that face.

I must have that near-death experience again.

I know you've done your best.

If you can't draw it, it's okay.

I won't blame you.

Did I draw it wrong?

No.

I believe in you.

Can't you let Shen Yi go?

It's so difficult to cultivate

an artist like him.

Return Shen Yi

to art.

No.

He has the ability to see through people's hearts from their faces.

He has the qualities to become an excellent police officer.

I'm very grateful.

When I was young,

Mr. Xu led me into the world of art.

As if by fate,

Captain Lei helped me find

where I truly belong.

[Shen Yi]

[Reject] [Answer]

[Shen Yi]

Go ahead.

What is your real intention?

Fang Kaiyi didn't deny

that Zhou Shanshan's baby

was edited

and implanted by him as an experiment.

I can find evidence.

I want to persuade Fang Kaiyi to turn himself in.

Why?

Because he and I are the same kind.

I used to be like him.

I know what he's obsessed with.

Do you think he'll listen to you

and turn himself in?

When Fang Kaiyi

saw my paintings for the first time,

he said

if I weren't a police officer,

I might be a criminal genius.

I thought it was ridiculous at the time.

But when I started

recalling my past,

I realized that…

if I hadn't met you

and Captain Lei

in my life,

I might have gotten caught up in my obsessions

like Fang Kaiyi

and slowly sunk into the abyss.

So,

this is the only chance

to make him

let go of his obsessions.

I know this idea is risky

and immature,

but I want to do

what you did back then:

point him in the right direction.

Leave this matter

to me.

You're still on leave.

You don't need my permission to do what you want.

This time, no matter what happens,

I'll notify you immediately.

A paintbrush

can draw different colors,

but the brush itself won't change.