Deeks is away to testify in court, so Granger teams with Kensi. A gang stop an armored truck, attack the crew, and steal the cargo, consisting of 100 gold bars, valued at $70M, en route to the People's Bank of China; footage abounds; Callen and company investigate. G and Sam find a dead clown, and Nell IDs him; G, Sam, and Kensi find three executed thieves; Kensi talks with the girlfriend of the sole surviving thief (Welch), then she, G, and Sam find Welch's body, and Kensi finds the gold; G and Sam check the gold, which is not gold. Hetty comments to G in private that this case involves more than just catching a thief; Eric finds a pair of anomalies; G, Sam, and Kensi check out a new firm, where they see clues and overcome three bad guys; Eric describes the facial-recognition hit on one of the guys, which lead the team to conclude that the case is not merely a heist but rather a state-sponsored economic terrorist attack on the financial infrastructure of the USA.