Explore With the Note Episode 24 (Ending) Recap
> Explore With the Note Recap
As Manlike Owls swarmed the area, Wu Xie instructed everyone to hold fire, explaining that the birds were partially blind and couldn't see them in bright light, but were sensitive to sound. After their illumination flares ran out, Wu Xie ordered Pan Zi to lead Wu Sanxing and the others to retreat along the rift, moving in the opposite direction from the owls' foraging path.
Wu Xie insisted on staying to save Wang Pangzi, who was clinging to a rope near the jade coffin, having been climbing up. Pan Zi offered to save Wang Pangzi instead, but Wu Xie asserted that his Qilin Blood repelled the creatures, ensuring his safety. Pan Zi gave Wu Xie a gun, then he and Wu Sanxing retreated, with Pan Zi vowing to protect Wu Sanxing and await Wu Xie. During the chaos, Manlike Owls abducted A Ning.
Hendry Cox showed no concern for her, prioritizing Wu Xie's safety instead. Fortunately, Wu Xie rescued A Ning in time. Wang Pangzi, who had been climbing a rope, successfully rejoined the group. Wu Xie provided cover fire and urged everyone to leave as they made their way to safety. Suddenly, the coffin lid flipped open, and a colossal male corpse wearing tattered Jurchen armor, with twelve hands arranged like a multi-armed deity, slowly emerged.
Wang Pangzi initially mistook it for a mutated centipede due to its massive size, but Wu Xie quickly identified it as the Lord of Slavery, the husband of the twelve-handed corpse from the Paracel Underwater Tomb. Wang Pangzi expressed fear about opening "Hell's gate" as described in the Copper Fish inscriptions, warning of an inferno that would burn the entire underground palace. The Lord of Slavery approached, and the group opened fire, but bullets were useless against its body.
Zhang Qiling suddenly appeared, shielding Wu Xie and Wang Pangzi. He urged them to leave, reminding Wu Xie he had been told not to follow. Despite Wu Xie's desire to help, Wang Pangzi insisted Zhang Qiling could handle it alone and that they would only be a hindrance. The others were forced to retreat, leaving Zhang Qiling to confront the Lord of Slavery alone. The group regrouped outside the tomb.
Wu Xie expressed concern for Wu Sanxing's wounds, but Wu Sanxing dismissed it, criticizing Wu Xie's "soft heart." Wu Xie confronted Wu Sanxing, deducing that their grandfather had been aware of Wu Sanxing's plans all along, which Wu Sanxing confirmed, stating the operation couldn't have proceeded without his grandfather's approval. Wu Sanxing then revealed the truth about the Paracel Underwater Tomb. He had noticed many irregularities within their archaeological team but couldn't identify the mole.
After their ambush and injuries, which included Xie Lianhuan, Wu Sanxing and Xie Lianhuan devised a plan: they faked Xie Lianhuan's death, and both men began to use the identity of Wu Sanxing to deceive the mastermind. They discovered that Hendry Cox was involved, working with a powerful entity known as Alpha Inc., whose ultimate goal wasn't wealth but immortality.
At the bronze gate, Hendry Cox openly declared his ambition for immortality, boasting that his previous research and self-experiments had already extended his life, albeit with "side effects." He claimed the complete truth to immortality lay behind the bronze gate. Sensing Wu Sanxing's hesitation, Hendry Cox seized Wu Xie as a hostage.
Wu Sanxing, appearing to change his allegiance, agreed to partner with Hendry Cox under three conditions: Hendry Cox must publicly exonerate him to The Mystic Nine, retrieve an item taken from him by Alpha Inc., and grant him a share of the patent for the synthesis of Wu Xie's Qilin Blood. Wang Pangzi was appalled, questioning Wu Sanxing's willingness to sacrifice his own nephew. Wang Pangzi defiantly stated he would rather die than betray his friend.
Hendry Cox then revealed to a shocked Wu Xie that his uncle had never told him the full truth: Hendry Cox's own body was failing, and he needed Wu Xie's "magical blood" and youth for a "perfect symbiosis" and shared immortality inside the gate. Hendry Cox ordered Wang Pangzi tied up and Wu Sanxing's men to withdraw from the platform for his own security, promising to fulfill his agreement with Wu Sanxing upon their return.
As he was about to enter with Wu Xie, Wu Sanxing cryptically told his nephew that his final lesson was to prioritize self-preservation in critical moments. Wang Pangzi was bound, and Wu Sanxing, with his men, departed. Hendry Cox forced Wu Xie into the bronze gate. A potent green mist engulfed them, and Hendry Cox's body rapidly dissolved, turning transparent before finally disintegrating into dust, his greedy laughter echoing as he vanished.
At the critical moment, Wang Pangzi and Pan Zi, who had seemingly retreated, rushed back and managed to pull Wu Xie out of the expanding green mist with a rope, saving him from the same fate. Wu Xie immediately understood that his uncle's actions were part of a larger, elaborate plan to save him, with Pan Zi playing a crucial role. He instructed Pan Zi to return to Wu Sanxing, while he and Wang Pangzi remained to await Zhang Qiling.
Pan Zi reassured Wu Xie, telling him to "move forward without any fear," as he and Wu Sanxing would protect him. A Ning observed the bronze gate closing before turning to leave, seemingly free of her past burdens. Meanwhile, Huo Xiangu was shown under duress, likely physically restrained. She was confronted by an unknown party who noted her previous obstructions and pressed her to confirm if she would sacrifice Huo Xiuxiu to them.
She faced a difficult choice, as "headquarters" had threatened her: only by opposing Wu Sanxing and Xie Yuchen could she see the person she truly wanted to find, possibly Huo Ling. Huo Xiuxiu's repeated interference had angered them, making Huo Xiangu realize that stopping cooperation to save her granddaughter would mean all her previous efforts would be in vain. Later, Hendry Cox, before his demise, called her to solicit her help against Xie Yuchen, Alpha Inc., and Wu Sanxing.
He leveraged her desire to find Huo Ling, revealing that "the company" also held information about Huo Ling and might be experimenting on her with incomplete immortality data, implicitly suggesting Huo Ling herself might be a subject. Huo Xiangu was caught in a desperate situation, grappling with this difficult choice. Separately, Xie Yuchen found Chen Pi heavily injured in the tomb. Chen Pi removed his human skin mask, revealing himself to be Xie Lianhuan.
He explained to Xie Yuchen that he and Wu Sanxing had spent years "in Hell" together, meticulously planning to thwart Alpha Inc.'s operation. Xie Lianhuan expressed profound relief that their long-standing mission to stop them had finally concluded, and he could now rest without his disguise. He also mentioned contacting the police beforehand to ensure all culprits were brought to justice.
A loud thud signaled the end of the battle as Zhang Qiling and the colossal body of the Lord of Slavery fell to the ground. Wu Xie rushed to Zhang Qiling, concerned about his injuries and recurring headaches. Zhang Qiling, however, urged Wu Xie and Wang Pangzi to leave immediately, warning them that they were "no match for what's behind that gate."
Without revealing what lay beyond, Zhang Qiling bid them "Goodbye" and, without looking back, dashed into the closing bronze gate, leaving Wu Xie and Wang Pangzi bewildered and worried about his fate.
