Time Raiders Episode 12 Recap
> Time Raiders Recap
Pangzi and Wu Xie, pinned by numerous arrows, slowly rose after A Ning disappeared through a hidden door marked with totems. Pangzi realized the arrows were not sharp but lotus arrows, so despite being stuck like a hedgehog, he was not in mortal danger. He remarked to Wu Xie that something felt off, as the arrows didn't hurt much, but he couldn't move.
Wu Xie pulled a couple out, confirming they were lotus arrows and noting that he didn't understand their purpose, perhaps indicating the shipwreck's owner wished to deter them rather than kill. Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared—Zhang Qiling. Pangzi, surprised to see him alive, commented on his impressive "acting." Wu Xie immediately questioned Zhang Qiling, asking if he had been there before.
Zhang Qiling revealed that A Ning had deliberately stepped on the mechanism, confident in herself and intending to get rid of them all. This revelation made Wu Xie wonder if A Ning's earlier claims about his Third Uncle, Wu Sansheng, were true. He was troubled, questioning if Wu Sansheng had indeed come to the shipwreck or if he had already died there. Zhang Qiling couldn't confirm, stating everything happened too quickly, but believed Wu Sansheng should still be alive.
Pangzi joked about getting paid if Wu Sansheng was alive but quickly reassured Wu Xie that while finding Wu Sansheng was important, their immediate priority was survival. He advised Wu Xie to stick with them and report any signs of Wu Sansheng. Meanwhile, after A Ning went through the hidden door, she followed marks left by Wu Sansheng. These marks led her to a large, cold, and dry hall where she discovered a corpse.
On the body, she found a micro-camera. The camera’s memory card contained footage of the deceased’s final moments, showing his timid encounter with Wu Sansheng, who had helped him before proceeding deeper into the wreck. The footage ended with the deceased being fatally entangled by thick vines. Back with Wu Xie, Pangzi, and Zhang Qiling, Wu Xie recalled seeing a photo in Wen Jin's diary of a young man who strongly resembled Zhang Qiling.
He had previously asked his Third Uncle if it was Zhang Qiling, but Wu Sansheng couldn't be sure. Given their previous adventures, Pangzi expressed trust in Zhang Qiling. They decided their first step should be to retrieve the oxygen tanks, as A Ning had previously mentioned they only had ten hours of breathable air due to high carbon dioxide levels. Pangzi returned to the room where they had left the diving equipment, only to find the air tanks missing.
He was certain he had placed them there and wondered if someone else, or "something not human," was present. Wu Xie then noticed that the floor's arrangement was different, and after Zhang Qiling swept his flashlight across the ceiling, Wu Xie was surprised to see that the original totem patterns had also changed. Zhang Qiling confirmed that the room was entirely different from the one they had just been in, attributing their initial confusion to their lack of attention.
Wu Xie suddenly remembered his Third Uncle describing a similar experience, waking up in a different room with his companions gone, unable to recall how he got there. Wu Sansheng had alluded to an "elevator" mechanism. Zhang Qiling elaborated on this, explaining that the entire ship was a complex mechanism, like an elevator.
Wu Xie, grasping the concept, illustrated how a corridor could lead to different floors each time its doors opened, making the rooms appear to shift or vanish when they were merely being moved to other locations. However, Zhang Qiling highlighted a contradiction: Wu Sansheng's account implied he remained in a fixed room despite the elevator mechanism. Pangzi suggested Wu Sansheng might have lied to Wu Xie to hide his fear, especially regarding abandoning Wen Jin.
The urgency of their situation became apparent as Pangzi reminded them of the ten-hour oxygen limit. He proposed three options: finding the missing room and equipment, pursuing A Ning (who clearly understood the ship's mechanisms), or following the ballast stone, though he warned of a "thing" that had emerged from it. After deliberation, Zhang Qiling noted that waiting for the original room to return might be futile given the elevator’s unpredictable logic.
Wu Xie suggested they explore the two rooms related to A Ning's path and the ballast stone first. They agreed and moved forward. As they proceeded, another shift occurred, and Pangzi exclaimed that their path was now a dead end, with the entrance door gone.
Zhang Qiling listed their dwindling escape options: retracing their path was impossible without diving equipment, attempting to surface the ship was impractical given the sheer number of rooms, and digging their way out, while a possibility due to the ship's height, was only viable at low tide to avoid being flooded by ten-plus meters of seawater. Zhang Qiling then checked the current mechanisms, finding them disabled.
He directed Wu Xie and Pangzi to follow him, revealing that the door had reappeared elsewhere. As they stepped into the new area, Zhang Qiling quickly moved ahead. Pangzi, scared by the darkness and a growing cold draft, called out to Wu Xie, suggesting he light a candle despite the superstition. He smelled a strange odor and felt a chilling cold. Frightened, Pangzi began reciting prayers to Buddha, asking for protection and promising daily incense. He urged Wu Xie to keep up, lamenting Wu Xie's tendency to wander off and forcing Pangzi to take the lead.