Ultimate Note Episode 23 Recap
> Ultimate Note Recap
Deep below, Wu Xie, Fatty, and Zhang were frantically fleeing a pursuing witch. They struggled to barricade themselves in a room, desperately trying to block the door. Amidst their struggle, Fatty, catching his breath, swore that the witch resembled Chen Wen Jin, a claim Wu Xie found hard to believe, given Chen Wen Jin’s known location in Tamutuo.
As Wu Xie looked around, he was startled to realize the room was an exact replica of a section of the Golmud Sanatorium, complete with identical passages. He grappled with the impossible notion that the Zhang family’s ancient buildings in Guangxi could be the Golmud Sanatorium, questioning where the mysterious videotapes he received had been filmed. Before he could make sense of it, the witch burst through the door.
Zhang quickly subdued her, confirming that it was indeed Chen Wen Jin. Wu Xie noted the familiar smell, akin to the scent from Huo Ling, understanding that Chen Wen Jin had mutated, transforming directly into a monster before arriving here, skipping the step of death. Meanwhile, on the shore, Xie Yuchen grew increasingly frantic, expressing deep concern for Wu Xie, who had no deep-diving experience.
He pressed Cox Hendry, stating his intent to go down himself if Cox Hendry's men wouldn't, insisting his friend’s life was at stake. Cox Hendry, however, remained calm, asserting that Wu Xie hadn't run out of oxygen and was likely in the correct place, searching for the correct item. Shades also calmly advised Xie Yuchen to not be impulsive, reminding him of Cox Hendry's numerous men and the danger of clashing with them. The trio continued deeper.
They soon came upon a black coffin and another witch, this one unsettlingly bearing Wu Xie's own face. The witch spoke in a chilling voice, asserting that Wu Xie did not exist and was already dead, before vanishing in an instant. Wu Xie was left profoundly questioning his own identity and reality. As they pressed on, Wu Xie discovered a notebook, recognizing it as Chen Wen Jin’s notes, which he had found in an identical room previously.
He was bewildered by the precise similarity of the handwriting and content, doubting how Chen Wen Jin could have written two identical notebooks. The note itself stated, "I don't know who you are among the three of you. No matter who you are, when you found the notes here, I believe you're already involved." Suddenly, Shades and Xie Yuchen appeared, claiming they had followed Wu Xie’s signal and Zhang’s marks to find them.
Wu Xie’s mind raced; he knew that Shades and Xie Yuchen could not possibly know Zhang’s unique marks. This incongruity triggered a profound realization. Shades then mentioned that Cox Hendry had finally admitted the item he was seeking was in the black coffin. They opened the coffin, and Wu Xie correctly guessed its contents: the Bronze Fox Mask, the same one Zhang had worn in the Seven Star Palace, which had induced potent hallucinations.
Zhang recounted how the mask had nearly made them kill each other. Xiao Hua briefly donned the mask, confirming its power, before Zhang quickly removed it. Wu Xie now fully understood: the second identical Chen Wen Jin notebook was impossible, and Chen Wen Jin, having entered the Jade Meteorite, could not have become a witch and appeared here. The appearance of Shades and Xiao Hua, and even Zhang and Fatty earlier, had all been part of an elaborate illusion.
He recalled earlier inconsistencies: the presence of gravity, the impossibility of dual gravity in one space, humans walking on water, artifacts from the Palace of the Heavenly Queen Mother in the Zhang family’s ancient buildings, the vertical water surface, and the distinct sound of Hexagon Bells he heard upon entering. He concluded that he had entered this illusion the moment Zhang and Fatty first appeared to him.
Back on the shore, Cox Hendry's team detected Wu Xie's life signs, but his oxygen levels were dangerously low. Shades urgently called out to Wu Xie, telling him to surface immediately. However, Wu Xie responded that he had found Zhang and Fatty and refused to ascend without them, insisting on bringing them home. Defying the warnings, Wu Xie plunged into a siphon passage, causing his location signal to vanish completely.
Shades was visibly shocked, exclaiming that Wu Xie had gone "crazy." Enraged, Xie Yuchen, who had been restrained by Shades on Cox Hendry's orders, demanded to be untied and allowed to go down. He passionately appealed to Shades, reminding him of their brotherhood and their shared duty as members of the Mystic Nine.
Shades, after feigning concern about his potential financial losses, reluctantly "agreed" to help Xie Yuchen, but asserted he would demand compensation from Wu Xie or Master Wu Er. Shades then proposed a fake struggle, allowing Xie Yuchen to "overpower" him and steal equipment, so Shades could still get paid while ensuring Xie Yuchen's safety and helping Wu Xie. They then discussed the perilous task of stealing diving equipment from Cox Hendry’s heavily guarded camp, acknowledging the significant challenge.
Wu Xie abruptly awoke in a different, stark environment, with Zhang and Fatty by his side, both looking disheveled. With a sudden clarity, Wu Xie declared that this was the real entrance to the Zhang family’s ancient buildings. However, Fatty remained bewildered by Wu Xie's description of an ancient building, insisting he had seen no such thing.
He explained that he had simply been fishing when he was caught by a siphon passage and woke up here, describing their surroundings as merely a narrow water entry surrounded by solid granite, not an ancient structure. He did, however, point out large pieces of what he believed to be valuable jade.
Wu Xie tried to explain his illusion, describing a Han-style ancient building with a "Head of Zhang Family" sign, filled with bronze bells that induced hallucinations, believing it to be Zhang’s family home. Fatty, however, maintained his story of merely being swept in by the siphon passage while fishing. Wu Xie then theorized that anyone entering the illusionary ancient building, including Cox Hendry’s men, would fall victim to the Hexagon Bell Formation.
He elaborated on the actual location of the Zhang family's ancient buildings: only the top two floors were in the lake, implying the main structure was buried deep within the mountain, accessible only via a siphon passage. Fatty remained unconvinced, asserting that the siphon passage was a dead end, merely a narrow "water entry" where he had released his salamanders.
Wu Xie then noticed a familiar metal ingot, which Fatty explained was found in Zhang's old residence and used to block traps in the tunnel walls that sprayed corrosive gas, meaning even an escape from the bell formation and siphon would lead to more deadly mechanisms. They discussed attempting to force open the water entry, but Fatty explained it was impossible to breach the solid granite without a hydraulic machine.
They then moved into what Fatty enthusiastically called the "living room." Fatty showed Wu Xie the large chunks of "jade" he had found, fantasizing about immense wealth. However, Wu Xie spotted a "danger" sign carved into the rock nearby. They investigated a crack, from which agile "Stone Men" began to emerge. Wu Xie quickly realized these were not jade but solidified resin, similar to amber, which accounted for their surprising agility and toughness.
These Stone Men were guardians, continuously emerging like an endless "vending machine," making it an overwhelming and seemingly unwinnable battle. As more emerged, Fatty panicked, shouting for help amidst the chaos.
