Ultimate Note Episode 7 Recap
> Ultimate Note Recap
Xie Yuchen and Hei Yan Jing found themselves in a chamber filled with magnetic swords, which posed a threat to their metal equipment. Hei Yan Jing suggested using fire to demagnetize the swords. As they heated them with lighters, Xie Yuchen noticed burn marks, indicating someone else had used the same method. Hei Yan Jing concluded it must have been Wu Sansheng. After rendering the swords harmless, they moved to the next chamber, which contained an even more dangerous trap.
The room was filled with zircon stones that emitted a blinding light, while flying darts assailed them. Hei Yan Jing, accustomed to wearing shades, was largely unaffected, but Xie Yuchen had to wrap cloth around his eyes to navigate. Hei Yan Jing playfully offered to sell his shades to Xie Yuchen. The subsequent traps, consisting of flying arrows, were no match for the agile duo.
Hei Yan Jing, using his stick, playfully announced he was using his "Dog Beating Technique" to effortlessly activate a mechanism and clear the way. Xie Yuchen urged him to use his "expertise" to find a way to open the door. They eventually reached the core of the underground palace, where Hei Yan Jing marveled at the immense effort the Queen Mother expended to hollow out the entire mountain for her palace.
They discovered a prominent mural depicting a meeting between the Queen Mother and a robed, crowned individual. Xie Yuchen deduced this person was Emperor Mu of Zhou, given his equal size to the Queen Mother in the mural, and noted the Western Zhou style lamps, suggesting the Queen Mother had adopted his culture.
He also recounted the legend of Emperor Mu and the Queen Mother's shared quest for immortality, concluding that the palace's intricate and deadly design underscored the Queen Mother's ruthless and territorial nature, intended to deter disobedient visitors. Meanwhile, Wu Xie's group proceeded by using explosives to clear their path.
They discovered a colossal statue of a Birdman, which Fatty recognized from their previous perilous encounter at Cloud Top Palace, prompting questions about its presence here and the Queen Mother's connection to Cloud Top Palace. Wu Xie also pondered why Chen Wen Jin's notes marked Tamutuo, seemingly unrelated to the dragon vein, among sites closely linked to the Queen Mother.
Zhang, examining the statue, found four distinct holes on its base, abdomen, and shoulders, and a carving depicting an ancient ritualistic procession towards the statue, where drummers played at the entrance. Despite A Ning photographing the statue and their initial tests revealing no immediate dangers, an unsettling silence hung in the air, a stark contrast to the usual sounds of a rainforest. Fatty and Pan Zi volunteered to scout ahead.
Wu Xie, however, was drawn to the sight of strangely dead animals. He observed birds falling from the sky without any visible injuries. As they speculated on the cause, massive rocks fell, sealing their exit. The group hastened their pace, but Pan Zi soon began experiencing headaches and heart palpitations, collapsing, followed by A Ning with similar symptoms.
Wu Xie noted that the recurring statues seemed to function like sequential images, depicting more members of the Queen Mother's procession falling as they progressed. Realizing the gravity of their situation, Wu Xie suggested they return to the dead bird to find answers. An autopsy revealed that its internal organs had exploded, even though there were no external injuries.
Before they could fully understand, Zhang and Wu Xie also succumbed, leaving only Fatty unaffected, desperately trying to figure out what was happening. From his military experience, Pan Zi deduced that their symptoms were caused by infrasound waves, a silent frequency that could cause internal organ disorientation and even death. He realized the statue's four holes were likely outlets for these waves, explaining the sudden deaths of the birds and the group's rapid decline.
He theorized that the statues could convert normal sounds, such as the drums in the carvings or the explosion they caused earlier, into potent infrasound waves. With renewed urgency, they struggled to their feet and quickly plugged the holes with tree branches and leaves. This action immediately alleviated their symptoms, confirming Pan Zi's theory and terrifying them at how close they came to dying from internal damage.
Zhang explained that infrasound waves primarily target the heart by causing internal organ resonance, meaning healthier individuals are more susceptible to severe symptoms. Fatty, who was unaffected, was surprised by this, while Wu Xie found it amusing. Concerned for their safety, Pan Zi lit a distress smoke signal hoping to contact Wu Sansheng, explaining that he and Fatty had initially set out to meet Wu Xie and Zhang.
Wu Xie inquired about the yellow smoke, and Pan Zi explained that it signified "danger ahead," and that they needed to be careful. However, A Ning, observing the rainforest's unpredictable climate, urged them to keep moving, asserting that waiting for Wu Sansheng was no longer an option and they needed to find a safe place to camp before nightfall.
As they struggled through the deep swamp, using daggers to cut through dense vines, Pan Zi reminded them of the dangers, including snakes. A Ning recalled a chilling passage from Chen Wen Jin's notebook: "The mire is infested with many ravenous snakes, unafraid of people." They knew the consequences would be dire if they couldn't find shelter by dusk.