Episode 1 (Ultimate Note)

**Episode 1 (Ultimate Note)** is the first episode of the television series Ultimate Note.

## Story

Wu Xie is seen entering an abandoned sanatorium with a film camera and starts talking to the camera, saying a note let him there. When directly facing the camera, he suddenly notices the automatic face recognition not only focusing on his face but a spot behind him as well.

The scene cuts to Wu Xie summarizing how Wang Pangzi, Zhang Qiling and he explored the Seven Star Palace, the Paracel Underwater Tomb, Mount Changbai and the Heavenly Palace. At the end of their journey, they found the Bronze Gate, where Zhang Qiling left them to go through the gate without anyone knowing what was expecting him.

Wu Xie is sleeping beside a hospital bed with Wu Sanxing slowly getting up and trying to get away. Disguising as a doctor he almost makes it out of the hospital, despite his injuries, when Wu Xie, woken up by Wang Pangzi's arrival in the room, throws a package at him, knocking him down. They return to the hospital room and Wu Xie tries to find out the truth about the Paracel Underwater Tomb exploration and everything that happened, not having been able to ask his uncle since he was unconscious and only just woke up. Wu Sanxing says his head hurts and he does not remember.

They are distracted by the package from Golmud City, Qinghai, delivering two unmarked video tapes. It is presumably sent by the missing Zhang Qiling. Wu Sanxing helps them get a VHS device to play the videos and tries to get Wu Xie's empathy and avoid discussing the expedition. After postponing the discussion for later, Wu Xie, his uncle and Wang Pangzi watch the tapes together. After 20 minutes of static, Wang Pangzi argues there being nothing on it but they decide to continue. They change to the second tape and wonder if there is a message hidden in the static. They are all shocked when suddenly a picture of a woman appears. It is Huo Ling, another researcher from the Paracel Underwater Tomb expedition. Wu Sanxing remarks how it is strange that Huo Ling looks exactly the same between the video from 1997 and the original expedition photograph of 1985.

After watching the video tape, Wu Sanxing argues for his nephew to leave the mystery alone and they are disturbed by a phone call from Ning. Wu Xie keeps the call a secret and Wu Xie and his uncle get into an argument about the tapes and Wu Xie uses the chance to switch the tapes for empty ones. He leaves the false tapes for his uncle and leaves with Wang Pangzi to meet Ning. She presents them with two additional video tapes, supposedly send to her by Wu Xie himself from Golmud City as well. Wu Xie claims never having been there and Ning tells them she was sure they had not sent them to her. When watching the tapes they see a strange figure crawling on the ground. In the second video, they see the figure approaching the video camera and realize it is Wu Xie. They wonder what happened 10 years ago when the tapes were made.

While Wu Xie and Wang Pangzi meet with Ning a figure in black, revealed to be Zhang Qiling crosses in front of Wushanju but he does not enter to meet his friends. He continues on his way, followed by Hei Yanjing. The later calls Ning, telling her the mission will get more expensive, but she agrees to paying him double and Hei Yanjing continues following Zhang Qiling. He is discovered and after a short fight between them, Hei Yanjing escapes. Zhang Qiling manages to get a name card from him stating "Jolly Good Time Blind Massage, Qi Da Nei". It is revealed to be a side business of Hei Yanjing and Zhang Qiling searches for him there. Hei gives him a name card for Hendry Cox and asks if Zhang Qiling will follow the clue. Zhang Qiling leaves with the card.

Despite the shock they just got, Wang Pangzi leaves towards Beijing, leaving Wu Xie with Wang Meng. Wu Xie figures out another clue in the tapes and finds a key and a note with an address in Golmud City in the tape casings themselves. He leaves for Golmud City and enters the Golmud Sanatorium. There he finds the same background as shown in the video and experiences the scene at the beginning of the episode. When turning around to the second focus point, nothing is there and Wu Xie continues on throughout the sanatorium. He finds room 306 and unlocks it with the key. After forcefully opening the blocked door, he falls through and encounters a strange shape in a bed. He searches blindly for his flashlight under the bed and a pale hand appears, missing him in the last moment before he finds the flashlight. In the closet, Wu Xie finds a hidden staircase going down. The pale figure follows him. He slips and falls down the staircase. After turning on the emergency light in the basement, he finds an old coffin and prays to it, hoping that for once he won't wake up another corpse. He finds the room where Huo Ling was seen on the video tape and finds Chen Wenjin's notebook. She explains that three packages of tapes were sent out if the owner is no longer able to reach Chen Wenjin, either because she is dead or "it" has reached her. Wu Xie wonders about who the third receiver and what "it" is.

Wu Sanxing attends a Chinese dance performance of Xie Yuchen, together with Huo Xiuxiu. Xie Yuchen talks with Wu Sanxing about events that happened that caused the tragic death of many members of the Old Nine clans: most notably the elders of the Xie Clan, Wu Laogou, Er Yuehong and Zhang Qishan. He asks what the elders have been doing about it, only to be told by Wu Sanxing to talk to Huo Xiuxiu's grandmother. Wu Sanxing asks for the younger Clan generations to keep out of the past, since his generation did all they could to tie up loose ends. Xie Yuchen tells Wu Sanxing he found the yellow silk showing the path to Tamutuo.

## Characters

* Wu Xie
* Wu Sanxing
* Wang Pangzi
* Zhang Qiling
* Xie Yuchen
* Huo Xiuxiu
* Hei Yanjing
* Ning
* Huo Ling (transformed)

## Locations

* Golmud Sanatorium
* Wushanju

## Artifacts & Treasures

* Chen Wenjin's diary
* Chen Wenjin's video tapes
* Yellow silk with route to Tamutuo (missing two porcelain pieces)