Complete Darkened Suburbs by using the three house computers marked on the central console, entering the M.E.G. basement and curing the Abandoned Outpost's Wretch with four bottles of Almond Concentrate. Take the resulting keycard back outside and use it on the exit gate toward Level 10.
The level has two different gate requirements. Computers unlock the central M.E.G. house. The Outpost keycard unlocks the route out of the neighborhood.
Reach the central console before choosing houses
You enter Level 9 through the cave progression and emerge into a dark neighborhood. Collect supplies from the nearby bench if needed, read the note and make your way toward the central gated house with the M.E.G. signage.
Use the console outside the gate to identify the three houses marked red. Those are your computer targets for this run. Their selection can change between entries, so a remembered house list from an earlier run should not replace the live map.
Match the marked positions to the surrounding streets before leaving the console. A short check of your orientation saves a much longer search through an unmarked house.
Avoid the Neighborhood Watch between buildings
The large eye-like Neighborhood Watch patrols the streets. Listen for its heavy footsteps and stay outside its direct view. A nearby house or sight-blocking cover is more useful than trying to win a long sprint along an open road.
Wait for a clear approach before crossing between target houses. If the entity is walking away, use that information to choose your next move, while keeping a route to cover in mind. Do not move straight toward the loud footsteps simply because the next objective lies beyond them.
The houses protect you from the street patrol, but some contain Wretches. Check the interior as you enter so the move from one threat does not place you directly in front of another.
Finish the three house computers
Find the interactive computer in each marked house and remain in the interface until its operation is complete. Opening the screen and leaving early does not complete the objective.
Wretches in these houses can see you. Use quiet movement, break their view and secure a door before committing to a computer where possible. They can open an ordinary closed door, so engage its small upper locking slider when you need it to remain shut.
After an interaction finishes, return to or recheck the console to confirm which red targets remain. Finish all three, then enter the newly opened central gate and M.E.G. house.
Do not head straight for the separate card-reader gate yet. The house computers do not supply its access card; the next objective is downstairs.
Read the Outpost procedure before luring the Wretch
Follow the basement route into the Abandoned Outpost and watch the informational tape. Its subject is the emergency shower and the Wretch that carries the card you need.
Your first task is to collect four bottles of Almond Concentrate from the Outpost and load the shower equipment. These bottles are objective materials, not ordinary Almond Water for drinking.
Find the bottles before starting the trap attempt. Trying to lure the Wretch into position while the shower lacks its full supply creates danger without completing the cure requirement.
The Outpost Wretch roams the corridors and can move through doors. Listen for it, peek before entering another hallway and use lockers or accessible vents to hide. You are gathering materials around the entity, not fighting it with the available tools.
Fill the shower and complete the cure
Once all four bottles are loaded, position the shower apparatus for the trap as shown by the in-level instructions. You need the equipment ready, the Wretch on the trap and the shower's spray activated.
Work through the sequence deliberately:
- Confirm that all four Almond Concentrate bottles have been added.
- Move the shower into its operating position.
- Lure the Wretch onto the trap or pressure-plate area.
- Activate the shower with the red control once it is positioned over the trapped Wretch.
- Wait for the cure and collect the keycard.
Do not substitute a bottle you are carrying for one actually loaded into the machine. Likewise, simply trapping the Wretch is not the same as spraying the prepared cure. Check the equipment's state if the sequence stops before the card becomes available.
In co-op, assign the lure and shower interaction clearly. A player moving the apparatus while another unexpectedly releases or attracts the entity makes it harder to control the sequence. Prepare the route and equipment before deliberately starting the chase.
Return outside and use the card-reader gate
After collecting the card, leave the Outpost by the route you entered and return to Darkened Suburbs. Use the console map if you need to identify the separate exit gate. Approach it with the keycard and unlock the way toward Level 10.
The Neighborhood Watch remains relevant while crossing the neighborhood again. Having completed the laboratory objective does not make the street patrol a harmless part of the return trip.
The gate sequence is now complete: three computers admitted you to the base, the shower gave you the card, and the card opens the next level. You do not need another set of computers after returning from the basement.
The October 29 update fixed an Outpost problem where the Wretch could become trapped in the initial M.E.G. corridors. Plan around the normal roaming entity and cure procedure rather than expecting that older stuck behavior to make the search safe.