How can I add automated figure numbers to the end of a sentence or paragraph?

[PhoenixAmour]

I work on instructional documentation where we have multiple steps of instructions followed by figure number call-outs to refer to the images below. What I need help with is how to have automatic figure numbers occur at the end of a sentence or paragraph so I don't have to change each and every one of them when I add in a new step. We have on average 50-100 figures so automation would be super ideal, especially if we have to delete a step or add on in mid-document.

[Peter Spier]

This is completely untested, but I'm thinking an anchored text frame containing a Numbered List paragrpah style and a single invisible character, such as a thin space, to trigger the list.

That said, in your illustration you have a callout for two figures at once, and the oly way I can see to that using this scheme would be to anchor a second frame inside the first anchored frame which seems impractical.

Have you looked at using cross references?

[PhoenixAmour]

I was hoping to avoid anchored objects for this as that could be impractical too. For a brand new document it would make sense, but if we have to go in and update an older document and those text anchors aren't present then it will be a ton of work to install a bunch in. I have tried using cross-references, yet again with having 50-100+ images to refer to, that can be a lot of cross-references to individually state and ensure no mess-ups. I was hoping there was a practical solution but perhaps there isn't one yet.