The chapter opens with an entry for Donut’s cookbook from Mees Koning 2, a half-orc mage marked as a player-killer after a spell accident. Mees explains that Donut’s brief kindness during Faction Wars gave him one of the few affirming moments of his life and helped him endure the crawl. In gratitude, Mees praises Donut’s inner and outer beauty and sends her a drawing that grants the spell Big-Ass Magnet.

Just before the next race, Carl goes to the pet stables and finds Dong with Porky, showing him Gonk the swamp yak. Rend complains when Carl appears but is distracted with frozen chicken patties, while Penelope eagerly joins in and Porky fixates on her in a way Carl finds unsettling. Dong, already physically failing, still frames the coming heat as one more worthy charge into danger, and he and Carl leave for the truck together.

At the starting line, Carl checks messages. Akuma confirms he is still on the floor but refuses further chatter, Zhang reports that Li Na has left the party and been disqualified, and Mordecai says the cactus signal remains steady, suggesting Li Na’s escape attempt is underway but not yet resolved. Donut is disturbed by Mordecai’s repeated warnings, Dorota offers blunt advice, and Carl focuses on the race lineup, noting nearby teams and where other allies are competing.

Inside the truck, Carl sees how precarious his crew is: Dong is near red health and suffering fatigue, Porky stays close to him, and Grigori is already nauseated by even slow driving. Dr. Metcalf finally analyzes the course map and reports that the route runs through an active factory from receiving to shipping, with mixed open and narrow sections, neighborhood bosses, and at least one chamber where molten metal covers the floor, forcing teams to drive on walls or ceilings. Based on that information, Carl commits to a tactical start behind the Lady Dominators with help from Osvaldo and possibly Prepotente and Jurgen. When the light turns green, Carl, Donut, and their passengers launch into the new heat.