As the fourth heat is about to begin, Dr. Metcalf analyzes more than forty possible routes to the pit stop at Upano. Dr. Metcalf explains that the safest path is much longer, while the most direct route cuts through dangerous jungle and even passes a Temple of the Exploding Snake Goddess. To balance speed and survival, Carl accepts a middle option: start on the direct path, cross a shallow piranha river, skirt a cannibal village, and then rejoin a dirt road, all to avoid boss monsters and side quests.

While Carl organizes the team’s lookout duties, Dr. Metcalf complains again that better upgrades would improve navigation and threat detection. Toxic rain begins outside, the grass starts sizzling, and visibility drops in the smoky haze. Because the containment bubble only blocks the air hazard, Olga activates the shield to protect the vehicle from the rain as Lucienne and Dwight keep screaming insults at the Dominators below.

Carl then realizes he has made a strategic mistake by entering the race without a concrete plan for dealing with Team Sparkles. He worries that the womantaurs may attack Sparkles over the previous race’s explosion and that Team Flamengo is also in a position to strike, which could get Corky killed. Since Carl believes Corky is crucial to larger events, he decides he cannot let that happen and reaches out to Osvaldo again, this time with a calmer, more apologetic message.

Osvaldo answers and reveals important information about the memorial crystals. Osvaldo says he originally had a quest from Tupa to collect a crystal when Imogen died, but after taking it, Tupa declared the crystal corrupted or wrong. Osvaldo later found a second crystal during Faction Wars for Ysalte, but that one was also rejected, and Osvaldo now has a new quest to discover why the memorial crystals are not working. Osvaldo also explains that he gave one of the crystals to Prepotente, meaning Carl had misunderstood that earlier exchange.

As Carl presses for more details, physical tension rises inside the vehicle. Quemada suddenly radiates heat and begins sobbing, telling the others that she no longer knows what is real or whether any of it matters. At the same time, Osvaldo names Ysalte as the god tied to his second crystal and bitterly tells Carl that everyone who comes near him seems to die. With the traffic light turning yellow and only seconds left before the start, Carl is left with new revelations, new guilt, and no time to process either.