Carl, Donut, Jurgen, and Prepotente enter the Lollipop, a crowded bar where safe-room rules do not apply. The place is full of racers, gremlin staff, and karaoke performers, including members of Team Yokai and the Minister of Blood-Letting. The casual, festive atmosphere contrasts with the floor's lethal stakes, and Donut immediately focuses on the music while Carl searches for their allies.

At Imani's table, Carl and Donut reunite with Imani, Elle, Florin, Louis, Britney, Bautista, Chris, and others, who congratulate them after Faction Wars. The group begins comparing race vehicles, and the discussion quickly shows how uneven the competition is. Elle and Imani complain about their hard-to-handle military carrier, Florin explains that he and Lucia drew a tuk-tuk but used their first-place reward on practical upgrades, and Carl realizes his own food truck could have been a much worse draw.

The conversation turns darker when Jurgen asks about Lucia. Florin admits that Lucia never took a deal and that, with the dogs gone, her personality shifts have become more unpredictable because random children trapped in her mind are surfacing more often. Jurgen responds with cold intensity, warning Florin that every race must be treated as essential and offering to intimidate any crawler rivals if direct competition becomes necessary.

Next, Carl and Donut discover that Elle has been saddled with Linus, a creepy soother tourist who hides under the table and obsessively collects her merchandise because the expected tourist program collapsed to a single attendee. The group then trades updates on absent racers: Zhang is struggling with Li Na after her violent heat, Tran is stuck repairing his damaged vehicle, and several teams reveal awkward or dangerous rides, including a semitruck and Louis's impractical lowrider SUV. Hearing how badly some teams are matched with their vehicles and upgrades leaves Carl increasingly uneasy about how brutally the floor can eliminate friends, even as Prepotente happily returns with the karaoke list and signs up to sing.