Carl, Princess Donut, and Mordecai head toward the dead crawler marked on the Hoarder’s map. Mordecai explains that crawlers drop everything except unopened loot boxes, and that non-crawlers can loot bodies but cannot access inventories. Carl hopes the corpse might have usable clothing, while also urging Donut to practice using her claws because her magic missiles run out quickly.

Donut admits she is afraid of being hurt in close combat, despite her usual bravado. Carl teases her about her pedigree, and they continue through the corridor until they find the body at the edge of the Hoarder’s neighborhood. The woman is naked and stripped of gear, and Carl initially assumes goblins must have taken her belongings.

Examining the corpse reveals she was Crawler Rebecca W., level 3, killed by Crawler Frank Q., and left with only an apple core. Carl then notices the gunshot wound in Rebecca’s chest and realizes another crawler murdered and looted her. The discovery unsettles Carl, making him worry that other crawlers may be able to hide from the map and triggering an abrupt memory of Carl’s father demanding respect.

Donut first jokes that Frank Q. might be a cocker spaniel, then argues that they should bring him to justice. Carl warns Donut not to reveal their gear to other players, since outsiders cannot examine equipment unless they join the party. Rebecca’s death angers Carl, especially because she survived the dungeon only to be killed by another human.

Carl decides they will stay within the mapped neighborhood for now, hunt remaining red-dot enemies for experience, return to the safe room to watch the premiere, and then search for both the stairs and Frank Q. once the stairs open. Donut reverses her bravado when she realizes Carl is serious about pursuing the killer, calling him reckless. The chapter ends with Carl spotting three moving red dots nearby and leading Donut onward to hunt.