Chapter 15

Carl and his companions enter the Lollipop, a bar where karaoke is underway and crawlers gather between races. They reunite with their allies and learn what vehicles each team received, revealing that some teams like Florin and Lucia with a tuk-tuk are in serious danger. Tensions emerge around the unpredictable nature of this floor's competition and the risk of losing teams to elimination.

Carl's group enters the Lollipop bar, a crowded establishment with karaoke performances by various monster creatures, including a kappa named Dekoki and a level 98 Dark Ghoul Papist called the Minister of Blood-Letting. They navigate to a back table where Imani, Elle, and other familiar crawlers are gathered celebrating the end of Faction Wars. The group discusses their assigned vehicles for the race: Imani and Elle have a Mowag Piranha V military carrier; Florin and Lucia have a tuk-tuk, which Prepotente identifies as a risky choice; Donut and Carl have a food truck; Chris and the Erins have a semitruck with trailer; Louis, Britney, and Bautista have a neon lowrider that bottomed out in their first race, placing them second-to-last. Florin expresses worry about Lucia, who has been experiencing personality shifts and did not take a deal as promised. Jurgen becomes intensely serious, warning Florin to ensure first-place finishes and offering to intimidate other crawler teams if necessary. A soother alien named Linus, revealed to be Elle's sole assigned "tourist" and an obsessive fan, is discovered hiding under the table. The conversation touches on absent crawlers like Zhang and Li Na (who have a biological octopus vehicle), and Tran with his hearse. Prepotente signs up to perform karaoke, returning with a drink and the song list. The chapter ends with foreboding as Carl recognizes the precarious nature of the competition.