Chapter 31

Carl's group embarks on a high-speed truck chase through a sugar skull infested highway, racing against other teams toward a finish line. With invulnerability active and a custom-built defensive cage system, they deploy ghouls and potion weapons to battle waves of enemies while jockeying for position with rival teams.

The chapter opens with an entry from Luca Di, a Pastamancer who credits Donut and Carl with saving his life and his mother's on the fourth floor, allowing him to find closure with her before she fell during the bubble level. Luca expresses gratitude and forgiveness toward Donut for using the War Crime spell.

The narrative then shifts to the truck chase. With twenty minutes to cover thirty kilometers, Gluteus accelerates aggressively while Carl prepares the dual ghoul cages suspended on pulley systems designed by Hedy. The cages dangle from either side of the truck like wings, allowing the ghouls to deploy potion balls. Dr. Metcalf monitors the invulnerability timer. Carl discovers team Sparkles is in first place with a rocket attachment on their tumbleweed, while the Lady Dominators' car and Team Free Love's van pursue closely behind. Carl fires eight Denial of Service missiles—four toward One Fine Pig and four toward Sparkles—successfully coating Sparkles' shield in green slime and blinding them.

When invulnerability expires, two massive waves of sugar skulls tsunami toward the truck from both sides of the road. Carl raises one ghoul onto the truck roof and deploys the other to hurl Biscuit Pack potions, which create expanding foam barriers that harden instantly and trap enemies. Donut casts a powered-up Wall of Fire stretching for a mile at hundred feet height along the passenger side. The group pushes forward despite mounting enemy pressure, passing the slime-covered Sparkles team.