Chapter 72

Carl addresses the assembled crawlers before the final heat, offering solidarity and pride in their survival. Elle then reveals that the newcomer Linus is an impostor—a Valtay spy whose brother was the real Linus—by quoting from the real Linus's private essay discovered by his fan community. The impostor's cover is blown, his targets exposed, and he is ejected from the dungeon to face waiting allies of the crawlers.

Carl calls the survivors together and delivers a speech honoring their struggle through the deadly floors, acknowledging that some will die in the coming final heat but expressing pride in their collective resilience and bonds. He introduces Elle, who speaks briefly about her late husband Barry and plays Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" as a tribute. Elle then pivots to the real purpose of the gathering: exposing an impostor among them. She addresses Linus directly, revealing that the real Linus posted a private essay expressing compassion for the crawlers and mentioning his missing brother. Elle quotes from this essay, which the Princess Posse fan community discovered and shared. The impostor Linus is revealed to be the real Linus's brother, sent as a Valtay spy. Donut provides additional damning details: the impostor made numerous mistakes—leaning too heavily into sexual fan fiction, getting a tattoo wrong, and generally failing to match the real Linus's online behavior. Elle further notes that his poison plot would have failed anyway because the crawlers' healers provided immunity to those who drank the tea. When confronted, the fake Linus admits he never watched the show, was unprepared, and reveals his actual targets: Imani and Louis. Carl grips him menacingly, emphasizing that the crawlers have been forged unbreakable through their trials and that the Valtay have already lost. The impostor is ejected from the dungeon, knowing crawlers' allies await him at his vulnerable spaceship in Earth orbit.