Chapter 22

Carl interrogates Madison about the Kravyad creatures and discovers station 60 is a fake settlement with no actual employee housing or families. Meanwhile, Katia reveals she found a PVP coupon with Carl's name that Donut hid, prompting Carl to investigate the coupons' origins with Imani. The group explores multiple stations and finds ghouls spreading throughout the system before abandoning Madison at the defunct station 60.

Carl receives a distress message from Bautista about a station mimic at station 433 that has consumed twenty people. Carl questions Madison about the Kravyad, learning they are blue, six-armed naga-like creatures that hypnotize workers and maintain them in a stupor between shifts using the gold armband system, which actually marks workers as acceptable to eat—a cruel productivity measure. Madison reveals the Kravyad are bound to an employee portal at station 435, meaning they must stay alive for the portal to function. Madison also explains that Doris at Substation B mismanaged the ghoul disposal system by routing them via roller coaster instead of dedicated conveyor line, and that Substation B has already fallen. While Carl communicates with his team, Brandy goes into labor in the furnace, and Carl interrupts a confrontation between Brandy and Madison over employment. Carl and Katia explore the trapdoor at station 24, discovering a large warehouse with five circular stairwells and ten exits leading to train platforms, including one labeled "Escape Velocity III." Katia privately tells Carl she has developed a third eye and can see behind her while walking. More importantly, she reveals Donut hid a PVP coupon with Carl's name on it under the tracks. The coupon would allow the holder to kill Carl for valuable rewards. Carl confirms with Imani that she also received PVP coupons and chose to discard them; Imani reports Donut contacted her about the coupons and wisely decided to get rid of them. Stations 36, 48, 50, and 58 are found to be mostly empty or tiny, while station 59 is a normal transfer station with 27 platforms instead of the usual three. Station 60, supposed to be a large employee settlement with dormitories and families, is revealed to be completely fake—just an empty warehouse with misleading stairs. Madison, realizing the promised settlement never existed, refuses to leave and insists someone (Rod, the CFO at Station A) will come to investigate. Carl and the group leave her behind. Donut recognizes Madison's personality as resembling Carl's ex-wife Beatrice's mother, who was also cruel and mistreated animals.