Chapter 9

Carl, Donut, and Samantha exit the saferoom in Havana and begin exploring the floor. They navigate the illusory city populated by ghost tourists whose clothes can be stripped away, witness chain-reaction car crashes forming across the island, encounter their first monster—a bizarre Che Guevara-headed creature called an Experience—and prepare to meet three other crawlers who have appeared in the area.

Carl receives the squad flag—embarrassingly tacky heart-patterned boxers—and prepares for exploration. Bomo locates two stairwell positions on the floor; Carl plans to scout the second one to determine if other crawlers are present. Before departing, Carl sets traps around the saferoom exit and decides to leave Mongo behind in the city. Exiting into Old Havana at dawn, Carl immediately encounters the peculiar mechanics of the floor: NPCs and tourists are present as illusory figures, their clothes physically present and removable when contacted. Carl strips items from passing tourists, including a phone and wallet from a man named Bingwen Zou. Carl directs Samantha to scout south as a reconnaissance specialist while he and Donut head east toward the second stairwell near Miramar. As they navigate the crowded streets avoiding direct contact with NPCs, car crashes begin cascading throughout the city—Katia reports a Nykur crash-starting collisions in her area, while Imani and Elle experience similar phenomena. Donut advocates for intentional roadblocks away from saferooms to concentrate crashes. Carl jogs along the coastal highway, noting stranded floating heads and arms as clothes are torn away. Near a seaside park, a red-tagged monster appears: an Experience creature—a massive-headed, bearded man (resembling Che Guevara) wearing a magical red beret atop a dog-like body that barks in human voice. Donut defeats it using fireballs, a Mute spell preventing its casting, and a "Why are you Hitting Yourself?" debuff that causes the creature to bite itself until death. The monster drops a T'Ghee Card, a very rare utility card allowing temporary fusion of two monster cards, which can only be held by the squad leader. Donut claims the red beret as loot. As they explore the park overlooking the ocean, Carl spots sea serpents and seals in the water. Three crawlers—two human men and a cat-girl woman—approach from the east, greeting Carl while Donut expresses disgust at the cat-girl's hybrid form.