Chapter 66

Carl faces an impossible dilemma when Ren's squad cannot obtain a key to escape the Capitol building. After exhausting all options and realizing her squad's situation is hopeless, Ren makes the devastating decision to give Carl and Donut her best equipment, transfer her cards, and sacrifice herself by detonating a self-destruct device rather than fight them for the key.

Carl realizes that Donut holds both keys to the exits but can only access one before it becomes unusable in four and a half minutes. To give Ren a key, they would need to initiate a card battle and hope the system drops the correct key—a gamble they cannot afford. Carl considers using teleport traps to retrieve Donut, but all options present catastrophic risks. Rather than fight, Ren sits down in defeat and begins transferring her equipment to Carl: her flamethrower named Velma, rings, potions, scrolls, and the Knife of Frozen Tears—a weapon that can kill her pet Garret. She explains her dire situation: her squad member Khulan will kill herself after Ren is gone, having lost her entire family and everyone she knew. Ren chooses to end things on her own terms by stabbing Garret with the crystal knife to reset him and transferring his care to Carl, then giving Carl all her card deck and remaining gear. She reveals she intends to detonate a self-destruct device rather than let the showrunners dictate her death. Khulan and Ren share a final moment together, with Khulan providing instructions for Garret's care and weaknesses. Carl gathers the equipment as the building collapses around them and swears to Ren that he will make the showrunners suffer.