Carl, Donut, and Katia arrive in the production trailer for Odette’s show and find that Zev is gone. Loita, wearing a Bloom pin, has taken over as their primary PR handler. She orders Mongo, Carl’s book, and Katia’s backpack put away, revealing that the trailer’s secondary-zone rules suppress normal dungeon functions. Loita then informs them that Zev has been sent to a reeducation retreat after a personal tragedy and says interviews will now be more tightly controlled so crawlers get less outside information. She also announces that refreshments have been banned because some crawlers were getting illegal buffs from them.

On Odette’s show, Katia handles herself better as Odette jokes about Katia impersonating Carl during the rescue. Donut steals attention by turning the discussion toward the humiliating new snick video of the pig god encounter. Odette then shifts to the Death Challenge and explains that Carl’s initial survival odds were set at fifty to one, which shocks Donut and highlights how much Borant may have lost when Carl survived. Odette notes that the unusually deadly crawl is also producing unusually strong survivors, making the coming floors especially unpredictable.

Carl needles Odette about sponsoring Hekla, and Odette deflects by claiming it was her husband. When Odette begins asking about Eva and the train incident, Loita forcibly mutes her, exposing how aggressively the new administration is censoring the interview. During the preview for the next floor, the audience sees footage that Carl’s group is not allowed to view, and an off-mic fight erupts between Odette and Loita over the new restrictions. Once back on air, Odette says the fifth floor’s theme was chosen by paid audience voting and hints that Carl’s team should be grateful for their crafting tables.

After the show, Odette privately praises Katia and Donut, then admits to Carl that she herself, not her husband, was behind the Hekla sponsorship. She says Carl was right to call her out, implying there is more context she cannot safely explain. Odette almost says more about Chris before Loita silences her again, confirming to Carl that Chris is tied to some hidden issue. Back in the green room, Donut worries about what reeducation means for Zev, and Carl admits it likely means nothing good.

Instead of returning in person, Loita has the team transferred directly to a stark pre-floor selection chamber. Their interfaces remain limited, and they find two giant wheels that determine where they will go. As team leader, Donut spins the first wheel and lands them in the Air quadrant. She spins the second wheel and selects the Dirigible Gnomes, meaning the team must assault the Wasteland Fortress, a castle in the sky. A desert doorway opens before them, and they step toward the fifth floor knowing their next battle will be fought in the air.