With sixty hours until the Butcher's Masquerade, Carl reviews the automaton table and the recipes he copied from the production facility. He still lacks enough parts for most constructs, but he has finally assembled what he needs for "Spider Stalkers," explosive robot spiders. Because everyone will be teleported into the same area once the party begins, Carl decides killing as many hunters as possible beforehand is no longer optional. He and Donut join Katia's team for coordinated raids, while word spreads through crawler networks that the stranded hunters are vulnerable and can be picked off.

Mordecai and Zev are alarmed by the unprecedented number of hunter deaths. Zev explains that, after the brambles hit Zockau, the Syndicate Council barred new lawsuits naming the AI as a defendant in an effort to slow the AI's deterioration, which caused a new wave of legal challenges. Even so, the public recap shows are pretending everything is normal, and Mordecai notes that Borant is currently profiting while other parties lose money. This background confirms that the wider system is destabilizing even as the hunt continues.

Ten hours before the Masquerade, Donut talks about the costumes she has prepared and resumes complaining about Carl's earlier nipple-ring betrayal, while Samantha casually suggests murder. Their banter stops when Carl detects traps ahead in the dark rain and calls the group into position. Over chat, Imani warns that the brambles are closing in on the town, and Li Na scouts the target area: ten hunters are outside, one anti-air gun is deployed, one dangerous rifle user is present, five mushroom guards remain, and several more hunters are inside a pub. Carl is relieved that Vrah is not there but becomes cautious when Li Na spots a divine affiliation mark on the rifleman.

Carl explains why that matters. During an earlier raid, Carl unknowingly killed a hunter who worshipped Emberus, which caused Emberus to cancel Carl's boon, mark Carl as Shunned, double Carl's tithes, and threaten a smite if Carl killed more worshippers during the penalty window. Vrah had previously summoned Emberus to Zockau, allowing guards and some hunters to worship the god specifically to deter Carl's attacks. Li Na's racial ability to detect divine affiliations therefore becomes vital intelligence.

The team also discusses how the hunters are becoming harder to kill despite their levels staying mostly the same. Katia has concluded that the stranded hunters are now receiving sponsorships, which explains their increasingly powerful but user-restricted gear. Carl reviews the danger of pulse rifles, fragile but effective electric armor, and anti-air guns designed to counter Carl's missiles, Elle, Bianca with Prepotente, and similar airborne attacks. After Florin pushes everyone to stop talking, Carl gives the attack order: Imani will cast Dread after Ping, the seekers will move in, and no one will enter hand-to-hand combat until the automaton spiders detonate.

Because Carl still wants to avoid divine punishment if an Emberus worshipper dies, Carl has Donut activate the twenty preprogrammed explosive spiders so Donut will receive credit for any kills they make. Carl also programs two extra spiders with Samantha as their target and a five-second detonation delay after target acquisition. As Elle eagerly compares the coming attack to the Fourth of July, Carl begins by casting Tripper to trigger the traps and start the ambush.