Austin began the final inspection at the ticket plaza.
The public notice listed 16,800 paid weekly admissions and explained the cap. It also stated that Floor Nine was not included in a standard pass. No broker’s flexible tickets remained in the system.
Xiaoyao showed him the ledger. “Every paid slot is full. We turned away three offers to oversell next week.”
“Keep turning them away.”
They checked Floors One through Eight in order. The belts stopped when the cords were pulled. The foundry press stopped at its light curtain. The chiller drains were clear. Golems yielded to people. Emergency exits opened onto safe routes.
On Floor Six, Guang Ming, Wu Nian, and Ling Yue stood beside their cleaning carts. Their eighty-two-day contracts were still active, with the remaining days and balances posted in the staff office.
Floor Nine came last.
The arena was clean enough to perform surgery on. Copper bars joined at the grounding pit. The three release plates responded only to a deliberate hand press. Overseer-04 confirmed that a locked formation could not be grounded safely without the linked fighters choosing to release.
