Wade oversleeps and misses school. When he wakes, he logs back into the OASIS and sees that Art3mis has also cleared the First Gate. He flips through news channels and sees theories that he and Art3mis are working together, as well as an interview with Ogden Morrow, Halliday’s business partner, in which he says: “Anyone smart enough to accomplish what they have should know better than to risk everything by talking to the vultures in the media” (118).

Wade describes Morrow’s background: He married his high school sweetheart, Kira, on whom Halliday and the rest of their D&D group also had crushes. Morrow eventually left GSS amid rumors of a falling-out with Halliday. He retired to Oregon with Kira and founded a free educational game company for kids. A decade later, Kira was killed in a car accident. Morrow avoided the media for years until Halliday’s death when he held a press conference at which he stated that Halliday created the Hunt because he “always wanted everyone to share his obsessions” (121-122).

Wade calls Aech who is currently at the Tomb of Horrors, having figured out its location by observing that Wade wouldn’t have been able to travel off world. Wade gives Aech a hint about what’s to come inside the Tomb and signs off.