The furnace deck of the Ark burns with lethal heat. Marcus is the only one among three thousand workers who dares to charge barehanded into the melting core. He repairs the ruptured cooling pipes in District D and saves the entire area, yet suffers severe burns. Carried on a stretcher, he is taken to the celestial deck—a pristine, luxurious medical haven utterly unlike the hellish slum he has always known. Elena, the deck’s ruler, sees this low-class worker refuse painkillers and begins to doubt the Ark’s cruel hierarchy. Before her conscience can settle, Marcus is sent back to the furnace deck, discarded like a disposable tool. It is not his burns that break him, but Zoe. His sister’s condition deteriorates rapidly, yet the only effective drug is exclusively reserved for the celestial elite. Helpless and desperate, he witnesses her fading away and finally realizes the truth: the Ark does not protect lives—it selects which ones deserve to live. Then a low-ranking doctor whispers to him: “I can show you the medicine depot… once.” He once saved three thousand lives with no reward. Now, he will take what he is owed.
