The Platform

Perempuán and Zamiatin are placed on Level 24, sharing a single cell in the vertical prison where two people sit per floor. A central shaft carries a platform loaded with food down through every level, pausing for two minutes at each floor. Robespierre explains the informal Loyalist vs Barbarian system and the rules meant to govern fair eating.

As days pass, prisoners on higher levels take food meant for others, sparking conflicts across the shaft. Perempuán and Robespierre struggle to defend their level and maintain some order amid the chaos. The supposedly fair Loyalist laws are tested by hunger and desperation.

Whispers speak of 'The Messiah', a figure who survived a month without food and sacrificed his leg to feed others on the lowest levels. His followers, the Anointed Ones, spread this message to legitimize Loyalist laws. The myth fuels hope but also deepens divisions between factions.

Zamiatin secretly shares some of the dead prisoners' food, violating the rules to help Perempuán. To shield her from punishment and challenge the system, he sets himself on fire and jumps into the pit. The dramatic act shocks the inmates and hardens Perempuán’s resolve.

In the next cycle, Perempuán is paired with Sahabat on Level 51. They ride the platform down to punish two Barbarians who have stolen or eaten others’ meals. The mission underscores the brutal enforcement of the food rules and foreshadows further violence.

Sahabat describes Dagin Babi, a brutal Anointed One who kills not only Barbarians but also Loyalists who break minor rules. They devise a risky plan to fake their deaths by consuming from an oil painting at a lower level, hoping the substance will make them immune to the knockout gas and enable an escape outside the facility.

When Dagin and his followers arrive to punish disobedience, they kill Sahabat and sever one of Perempuán’s arms. The brutal encounter reveals the depth of the prison’s violence and the cost of rebellion. Perempuán’s determination intensifies despite the personal loss.

The next month, Perempuán awakens on Level 72 with Trimagasi. She becomes disillusioned with Loyalist ideals and starts recruiting a group of Barbarians, not just to challenge the Loyalists but to search for a way to obtain the painting that could unlock a larger plan.

A bloody battle erupts between Loyalists and Barbarians, leaving heavy casualties on both sides. Perempuán and Trimagasi survive the clash, signaling a shift in power dynamics within the prison. The fighting tests loyalties and the willingness to defy the system.

After the battle, Perempuán locates the infamous painting and consumes a portion, hoping to secure an edge. She loses consciousness and awakens on Level 333, indicating that the balance of the prison has shifted dramatically. The painting becomes a potent symbol of both hope and peril.

On Level 333, gravity is suspended and workers in gas masks reset the prison's balance. Perempuán awakens to a grim, purgatory-like lower world where the living and the dead share space. She encounters a young boy and faces a moral choice about salvation vs. escape.

Deciding to protect the vulnerable, Perempuán sends the boy back up to the higher levels while she stays with the other prisoners below. She meets Goreng again, who is presumably her ex-boyfriend, suggesting a final, fragile reunion. The ending hints that humanity may endure in small acts of mercy even as the prison collapses.