Yeah, at this point, it is pretty clear that I have to A) fix that "stuck" bug and B) adjust the difficulty once the time is right. I haven't been able to properly replicate the bug yet so I have to dig in deeper. Probably B would be easier to tackle.
One thing it makes me happy is, though, everyone is really trying to survive as long as possible! (Otherwise, the difficulty increment wouldn't be a problem). So, it's a learning thing for me and I really appreciate this whole feedback.
Thank you very much for giving it a shot :D