Universe Infinite Canteen

After meeting Ivan VI, Ma Lu decided to return to Zone 23 and focus on studying the newly obtained data.

He was most familiar with this area of the prison, and after the previous two skirmishes, the number of prisoners and machine guards in Zone 23 was significantly reduced compared to other areas, making it less likely to be disturbed.

Additionally, Ma Lu learned from the two female Ares warriors how they ended up here.

These Ares warriors had originally been disarmed under Ivan VI's orders and placed under the coalition's local custody, awaiting a military tribunal.

Anastasia had warned Javier Cruz about how dangerous those Skulders were, but Javier Cruz didn't take her warning seriously.

Not long after Ivan VI was transported to Prison No. 444, those Skulders re-emerged.

Under Javier Cruz's command, the coalition forces resisted for less than half a day before suffering a complete defeat. The unit guarding Anastasia, sensing the hopelessness of the situation, quickly abandoned their weapons and supplies and fled.

Anastasia and these Ares warriors thus regained their freedom. Not only did they retrieve their weapons and equipment, but they even stumbled upon a Star Destroyer.

The Ares Princess, relying on her familiarity with her old adversaries, left about a thousand Ares warriors to hold off the enemy while leading the remainder of her people to successfully break through the encirclement.

Their first stop was here—Prison No. 444—to rescue Ivan VI.

Anastasia hoped her father could regain his strength, reveal the truth to all citizens of the Multiverse, and lead the remaining armed forces in a decisive battle against the Skulders.

Her innate warrior's pride convinced her that the Ares people should die on the battlefield rather than anywhere else.

But Ivan VI refused. The emperor, having grown weary of endless wars, deemed such resistance futile and had no intention of leaving Prison No. 444.

When Ma Lu arrived, the two were arguing about this. The two female Ares warriors standing beside him also supported Anastasia, urging Ivan VI to reclaim his former glory.

Ma Lu thought it best not to intervene in such matters, so he casually nodded and mumbled a few vague responses.

One of the female warriors was curious about what Ma Lu intended to do with the data on the Skulders, and Ma Lu did not hide his intentions.

Upon learning that he intended to save the Multiverse through cooking, the female warrior smirked. Though she said nothing, it was evident from her expression that she found it hard to take seriously.

The Ares people, after all, mostly worshipped brute strength and could not easily believe that things unsolvable by fists could be resolved through culinary arts.

However, they had heard of the title "The Universe's Number One Chef ψ," so they still treated Ma Lu with respect.

When the Ares forces launched a surprise attack and successfully overran Prison No. 444, pinning Prison Chief Yuwen to the floor of his massive, over-400-square-meter luxurious bathroom and dismantling the security systems, chaos erupted throughout the facility.

Almost every prison zone experienced riots, with several lower-ranked zones reporting escaped prisoners.

The chaos began to spread uncontrollably.

Prison No. 444 housed approximately two thousand prison guards and another thousand administrative staff, a setup that should have sufficed to handle most attacks.

But their current adversaries were professional soldiers—the fiercest and most battle-hardened in the entire Multiverse—the Ares people.

In the first wave of combat, over three hundred prison guards were killed or captured. Afterward, Anastasia marched her forces to Yuwen's quarters, seized Zone 23, and took down another two hundred prison guards along the way.

Though the machine guards and their technological advantages helped maintain some balance, the prison guards, despite being outmatched by the Ares warriors, still had the upper hand against ordinary prisoners.

Especially among the thousand administrative personnel, including chefs, janitors, accountants, clerks, and doctors—if someone could issue them weapons and organize them, they could quickly suppress the rioting prisoners.

But Prison Chief Yuwen was currently out of contact, and the guards were completely demoralized by the unexpected assault from professional soldiers. Many of them were running around aimlessly; some even attempted to steal Plane Spaceships to flee the scene.

Ironically, they were no match for the energetic and fearless prisoners who had just escaped their zones.

As Ma Lu navigated through the facility, he encountered several skirmishes. Fortunately, the two bodyguards Anastasia had assigned to him were strong enough to protect him.

Moreover, neither the guards nor the prisoners wanted to provoke the Ares warriors. Upon seeing them, most would retreat from afar.

Nevertheless, to be safe, Ma Lu saved his progress as soon as he saw the green light.

Shortly after saving, he heard cries for help coming from the neighboring room.

Initially, Ma Lu didn't want to get involved, but the voice sounded oddly familiar to him.

He peeked in and saw a familiar figure cornered by a group of people.

Shaking with fear, the female doctor said, "Don't do anything foolish! If Prison Chief Yuwen finds out, he won't let you off!"

She then turned her pleading gaze toward one of the onlookers. "Captain Jose, please control your men!"

Jose grinned at her words. "Dr. Erin, you're as naive as ever. At this stage, you're still trying to use that old man to scare us.

"Those Ares rebels made a beeline for the Prison Chief as soon as they breached the facility. That vampire hasn't contacted us, nor has he triggered the self-destruction sequence for the prisoners. Do you really think he's still alive?"

"Th-then we should promptly call for reinforcements from The Grand Alliance..."

"I've already reported the situation here at the first opportunity," Jose interrupted her. "But you know how bureaucratic institutions operate—they'll need to hold meetings and deliberate before sending reinforcements. The fastest they'll arrive is in 72 hours. Also..."

"Also what?"

"Haven't you heard the rumors?"

"What rumors?"

"The end of the world is coming. What the Ares people have been saying is true. The coalition led by Javier Cruz has already been defeated by... those things."

"That's impossible..." Erin's eyes widened. "That's just the Ares people's hallucinations."

"It doesn't matter whether it's true or not." Jose began undoing his belt. "Anyway, Yuwen is dead, the prison is out of control, and the earliest restoration of order is still three days away.

"From the day you arrived here, it seemed like you've never shown me any respect. Looks like I'll need to teach you a little lesson."

"Captain Jose, what you're doing is illegal," the female doctor stammered.

"So what? By the time we're done with you, all we have to do is kill you and pin it on the prisoners before the reinforcements arrive. Who would know? A lot of people are going to die in this prison today anyway." Jose sneered coldly.