Universe Infinite Canteen
Chapter 772 - 772: The Emperor and the Princess

"Where have you been all this time? Why haven't I seen you for nearly a week?" Ah Yi asked curiously.

"I... had some things to take care of," Ma Lu replied. "But now isn't the time to talk about that. What do you all plan to do? Are you thinking of taking this opportunity to leave Prison No. 444?"

"Gu Qi boss is planning to hijack a ship to escape, but I haven't made up my mind yet," Ah Yi said. "I don't have any family, and with the world-ending apocalypse coming soon, even if I get out, the happiness won't last long."

"I have a nemesis to kill," Gu Qi said, tensing his body to force the bullet wedged in his muscle out. "If I wait until the Universe is destroyed, I won't have the chance anymore. He has to die at my hands."

"Good, very spirited," Ma Lu said with a thumbs-up.

"What about you?" Ah Yi asked again.

"I'm going to find Ivan VI and try to save the world."

"We all have things to do, maybe we can travel together for a while," Gu Qi said lightly.

"Good idea," Ma Lu nodded.

"I don't have anything pressing, so I can join you," Ah Yi added.

And so, the three of them set off again. Along the way, they encountered other prisoners, some from the Black Dog Gang and others from the Polkana family.

The Black Dog Gang members all recognized Gu Qi as their boss and instinctively gathered behind him, while, surprisingly, the Polkana family members refrained from taking action against them.

Prisoners from Zone 23 were the first humans in the world, aside from the Ares people and the late Mometi Chairman, to learn about the impending apocalypse.

After a week of psychological adjustment, most had come to terms with this reality and regained their composure.

For these prisoners, their crimes had earned them a lifetime sentence in Prison No. 444; now, it was merely a transition from life imprisonment to execution.

Compared to ordinary people, their losses were not as severe.

However, with the Ares Army occupying Prison No. 444, many began to get restless.

Much to Ma Lu's surprise, most of them were not planning to take the opportunity to escape but were instead harboring an even more audacious idea.

After rescuing Ivan VI, that Ares Army would undoubtedly leave, and after this assault, the prison's armed forces would be at their weakest in history.

Some prisoners began plotting to seize control of Prison No. 444.

They planned to take over the prison, imprison the guards and staff here, and exact revenge for the punishment and torture they had suffered.

Normally, they wouldn't dare to attempt such a thing. If the news of Prison No. 444's fall reached The Grand Alliance, the Council would surely send troops to retake it.

But now, with the Skulder forces on the brink of invasion, The Grand Alliance was too preoccupied to spare time for a rebellion in a mere prison.

Although their plan was ambitious, they quickly encountered trouble.

The gates to Zone 23 were guarded by a group of heavily armed Ares Warriors, who would open fire indiscriminately at anyone who approached.

Ma Lu tried shouting to them, requesting to meet Ivan VI, but his only response was the incoming high-temperature plasma bullets.

Ma Lu was quick to react and ducked in time, but the prisoner standing behind him wasn't so lucky—half his body was melted away by the plasma shot.

The prisoners erupted in panic, but the Ares Warriors reacted faster. Once one started shooting, the rest followed suit, opening fire on the crowd.

The prisoners suffered a disadvantage due to their lack of weapons; apart from one lucky individual who had scavenged a plasma gun from a fallen Ares Warrior earlier, the rest were unarmed.

Additionally, they lacked the discipline of professional soldiers; after the initial wave of shock, they scattered in all directions as the encounter devolved into a massacre.

Realizing the situation was hopeless, Ma Lu charged toward the enemy under Ah Yi's startled gaze, only to be incinerated by the incoming plasma rounds.

Fortunately, Ma Lu had saved his progress at a checkpoint earlier, sparing him from having to start anew.

Upon his revival, Ma Lu gathered everyone together, questioned each individual's abilities and combat preferences, and organized them into squads.

The single plasma gun was temporarily assigned to a skilled sniper.

Though they were outmatched in equipment compared to the Ares Warriors, as some of the most dangerous felons across the Multiverse, their individual combat abilities were formidable.

Their superpowers helped to offset some of their equipment deficiencies. More importantly, with Ma Lu as a commander who could predict the enemy's actions with precision, the battle took on the nature of an infinite-reset tabletop strategy game.

Even so, facing Ares Warriors who were like human Spartans, Ma Lu still had to restart 12 times before defeating them.

Of course, the difficulty wasn't solely due to the need to defeat the 12 guards. Ma Lu instructed the prisoners not to kill their opponents outright.

After all, the Ares Army was still outside. If they were provoked into a rage, not even Ma Lu's strategic prowess could withstand a Star Destroyer Cannon blast.

Moreover, capturing this squad alive gave them leverage to negotiate with the Ares people.

Ma Lu took some time to save his progress again before leading the prisoners, escorting the captured Ares Warriors outside.

A short distance later, they encountered another team of Ares Warriors. This time, however, with weapons and hostages at their disposal, the prisoners managed to prevent immediate gunfire, resulting in a tense standoff.

Ma Lu stepped forward once again, shouting that he wanted to meet Ivan VI.

After a brief pause, a warrior who appeared to be the squad leader spoke up: "His Majesty is currently with Princess Anastasia. He has no time to see you."

"But I brought his favorite—Mama Jellyfish Crème Brûlée," Ma Lu said.

"What the hell is that?" the squad leader frowned. "Are you messing with me?"

"No, I'm serious. If you relay this message to your emperor, I'll have my fellow inmates release your men," Ma Lu replied.

The squad leader deliberated for a moment. Despite the Ares people's lack of trading expertise, he recognized the fairness of the deal.

"Wait here. His Majesty is in the library with Princess Anastasia. I'll send someone to inform him."

But after speaking, he changed his mind. "On second thought, why don't you come with me directly—if you have the guts."

"Gladly," Ma Lu agreed readily, confident in his infinite respawns. He followed the squad leader without hesitation.

Led by the man, the two approached the library located in the southeastern area.

The number of Ares Warriors stationed here was notably higher than elsewhere, making it evident how heavily guarded the place was.

The squad leader instructed Ma Lu to wait outside while he went in first.

It took less than two minutes before he returned, his demeanor noticeably more respectful as he addressed Ma Lu, "Please enter, Master. His Majesty awaits you."

No one knew what the emperor had said inside, but upon seeing Ma Lu again, the squad leader even used an honorific for him.

Ma Lu nodded slightly and stepped inside.

Walking past several bookshelves, he reached the central reading area. There sat Ivan VI on a sofa, and beside him stood a tall young woman with long legs, wearing a black nano combat suit and exuding a heroic elegance.

Without a doubt, she had to be Princess Anastasia. Her expression was one of frustration.

Ivan VI, upon seeing Ma Lu enter, stood up proactively.

"So you're the renowned ψ chef?"

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.