Universe Infinite Canteen

The Hunters of Cyren and Twin Sunflower trusted Ma Lu deeply. Hearing his words, they said no more and immediately ran towards the Pink Whale Ship, even leaving behind the Hardened Golden Python they had just hunted.

However, before the ship could land, three Phantom Lower Mouth Batfish flew over from the sky, followed by four Lion-bodied Giant Eagles and more than a dozen Snake-tailed Giant Eagles.

The Female Sorceress was about to handle these uninvited guests, as she had done several times prior, when Boggy interrupted her.

"Strange, Lion-bodied Giant Eagles and Snake-tailed Giant Eagles are clearly mortal enemies. Whenever they meet, they inevitably fight. I've never seen them act together, let alone follow behind Phantom Lower Mouth Batfish."

"They may have been transformed into Skulders," Ma Lu warned. "Don't engage them!"

Boggy had already drawn her Electric Spear, but hearing this, she hesitated.

"But if we don't fight, how can we fend them off?"

"I can set up a Defense Barrier to block their attack," said the Wandering Sorcerer.

"However, the barrier can only last for 40 minutes, cannot be moved, and automatically fails if you go five miles beyond its radius. I can only cast it once every 12 hours."

Ma Lu glanced at the few large birds overhead; they were less than two miles away now.

The Wandering Sorcerer's barrier might hold them off, granting time for everyone to return to the Pink Whale Ship.

But these creatures would likely attack the ship afterward.

Over the past few days, sporadic footage of Javier Cruz and his coalition battling the Skulders had been circulating.

Ma Lu had watched it too.

Compared to a year ago, the Skulders' evolution and learning speed were astonishing. Even when soldiers from The Grand Alliance refrained from attacking them, Skulders would control nearby troops through suicidal assaults.

The Skulders' ability meant that as long as they died, they could control the body of their killer. If a killer couldn't be found, they would possess the nearest creature.

This strategy of "feigning injury" had completely shattered the coalition's psychological resilience, forcing a full-scale retreat.

Throughout the history of The Grand Alliance, even the fabled Gates of Hell, known for potentially annihilating an entire Plane, had never seemed so utterly despair-inducing.

If these Skulders employed the same tactic against Ma Lu and his group, even with the ship separating them, they wouldn't hold out for more than a few minutes.

"There's no time," Ma Lu took a deep breath. "We can't get back to the Giant Curtain now. We'll settle things here instead."

He turned to the Female Sorceress and said, "Please set up the barrier. Forty minutes should be enough."

"What are you planning to do?" Boggy asked.

"Cook."

"Huh?"

"Wait, Vice-Captain Ma Lu, you can cook?" The other Hunters looked visibly surprised.

"Recently learned," Ma Lu answered honestly.

"...…"

"But what good is cooking?" someone questioned. "The enemies are right in front of us; shouldn't we prioritize fighting?"

"Yeah," other Hunters echoed, "You can't determine the outcome without a fight."

Ma Lu shook his head. "Don't bother trying—none of us are a match for those Skulders. Charging in would just be throwing lives away."

After a pause, he added, "Don't act like those Ares people, always relying on brute force to solve problems. That's what led us to this point."

"Ares people? Who are they?" Another Hunter asked.

But this time Ma Lu didn't answer, as the Pink Whale Ship had already landed before them, and the Female Sorceress had finished setting up the Defense Barrier.

Ma Lu ran onto the ship and rushed to the kitchen, hauling out the ingredients and cooking tools he needed.

Meanwhile, Yan Wu and others lent a hand, bringing out the grill, gas stove, wok—everything was arranged methodically on the open ground.

At first, the Hunters assumed Ma Lu was joking. But seeing him seriously prepare to cook made them look at each other in bewilderment.

After all, he hadn't been seen for months. Now, he showed up in an odd-looking aircraft, issued a stern warning about formidable enemies, then decided to leisurely start cooking—all of which struck them as absurd.

Luckily, those three Phantom Lower Mouth Batfish and the group of Giant Eagles hadn't taken the opportunity to attack—or so it seemed. They had already made their move.

Yet, before reaching the ground, some invisible force deflected them, causing their bodies to tumble sideways without taking any damage.

The unconvinced Giant Eagles adjusted their positions and strike angles, attacking again. The outcome, however, didn't change—they were still deflected away.

More and more Hunters noticed the bizarre phenomenon and began exchanging whispers.

Ma Lu, however, had closed his eyes, ignoring the external world and taking a deep breath. Although the situation was dire, he tried to relax his mind as much as possible.

During his recent practice, he discovered that his cooking success rate greatly improved under a relaxed state of mind.

Ma Lu knew he couldn't afford mistakes—this time, he had to succeed.

He imagined himself back in the Universe Infinite Canteen's kitchen, with Old Wang standing beside him, correcting his every step.

About half a minute later, when he felt his heartbeat return to normal, he reopened his eyes and began moving.

Ma Lu used a total of 121 ingredients for this dish.

He specifically chose a large wok, but before he officially started cooking, he had to pre-process all 121 ingredients.

Some had been prepared earlier aboard the ship, while others needed to be handled onsite to ensure freshness.

The Chef's Knife danced across his fingers, slicing, shredding, peeling, chopping, scoring, splitting, carving, filleting, sculpting—twelve techniques effortlessly at his command.

Unlike when he participated in the God of Cooking Competition and completely entrusted his arm to Old Wang to manipulate...

This time, while Old Wang still assisted, Ma Lu had gradually developed a partnership with him, no longer just a puppet. His movements were fluid and seamless.

The Hunters, initially worried about the enemies surrounding them, gradually found their eyes drawn to Ma Lu's actions.

Boggy hadn't anticipated cooking to be so mesmerizing. During her hunting trips, she typically made do with biscuits, jerky, and water.

Even in the city, she never paid much attention to cooking. To her, food meant getting it cooked—no need for fancy preparation.

But now she couldn't help but feel shaken.

Watching Ma Lu cook felt as thrilling as witnessing a top-tier symphony or reading a literary masterpiece—maybe even more satisfying.

Even amidst their precarious situation, everyone's nerves seemed to relax in sync with Ma Lu's movements. Even the predatory birds overhead appeared affected and stopped striking the Air Wall.