Universe Infinite Canteen

The entire battle lasted less than three minutes. As the six-armed ancient ape collapsed to the ground, the remaining animals scattered in all directions.

Boggy and the others didn't give chase; their haul this time was already quite substantial.

Hunters from Great Curtain City ventured out into the desert not to wipe out all the animals, but to gather meat and materials.

Humans and animals have always maintained a certain peculiar balance in this desert.

Moreover, the hunters were still marveling at the extraordinary events they'd just witnessed—whether it was the six-armed ancient ape suddenly speaking or the miraculous "Universe Infinity" dish Ma Lu had prepared, it all left them in awe.

Boggy sent a few hunters to deal with the spoils of the hunt, while she approached Ma Lu directly.

"So, is this the crisis you were talking about?"

"Exactly." Ma Lu nodded.

"Does this mean you've won now?"

"Uh... not really. I couldn't beat it, and I still have no way to deal with it. Plus, it's definitely going to outlive me—outlive all of us."

"So you lost?"

"Maybe not," Ma Lu thought for a moment, then nodded decisively, "Yeah, I didn't lose. At the very least, intelligent life in the Multiverse can keep on living—for at least fifty years."

"What about fifty years later?"

"Come on, I'm the genius who came up with the 'Universe Infinity' dish in under two weeks! Give me fifty years to gather ingredients and hone my culinary skills, and I'm sure I can make another dish that will satisfy it," Ma Lu said confidently.

"What happens after you're dead?" Boggy pressed on, refusing to let it go.

"That won't be my problem. But I still remain optimistic about the future. Humans are actually quite capable—by then, I'm sure some other genius will emerge to solve the problem."

Ma Lu paused, "In truth, we've always been close to the apocalypse. The last time the planet I lived on almost got destroyed was just a little over fifty years ago."

"Are you referring to the Cuban Missile Crisis?" Yan Wu chimed in, "That was in 1962, more than sixty years ago now. I remember it clearly—two colossal powers on the brink of an all-out nuclear war."

"Even today, we haven't fully shaken off the shadow of nuclear conflict," Ma Lu continued, "And even if we manage to resolve the nuclear issue one day, I bet a new crisis will emerge. It seems we're destined to live under the sword of Damocles whether we like it or not.

"Maybe humans inherently carry a bit of self-destructive DNA—along with greed, arrogance, and all that... Hahaha, if you think about it, humanity is a real mess.

"But when it's truly the most dangerous moment, chances are rationality will prevail again. People will come together to communicate, negotiate, especially when no one can completely destroy the other."

"Communication is really important, even though arguing and pointing fingers can be so much more satisfying."

"I can't tell if you're a pessimist or an optimist," Boggy remarked. "But since the crisis has been resolved—or at least temporarily resolved—it's still something worth celebrating, isn't it?

"Come on, let's head back to Great Curtain. Drinks are on me."

"Sounds good!" Mr. Furball, who hadn't been of much use in the fight, perked up at the mention of drinking.

"I can perform a bike stunt," Flush your Pee chimed in, feeling bold. Otherwise, why would he have volunteered to trek thousands of miles to join Ma Lu's doomsday squad?

After grabbing Gnoll Ku Juzi by the throat and tossing him out back at the Aurora Trade Port, he'd felt a surge of primal energy coursing through him, as if the calls of his ancestors were echoing in his ears.

Originally brimming with confidence and determined to prove himself in the final battle, Flush your Pee didn't expect the enemies in this new plane to be so absurdly tough—one after another towering five, ten meters tall, or even massive monstrosities over twenty meters long.

The massive six-armed ape could shatter a small sand dune with one punch. Compared to it, the zoo champion Flush your Pee looked utterly insignificant.

Standing before it, he was like a tiny potato.

He figured that if he really got hit even once, he wouldn't even manage a yelp, so he chickened out decisively, abandoning all notions of ancestral summoning and fleeing straight back to the spaceship.

It wasn't until everything had settled that he climbed down from the ship, this time not empty-handed—carrying four thermoses, pouring hot water for everyone, and even handing out towels thoughtfully.

Now, actively volunteering to perform at the feast, he was determined to prove his worth once again.

His diligence even made Ma Lu feel a bit embarrassed, so he patted Black Bear's shoulder and consoled him.

"Don't worry. When I brought you along, I didn't expect you to be of much use anyway, so don't put too much pressure on yourself."

"Huh?"

Flush your Pee wasn't thrilled to hear that. What, being the mood booster doesn't count as work?

Entertaining everyone with his performances at the party might not be as important as fighting on the battlefield, but it was still indispensable—a vital part of celebrating victory.

"Get me a unicycle, and if I can't hype up the crowd, I'll take your last name!" Black Bear declared, thumping his chest.

"That won't be necessary."

Ma Lu, however, was indeed planning to unwind properly—spending a few days in the Giant Curtain and returning to Earth after that. Over the past two weeks, despite his nonchalant appearance, he had borne tremendous pressure.

Even he wasn't sure if his plan would work until the very last moment, when he finally confirmed the ingredients and completed the creation of Universe Infinity.

While Ma Lu and his group were busy immersing themselves in revelry, people in other planes of the Multiverse had also gradually discovered that the Skulders seemed to have vanished.

The creatures whose bodies had been controlled by them returned to normal, and everything seemed to have reverted to the state before the crisis had erupted.

Even members of The Grand Alliance, who had fled to Earth after catching wind of the impending disaster, quietly returned to their posts one by one.

Since Cosmic One couldn't take off without its energy core, they had spent exorbitant amounts of money buying tickets for smuggler ships. Upon their return, the first thing they did was contact journalists for interviews.

They tried to credit the resolution of this crisis to the strong measures they had supposedly implemented early on.

Dalia even directly claimed that her trip to Earth was a quest to find the successor of the ψ-Chef and save the Universe.

As the female minister passionately elaborated on the importance of perseverance before the camera, she noticed the male host across from her constantly glancing down, sneaking peeks at his personal device.

Although he tried his best to maintain a professional demeanor, in his thirty-plus years as a host, he had never seen anything like this. The hand holding his terminal trembled slightly despite his efforts to control it.

A sense of dread began to creep over Dalia. She gestured for her assistant to stop the interview.

But it was no use because the source of the crisis wasn't in the studio.

While enjoying a sunbath, Ma Lu had casually sent out his agreement with the Skulders. In a moment of clumsiness, he also accidentally uploaded a host of other videos.

Among them were everyday clips he had filmed, arguments at the restaurant involving Motti and Dalia, and various bizarre antics of council members and billionaires before the apocalypse hit.

These included, but were not limited to, inappropriate interactions with dolphins, pole-dancing exhibitions, and binge-drinking nuclear waste…

What could he do? Boss Ma had just bought a new phone and was excited about documenting life.