Universe Infinite Canteen

Ma Lu had wanted to stay in the secret chamber a bit longer to see if the Pointy Hat had left any other papers, but when he glanced at the Chessboard Map, he noticed a cluster of Xiao Hong dots approaching their location.

Those dots moved quickly. When Ma Lu first spotted them, they were more than five hundred squares away, but in less than half a minute, the distance between them had shrunk to less than three hundred squares.

And from their names on the map, he could tell they weren't all Energized Plants, or to be more precise, not Energized Plants at all.

Ma Lu made a snap decision, leading the four witches out of the secret chamber, then used a passphrase to command the boulder to close again.

He had originally wanted to use the Chessboard Map to plan a route of escape back to the rock wall where the Aircraft was parked.

However, after checking the position of those dots, he abandoned that idea; those creatures had them completely surrounded from all sides, with a threatening momentum.

Seeing this, Ma Lu simply used the giant rock as a base for Yun Que and the others to adjust their formation and took a defensive stance.

It took less than two minutes for that unwanted company to arrive in front of them.

By their clothing and attire, they should all be Fallen Witches.

Ma Lu recalled the task he had on his person. Since the Church had requested the Knight to investigate the Redstone Grand Canyon, they must have received some kind of tip-off.

Therefore, he had been somewhat prepared to encounter members of the Witch Alliance here, just not expecting so many.

There were seven that appeared in his line of sight, with an additional three hiding in the shadows. Explore more at empire

But Ma Lu didn't panic too much, because he had an ace up his sleeve.

Ma Lu then turned to the Ouroboros Serpent beside him and said, "Go, it's your turn to take the stage."

Unexpectedly, the Ouroboros Serpent shook her head, "Not many within the Witch Alliance know of my identity."

"What?" Ma Lu exclaimed in surprise, "Then what about the secret signal? You should know that, right? You've delivered supplies to the Fallen Witches in the forest before."

"The secret signal changes; my contact person hasn't sent me a message in a long time."

"..."

Ma Lu hadn't expected the classic moment of "I'm a police officer, who would know." from "Infernal Affairs" to happen to him.

He still didn't give up, "So you don't have anything at all that can prove your identity?"

The Ouroboros Serpent shook her head again, "If I had such a thing, do you think I would still be alive until now? And even if I did have it, it might not work."

"What do you mean?"

"After the Shrike died, the Fallen Witches completely splintered. I got word that some people want to replace the Shrike and become the new leader of the Witch Alliance. However, there are several contenders, and no one has the prestige like Shrike's to keep the rest united.

"Moreover, after that battle we lost so terribly, many wavered in their hearts, choosing to leave and seek other paths, so they might not even recognize my previous identity," the Ouroboros Serpent quickly added.

After hearing her, Ma Lu's brows instantly furrowed, but before he could ask more, the group of Fallen Witches had already arrived in front of them.

The leader was a burly woman with a face like a man's, known as Baldy. In her hand, she gripped a metal chain, with the other end fastened to a Yellow Meat Tuber Gnasher.

What was strange was that the Yellow Meat Tuber Gnasher didn't attack her and only when it saw Ma Lu and the others did the leaves on its body unfold, turning into a large mouth.

If it wasn't for Baldy holding it on a leash, it would probably have already pounced.

"Hold on, my little greedy cat, there will be a chance for you to feast later."

The Bald Woman blew a whistle and then sized up Ma Lu with her eyes, "A Church's iron-clad executioner."

Pausing briefly, she scanned Yun Que and the others, sneering, "And his little lapdogs, tsk tsk, quite the rare guests indeed."

"Chief, why waste words on the Church's dogs? Since they've come to our territory, just feed them to our pets, as revenge for the Shrike," a Fallen Witch yelled.

"Why are you all so impatient," the Bald Woman said, "Life in the mountains is so boring, and it's not every day we get some entertainment, so why end it so quickly?"

The Fallen Witches behind her seemed to fear her greatly. As she made her stance clear, the voices of the others immediately disappeared.

Then the Bald Woman's gaze returned to Ma Lu, raising her eyebrows, "Hey, Knight, do you want to live or die?"

"Of course I want to live," Ma Lu said.

"That's easy enough, just do as I say, and I guarantee you won't be harmed," the Bald Woman said, "I always keep my word."

"You're willing to let us go?" Ma Lu asked, somewhat surprised, not expecting her to be so agreeable despite her unattractive appearance.

Only to hear the Bald Woman correct him, "You, not you all."

"What about my witches, then? Are you planning to let them join you as well?"

"No, I have enough people as it is, and resources are tight," the Bald Woman said nonchalantly, "I want you to kill them."

"What?" Ma Lu couldn't believe his ears until the Bald Woman repeated it.

"I want you to kill them."

"Why? They are witches just like you."

"No, once they have collars, they're nothing but your knights' dogs," the Bald Woman pointed to the Ring of Order on Yun Que's neck, "Their lives and deaths are in the hands of the Church, and I can't trust people like that."

The Ouroboros Serpent couldn't help but say, "Have you forgotten our belief? The Shrike promised to free all witches, those within the city and those beyond. Eventually, we will all be free."

"I am not the Shrike," the Bald Woman responded coolly, "She's dead, and who knows, she might have died because of a traitor. I won't make her mistakes.

"Now I call the shots outside the city, and I don't like you collaborators. You may already have our blood on your hands, and if not now, inevitably in the future. It would be better to die sooner than later."

After finishing, she urged Ma Lu, "You better start quickly, my patience is limited, and this should be easy for you, just moving your fingers will do it."

"Do we have to come to this?" Ma Lu sighed.

"This place isn't for bargaining," the Bald Woman extended the chain in her hand, and the Energized Plants lunged forwards a few steps, nearly reaching Ma Lu.

"Alright then."

While they had been conversing, Ma Lu had already completed the preparation work needed before taking action, which included but was not limited to planting flags, adjusting formations, and tossing out the Slow Trap.

Without further ado, he pulled out the Blue Mini Drill that he had obtained in the secret chamber, which looked like a weapon.

Pointing it at the Energized Plant in front of him, he decisively pressed the red button.

In the next moment, a red beam of light emitted from the metal head, striking the Energized Plant!

Then, its body began to shrink rapidly, going from the size of a full-grown Caucasian Shepherd to that of a fist.

In the end, it changed back into an ordinary yam.