Universe Infinite Canteen

As Ma Lu tossed the red frog into the plastic bag they carried with them, the beast swarm stirred once again.

But this time, they lost their previous disciplined advance and retreat, becoming chaotic like headless flies, and even began to attack each other.

Nearly three weeks had gone by since the beast swarm started, and many of the wild beasts were already so hungry that their bellies were stuck to their spines, restrained by some force from hunting their usual prey.

Once the Beast Herding Frog disappeared, their animal instincts took over once more, and they began to tear at each other on the spot. Battles erupted everywhere in the city, quickly turning into rivers of blood.

Afterward, quite a few wild beasts ran to the vicinity of Gate 2, fighting fiercely over the red sand on the ground, forcing Ma Lu and the others to relocate further outside the city.

He Chengyu, who witnessed this chaotic scene, was not frightened but pleased, and he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

It was foreseeable that a significant number of wild beasts would remain in the city after this bout of infighting, but as long as no new beasts continued to pour in, it was only a matter of time before the remaining ones were cleared out.

It wouldn't be long before the hunters from Giant Curtain could reclaim the first floor and repair the entire city.

He Chengyu conveyed this good news back to the guild, and the people underground were also jubilant.

When the smell of blood had dissipated a little, everyone returned to the city to meet with the survivors from Golden Sword, still led by the four from Twin Sunflower Hunting Group, fighting their way back to Elevator 2.

The city council had not anticipated any team returning alive; according to their own assessment inside the Hunter's Guild, the likelihood of the three teams completing their mission was less than 7%.

However, their response was swift. After receiving the radio transmission, they quickly assembled another group of hunters, reopened the elevator, and set off to meet He Chengyu and the others.

And Speaker Chilaf, along with the recuperating President Yuzz of the Hunter's Guild, also rushed to the elevator to welcome the triumphant heroes.

The entire city was immersed in the joy of survival after the ordeal.

However, as the core figure who shone the brightest in this battle, Ma Lu did not return underground with Boggy and the others.

After regrouping with the people from Golden Sword, the countdown on his wristwatch showed less than half an hour remaining.

By the time he encountered the hunters who came to meet him, his time in this world had completely run out.

Back in the living room, Ma Lu eagerly opened the Collection Bag and took out the fresh ingredients he had brought back, preparing to put them into the desktop breeding farm for propagation.

These included 4 Red-bellied Rattlesnakes, 3 Angular Belly Black Swift Snakes, 2 Link Hedgehogs, 8 Tiny Spiny Leg Whip Spiders, 2 Seven-Toothed Giant Horn Vipers, 1 Lava Giant Lizard, 2 Earth Dragon Offspring, 2 Self-Destructing Jumping Mice, and one Black-Crowned Sand Dune Crane with one Beast Herding Frog.

Ma Lu had carefully selected these creatures, all of which were juveniles, and within their species, they were the lightest and smallest, weighing less than 200 kilograms in total.

Once placed inside the Collection Bag, their bodies seemed to freeze, losing all reactions to the outside world and the ability to think, only retaining the most basic vital signs.

According to Old Wang, these ingredients would "thaw" half an hour to an hour after being taken out of the Collection Bag, regaining consciousness.

The remaining 700 pounds of counterweight that Ma Lu brought was meat from the Seven-Toothed Giant Horn Viper, from that 50-meter-long 5-star venomous snake he had hunted.

Originally, Ma Lu did not intend to use such high-star ingredients for snacks, but he simply had too many high-star ingredients from his hunt this time, and moreover, he had nowhere to store them. Rather than letting the nearby wild beasts benefit, it was better to bring it back to make food and sell to diners.

As for the 7-star Golden Leopard, Boggy and his team took it back underground.

After emptying out the Collection Bag, Ma Lu moved the tabletop cultivation field onto the coffee table on the balcony, ready to put the fresh ingredients on the ground into it. However, after some thought, he took out his phone first and took several photos of the ingredients.

If one day guests from other planes of existence come to dine at Universe Infinite Canteen and question the freshness of the ingredients, Ma Lu could slap these pictures onto their faces.

But just taking photos of the ingredients seemed somewhat insufficient, so Ma Lu also handed his phone to Old Wang and squatted among the pile of ingredients, giving a 'yeah' gesture, and let Old Wang help him take a few group photos.

The thought that he might be the first person on Earth to hunt and attempt to domesticate animals from other universe planes was inexplicably exciting for Ma Lu.

This historic moment had to be captured in photograph.

Unfortunately, he could not bring back his handsome hunting outfit and the cool Villain Mask. Ma lu was now wearing an old T-shirt, beach shorts, and a pair of plastic flip flops that cost around ten yuan; standing there, he felt more like a poacher at the police station identifying confiscated goods.

But he was too lazy to go back and change his clothes. After taking the photos, he threw everything on the ground, except for the Beast Herding Frog, into the tabletop cultivation field.

Then he pointed to the Beast Herding Frog on the ground and asked Old Wang, "Do you recognize this thing?"

Ma Lu was just asking casually without expecting Old Wang to be able to answer, as Old Wang had already lost most of his memories. If necessary, Ma Lu even considered asking that werewolf at Jin Xin Hardware Store.

Yan Wu, when he was young, liked to roam among various planes. Since he could recognize the Earth Dragon, maybe he had also seen this kind of red frog.

To Ma Lu's surprise, Old Wang actually nodded, "I know, this is a Beast Herding Frog."

"Eh, you've heard of this name too?"

"Mhm, but I thought they were nearly extinct in the Multiverse, never expected there to be any left."

"What, did their numbers dwindle because they were too dangerous and were wiped out by The Grand Alliance?"

"That's not quite it," Old Wang said, "although they indeed bring certain troubles to the indigenous inhabitants of the planes they're in, the reason for their near extinction is mainly due to their value, which attracted the attention of some people."

"What do you mean?"

"Although the eggs of the Beast Herding Frogs aren't edible for humans, in the eyes of other wild beasts, they are an ultimate delicacy and can help other wild beasts grow faster and even evolve. Additionally, this growth and evolution come without any side effects."

"Furthermore, the Beast Herding Frog is a natural protector of beast herds, an invisible beast king. It doesn't possess any attack power of its own, yet it can command other wild beasts. When a beast herd encounters an external threat to its survival, it will step forward, gather all the wild beasts, and exterminate those dangers."

"I see, so that's the reason for the beast tides," Ma Lu realized. Then another thought struck him, "You just said its eggs can accelerate the growth of other wild beasts and even lead to evolution?"