After meeting Ivan VI, Ma Lu decided to return to Zone 23 and focus on studying the newly obtained data.
He was most familiar with this area of the prison, and after the previous two skirmishes, the number of prisoners and machine guards in Zone 23 was significantly reduced compared to other areas, making it less likely to be disturbed.
Additionally, Ma Lu learned from the two female Ares warriors how they ended up here.
These Ares warriors had originally been disarmed under Ivan VI's orders and placed under the coalition's local custody, awaiting a military tribunal.
Anastasia had warned Javier Cruz about how dangerous those Skulders were, but Javier Cruz didn't take her warning seriously.
Not long after Ivan VI was transported to Prison No. 444, those Skulders re-emerged.