Infinity: Kill your way through the movie world.

Crowley lowered his hand, straightened the front of his suit jacket, and, completely unconcerned about the enemy's attitude, forced a smile: "I'm here, of course, to deliver a message and to discuss cooperation."

"Cooperation?" Sam's voice was as cold as ice. "As the Demon King of the Crossroads, you come to talk about cooperation with us, enemies we fought just days ago?"

"Whom do you represent, Lucifer?" Sam clenched his fists; the attack on Hell had killed many Witchers.

“Of course not. I’m only here on my own behalf to discuss cooperation with you, specifically with Chairman Lor.” Crowley turned to Wu Heng and bowed slightly, “and with anyone who is willing to stop Lucifer from going completely insane.”

Dean's gun swung, but he didn't lower it: "You think we'd believe that? You're the King of Hell, Lucifer's right-hand man, and you were commanding demons to attack us just three days ago!"

"It used to be."

Crowley's smile finally faded, revealing a genuine weariness on his always-masked face: "Before Lucifer decided to tear open the permanent rift and bring half of Hell into the real world, I was indeed his loyal partner."

He emphasized the word 'partner'.

Dean chuckled slightly upon hearing this.

“Okay, there was definitely an element of coercion involved; I had no choice.” Crowley spread his hands.

“But now,” he said, his voice lower, “this game has gone beyond my control. Lucifer is no longer satisfied with Apocalypse, no longer satisfied with playing that duel with Michael that was destined to end.”

“He wants to dominate everything in his own way. Our opinions are completely ignored. Humans, witchers, disobedient demons, and even disobedient angels in the future. He wants a world of complete obedience, and I,” he laughed self-deprecatingly, “unfortunately, belong to the ‘disobedient’ category.”

"Looks like you already have a criminal record with him." Sam narrowed his eyes. "Are you saying you were forced into it because you were afraid of dying?"

“Fear of death is a biological instinct, Sam,” Crowley readily admitted. “But it’s not just fear of death. Lucifer’s current state is very unstable. Tearing open the permanent rift has depleted some of his original power, making him more irritable and unpredictable.”

“If you continue to follow him, the outcome will either be becoming cannon fodder in his crazy plans, or being crushed by him in one of his fits of rage.”

He looked at Wu Heng: "So I came here, with intelligence, and my remaining little bit of value."

The room was quiet for a few seconds.

Dean and Sam exchanged glances, their eyes conveying doubt and unease. Crowley's words sounded reasonable, but this was Crowley; deception and betrayal were as natural to him as breathing.

Wu Heng broke the silence: "What do you want?"

He asked very directly.

“Protection.” Crowley answered directly, “Once the news of my arrival here is exposed, I will be a traitor in Hell. Lucifer will not let me go then, and Heaven will certainly not accept me. You know, after all, I am a demon.”

“The human world… I wouldn’t survive 24 hours without your permission.” He paused, then added, “Of course, there’s one more small request: after Lucifer is dealt with, Hell needs a new ruler, preferably someone more pragmatic.” “You want to be the King of Hell?” Dean sneered.

“I want to, but I don’t dare,” Crowley said sincerely. “At least not while Lucifer is still alive. I mean ‘after’, after Lucifer is sealed away, and not just by me, but by a new management team, more stable, more predictable, and more willing to maintain a certain non-aggression balance with the human world.”

Wu Heng looked at him for a long time, then slowly said, "Sealing Lucifer requires your participation."

Crowley's eyes lit up for a moment, not with the gleam of a successful scheme, but with the light of seeing a way out of a desperate situation: "I'm honored to offer my help. Whatever needs to be done, I will do my utmost to help, as it's in my best interest as well."

“Wait.” Dean finally lowered his gun, but his finger was still on the trigger guard. “How can we trust you? Why should we trust you?”

Crowley turned to him, placed his right hand on his chest, and gave an exaggerated but standard bow.

“Mr. Winchester, I swear on my last remaining, and scarce, demonic honor that I, Crowley, hereby formally break with Lucifer Morningstar. I will provide all the information I know about the source of his power, his weaknesses, and his current state. I will assist you in completing the sealing of him. In exchange, I demand the right to live and a seat in future negotiations.”

He straightened up, the fake smile on his face completely gone, his expression calm, revealing only an almost cold honesty.

This is the true face of the Crossroads Demon King; all the previous pretense, politeness, and gentlemanly manners were merely a disguise.

“You may not believe me, but you should believe reality. There are over five thousand demons attacking your lines. Lucifer himself hasn’t even joined the fray yet. Without additional intelligence and assistance, how long can you hold out? An hour? Two hours?”

He looked at Wu Heng: "And you should know that although you have obtained the four Apocalypse Rings that sealed Lucifer, they can only open the cage that sealed him, but it is difficult to imprison him in it. You need someone to provide you with some detailed information about Lucifer and opportunities."

Wu Heng was silent for a moment, then nodded to Dean and Sam.

“Let’s put aside our grudges for now,” he said. “Crowley is right. To seal Lucifer away, we need more faith. Even if we have prisons, how do we put a powerful criminal in prison? That’s a problem.”

Sam finally sheathed his dagger, but his eyes remained wary: "If we find even the slightest sign of your betrayal..."

“Then I’ll leave it to you.” Crowley interjected, his smile returning, but this time much fainter. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to offer the first piece of information: Lucifer hasn’t personally intervened yet not because he’s observing, but because he’s currently ‘feeding’.”

"He is absorbing the soul fragments of the high-ranking demons who died in the battle to repair the damage from the torn rift. This process will take about 47 minutes."

He glanced at the clock on the wall, which wasn't there.

"In forty-seven minutes, he will recover to a state where he can overwhelm all forces on the current battlefield. By then, if you haven't figured out a way to imprison him, things will develop in an unpredictable way, and that's definitely not what you, me, or any of the Witchers want to see."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear. (End of Chapter)