As a symbiotic being, I raise children amidst the chaos.

"Daddy, come back soon!" On the other side, Kiana on the terminal screen waved her chubby little arms at Siegfried with a bright smile, her big eyes blinking adorably.

Standing behind Kiana, Cecilia gazed at the little girl with a gentle smile, her beautiful face radiating maternal love.

"Okay, okay, my darling daughter! You must be a good girl and listen to your mother at home~" Looking at Kiana's innocent and lovely appearance, Siegfried's slight tension from the upcoming mission to the moon instantly vanished.

His face was beaming with a doting smile, his eyes filled with deep love for his family. "When Daddy returns triumphantly from the distant moon, he'll definitely bring back some beautiful stones from there as a gift for my dearest Kiana!"

As Siegfried spoke, he playfully made a face at Kiana. His exaggerated, comical expression immediately elicited a clear, melodious laugh from Kiana, as sweet as a silver bell.

“Oh dear, who would bring a stone as a gift for their own little girl?” Cecilia shook her head slightly upon hearing Siegfried’s words, but a faint smile remained on her lips.

Then, he slowly extended his right hand and gently stroked Kiana's soft hair, saying softly, "Alright, Kiana, go play over there for a while."

“I want to... have a few words with your father alone…” Upon hearing Cecilia’s words, Kiana blinked her big eyes and then obediently nodded her cute little head.

Then, like a little bird, she lightly leaped down from Cecilia's embrace and skipped and hopped towards the door of the room with light steps.

As Kiana's figure gradually disappeared behind the door, Cecilia slowly turned her head and placed her worried gaze on Siegfried.

After a moment of silence, she finally spoke, "Darling, this time you're going to the moon..." However, before she could finish her sentence, Siegfried interrupted her without hesitation.

Siegfried smiled confidently, scratched the back of his head gently, and said reassuringly, "Alright, my dear wife, don't worry, don't worry!"

"The leader of Anti-Entropy has arranged everything perfectly." Siegfried emphasized this, seemingly to reassure Cecilia.

But as Siegfried continued, his voice unconsciously lowered, "I will definitely come back safe and sound, if nothing unexpected happens, if..."

At this point, Siegfried suddenly lowered his head slightly, deliberately avoiding Cecilia's concerned gaze, as if he didn't want her to see his true expression at this moment.

"If I hadn't come back..." This unfinished sentence weighed heavily on Siegfried's heart like a dark cloud, instantly turning the warm atmosphere into a somber one.

The latter's voice was so faint, like the flutter of a mosquito's wings, that even Cecilia couldn't make out what he was saying.

“You…” Just as Cecilia was about to ask, full of doubt, she suddenly realized that Siegfried had already hung up the call.

Staring at the black screen of the terminal in his hand, Siegfried clenched his fist tightly. He inwardly regretted, "As expected... I still couldn't say it..."

At this moment, countless complex emotions surged into his heart like a tide. Siegfried knew that he bore a heavy responsibility, but faced with the predicament before him, those words seemed to be stuck in his throat, and he could not utter them no matter what.

'How could you do this, Siegfried? You're a grown man! How can you let your family worry about you every day because of some minor difficulties!'

Thinking of this, Siegfried felt his whole body filled with power, and his previously somewhat dejected expression instantly became resolute.

He suddenly stood up, slapped his cheeks hard with both hands a few times, then turned around and looked at the huge mech in the center—Alahato.

"Alright! Let's seize this momentum, finish the mission in one go, and go home!" Siegfried silently encouraged himself.

Meanwhile, on the other end, Cecilia also stared silently at the terminal in front of her, remaining silent for a long time.

From Siegfried's brief and vague words, the former keenly sensed something amiss.

The vague sense of worry cast a shadow over her heart.

"Husband... no matter what hardships and obstacles we may encounter in the future, I will always be by your side, never leaving you. And our lovely daughter Kiana, our family will always be together!" Cecilia silently made a vow in her heart.

--------

On February 10, 2000, night fell over North America. With only ten minutes left before the launch of Alahato, a tense atmosphere permeated the entire launch site.

After six hours of arduous work by the research team, they finally succeeded in loading Allahato into the giant rocket.

Every step and every operation requires extreme precision and care, because any tiny mistake could lead to the failure of the entire mission.

Once the rocket successfully lifts off and leaves the atmosphere, its outer shell will automatically detach according to a pre-planned schedule. This design not only significantly increases flight speed.

It can also help Allahato save a lot of precious fuel resources, just like shedding a heavy coat.

"Countdown begins. Activate internal automatic control system... Return to home control, ready. Guidance control, ready. Flight dynamics control, ready." Einstein's voice clearly entered Walter Young's cockpit through the communication equipment.

The latter sat upright in his seat, his hands gripping the joystick tightly, his eyes intently fixed on the complex instrument panel and screen in front of him. Upon hearing the instruction, Walter Young quickly pressed several buttons.

"17 seconds to go, handing over to internal control... 15, 14, 13... 3, 2, 1. Launch!" With a deafening roar, the rocket, like an enraged beast, roared into the sky.

The powerful thrust ignited the surrounding air, creating a dazzling trail of fire. In the night sky, this light resembled a brilliant shooting star streaking across the darkness, piercing the clouds.

Walter Young sat in the cockpit, feeling the pressure from the powerful acceleration, but he remained calm.

Time ticked by, and just a few seconds later, the rocket pierced the atmosphere at an astonishing speed. At that moment, the scenery outside the window underwent a dramatic transformation; the once pitch-black night sky was gradually replaced by the deep expanse of the universe.

With a slight tremor, the outer shell detached smoothly. As if freed from its restraints, Alahato instantly unleashed powerful momentum, hurtling forward at an astonishing speed.

Inside the cockpit, Walter Young stared intently at the constantly changing data screen in front of him. At the same time, he maintained close contact with the ground control center through communication equipment.

Time ticked by, and finally, Alahato successfully entered Earth orbit. However, the violent tremors did not stop there; instead, they crashed against the entire machine like surging waves.

Fortunately, after a period of bumpy ride, the vibrations gradually subsided and eventually stopped.

At that moment, Walter Young and Siegfried simultaneously received Einstein's last communication: "May your journey be smooth, and may all your efforts be rewarded. I hope... everything goes well!"

Meanwhile, on the distant moon, Sirin smiled, Bella standing close by. They stood silently on this desolate land, their gazes fixed on the slowly descending Allahato.

Dust billowed up, like a small sandstorm sweeping in, but Sirin and Bella showed no intention of dodging.

Suddenly, a figure peeked out from behind Bella's shoulder, blinking its eyes and curiously watching Alahato as he drew closer, muttering, "Oh, looks like our guest is about to arrive."

"It's time to prepare to welcome these 'friends' who have come from afar..." As he said this, a sly glint flashed in Chen Yuan's eyes. Bella nodded, indicating her agreement with her master's decision.

Then, Celine stretched and yawned. "Indeed, we should give this so-called 'traitor' a proper welcome... But now that I think about it, aren't I a traitor myself?" Celine chuckled self-deprecatingly as she said this.

Meanwhile, Walter Young walked calmly towards the hatch, stopped, and spoke in his usual indifferent tone.

"You should stay here and wait patiently for the right opportunity. As for me, I'll go and attract the Second Herrscher's attention."

Upon hearing this, Siegfried, who had just painstakingly put on his spacesuit, shouted anxiously, "Hey! Wait, why are you rushing out like this without even wearing a spacesuit...?"

However, before he could finish speaking, Walter Young pushed open the hatch without hesitation and strode out.

Watching Walter Yang's departing figure, Siegfried saw through his transparent visor as the man disappeared outside the hatch, and his expression was quite varied.

"Could it be... that a Herrscher can move freely in this space without wearing a spacesuit...?" Siegfried muttered to himself, his mind filled with confusion.

(Please give this poor author some free gifts!! A few clicks to urge me to update!! Thank you, readers!! Please~ Please~).