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

“Salome…” On the other side, Nicholas sat quietly on the roof of the car, gazing at the Babylonian Laboratory that was gradually receding from his sight.

Deep in her mind, the previous scene was frozen in time: on the vast snowfield, Salome's figure appeared so lonely and helpless. She stood there alone, as if she were the only person left in the whole world.

Nicholas stared blankly into the distance, his heart filled with a jumble of emotions, a complex mix of feelings.

The scenes she had experienced with Salome were now churning and surging in her mind like a raging tide.

Recalling the tension when she first received the evacuation mission, followed by the critical situation where Honkai Beasts blocked the exit of the hangar, the fear of being on the brink of death still lingers in her mind.

Then, Sirin's sudden appearance brought an unexpected turn to the whole situation, and there was that dramatic scene. All of this seemed like an absurd nightmare.

"You idiot..." Nicholas murmured unconsciously, tears welling up in his eyes. He was filled with remorse, regretting that he hadn't resolutely followed them.

The deep sense of guilt over not being by Salome's side was like a ferocious beast, almost threatening to devour her completely.

However, in the next second, without warning, a mysterious purple circular fluctuation suddenly appeared above Nicholas's head.

Nicholas instinctively looked up, not yet able to figure out what was happening, when he saw a big butt falling straight down on him!

"Ah!" With a terrified scream, Nicholas's eyes widened instantly, and his body involuntarily retreated.

However, at that moment, a figure fell straight out of the portal that was flashing with mysterious light, like a meteorite, without any warning.

With a muffled thud, the figure fell flat on its back in an extremely disheveled manner in front of Nicholas. Nicholas stared intently, then cried out in shock, "Salome... Salome!!!"

After he came to his senses, he rushed forward in a panic, his hands trembling as he turned Salome over as she lay on the ground.

The Salome before him was covered with a thick layer of snowflakes, and her once smooth and lustrous long hair was now disheveled, as if it had been ravaged by a fierce wind.

Fortunately, after a careful inspection, Nicholas found that Salome, apart from looking somewhat disheveled, did not seem to have suffered any serious injuries.

Seeing this, Nicholas's tense nerves finally relaxed a little, and he let out a long breath.

At the same time, an overwhelming surge of anger and concern welled up inside her. These two completely different emotions intertwined and collided, causing her eyes to gradually moisten. Tears streamed down her cheeks like a burst dam.

Meanwhile, Salome was frantically patting the snow off her body, trying to tidy herself up as quickly as possible.

While laboriously tidying his clothes, he muttered to himself, "Phew, is this what it feels like to travel through space? It's really not a pleasant experience..."

Hearing Salome's complaints, Nicholas could no longer contain his anxiety and worry. "Stop talking nonsense! Tell me quickly, what happened to you? Why did you suddenly fall out of this portal?!"

"The thing is... I don't know how to explain it to you clearly, but the situation was very strange. Just when I thought I was about to die, the Second Herrscher let me go so easily!"

Salome frowned slightly, a hint of doubt in her eyes. Even she herself found this sudden turn of events hard to believe.

"To be honest, when I first realized that the situation was not good, I thought that I should try my best to delay for as long as possible so that you could evacuate safely."

"But who would have thought that the Second Herrscher would not stop us from doing so, or even make things difficult for us in the slightest?"

"She just stood there quietly, watching us leave, as if it had nothing to do with her." Recalling the scene, Salome's voice trembled slightly.

After some time, Salome and Nicholas finally recovered from the shock and sat together on the roof of the car.

At this moment, the originally noisy and chaotic environment around them suddenly seemed distant and blurry, with only their rapid breathing echoing clearly in the silent air.

"Although this whole thing is bizarre, thankfully, at least so far we haven't suffered any real attacks. From that perspective alone, things might not be so bad."

Salome raised her head slightly, gently resting her chin on one hand, gazing into the distance, and said thoughtfully.

"Moreover, if my guess is correct, the personnel who are supposed to meet us should have already arrived in the outer region of Siberia and been waiting for quite some time."

Upon hearing Salome's words, Nicholas bit his lower lip slightly, his brows still tightly furrowed.

"I hope it's true. But... I have a feeling there's something fishy going on. What could possibly cause the Second Herrscher to let us go so easily?"

“There’s no time to talk about anything else now, our reinforcements have finally arrived…” As soon as she finished speaking, Salome stood up abruptly, her eyes fixed straight ahead.

Following her gaze, one could see a woman holding a sharp sword standing quietly not far from several SUVs.

The woman stood tall and straight, and at her feet lay dozens of Honkai Beast corpses, these once ferocious monsters now dead at her sword.

"I never expected it to be her here." Nicholas also looked in that direction, and when he saw who it was, a slight smile appeared on his lips. "The universally acknowledged strongest A-rank Valkyrie, the current acting commander—Cheng Lixue!"

Upon hearing the sound of the SUV, Cheng Lixue turned her head, her gaze sweeping over each vehicle present before finally settling on Nicholas and Salome.

“Nicholas, Salome, it has indeed been a long time.” Her tone was calm. Then, she took a few steps forward and sheathed the gleaming sword in her hand.

"Without further ado, you two should immediately lead the survivors to headquarters. There is also an important matter I need to inform you of: His Holiness the Bishop is currently urgently summoning all Valkyries of rank B or higher throughout Europe."

"Tomorrow at noon, His Holiness the Bishop will personally preside over a war council against the Second Herrscher. Everyone must attend on time."

----------

Meanwhile, within the floating island of the Destiny Headquarters, a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere permeated the space. Sunlight streamed through the bright floor-to-ceiling windows, casting warm shadows on the floor.

Cecilia sat quietly on the soft sofa, with the adorable little Kiana beside her. She gently patted Kiana's fluffy little head, then picked up the terminal on the coffee table. The screen lit up, displaying a new message.

"Are Nicholas and Salome safe...? Thank you, Cheng Lixue." Cecilia's gaze was fixed on the screen, a slight smile playing on her lips.

However, at that moment, Kiana, who had been quietly nestled beside her mother, suddenly raised her head, staring intently at Cecilia with her large, bright eyes. Her little mouth opened slightly, and she said in a childish voice, "Mommy..."

Cecilia turned to her daughter, smiling lovingly. Kiana blinked and asked, "When...when will Daddy come back? Kiana misses him..."

Hearing Kiana's words, Cecilia's heart softened. She chuckled softly, gently stroking Kiana's head, comforting her, "Sweetie... as long as you sleep well, Daddy will be back soon~"

Kiana nodded, seemingly understanding, but her eyes revealed anticipation for Kierkegaard's return. After a while, drowsiness gradually crept in, her eyelids began to grow heavy, and finally she slowly closed her eyes and drifted into a sweet dream.

Cecilia carefully carried Kiana to the bed, covered her with a blanket, and then tiptoed out of the room. When she reached the living room, she saw a white-haired girl wearing a golden mask sitting in the center of the room.

“Miss Amber, I apologize for keeping you waiting,” Cecilia said politely, as she walked over to the girl and sat down on the sofa opposite her.

“It’s alright, Lady Cecilia. I’ve only come to deliver a message to you.” Amber saw Cecilia slowly walk out of the room and quickly stood up respectfully, nodding slightly in acknowledgment.

Although her face was obscured, a hint of seriousness could still be discerned from her. She said slowly, "His Holiness the Bishop has ordered that you be prepared for battle and ready to engage in the fight against the Second Herrscher at any time."

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