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

"Brother Chenyuan..."

"I don't easily believe what I say, and people won't betray me. I don't easily make promises, and I won't betray people." Gently patting Bronya's little head, Chen Yuan lightly kissed her forehead. "Don't worry, your brother is the strongest."

"Okay, I understand..." Feeling the warmth on her forehead, Bronya gently closed her eyes. The exhaustion from not sleeping all night and her overthinking overwhelmed her, and she fell into a deep sleep.

'Don't worry, Bronya, even if it costs me my life, I will make sure you live a peaceful life.' He gently placed Bronya on the bed and covered her with a blanket. 'This is... my responsibility as her older brother.'

"Hei hope, come in. I noticed you were squatting at the door a while ago." After a while, seeing that there was still no movement at the door, Chen Yuan sighed softly, extended a tentacle from his hand, and suddenly opened the door.

Suddenly losing her footing, Kuroki fell to the ground due to inertia. "Honestly, he's still so perceptive. How did my brother know it was me?"

“Because Seele doesn’t have the habit of peeking through cracks in the door, you’re not afraid of being watched by the other children.” Reaching out a tentacle to help Black Seele up, Chen Yuan looked back but didn’t see Xing or Cocolia. “Where did they go?”

"I tricked Cocolia's mother and that idiot Anzu aside with a little trick. They're probably too busy with the other kids to move now."

Hearing Xi'er say that, Chen Yuan helplessly rubbed his forehead. This little devil, Hei hope, was practically an anomaly in the orphanage; she was a master of all kinds of mischief!

The main reason is that Seele usually behaves so well that no one would suspect her of anything.

"So, what are you trying to tell me by sneaking over here? Don't tell me you're going to stop me from participating in the X-10 experiment again."

"I'm not that stupid~ I won't go against my brother, I won't do such useless things." Hei hope sat down on the edge of the bed and hugged Chen Yuan in her arms.

"Stop fooling around, Bronya's still sleeping." She struggled gently, showing respect. Then, Chenyuan lay comfortably on Hei Xi's lap. "If it wasn't about this, then why did you come here?"

"Do I even need to say it, brother? Of course, it's about the X-10 experiment." Gently poking Chen Yuan's cheek, Hei hope revealed an indescribable smile.

"The higher the adaptability to Honkai energy, the higher the success rate of the experiment. So, in that case, I, with my innate Stigmata, should be more suitable than my older sister and that idiot Anzu, right?"

At this point, Kuroki revealed a circular red mark with spikes on her chest. "Although it might be a bit late to say this now, I guess my older brother already knows about this."

“Impossible. Seele’s personality is too weak. She’s not suitable for this kind of experiment.” After listening, Chen Yuan thought for a moment, but ultimately shook his head. “Besides, my power has severe physical requirements on the subject, and Seele’s physical strength… I don’t need to say more, right?”

While Seele's physical condition wasn't bad in the orphanage, it certainly wasn't excellent either. Without exaggeration, if we disregard the negative aspects of Seele's physical abilities, Xing could easily subdue her with one hand.

"That makes it even simpler. I can just take Seele's place in this experiment, right?" Black Seele finally revealed her true purpose. "If it were me, I definitely could!"

"No way, don't even think about it." Chen Yuan rolled his eyes at Hei hope, shifting his body to find a more comfortable angle. "If it were an ordinary innate holy mark, I might consider it, but not you."

Indeed, Seele's stigmata are arguably among the most unique of all naturally born stigmata. Seele's stigmata contain technology, knowledge, and power far exceeding that of this generation. If that were all, would Chen Yuan have readily agreed to Seele's request without hesitation?

But the most fatal thing is that the stigmata also contain the memories of the Herrscher of Death engraved in the stigmata from the previous civilization era. These memories have become Seele's alternate personality, which is the Black Seele in front of us.

If such a being were to participate in the X-10 experiment, and some special circumstances were to cause her to go berserk, Chen Yuan frankly admitted that he didn't have much confidence in controlling her.

"Brother Chenyuan, why do you always reject my ideas?" Hei hope asked, slightly annoyed, her brows furrowed, but a mischievous smile still playing on her lips. "Could it be that I'm too weak?"

“It’s not that you’re too weak, quite the opposite, it’s because you’re too strong.” Chen Yuan sat up and looked at Hei Xi seriously. “You need to understand that I have never denied your power. It’s just that there are too many unknowns in the X-10 experiment, and I can’t let you take the risk.”

"I won't listen. When it comes to controlling Honkai energy, neither my sister nor that idiot Anzu can compare to me." Kurohime pouted, a hint of dissatisfaction flashing in her eyes. "If it's all about adventure, why can't I do it too!"

"Tsk..." Listening to Hei hope's words, Chen Yuan felt a headache coming on. Unlike Bronya or Seele, Hei hope's personality was strong.

If Chen Yuan tried to explain to her gently, Hei hope would completely ignore him. But if he acted angry like before... Hei hope could get even angrier than him; she was truly someone who could argue to the bitter end.

Chen Yuan rubbed his temples. He was indeed finding Hei hope's stubborn personality troublesome. But no matter what, he couldn't let Hei hope take such a risk.

Does Seele know about this?

"That coward, this is the result of our discussion." Hei hope shrugged indifferently and continued, "Originally, she was supposed to tell my brother about this, but she was too timid and afraid that you would be angry, so I did it instead."

“Well then, I have a compromise.” Chen Yuan was silent for a moment, then slowly raised his head. “Starting tomorrow, I will have Bronya give Seele special training to try and improve her stamina.”

"If Seele's stamina still doesn't meet my requirements by then, then I'll let you play, is that alright?"

"Well, big brother is really cunning!" Kuroki narrowed his eyes slightly. "Only you, big brother, could come up with such a way to fool people. Whether or not we can do this experiment is entirely up to you."

"I don't care, the plan is set anyway." Chen Yuan mimicked Hei Xi's mannerisms and tone, and continued, "I've proposed a solution; whether you do it or not is between you and Xi'er."

"Hmph, since my brother has said so, what can I do?" She pouted unhappily and lifted Chen Yuan off her lap. "As an ordinary little sister who deeply loves her brother, what can Xi'er do?"

"Xier, what do you think you're doing? Get your face away from me!" Feeling Hei hope's face getting closer and closer, Chen Yuan stretched out his tentacles to push Hei Xi away. But when he saw the latter's open mouth, he immediately retreated.

Just kidding, I still vividly remember Xing's past relationship with Chen Yuan. Now Hei hope wants to pull a similar stunt, and honestly, Chen Yuan is a little scared, it's too terrifying.

"Hmm~ It's just a little punishment for your cunning older brother~" Hei Xi smiled mischievously, her eyes gleaming with slyness, as she slowly approached Chen Yuan. Chen Yuan could only tilt her head back with all her might. "Stop resisting, my dear older brother!"

Just then, Bronya murmured softly in her sleep, "Brother Chenyuan, don't do that experiment, just leave it to me." Although her voice was weak, it was enough to startle Hei hope.

Hei hope's body stiffened instantly, as if she had been electrocuted. She lost her balance and fell backward, even pulling Chen Yuan down with her, and the two of them fell onto the bed together.

"Holy crap!" Chen Yuan was startled by the sudden turn of events and quickly braced himself with his hands, trying to maintain his balance. However, perhaps because Hei Xi's cheeks were too smooth, Chen Yuan's hand slid down Hei Xi's face.

The next second, they felt a soft touch on their lips, and due to irresistible force, the two of them were pressed together.

Chen Yuan's mind seemed to have been struck by lightning at that moment, and he froze completely. His heart almost jumped out of his chest, even though Chen Yuan didn't seem to have a heart.

Hei hope was also taken aback, her mischievous smile freezing on her face. Their eyes met in mid-air, both filled with surprise and embarrassment.

"Uh... this..." Chen Yuan coughed awkwardly, quickly scrambling off Hei hope, his face flushed. "This was an accident, purely an accident..."

"Ah... Brother... I... you... I... Brother! You're bad!" Hei hope's body trembled, and her previously confused eyes suddenly cleared. Her face quickly flushed red, as tempting as a ripe apple.

She stammered, trying to say something, but in the end she only mumbled something under her breath before lowering her head, not daring to look at Chen Yuan again. Her blood-red pupils instantly turned into a clear, deep blue, like a profound ocean.

"Little Master... um... I'm going to find Cocolia's mother and Anzu first. Goodbye, Little Master!" Black Seele ran away, and Seele naturally stepped in.

Seele was also aware of what had just happened. Her heart raced, and her face burned like fire. She gently bit her lip, feeling the lingering warmth on her lips, and felt as if wisps of smoke were rising from the top of her head.

After bidding farewell to Chen Yuan, Seele closed her eyes tightly and, like a startled rabbit, rushed out of Bronya's room.

Chen Yuan had never seen Xi'er run so fast before; in the blink of an eye, she disappeared at the end of the corridor. Chen Yuan wanted to call out to her, but found that before he could utter a single word, Xi'er had already vanished without a trace.

“This little girl…” Chen Yuan shook his head, glanced at Bronya who was still fast asleep, and gently pulled the blanket up over her. “Oh my goodness, you’ve really gotten me into trouble!”