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

"Have you finished persuading them?" At that moment, Cocolia gently opened the door and peeked out to see what was happening inside. After seeing that Bronya was fast asleep, Cocolia walked in with a faint smile. "These little girls all have pretty good ideas."

"Who says otherwise... You're quick to run away, leaving all the problems to me." He glanced at Cocolia speechlessly, letting her lift him up. "As a mother, you don't even say a word to them."

"What did I say? I've been raising the Cocolia Orphanage all by myself for over ten years. The men in my family have finally come back. Can't I even relax a little?"

"You're so sure of yourself." Chen Yuan rolled her eyes at Cocolia and jumped from Cocolia's arms onto her shoulder. "Let's go back to your room first. I just remembered there's something important I haven't told you yet."

"Oh? What's the big deal?" Cocolia raised an eyebrow slightly, her eyes widening as she revealed an undisguised curiosity. The "big deal" Chen Yuan spoke of was definitely not a trivial matter. The fact that it was brought up at this sensitive time made her realize that this was no small matter.

"Let's talk somewhere else," Chen Yuan said softly. Cocolia nodded silently, then turned and led Chen Yuan back to her room. A faint fragrance filled the room; the heavy smell from the morning had completely disappeared.

“Now you can tell me, what is it?” Cocolia sat down on the soft sofa, her hands crossed on her knees, looking exceptionally dignified and serious.

“Last night, when I called you,” Chen Yuan said in a deep voice, his tone heavy. “A group of well-trained mercenaries infiltrated this place.”

"What? They've infiltrated this place?" Cocolia's face turned deathly pale upon hearing this, and she abruptly stood up from the sofa. Her body trembled slightly, and her voice became shrill, "Who are they? Are they targeting me?"

“No.” Chen Yuan took a deep breath, looked at Cocolia with a solemn gaze, and said slowly, “They came for Seele. A wealthy Russian businessman somehow learned that Seele possesses a natural holy mark.”

"While you were away from the Cocolia Orphanage, they sent a few mercenaries to try and secretly take Seele away. Fortunately, Bronya and I killed them all."

Hearing this, Cocolia's face grew even paler, a flicker of fear and anger flashing in her eyes. She clenched her fists tightly, gritting her teeth as she said, "How dare they! I will never let them harm Seele! But, Seele has a natural Stigmata? How come I didn't know that?"

“Even Seele didn’t know about this…” Chen Yuan sighed. If it weren’t for his appearance, Black Seele probably wouldn’t have been exposed so soon. “Before, Seele probably always thought that a demon lived inside her, so she didn’t tell you about it?”

"Is that so... Never mind, none of that matters now. Did you get anything out of those mercenaries?"

"After kidnapping Seele, those rats will take her to a warehouse somewhere on the shore of Lake Baikal to gather." Chen Yuan coughed twice; he would never admit that he killed everyone in a fit of anger.

"Is that so... It seems that while I've been busy with experiments lately, some idiots have started to lose control of their claws!" Cocolia's face was ashen. She stood up, walked to the window, and a sharp, cold glint flashed in her eyes!

Chen Yuan stared at Cocolia in a daze, a stark contrast to her languid demeanor during the day. At this moment, she truly embodied the meaning of the word "witch."

"Honey, come with me! I want to see if those people's skin is harder... or if the shells of the old Honkai Beasts are harder!"

"Hmph... I'd be more than happy to!"

Some time later, in a warehouse in the Lake Baikal region, a white-haired man held up a photograph of Seele, his eyes gleaming with greed. Beside him, a fully armed gray-haired woman expressionlessly cleaned her weapon.

"I really don't understand you rich people, actually paying three million to hire us to kidnap a little girl," the gray-haired woman said slowly, looking at the white-haired man. "There are plenty of women in this country willing to sell their bodies for five dollars."

"You money-grubbing fools have no idea of ​​his value—" The white-haired man grinned lewdly, sending a chill down the spine of the gray-haired woman beside him. "Beneath this girl's snow-white skin lies a secret powerful enough to change the world."

"Ah~ Just imagining it makes me excited~" The white-haired man stood up from his stool, glancing at the clock on the wall. "I can't wait any longer, when are your men bringing my 'princess' back?"

"Cocolia, that witch, isn't in the orphanage right now. Besides her, there are only some children left. Why haven't we heard anything from her yet?"

“Don’t underestimate those children.” The gray-haired woman sighed, a hint of apprehension flashing in her eyes. “After the great catastrophe twelve years ago, the army adopted many orphans and trained them to be child soldiers.”

"And the best among them is that girl known as the Ural Silver Wolf. It is said that she once disguised herself as a prostitute and entered the home of her assassination target, strangling him with just a pair of stockings."

"Before she disappeared, more than a dozen high-ranking officers had died at her hands. The guards had no idea what had happened."

The white-haired man chuckled dismissively. "Killing someone with stockings? That sounds quite interesting. If I could, I'd like to experience what that feels like..."

He waved his hand dismissively, seemingly not taking the gray-haired woman's words to heart. He was simply lost in his own fantasy, drooling over the "treasure" that was about to be his.

"Boom!" Before the white-haired man could finish speaking, a deafening sound rang out from outside, followed by screams and the continuous whistling of bullets.

The gray-haired woman's expression changed. She immediately threw away the wiping cloth in her hand, grabbed the gun beside her, and nervously looked towards the warehouse door.

The white-haired man was also stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening. The excitement on his face was instantly replaced by terror, and he cried out in a trembling voice, "Could it be Cocolia? Has she found this place?"

"Boss! Something's wrong...something's wrong..." Just then, a man missing an arm burst in from outside, immediately collapsing to his knees the moment he entered. "A...a monster's outside! We can't...no...!"

Before he could finish speaking, the man stopped struggling, fell to the ground, and his blood stained the ground.

The white-haired man's fear deepened; his heart pounded, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. The atmosphere in the warehouse instantly became tense. The gray-haired woman quickly turned and ran towards the exit. "Go! We must evacuate immediately!"

However, the white-haired man remained rooted to the spot, like someone trapped in a nightmare, his entire body trembling. "No, I don't want to leave my treasure!" He looked at Seele's photo in his hand with despair, his eyes filled with resentment and bitterness.

"Are you crazy? Get out of here!" The gray-haired woman almost roared as she grabbed the white-haired man's arm, trying to drag him away. "That witch Cocolia has already found this place. If we don't leave now, we'll be dead!"

"Unfortunately, it's too late!" A cold female voice suddenly rang out, like a demon from the abyss. Accompanying this voice, puddles of black liquid began to seep out from around the warehouse, spreading rapidly like ink, covering the entire warehouse in the blink of an eye.

Then, a horrifying scene unfolded. Countless slender, black tentacles sprouted wildly from the liquid, writhing and stretching like a swarm of eerie snakes. These tentacles filled the entire warehouse, densely packed and intertwined, forming a massive net.

Whether it was a gray-haired woman or a white-haired man, they were so frightened by the sight that they collapsed to the ground.

"What...what is this thing!" the white-haired man stammered, his blood seemingly freezing in that instant. Fear surged over him like a tidal wave, rendering him unable to think, leaving him huddled in the corner, his eyes filled with despair.

"Quick, get out of here!" the gray-haired woman shouted, frantically trying to aim her gun at the black tentacles, but the tentacles seemed to have their own consciousness, ignoring her attacks and continuing to spread inside the warehouse.

"You can't escape." At that moment, that cold voice rang out again, and a huge gap was torn open in the doorway. Cocolia slowly walked in through the gap.

"Witch..." the gray-haired woman murmured, trembling uncontrollably, her fear barely concealed. Cocolia slowly walked into the warehouse, the black liquid surging beneath her feet.

The white-haired man had lost his previous arrogance. He retreated in fear, leaning against the wall, the photo in his hand nowhere to be seen. "Don't come any closer! I have money, I can give you more money!"

"What a piece of trash!" Seeing the white-haired man attract Cocolia's attention, the gray-haired woman cursed under her breath and pointed her gun at Cocolia. "No matter what you are, you're going to die today!"

The next second, the gray-haired woman revealed a cruel smile and suddenly pulled the trigger. Brilliant fire snakes spewed out continuously, accompanied by deafening gunshots, and the bullets flew towards Cocolia.

However, her smile froze on her face the next second. Black liquid crawled up from Cocolia's feet and instantly enveloped her entire body. The bullets that hit the black liquid were like marbles hitting the surface of water, creating a few ripples but causing no damage.

As the black liquid contracted, it gradually turned black and gold, and silver claws grew from its hands. Its originally beautiful face was now covered by a mask, with only a pair of white pupils adorned with gold!

"Phew, that feels much better~" Chen Yuan stretched his body, then snapped his fingers lightly. The black liquid beneath the gray-haired woman instantly extended several tentacles that bound her limbs.

In the gray-haired woman's eyes, filled with fear and despair, thick, inky black liquid poured into her mouth like a surging undercurrent.

The liquid poured in rapidly, as if it were free, instantly filling her throat with black liquid, causing her to emit suppressed and muffled whimpers uncontrollably.

"I'm a kind-hearted person and I can't stand seeing others suffer. How about this, seeing that you've had a tough time, I'll let you die with a full stomach. Remember to thank me."

Before she could finish speaking, as the black liquid continued to increase, the gray-haired woman's body began to swell uncontrollably. Her cheeks turned bright red, her eyes bulged, and her expression became extremely distorted.

Right before the white-haired man's eyes, a deafening explosion resounded all around, and the gray-haired woman's stomach burst open like an inflated balloon.

In that instant, blood and shattered entrails shot out in all directions like fireworks, staining everything around them red. A few drops of blood and some fragments of broken organs landed squarely in front of the white-haired man.