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

One day earlier, at Cocolia Orphanage

"Hey, Ryoma, it's not a good idea for you to dump this mess on me." In the study, Cocolia looked at the man in the video and rubbed her temples with a headache.

"I told you back then that I should have put Raiden Mei in an orphanage and taken care of her, but you wouldn't listen. Now look what's happened, you've just left her all alone in Changkong City, you really have some nerve!"

"I had no choice. I was also surprised by Mei's awakening at this time, even though I had a check-up before I left."

The man in the video, Raiden Ryoma, Raiden Mei's biological father, sighed helplessly when he heard Cocolia's complaints.

"I can only ask you for help now. Your experiment was successful a few months ago, right? If possible, I hope you can help Mei. Please!"

"Your information network is quite extensive." Cocolia sighed, tapping her fingers on the table. "I'm giving you bad news in advance. This matter has blown up too much; Schicksal might take action as well."

"If we were to clash head-on with Destiny... you know what I mean, right? After the Second Honkai Impact over a decade ago, Anti-Entropy no longer has the ability to compete with Destiny."

Upon hearing Cocolia's words, Raiden Ryoma fell silent, and a tense atmosphere filled the study. Cocolia impatiently stood up and paced back and forth in the study.

"Fine, for the sake of Raiden Mei, I'll give it my all." Cocolia closed her eyes, pondered for a moment, then slammed her hand on the table. "Ryoma, you owe me a huge favor this time!"

“Cocolia, thank you so much.” Ryoma’s voice came through the video, carrying a hint of barely perceptible relief. Clearly, Cocolia’s decision had temporarily eased his burden. “Then, I’ll leave my daughter’s matter to you!”

"Hmm..." Watching the figure of Raiden Ryoma disappear from the image, Cocolia leaned back in her chair, pondered for a moment, and then picked up the phone again. "Bronya, call Seele and Annie over. I have something to tell you."

------

Back to the present, after slicing one of the Honkai Beasts in half, Chen Yuan looked at the blade on his right arm and revealed a terrifying smile, "Not bad, this ability is indeed very satisfying to use."

The surrounding Honkai Beasts, witnessing this scene, showed a flicker of fear in their eyes, but it was quickly replaced by anger and bloodlust. Roaring, they launched an attack on Chenyuan.

"What a bunch of brainless beasts." With a cold snort, he stretched out his left arm, which transformed into a whip-like tentacle that danced nimbly in the air.

Like a ferocious blade, it instantly tore the approaching Honkai Beasts to shreds. As the tentacles swept across, the Honkai Beast's remains flew several meters, and blood splattered all around the ground.

"You really are trash who deserve to be exterminated," Chen Yuan said coldly to the fallen Honkai Beast remains. Behind him, a Chariot-class Honkai Beast suddenly charged out, seemingly enraged by the deaths of its companions. It roared and pounced on Chen Yuan, its massive claws reaching out to grab him.

Chen Yuan's gaze sharpened, his legs slightly bent, and he leaped into the air. Just as he was flipping in the air, the blade on his right arm drew a cold arc, the tip of the blade piercing straight for the Honkai Beast's head.

As the Honkai Beast's heart-wrenching howl echoed throughout the area, Chen Yuan landed behind it, flicked his blade, and the Honkai Beast's head fell to the ground with a 'thud'.

"Chen Yuan, you bastard..." Kiana separated from Chen Yuan's body, panting heavily, a hint of surprise in her eyes. Although she was unwilling to admit it, what she had just witnessed had indeed shown her Chen Yuan's strength.

"Don't look at me like that. I just don't want Mei to worry." Chen Yuan smiled, his body transforming back into a tiny figure, and he sat on Kiana's shoulder. "Besides, these Honkai Beasts aren't a big deal."

"Hey, don't go too far!" Kiana couldn't help but complain, but she was still relieved. "But speaking of which, what was that blade you were using just now? It looked really powerful."

"It's just my ability; I can turn a part of my body into a weapon or other useful tool," Chen Yuan explained. "This blade is just one application; there are many other possibilities, such as a shield or a rope."

"I see, that's pretty cool." Kiana nodded, her gaze returning to the distant street. "Speaking of which, we still have a long way to go. ME Corporation is quite a distance from here; I wonder what we'll encounter along the way."

“Kiana is right.” Raiden Mei walked over and nodded in agreement. “We must set off as soon as possible and try to reach ME Corporation before dark.”

"Let's go then!" Kiana perked up and turned to walk forward. "Little one, do you have any suggestions?"

"Hmm, wait a minute, let me see..." Chen Yuan jumped to the ground and looked around. "We need some transportation, otherwise walking alone definitely won't work. It would be best to find a car."

"A car? Where would a car come from here?" Kiana frowned. "Besides, after the Honkai outbreak, the streets are full of ruins, you probably can't even find a complete car."

"Not necessarily." Chen Yuan pointed to a building not far away. "Look over there, buildings like that should have parking lots. Maybe we can find some usable vehicles there."

"Great idea!" Kiana's eyes lit up, and she immediately ran in the direction Chen Yuan pointed. "Let's go, Mei, let's go take a look!"

The three quickly arrived at the parking lot and found the situation to be much better than they had imagined. Although many vehicles had been damaged, some were still relatively intact. After searching for a while, they finally found an SUV in fairly good condition.

"Wow, there really are cars here!" Kiana excitedly ran to a black SUV and examined it closely. "It looks pretty new."

Raiden Mei followed and checked the car's fuel tank and tires. "There's still plenty of fuel left, and the tires are fine. It should be drivable."

"Wait a minute... I suddenly remembered a serious problem!" Kiana's excited expression instantly deflated, as if she had just thought of something. "We don't have the keys, how are we going to drive?"

“That’s true…” Raiden Mei was also taken aback by Kiana’s words. “That’s definitely true… It seems this method won’t work.”

"Who said that? Just you wait and see!" Chen Yuan jumped off Kiana, his right hand transforming into a tentacle as he inserted it into the keyhole of the door. With a 'click,' the driver's side door opened.

"Wow, Chenyuan, you can actually pick locks!" Kiana looked at Chenyuan in surprise, her eyes filled with astonishment. "Your skill is so useful! It's a shame you're not a thief."

"You're the thief!" Chen Yuan glared at Kiana and waved his hand. "Didn't I just tell you? My body can turn into tools and weapons. Opening a door is nothing."

Raiden Mei stepped forward, carefully inspected the car, and after confirming that there were no major problems, nodded: "This car looks usable, we should be able to drive it to ME Corporation without any issues."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get in the car!" Kiana excitedly opened the driver's side door, ready to get in. "Wait," Chenyuan immediately jumped into the seat, looking at Mei, "Mei, can you drive? I'm not too comfortable with this white fluffy girl driving."

"Who's this white-fuzzy dumpling?!" Kiana pouted in dissatisfaction upon hearing Chen Yuan's words and reached out to pull him up from his seat. "I came all the way from Europe alone back then, driving is nothing!"

"Oh, that's impressive. So, Mei, can you drive?"

"Hello!!!!"

“Um… I can drive, but I haven’t driven much,” Raiden Mei said calmly, a hint of helplessness in her eyes. She looked at Kiana and gently comforted her, “Kiana, don’t be angry. Mr. Chenyuan was just thinking about everyone’s safety.”

"Hmph! Even Mei says that!" Kiana pouted, but still obediently moved aside. Raiden Mei got into the driver's seat, and Chen Yuan used the same trick again, starting the car immediately.

"Let's go, get ready to go!" Chen Yuan jumped onto Kiana's shoulder, patted Kiana's head, and whispered in her ear, "It's not that I don't want you to drive, but I'm just giving Raiden Mei something to do."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Kiana tilted her head in confusion upon hearing Chen Yuan's words. Seeing Kiana's expression, Chen Yuan slapped his forehead. "You're really incredibly dense."

"After all, she blamed herself for our current predicament, and during the battle, she was the one being protected, so naturally she was in a low mood."

Chen Yuan sighed and continued, "Find her something to do, so that she can at least feel that she can contribute to the team, instead of always being protected by us like a burden."

"Oh!!!" Kiana suddenly realized and nodded, "I see..." She looked at Raiden Mei, who was focused on familiarizing herself with the car's various functions and seemed not to have noticed their conversation.

"Hehe, well done, little one! This time, I'll reluctantly forgive you!" Kiana chuckled, walked around the back of the car, and then got to the passenger seat.

'Thank you, Mr. Chenyuan…' Just as Kiana and the others turned around, Raiden Mei turned back to look at Chenyuan, who was joking and laughing with Kiana, and a smile appeared on her lips.