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

"You're still too young, there are some things you don't understand yet. When you grow up, you'll naturally encounter your own story."

Theresa pouted, turned over somewhat unwillingly, and faced away from Chen Yuan. "Hmph, fine, I didn't beg you to tell me." But there wasn't much real resentment in her words; it was more of a childlike whining.

Seeing this, Chen Yuan couldn't help but laugh and gently patted Theresa's head. "Alright, alright, stop fooling around. Your most important task now is to rest well and prepare for the afternoon's trial."

"I know, really, don't touch my head, it'll stunt my growth!!"

------

In the afternoon, a tense atmosphere filled the laboratory. Theresa changed into a specially made combat suit, holding the cross with embedded chains, and stood in the center of the training field.

The surrounding lights gradually came on, illuminating the entire venue. Otto stood in the monitoring room, watching Theresa's every move through the large screen.

"A-310, are you ready?" Otto's voice came through the loudspeaker.

Theresa gripped the crucifix tightly and took a deep breath. "Ready, we can begin anytime."

As she finished speaking, the metal doors around the training ground slowly opened, and a group of Honkai Beasts and zombies poured out from all corners.

These Honkai Beasts and assassins came in various shapes and sizes, some tall and imposing, others small and agile, but all exuded a chilling aura. The moment they appeared, they filled the entire arena, forming impenetrable defensive lines.

Clutching the cross tightly, her eyes scanned her surroundings. A assassin lunged from the side, his scythe aimed at Theresa's neck.

The latter reacted quickly, swinging the cross in her hand, the chains flying out and wrapping around the opponent's arm. She pulled hard, dragging the assassin to the ground, then turned and smashed the end of the cross hard against its head.

The movements were clean and swift; with a single strike, the assassin was rendered incapable of fighting. However, this was just the beginning; more Honkai Beasts and assassins continued to surge in from all directions.

With the first wave of attacks thwarted, the second and third waves of Honkai Beasts and assassins became even more ferocious. A massive battle-type Honkai Beast charged towards Theresa, its body covered in hard carapace, its sharp claws gleaming coldly.

Theresa retreated quickly, brandishing the cross in her hand as the chains coiled like snakes around the Honkai Beast's forelegs. She yanked hard, throwing it off balance, then swung it forcefully against a wall, the impact temporarily immobilizing it.

Several small assassins attacked from different directions. Theresa nimbly dodged a flying scythe, and with a backhand swing, the chain precisely wrapped around the neck of one of the assassins, pulling him close and killing him with an elbow strike.

Just then, a series of incredibly fast, charging Honkai Beasts suddenly appeared behind her, their sharp claws aimed straight for her vitals. Theresa instantly shifted to the side, turned, and used her cross to block, producing a series of crisp metallic clangs.

The chains lashed out like whips, sending the charging Honkai Beasts flying backward and crashing heavily to the ground.

In just a few minutes, countless Honkai Beasts and zombie corpses lay on the ground. Theresa propped the cross on the ground, leaned against it, and clapped her hands idly.

“Not bad, not bad. A-310, you really delight me.” Otto muttered to himself while watching the monitor, then reached out and pressed a red button. “Now, let me see your choice…”

As Otto pressed the button, a rapid alarm suddenly sounded over the lab's loudspeaker. The lights in the training field went out abruptly, plunging the area into darkness. Light footsteps approached from in front of Theresa.

Theresa immediately became alert, gripping the cross tightly and leaning slightly forward, ready to fight at any moment. In this darkness, she could only rely on hearing and intuition to determine the enemy's location.

The footsteps grew closer, but their exact location remained uncertain. Suddenly, a bright light illuminated the area ahead, and Theresa instinctively closed her eyes.

Once her eyes adjusted to the light, she realized that a girl standing in front of her was dressed exactly like herself and holding a cross. Her face was covered by a hood, revealing only a pair of sky-blue eyes that showed no emotion.

"This is the final trial, my lovely A-310, and this is test subject A-303." Otto's voice came through the microphone. "Kill her, and you will have completed all my trials, and I will bestow upon you a name."

"Are you kidding me!" Theresa was stunned for a moment, then shouted angrily, "Why kill her? She was a human being too!"

Otto's voice remained calm. "This is part of the trial. If you can't even do this, then I'm sorry, my lovely test subject."

As soon as Otto finished speaking, A-303 swung the cross at Theresa. Instinctively, Theresa raised her own cross to block, and the two weapons collided, producing a piercing metallic scraping sound.

Theresa felt a powerful force emanating from the opponent's weapon, the same force as her own, making it almost impossible for her to hold onto the cross.

She took a step back to regain her balance. Theresa looked at the girl who was the same height as her, and a conflicting feeling welled up inside her, a feeling she couldn't quite pinpoint.

But A-303 didn't give Theresa much time to think, launching another attack with such speed that Theresa could barely react. She could only retreat repeatedly, constantly using the cross in her hand to block the attack.

The clanging of metal echoed continuously, and Theresa's hand gripping the cross was becoming numb. A-303 seized the opportunity, leaped into the air above Theresa, raised the cross high, and hurled it with all its might toward her head.

Seeing this, Theresa's heart tightened, and she quickly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. The cross grazed her shoulder and embedded itself deeply in the ground.

“Why…” Theresa asked softly, her voice tinged with confusion. “We’re all experimental subjects, why must we kill each other?”

“Because it was all Otto’s old orders.” Chen Yuan emerged from Theresa’s shoulder, looking at A-303, which had raised the cross again. “There is no other way but to kill her or incapacitate her.”

"If you can't bring yourself to do it... do you need my help?"

"Incapacitated?... Got it!"

Just then, A-303 launched another attack. Theresa adjusted her stance, swung the cross in her hand, and the chain flew out, accurately wrapping around A-303's ankle. She pulled hard, and A-303 staggered, losing its balance.

Seeing this, Theresa quickly stepped forward, grabbed A-303's shoulder with one hand and her wrist with the other, twisting it forcefully. A-303 let out a muffled groan, and the cross in her hand flew out and landed heavily on the ground.

Without the slightest hesitation, he kicked A-303 in the knee, then used the force to push her to the ground, pinning her hands down with his knee to ensure she had no ability to resist.

Just then, A-303's hood fell to the ground, revealing a face exactly like Theresa's, except that its eyes lacked Theresa's intelligence.

"What...what's going on?" Theresa was stunned. Staring at the face in front of her that was exactly the same as her own, it was as if another version of herself was reflected in a mirror.

“It’s simple, A-310.” Otto’s voice came from the monitoring room. “A-303 and you share the same genes. Of all the experiments I conducted, only the two of you survived.”

“Of course, A-310, you are still the most special one. The only one with full consciousness.” Otto murmured softly. “And the one most like her…”

Theresa bit her lip tightly, finally understanding the source of the inexplicable conflict she had felt earlier. The impact of this event had diminished her strength.

“A-310, you now have two choices,” Otto continued. “One is to end her life completely as I request; the other is to spare her life, but you will lose yours. Choose one.”

"Also, because she shares the same genes as you, she also has a very strong regenerative ability. Good luck!"

Seemingly in response to Otto's words, after noticing Theresa slightly loosen her grip, A-303 broke free from Theresa's control and, while Theresa was distracted, delivered a whip kick towards Theresa's neck.

'Tsk... Damn it!' Seeing that Theresa didn't react, Chenyuan stretched out his tentacles and kept merging into chunks of flesh. A-303 kicked the chunks of flesh, but not only did it not cause any damage, it was also bounced off.

Although the attack was blocked by Chen Yuan, the force was still there. Theresa was sent flying backward by the blow, crashing heavily to the ground and sliding to the other side of the training field. She stood up, touching her neck, "Strange, why doesn't it hurt at all?"

"Nonsense, of course it doesn't hurt anymore, I blocked it for you." Chen Yuan rolled his eyes at Theresa and withdrew his tentacles, his voice tinged with anger.

"You're too confident. No matter what, don't get distracted during a fight. Otherwise, that last blow would have been enough to get you in trouble."

"I'm sorry, there won't be a next time." Sensing the anger in Chen Yuan's words, Theresa shrank back and feigned a pitiful look. Although she had never seen Chen Yuan angry in the past two months, Theresa still felt a sense of panic.

"Fine, this won't happen again." Looking at Theresa's pitiful appearance, Chen Yuan sighed and continued, "Since you can't bring yourself to do it, then I'll help you."

"No need, Chenyuan, I've already made up my mind." Hearing Chenyuan say this, Theresa shook her head and looked down at her fist. "I already know... what to do!"