Cocolia sat behind her desk, her gaze shifting away from the flames burning in the fireplace to the white landscape outside the glass window. The relentless snowfall seemed never-ending, enveloping the world in a thick white blanket.
"Knock, knock, knock."
"Come in."
Entering was a somewhat bulky figure, a girl with ash-gray curly hair clad in an ill-fitting exoskeleton suit. She operated the machine, replacing her own legs, with some unfamiliarity, causing slight mechanical friction and collision sounds with each step.
"Bronya..." Cocolia looked at the lifeless eyes of the gray-haired girl and sighed deeply. "The customized exoskeleton for you is still in production. Currently, we only have those meant for adult-sized soldiers at our Siberian base... You'll have to make do for now."
"Bronya understands."
Listening to Bronya's emotionless voice, Cocolia furrowed her brows tighter. She gestured to the chair opposite her desk and said, "Sit, Bronya."
Bronya took two cautious steps forward and sat on the ornate wooden chair, but the weight of the exoskeleton caused it to creak dangerously.
The gray-haired girl adjusted the exoskeleton's position slightly, seemingly seated firmly on the chair, but in reality, it was just the exoskeleton holding her in place.
Cocolia noticed the situation and forced a smile. "These days, I've been in continuous communication with the scientists. The data from Experiment X-10 is invaluable... At least, it has greatly contributed to quantum teleportation..."
Bronya stared at the blond woman without speaking.
"I know, I know... No one wants things to turn out like this..." Cocolia picked up a file from the desk and handed it to Bronya. "We've tried many things in these days, but ultimately, we've had no success. The quantum field remains too mysterious for humanity. At least for now, Experiment X-10 is considered the latest breakthrough in the quantum field..."
Closing her eyes, Cocolia murmured, feeling uncomfortable with the word she just said.
A few seconds later, Cocolia continued, "Unfortunately, the elite scientific resources of Anti Entropy are focused on the study of Honkai energy. I have limited manpower at my disposal..."
Bronya looked at the densely packed words on the document, along with the word "failure" highlighted in red after each attempt, and shook her head firmly.
"Bronya does not want to give up..."
"I don't want to give up either, because you are proof that Seele is still alive, Bronya."
Cocolia looked at Bronya, and the faintly visible silhouette behind her.
Bronya could feel Cocolia's gaze. She turned her head, and the massive half-body robot materialized instantly with her intention, occupying most of the space in the office.
"How exquisite, how powerful..." Cocolia exclaimed, even intoxicated by this mysterious and intricate creation. "Seele gave you quite an extraordinary gift."
These days, Cocolia not only organized scientists to analyze and study the data from Experiment X-10 but also brought Bronya and the mysterious robot given to her by Seele to various weapon testing grounds.
The experimental results were pleasing. This robot had strong compatibility, even weapons meant for armored vehicles or combat titans could be installed and function normally in a way they couldn't understand.
Under Bronya's control, it could even generate a shield of considerable strength for the girl. It took the experimenters some time to break through it with machine gun attacks.
After calculations, although this shield was weaker than the one on Anti Entropy's combat mecha, after stopping the attack for a short period, the broken shield could quickly return to its peak, making it very practical.
In these few days of experiments, Bronya also tried to develop new combat techniques. Because the robot was in sync with her thoughts, Bronya could even engage in close combat attacks through it, crushing Titan armor materials with a pair of iron fists.
Facing this scene, Bronya's emotion center, which had already been burnt out, even showed an imperceptible reaction. In the end, she decided to name the robot given to her by Seele "Project Bunny."
Later, Bronya and Project Bunny could even make two different reactions simultaneously:
When Project Bunny defended, Bronya launched an attack.
When Project Bunny engaged in close combat, Bronya secretly prepared a gun.
When Project Bunny carried her to dodge,
Bronya could even take the opportunity to observe the surroundings.
At this moment, the fighting power of the gray-haired girl was even several times stronger than when her legs were intact.
Researchers congratulated this gray-haired girl who survived from Experiment X-10, congratulating her on obtaining powerful assistance and being able to play a greater role in Anti Entropy.
However, Bronya would rather not have this "gift."
"Bronya just wants Seele to come back," the gray-haired girl said.
Cocolia's gaze sharpened, and she muttered, "Yes, we should find Seele... Not only because she's your good friend but also because she's my daughter..."
And perhaps, we might find more things like Project Bunny...
Cocolia pulled her cloak and, with lowered eyebrows and eyes, picked up another file.
"Bronya, do you know why I was determined to let Seele undergo Experiment X-10 in the first place?"
Cocolia opened the file, took out several photos, and stared gravely at the figures in them.
"Because Seele has something called the 'Stigmata' on her body, which can be regarded as a gift bestowed upon humanity by the heavens. Everyone who possesses the Stigmata will have strong resistance to Honkai energy and the ability to manipulate Honkai energy to some extent..."
The silver-haired girl blinked. "Does Bronya have the Stigmata?"
"Unfortunately, no. The owners of the Stigmata are extremely rare, and the term 'one in ten thousand' cannot describe their rarity. Both Anti Entropy and Schicksal are searching for such talents... However, I do know where there is another Stigmata owner like Seele."
Cocolia changed the subject and handed the photos to Bronya.
The photos depicted a proud-looking girl with long ponytails walking through a sunny campus.
"She is...?"
"Raiden Mei... President of the ME Corp, and the daughter of Anti Entropy's executor, Raiden Ryoma..."
A hint of madness flashed in Cocolia's eyes.
Perfect, as long as Raiden Ryoma is taken care of, my influence within Anti Entropy will expand again... I might even gain a precious Stigmata holder for experimentation...
She looked at Bronya, who was solemnly observing Raiden Mei, and whispered, "Don't worry, my daughter. To harvest this fruit, we must first eliminate the beast guarding it..."
"To set a trap, a hunter must lay out enticing bait, obscuring his true actions."
Cocolia casually browsed through the intelligence and found an interesting piece of information: a transfer student from Shenzhou seems to have just joined Raiden Mei's class.
Perfect, she can manipulate this...
"Raiden Ryoma, I've discovered a spy from another faction investigating your daughter, waiting for an opportunity to strike... Oh? You're asking why I'm being so kind? Well, you are the prominent manufacturer of Anti Entropy, and as someone who frequently uses mechas, wouldn't it be wise for me to ingratiate myself with you?"
Cocolia ruthlessly used an unfamiliar girl as bait, tossing her into the fray.
"Sorry, but this sacrifice is necessary."