Knock, knock, knock...
The next morning, Bronya arrived at Seele's room carrying two trays of breakfast. She knocked a few times, paused slightly, then turned the doorknob with a click.
"Seele, time to wake up and eat breakfast, Seele..."
Bronya's gentle and careful wake-up call stopped abruptly the moment she pushed the door open. Because what seeped in from the crack in the door was not the warm air that should have come from the stove, but a biting cold wind that made her fingers ache!
In Seele's room? How is that possible?
Bronya was pale with shock. Forgetting all about politeness and caution, she pushed the door open against the bone-chilling draft. The sight that met her eyes made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave...
Thump, thump, thump, thump...
Bronya dropped the trays and ran downstairs without a care in the world. She found Sin hesitating at the kitchen door, grabbed her hand, and asked breathlessly, "Sin, do you know where Seele went?"
"Hah?" Sin had wanted to mock this annoying person who always one-upped her for how pathetic she looked now, but seeing her frantic expression, her heart also skipped a beat. "Hasn't that person been hiding in her room since she woke up yesterday? What, she's gone again?"
She remembered Seele's usual timid and cowering demeanor and couldn't help but wave her hand, saying in a mocking tone, "Did you check her toy box? Maybe that crybaby is curled up in that dark place, hugging some rag doll she picked up from somewhere and crying 'boo-hoo'!"
She was, of course, deliberately mocking Seele's cowardice, but at the same time, she was also giving Bronya a reminder and a suggestion—should you go look first?
Of course, with her arrogant, proud, and irritable personality, it was impossible for her to say what she was really thinking so directly. She always expressed it in a very convoluted way.
Of course, Bronya, as the older sister, understood her and never argued with her. At this moment, she was also not in the mood for it. After hearing Sin say this, she just shook her head in disappointment, then pursed her lips. Her eyes, which had been anxious, instantly became firm, even sharp. She let go of Sin's hand, turned, and ran upstairs again.
Seeing her like this, Sin realized that things seemed to be not quite right and followed her to Seele's room. Going up the stairs, turning into the corridor, the moment her eyes passed through Seele's doorway, even Sin was shocked.
"How did that crybaby's room get covered in so much snow?"
Seele's room wasn't large, but after one night, it had now turned into a winter white. The ground was covered in thick snow, the walls were hung with white frost, and even the table and bed were covered with a thick layer of snow. The plain-colored curtains were frozen solid, stiffly hanging by the open window, unmoved even by the bone-chilling wind mixed with snowflakes.
Seeing this heart-chilling scene, even Sin immediately realized a fact—this time, Seele wasn't hiding somewhere, she was really missing...
"..."
Bronya silently walked to the window and looked down. The traces of last night had long been erased by a night of wind and snow. All she could see was a vast expanse of white.
Sin also leaned over for a look, snorted in annoyance with a "tch," and her already fierce expression instantly became even more malicious. But she didn't say another word to Bronya. Instead, she turned and left with an irritable air, not even looking at her.
Bronya didn't call her either. She had other things to do.
Just as she turned around, she suddenly felt like she had stepped on something. She kicked away the snow under her foot, clearly revealing a piece of clothing.
Bronya recognized it at a glance. It was Seele's clothing, now carelessly discarded on the ground. It was only at this moment that she noticed that the small closet in Seele's room was also wide open, just like the window.
She bent down again and dug through a few more patches of snow, and after finding a few more discarded clothes under the snow, she turned and rushed to the closet to rummage through it.
At this time, Sin also returned. Holding her own slightly breathless breath, she forced a nonchalant look and said, "Hey, Bronya, the other children in the orphanage all said they didn't notice Seele's whereabouts."
It turned out she had gone to ask others for clues...
"...Hey, I know. In this cold weather, no one would go out of this building for no reason, so naturally they wouldn't notice Seele's whereabouts. Or rather, this could also be considered a good thing."
Bronya was slightly disappointed with this result, but she still spoke in as calm a tone as possible. "By the way, Sin, you didn't ask the other younger sisters, did you?"
She was very worried that it would cause unnecessary chaos in the orphanage.
"Hey, you..." Sin wanted to get angry when she heard this, but thinking about the priorities right now, she suppressed the anger in her heart and said in a voice that was almost a shout, "Bully those useless weaklings? Tch, I'm not interested in that! By the way, this is for you!"
At the end, she threw a palm-sized object at Bronya with extreme impatience. "I just pried open Mother Cocolia's room and found this communicator inside. You should know how to use it!"
What a reliable younger sister, Bronya couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion.
She knew Sin had said it lightly, but how could she not know the risks of such a disrespectful act?
"Thank you, Sin." Although Bronya's heart was still in a mess, she still gave the异瞳-eyed girl, who had always had a terrifying image, a grateful smile.
"...Tch, boring." Sin was greatly satisfied in her heart, but her face showed a disdainful expression. She even walked a distance away with an annoyed look, all the way to the door of the room.
Although Bronya was a little helpless about Sin's pretense, she didn't have time to banter with her at the moment. After taking a deep breath, she opened the communicator she had caught in her palm. Soon, the screen showed the blonde woman who always had a stern and serious face.
"Mother..." Bronya called out cautiously.
"Bronya?" Cocolia was also surprised by her unexpected communication, but she also realized something. "This communicator has always been in my locked room. For it to be suddenly activated now—did something happen at the orphanage?"
Her voice was low, full of the authority and confidence of a superior, as well as a trace of well-hidden, imperceptible emptiness and fatigue.
"Seele is missing, Mother." Bronya didn't hide anything and gave the most complete report in the shortest possible words.
"..." Cocolia was silent, but only for a second, before she said in an unchanged tone, "I see. I will send people to find her. Is there anything else?"
Her words were so plain, as if this was just a trivial matter, not worthy of her second sentence of attention.
"Mother!" Her cold reaction made Bronya instantly anxious. She said in an urgent voice, "Seele was unconscious for several days, and she disappeared as soon as she woke up. She..."
"Are you trying to say she ran away on her own?" Cocolia interrupted her indifferently.
"No, that's not it, Mother!" Bronya was afraid of causing any misunderstanding with this always stern and strict mother. She quickly raised the communicator's perspective to let the Cocolia on the other side see the full view of the room, and then said, "Seele would never discard her clothes so casually. She must have been kidnapped by someone, just like last time!"
"..." Another second of silence, then Cocolia said in the same unchanged tone, "I see. I will handle it."
Her attitude was completely unchanged.
"But..." Bronya wanted to say more, but was interrupted by Cocolia's cold laugh. She said in a reprimanding tone, "What, are you trying to say you're a good-for-nothing who can't even watch the house? Now you want to mend the fold after the sheep is lost, make up for your mistake, and go find the lost person again?"
Her words were full of sarcasm, but Bronya dared not refute. She just said in a low voice, "Yes, Mother. I want to find Seele! It hasn't been too long since she was taken away. I just need to..."
"Oh, is that so?" Cocolia sneered and continued to interrupt, asking, "Then where do you plan to start looking?"
Bronya dared not delay and quickly replied, "Along the highway, the towns along the way. As long as the person who took Seele passes through there, I'm sure..."
"That's it? Then you've really disappointed me, Bronya." Cocolia's tone was still as strict as ever. "Every highway leading out of the orphanage, every town and gas station along the way, Anti-Entropy has eyes there, ready to obey my orders at any time. Just now, I've already issued the order, along with Seele's photo. If any suspicious person passes by, there will be news soon. If we're fast, I'll get the news before I get back to the orphanage."
At this point, she looked deeply at Bronya on the screen and said with a cold smile, "Is that the only simple thing your barren little brain can think of? Or are you so flustered by your anxiety that you've lost your composure over a trivial matter? If this is all you've got, Bronya, you might not be qualified to call me 'Mother'."
"...I'm sorry, Mother." Cocolia's calm and extremely strict attitude left Bronya speechless, even breaking out in a cold sweat.
She knew that the reason Mother Cocolia said this was because she wanted to hear a different answer from her. She had always been strict with her, always testing her with this kind of PUA method from time to time, and this time was no exception.
So, what is it?
What exactly is it?
In that instant, Bronya's mind raced, and her eyes, as if seeking help, darted around. Her gaze suddenly swept past the window, then returned to the window—or rather, to the vast snowy landscape outside the window.
Bronya instantly realized something. She quickly turned her face back to the communicator screen, took a deep breath to calm herself down, organized her words, and said, "Mother, the enemy doesn't have to take the highway, much less pass through the towns along the way. The snowfield, the forest, the mountains, there are so many paths to take! Right now, you're still outside and won't be back for a while, and it will take a long time to mobilize your subordinates for a search. At this time, only I can set off immediately, catch up with them before their tracks completely disappear in the wind and snow, and bring Seele back!"
As the "Silver Wolf of the Urals," a child soldier who had been active in this snowfield since she could remember, Bronya was well-versed in the cruel battles of hunting, counter-hunting, ambushing, and counter-ambushing in the snowfield. It was just another hunt!
"Are you that confident, Bronya?" Cocolia's expression was still as indifferent as ever. "In the snowfield this season, how many people do you think would take such a path to their deaths? And to kidnap a little girl with not much practical value?"
Her words were still mercilessly harsh, but Bronya had already calmed down. "Perhaps there's only a one-in-ten-thousand chance that the villain who took Seele would hide like a fly in the inescapable net Mother Cocolia has laid... But, Seele... I don't want her to have that one-in-ten-thousand chance... This one-in-ten-thousand loophole, only I can fill it now! So, Mother..."
"Is this your will?" Cocolia was noncommittal, but she didn't say any more sarcastic words. She just said in her usual tone, "I approve. Go."
"Yes!" Bronya couldn't help but feel a sense of relief in her heart.
"Remember to come back before dark, Bronya." Cocolia finally reminded her in a deep voice. "Don't forget, we have a more important mission to complete next."
"...Yes, Mother." Hearing this "mission," Bronya's heart sank, but she still replied in a low voice.
"Mm." Cocolia's face showed no sign of satisfaction or disappointment. She just nodded flatly and then hung up the communication.
"..."
Looking at the screen that had instantly gone black, Bronya was silent for only a second before she took a deep breath and turned to leave.
Time was tight, she couldn't waste it on self-pity.
She first returned to her room and took out a plain red woolen coat from her closet. It was the coat she used to keep warm when she was on missions outside. She skillfully put it on, then turned and went downstairs, to the first floor, then to the basement, and opened a hidden door, revealing a weapon room.
Although the appearance of a weapon room in an orphanage was out of place no matter how you thought about it, Cocolia still did it. Perhaps it was out of her long-standing professional habit, or perhaps, this was not just a simple orphanage to begin with.
Bronya didn't think about those things. She was a child soldier herself, and seeing guns and weapons made her feel at ease and familiar. She selected a rifle suitable for moving through the forest from the dazzling array of weapons, put a pistol for self-defense and two grenades on her belt, and stuffed a dagger into each of her boots.
After checking her ammunition, medicine, and other things, Bronya closed her eyes and thought for a second. When she opened them again, her gaze and expression had become completely different from before, as if she had instantly transformed from an orphanage older sister back to the child soldier who killed without batting an eye.
"No, I can't. Seele doesn't like me like this..." Bronya admonished herself, took a deep breath, and let her killing intent dissipate bit by bit, trying to become as peaceful as possible.
"This should be fine." Bronya looked at herself in the mirror, then set off immediately without any delay. But when she went up the stairs and turned the corner, she met Sin again.
"Sin?" Bronya subconsciously lowered her gun, keeping it away from her companion, and asked, "Are you coming with me?"
"Hah? Together? Don't be so full of yourself, Bronya!" Sin sneered disdainfully, then threw a package heavily into the arms of the fully armed Bronya. "Take this food and get lost! Don't be an eyesore!"
"This... thank you," Bronya said.
"It's best if you don't come back, take that crybaby who left one step ahead of you with you," Sin rolled her eyes at her and said with a look of disgust. "Mother's daughter, one is enough with me!"
"..." Bronya was speechless for a moment. Is that really what you think, Sin?
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Lin Wei Freezing in taiga area, Seele search him in town area, and Bronya searching Seele rural area like in taiga? whats a plot!