The Spider Queen

(Alpha Star System- Planet Gaia)

(N'rean City- Transport Hub)

The large scary looking man was now nothing more than a warm corpse with a smoking hole in the middle of his chest.

Bright scarlet blood formed a thick pool under his body and the scent of death lingered in the air.

Sophie's fingers curled up into a tight fist as she could feel her bloodlust react to what had just happened.

Two plainly dressed men appeared out of thin air beside the group with one of the men still holding a plasma rifle.

"We'll handle the clean-up and inform the master," one of the men respectfully spoke before bowing his head in Sophie's direction.

The hybrid girl nodded, and the two men immediately walked towards the corpse and began to cordon off the area from the frightened bystanders.

It would be only a matter of time before the local security forces arrived but there should be no issue.

Everything had been clearly recorded on the cameras and there were plenty of witnesses to describe the thug's erratic behaviour.

And besides… they were servants of a high noble family.

It was unlikely that they would be charged even if they had killed the thug without reason.

Sophie's wrist communicator buzzed slightly, and she received a message from the woman who had rescued the girl.

[Young lady… what would you like to do with the child?]

Sophie quickly tapped out a response and told her shadow guard to take the little girl to the nearest police station to try and find her guardians.

Seeing that little girl vaguely reminded her of Lily and the times that they had spent together in the Unovan Syndicate…

Actually, that little girl… her features… they were oddly similar to Lily's…

The bad feeling in Sophie's heart got even stronger as she could not help but analysis the strange situation that had just occurred.

There were so many unanswered questions.

Why was there a kidnapping attempt taking place in broad daylight?

Why would the killer charge at them holding a knife and not a deadlier weapon? No… there was something wrong about all of this.

"Babe… what's wrong?" Cleo gently whispered as she saw Sophie's eyebrows gradually furrow.

"I think… I think we need to head to gate three as soon as possible and get out of here," Sophie replied to her girlfriend with a tense expression on her face.

She began to walk quickly in the direction of the gate with long strides.

Rachel was still in her arms, so Sophie made sure not to jostle her body and wake up her tired friend.

The scenes of chaos inside the transport hub were beginning to calm down as employees wearing light grey uniforms spoke gently to the panicked crowd.

Sophie's tall physique and the blade-like appendages jutting out of her back allowed her to easily create space to pass through the people in her way.

The hybrid girl's golden eyes constantly shifted from side to side as every muscle in her body tensed up and was prepared to strike.

Although Sophie knew that there were shadow guards protecting her safety from a nearby distance, one could never be too careful.

Eventually after fifteen minutes of walking, the group finally arrived at a large open space where a luxurious hovercar was parked.

The hovercar was around the size of a small apartment with a sleek black glossy exterior and two mounted plasma cannons on its topside.

In addition, that there was a barrier device installed on the back end of the car that pulsated slightly.

The doors swung upwards to reveal a comfortable interior equipped with expensive couches, a mini kitchen, an open bar, and a few beds.

Two women dressed in plain black uniforms walked out through the door and bowed respectfully to Sophie.

"Welcome young lady," one of the women spoke politely.

"Are you ready to depart?" the other questioned softly.

The hybrid girl nodded her head and the two women gestured with their hands for them to enter first.

Sophie lifted up Rachel's body slightly as she entered the hovercar. She walked to the back of the vehicle and placed her friend down on one of the beds.

Cleo followed closely behind the pair and pulled up the blanket on the bed so that it covered Rachel's lower body.

Rachel groaned in pain and her eyelids briefly fluttered as she felt an unexpected warm feeling on her legs.

She was still unconscious, and Sophie did not know how long the side effects of using her ability would last.

Maybe she should send a message to Bishop Walsh…

The two pilots entered the hovercar and headed towards the cockpit where they began to press a series of buttons.

The hovercar's engines roared to life with a dreadful humming noise and soon the vehicle began to float a few inches off the ground.

The doors leading to the outside world slowly closed but were not quick enough to stop a black clothed figure from slipping in.

Sophie immediately reached for the blaster pistol in her pocket but relaxed when she saw that it was the shadow guard who had rescued the child.

"Did you manage to find her parents?" Sophie asked curiously.

The pale-skinned woman rubbed her fingers and then reached into her pocket to pull out several bright red crystals that shone mysteriously.

"Yes… they were two rich merchants who were very grateful that their child had been rescued by a kind person," the shadow guard slowly spoke in an odd tone.

"These are called Kry'en crystals… they are very valuable…"

"Kry'en crystals? That is too precious of a gift!" Cleo exclaimed in shock as her eyes widened.

The princess could not believe what she was seeing in front of her eyes, but the glow of the crystals reassured her that what she was seeing was real.

Kry'en crystals were incredibly rare and could only be found on a particular planet in the Alpha Star System.

They were the centerpiece of any rare gem collection, and their prices could go upwards of five hundred million at auction.

"Well, they do look very nice…" Sophie remarked as she walked over to her shadow guard and observed the gems.

"Yes, my lady. Legends say that a beautiful princess gifted one to her beloved and they stayed together for all eternity," the shadow guard whispered sweetly.

The pale-skinned woman glanced in the direction of Cleo so that Sophie could understand what she was hinting at.

This would be the perfect gift for her lover.

Sophie placed a warm hand on the shadow guard's shoulder and smiled. Then without warning one of the bladed appendages on her upper back shot forward.

Pierce!

Blood leaked out of the corner of the shadow guard's mouth as she looked at Sophie with an expression of disbelief.

She opened her mouth to speak but Sophie pulled out the blaster pistol from her pocket and fired two shots at her face.

Bang! Bang!

The shadow guard crashed lifelessly to the ground and the large crystals in her palm rolled on the floor until they slammed against the nearby chairs.

"My lady…" one of the pilots exclaimed in a shocked tone.

"Keep flying," Sophie's cold voice echoed through the vehicle.

The shadow guard was right… those Kry'en crystals would have been the perfect gift for Cleo were it not for the fact that her danger sense kept activating whenever she looked at them.