The Spider Queen

Chapter 271: The Abyss Beckons

(Unova Syndicate- Sector Alpha-099)

(Unknown Planet)

“Watch your step Lily,” Sophie spoke gently as the little girl was currently trying to walk on some pink rocks.

“I got it big sister!” Lily replied with a smile as she waved her hands around excitedly.

Two days had passed since arriving on this unknown planet and so far, everything had been quite uneventful.

This planet was roughly the size of a small moon with an atmosphere containing the standard mixture of gases needed to support life such as carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen etc.

One blue moon hung high in the sky and the stable distance of the planet to the nearest star meant that surface temperatures would range from twenty to thirty degrees Celsius.

The planet itself was little more than a barren rocky wasteland with no greenery or plants to be seen in sight.

An endless sea of purple sands and pink rocks formed a boring scenery that had remained unchanged no matter how far Sophie walked.

At least there didn’t seem to be any living creatures that could pose a threat, but Sophie did not let her guard down.

Something wasn’t quite right about this planet….

Here was an environment completely conductive to the formation and maintenance of life and yet none could be found.

Sophie reached into the pocket of her bodysuit and pulled out a thin tablet that was given to all the mercenaries before leaving the ship.

There was a small tracker attached to the back of the tablet, but it would only reveal their location and not record conversations or visuals.

The tracker could also project a three-dimensional map of the planet with their current location.

In addition, the officers on the ship had provided all the searchers with medium sized tents to rest.

To avoid conflicts and cover more ground, each mercenary group or individuals had travelled in a different direction.

Sophie tapped the tablet gently and the holographic image of a plant was projected into the air. 

This mysterious plant was around the size of a hand with thin thread-like leaves that wrapped around a fleshy body.

A single flower bloomed in the center of the plant. This flower was an odd mix of both red and yellow with tiny thorns covering its underside.

Sophie closed the tablet and scanned the surrounding area once more in hopes of getting lucky. 

Truthfully, she wasn’t desperately searching for the plant as the flat salary just for looking was more than enough.

“Ahhhh!” Lily’s startled cry snapped Sophie out of her thoughts.

Lily had slipped while playing on the rocks and her body was about to fall to the ground with a painful thud.

Sophie’s figure blurred and shifted as she vanished from the spot only to instantly reappear and catch Lily with ease.

“I think that’s enough playing for today,” Sophie reprimanded Lily quietly and placed the girl on her back.

A hissing noise soon erupted from the ground beneath Sophie’s feet, so the hybrid girl quickly jumped backwards without a second thought.

Sophie’s golden eyes darkened as her danger sense exploded. 

There was a threat nearby that was particularly deadly.

Wait a moment….

Sophie’s attention was drawn to the pink rock that Lily had just tripped over. 

The rock had been shifted a few centimeters to the right and what was hiding beneath the rock was now visible.

There was a dark hole in the place where the rock was originally covering, and Sophie could see a lumpy pile of green ooze slowly crawling out to the surface.

Sophie hurriedly walked a couple meters backwards and stared at the ooze with a serious expression on her face.

The ooze made squelching noises as it finally erupted from the hole and its body shook uncomfortably when exposed to the sunlight.

Chik! Chik! Chik!

A mouth formed in the center of the gelatinous mass and then a series of vague clicks echoed around the empty field.

The body of the ooze expanded and then something unexpected happened….

Sophie’s eyes widened as the ooze morphed into the shape of the plant they had been looking for.

Its body changed from a liquid form to a solid and now there was no difference between the picture on the tablet and the plant in front of them.

Was this what they were looking for? 

Or was it a trap?

Sophie kept her distance from the mysterious object and picked up a tiny pebble on the ground. 

She accurately launched the stone at one of the leaves on the plant. The leaf shook and temporarily returned to the form of the ooze before changing back.

“Sister is that the plant?” Lily asked curiously. 

Sophie had also shown Lily the image on the tablet, so the little girl could let her know if she spotted the plant.

“I’m not sure…” Sophie replied hesitantly.

There was no information given on the plant itself so the only thing the mercenaries had to accurately identify their target with was the picture.

It was a possibility that the plant was not naturally grown but created from the body of the ooze. 

There was also a chance that this ooze had learnt to mimic the appearance of the plant in order to attract potential prey.

But why that plant in particular?

Sophie frowned and considered her options carefully. It was not worth the risk to engage this creature that triggered her danger sense.

“Let’s go and set up camp for tonight,” Sophie rubbed her cheek against Lily’s arm and the duo moved away from the plant.

Sophie still kept a watchful eye on the strange organism but no matter how far the distance widened, the ooze had remained in the form of the plant.

Despite its motionless appearance, Sophie could still feel a cold killing intent coming from somewhere.

Chik! Chik! Chik!

A series of clicking noises continued to sound out from an unknown location as Sophie gradually picked up the pace and headed back in the direction of the spaceship.

This was just too weird of a situation.

Sophie began to cycle qi through her meridian channels and soon her speed rapidly increased. 

She also kept a firm grip on Lily’s legs to make sure the little girl didn’t fly off from her back.

Chik! Chik! Chik!

The sound got louder and louder with every step and beads of sweat started to run down Sophie’s forehead.

She was then struck by a terrible thought….

What if the ooze was rapidly travelling underground?

Bang!

The soil beneath Sophie’s feet erupted and thorn-like leaves wrapped themselves around the hybrid girl’s legs.

Sophie took out a pocketknife from her storage bag and cut off the vine with one smooth motion. 

But her problem had only just begun as hundreds of plants grew out from the soil as the once barren landscape turned into an endless abyss of greenery.