The Spider Queen

Chapter 184: The Horror

(Hydra Star System- Planet Sinetera)

Sophie squinted as the harsh light of the two yellow suns hanging overhead shone directly on her face.

In front of her was nothing but the deep blue colour of the ocean and Sophie could hear the roaring sounds of the endless waves crashing onto the shore. 

Strange looking aquatic creatures swam deep below in the depths with one monster in particular resembling a colossal sea serpent.

The midterm exams had finally begun, and the students were sent to a remote planet located in a nearby sector.

The objective of this exam was to survive for three nights without the barrier device attached to the students’ bodies being activated.

Points were allocated based on the actions taken by the students over the course of three nights, but the exact breakdown of the marks was not told to them.

Planet Sinetera’s surface was entirely covered with water but artificial islands had been constructed for the exam.

These islands would act as a bases for the students and a special warning was given to not enter the ocean.

These islands were roughly the size of twenty football fields and contained three distinct areas that were a forest, a miniature lake, and a desert. 

This exam was entirely individual, so Sophie was currently stuck on a small island all by herself. 

Cleo, Astrid and Qiana were also on their respective islands but Sophie had no way of knowing where their current location was.

“Well let’s see if I can get some wood to make a house and then I can check for any rivers or streams,” Sophie whispered to herself and then headed towards the forested area.

Students were not given any food or water supplies, so everything had to be scavenged from the natural resources nearby.

Shelter was always a top priority as the temperature of the planet during its night cycle was still unknown.

But the importance of clean and drinkable water could not be understated.

Rustle! Rustle!

Sophie’s eyes narrowed as she saw the bush to her right shaking slightly with small leaves falling to the ground.

She tensed up and the four spider appendages on her back arranged themselves in a striking position.

Whatever came out from that bush was going to be mercilessly stabbed without remorse.

One second….

Two seconds….

Three seconds…. 

Time seemed to slow down to a standstill as Sophie’s eyes started to flicker from their usual golden hue to a crimson red.

It was time to hunt.

A furry leg poked out from the bush and the rest of the animal tumbled out with a small thump.

It was an adorable baby rabbit with soft milky fur and two big, adorable eyes that stared into Sophie’s soul.

The fur of the tiny critter was dark blue with small patches of white that gave it a mismatched appearance that surprisingly added to its cuteness.

How could anyone resist the charms of this cute and helpless creature…. 

STAB!

Sophie’s spider appendage easily pierced the flesh of its furry coat and entered the bunny’s heart killing the rabbit instantly.

Sensing the lifeforce drain out from the bunny, Sophie withdrew her appendage and gazed at the corpse with a thoughtful expression.

A bunny?

Why would the exam have such harmless creatures present?

Were they supposed to be food for the candidates?

Bunnies were animals from ancient Earth who had survived for thousands of years after humanity’s abduction due in part to their fearsome rate of reproduction.

In fact, when the Federation returned to Earth, there were even some species that showed early signs of developing higher intelligence.

They were now a popular pet among the commoner middle class especially among girls. 

Sophie walked towards the corpse to pick it up when a sudden feeling of danger stopped her dead in her tracks.

Someone or something was watching her…. 

Sophie could not hear the rustling of any bushes but somehow knew that there were a pair of eyes observing her every move.

“Come out!” Sophie growled and bared her fangs menacingly.

The colour of her eyes had now turned completely crimson and Sophie’s vision had turned into a world of orangish-red. 

The venom glands in her mouth slowly started to activate and small droplets of poison saliva fell onto the ground.

“Don’t make me hunt you down myself,” the hybrid girl warned as she swept the surrounding area carefully.

“Kiee! Kiee! Kiee!” a loud cry sounded out from above.

Sophie ducked instinctively and felt a large weight narrowly miss her head as a dark shadow flashed across her body.

“Goddamn it!” Sophie cursed as she ran into the cover of the trees.

The loud cries and screeches from the unknown creature echoed across the island.

A shadow fell on her body once more and Sophie looked up to see what could possibly be the most disturbing scene of her life.

A large mass of fleshy wings were squeezed together with several yellowish eyes scattered across its surface that glowed slightly under the sunlight.

Worm-like tentacles grew out from the monster’s body and wriggled around with creepy motions.

But it was the centerpiece of the creature that caused Sophie to almost flinch in horror. 

In the middle of the fleshy mass was a girl who looked identical to her.

It was no illusion.

From Sophie’s height to her features to even her hybrid traits this girl was simply an exact replica.

The girl was being manipulated like a puppet on a string by the tentacles and her mouth constantly opened and closed as she silently screamed.

Sophie could not tell if she was alive or dead but seeing the fleshy tentacles wriggling under her skin, she hoped it was the latter. 

Blood flowed freely down the corners of the girl’s eyes and she reached out her arm towards Sophie to make a beckoning gesture.

“Hell fucking no!” Sophie immediately channeled her qi into her legs and activated her movement technique.

Cloud Treading Dragon!

Sophie’s figure blurred as she vanished instantly from the spot and appeared several meters away in the nearby forest.

She continued to dash through the trees desperately while constantly checking behind her back to make sure the monster was not following her.

“Kiee! Kiee! Kiee!”

“Kiee! Kiee! Kiee!” 

“Kiee! Kiee! Kiee!”

The loud screeches of the creature could be still be heard but Sophie was relieved to hear the cries gradually fade away.

All thoughts of this exam possibly being easy were now gone entirely from her mind. 

That was one fucked up situation.

Maybe someone else in her position would have been curious about why the girl attached to the fleshy mass looked identical to them.

But Sophie could not care less.

She had seen enough videos on the virtual net about similar looking tentacle animals to want no part of whatever would happen had she gotten caught. 

Sophie slowed down from a sprint into a mild jog as she wandered through the forest. 

The trees were bright purple in colour with pinkish leaves that swayed merrily in the wind. 

Each tree was around twenty feet in height, but this varied slightly depending on the age of the plant.

The chirping of small insects and bugs were a constant source of background noise.

Sophie was cautious and alert as she moved through the trees, but after several minutes her danger sense did not trigger.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down, Sophie leaned against a nearby tree and thought about her next course of action.

She decided that the most important goal would be to look for a fresh source of water and then constructing a makeshift base camp.

“I wonder how Cleo is doing?” Sophie muttered as she wiped some sweat from her brow.

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