The Spider Queen

(Unknown Starship- Fifth Floor)

(Holding Room)

Sophie's golden eyes darkened as she quietly stepped into the room. The scent of blood and rotting meat filled her nostrils with every step she took.

It was so… disguis… delicious…

She could see the survivors visibly freeze as she slowly approached. There was a noticeable sense of tension in the air.

Two unconscious bodies lay helplessly on the ground next to the door.

The survivors had made the choice to sacrifice their fellow crewmates.

This was exactly as Sophie predicted.

She did not feel enraged at their callous actions because under the same circumstances…

Who knows what choice she would have made?

No one wants to die. Sophie knew that fact better than anyone since she still had the memories of Sui Meng inside her head.

The shock and horror of slowly realising that you could never return to your friends and loved ones had tormented the ancient Earthling for the entire time she was in control.

There were no second chances after death which is why Sophie cherished her life. There were too many goals that she still needed to accomplish.

"Excellent," Sophie chuckled darkly and slowly clapped.

She bent down and gripped the two unconscious survivors by the collars of their robes.

She dragged the bodies across the floor while the other survivors glanced away. Perhaps none wanted to see the fate of their companions.

Guilt and remorse were the two emotions that Sophie hoped would fill their hearts.

Her use of psychological manipulation tactics was working so far but now it was time to take the next step.

Reward.

"Who helped to pick out these sacrifices? Please step forward for your gift," Sophie loudly declared.

There was a brief moment of hesitation but eventually six survivors tentatively stepped forward.

Sophie also spotted a survivor towards the back of the room glaring at the six crewmembers with hatred in her gaze.

That's it…

A brief smile flashed across Sophie's face that was so fast that the survivors didn't even notice.

Turning their anger and frustrations on each other would ensure that a united group would be impossible to form.

"Well, such loyalty deserves a reward! Here are some fresh meals for the day and I shall return very soon," Sophie calmly stated.

Sophie nodded her head in approval and then reached into her storage bag for a handful of nutrient vials.

She placed all six vials on a nearby bed and then left the room with the two bodies in hand.

The metalloid door closed behind her with a dull thump.

Why had she not given the vials to the survivors directly? There were two reasons. Firstly, it was to maintain an aura of indifference and more importantly…

It was to give the other survivors in the room a chance to steal the rewards for themselves.

Sophie planned on not interfering with anything that happened inside the room.

Even in the case of injuries since it was unlikely that the survivors would kill each other.

All the survivors should know that having fewer people in the room would increase the likelihood that they would be chosen as the next meal.

Sophie picked up the two bodies from the ground effortlessly and then hoisted them on her shoulders like sacks of potatoes.

It only took around ten minutes to bring the two survivors to the cafeteria level where the torn-up corpses of the security officers still remained.

The hybrid girl reached into her storage bag and pulled out thin strips of metalloid rope which she then used to bind their arms and legs.

This step wasn't necessary to protect herself but rather to increase the discomfort for her prisoners.

Sophie had to pause after she finished tightly locking the limbs of the prisoners as a sudden thought surfaced in her mind.

Cleo would look so tempting if she was also wrapped up in chains…

The mental image of the pampered princess being tied up and staring at her with a mixture of fear and arousal caused a fierce blush to form on Sophie's face.

No… no… focus on the mission.

Sophie shook her head twice to get that distracting thought from her mind, but the mental image still lingered.

She could feel a warmth coming from the pink mark branded on her chest but nothing else happened.

Eventually this comfortable feeling faded away.

Sophie made a mental note to ask her aunt what exactly the mark did.

She had found little information regarding the mark inside the sea of Arachnais knowledge that her aunt had placed in the amulet's space.

"What… where…" a groggy voice suddenly murmured.

Sophie hurriedly took a few steps backwards and then arranged her posture so that it appeared as though she had been waiting impatiently.

It was time for another performance.

"Hello little snack," Sophie chuckled sadistically as she saw the frightened expression on the survivor's face.

"Why don't we wait for your friend to join us and then we can spend some time together…"

"Please… DON'T HURT ME!" the survivor pleaded desperately.

Sophie laughed but did not say a single word. This game was about patience.

Rather than going straight into torture, it was important to let the fear and dread fester in her victim's mind.

Sometimes the unknown threat was more terrifying than the actual source of fear.

Sophie did tell the survivors that the sacrifices would be eaten but the manner in which she would devour them was left to their imaginations.

Some would expect a quick but messy death while others probably felt as though the process involved the hybrid girl painfully cutting off chunks of their flesh while they were still alive.

Clearly the shivering alien in front of her was the latter. He visibly flinched whenever Sophie stretched out her arm to yawn lazily.

There was no rush and as the minutes ticked by, Sophie maintained the light smile on her face while the survivor's pale skin somehow got even whiter.

The fear and tension were warping his mind and breaking down his psyche piece by piece. Sophie felt as though she could almost taste the emotions in the air.

Don't lose control….

Sophie took a few deep breaths and then slowly exhaled until the rising feeling of bloodlust went back down.

Her goal was not to kill these two aliens. She needed them alive to extract information on the day-to-day operations onboard the vessel.

"Wha… what… happened?" Pirene opened his eyes with a wince as he felt a painful throb in the back of his head.

A sudden noise echoed through the cafeteria as Sophie giggled and then clapped her hands together in excitement.

Pirene saw the monster standing before him and stared in disbelief as he realised that his own colleagues had betrayed him.

"Sorry the place is a bit…. messy," Sophie whispered hoarsely as she playfully picked up a severed arm from the floor.

She toyed with the bloodied flesh for a few moments and then flung it off to the side with a bored look on her face.

"Shall we begin the fun?"