Transmigrated as the Villainess Princess

She opened the participant roster on her optical brain, watching the glowing names of the students.

The system was designed to track their vitals, if a student quit or died, the signal from their optical brain would shut off, and the glowing light beside their name would extinguish.

Her eyes scanned the list, heart pounding as she hoped to find all the names still illuminated.

I can't let anything happen to them.

As they approached the area, Ahcehera's voice cut through the tension, "Everyone, stay alert. We're walking into unknown territory, and whatever destroyed those bots won't hesitate to attack us, or the students."

The soldiers readied their weapons, their expressions grim as the spacecraft descended into the chaos of the examination zone.

Several flying bots zipped through the misty air, their silent movements relaying live feeds of the eerie surroundings.

Despite their thorough scans, the area yielded no signs of life, only an unsettling silence.

The students were missing.

A dense fog clung to the ground, swirling with an unnatural persistence.

"Be cautious of the fog," Ahcehera instructed, her voice low and firm. She activated her night vision glasses, their green glow illuminating the shrouded terrain.

"Strategist Hera, we've spotted numerous human footprints here," reported one of the soldiers, pointing to a clear trail imprinted in the damp soil.

The team followed the footprints cautiously, but their progress was abruptly halted when the trail vanished without explanation.

The impressions disappeared as though the ground had swallowed them whole.

"Secure yourselves with ropes and tether them to your bodies," Ahcehera commanded. "Double-check your knots. We cannot afford to lose anyone in this fog."

The soldiers worked quickly, fastening the ropes and attaching them to their belts. The thickening fog seemed almost alive, obscuring their vision and muffling sound.

Ahcehera retrieved a sleek laser gun from her space button and held it firmly. The soldiers followed her lead, readying their weapons, their faces set with grim determination.

The group advanced, each connected by a taut thread of rope.

Ahcehera studied the holographic map on her optical brain, plotting the names of the students. Red dots indicated their last known positions, right beneath their feet.

No movement. No life forms were detected.

Suddenly, the soldier at the end of the line let out a sharp cry before being yanked downward into the ground.

"Hold the line!" Ahcehera shouted.

The team sprang into action, pulling the rope with all their strength. The soldier emerged moments later, gasping, his uniform smeared with damp soil.

Whatever had dragged him under left no visible marks, only the chilling reminder of its presence beneath their feet.

They quickly moved to higher ground, gathering atop a series of large rock formations.

Ahcehera's gaze swept the foggy surroundings as she processed the situation. "The students are likely trapped beneath the soil," she concluded.

"For reasons unknown, they're still alive but likely unconscious. None of them activated their distress buttons."

"Strategist Hera," one soldier said hesitantly, "we don't have the tools to dig them out."

"And using explosives could harm them," another added grimly.

Ahcehera exhaled deeply, her mind racing. The ground itself seemed to defy their efforts, as though something sinister was lying in wait.

"Then we'll have to get creative," she said finally, her tone decisive. "Let's play a game of pretend. We'll be the bait."

The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances but nodded, trusting her judgment.

"Everyone, prepare to go down," Ahcehera instructed, her grip tightening on her laser gun. "Whatever's hiding beneath this soil, we're going to lure it out."

The team steeled themselves for what lay ahead, descending cautiously into the fog-covered abyss.

We can do this!

Ahcehera and her team waited in tense silence, their breaths measured as they prepared for the inevitable.

It took half an hour, but one by one, each member of the team was pulled into the earth. Finally, only Ahcehera remained conscious.

When she reached the bottom, the air was damp and oppressive, with darkness pressing in from all sides.

Her teammates lay motionless around her, their forms scattered like discarded dolls.

Ahcehera knelt beside the closest soldier, her fingers deftly pressing acupressure points in an attempt to revive him.

He's in deep sleep.

But what made them fall unconscious?

No response. She moved to the next, and then the next, but all efforts were futile.

She sighed deeply, her determination hardening. "I can't leave them here."

Summoning Cresencia, Ahcehera carefully secured each unconscious soldier inside. The stasis field would ensure their safety until she could find a way to revive them.

Now alone, she stood amidst the suffocating darkness, scanning her surroundings.

The silence is deafening.

The terrain was barren, devoid of plants, rocks, or any identifiable landmarks. It was an endless, featureless void.

She activated her optical brain to search for signs of life, but the readings came up empty.

I have no choice.

Ahcehera accessed her mecha, Syverian, from her space button.

The sleek S3-class machine materialized before her, its polished frame gleaming faintly in the dim light she projected.

The space beneath the soil wasn't too narrow for Syverian's bulk. She climbed into the cockpit, the interior lighting up as the mecha hummed to life.

"Syverian," Ahcehera called, her voice steady.

A smooth, mechanical tone responded, "Yes, Mistress."

"Activate the area scan and synchronize with my data feed," she ordered. "We need to locate the missing students."

"Understood. Initiating scan," Syverian replied, its sensors whirring softly.

As Ahcehera guided the mecha deeper into the void, Syverian's lights illuminated the path ahead, revealing nothing but the oppressive expanse of blackness.

The stillness was unnerving.

"Syverian," she continued, her tone sharp with purpose, "I don't care how long it takes. Find them. Every single one of them."

"Yes, Mistress," the mecha responded with unwavering resolve.

The search began in earnest, the synergy between Ahcehera and Syverian slicing through the suffocating darkness.

Ahcehera checked the time on her optical brain. Five hours had passed since she had begun her relentless search.

The oppressive silence and unchanging void stretched her patience thin. Despite Syverian's scans and her own tactical ingenuity, the missing students remained elusive.

Her brow furrowed as frustration began to seep into her usually calm demeanor. "Syverian," she said through gritted teeth, "increase scan intensity. Cross-reference the terrain for anomalies."

"Yes, Mistress," the mecha replied, immediately executing her command.

The minutes ticked by, yet the void refused to yield any clues. The weight of helplessness settled on her shoulders.

"I've had enough of this," Ahcehera muttered under her breath, her hands tightening around the controls.