19. 'Thank you.'

Sophia's paused and her body went stiff as she stared at the girl with wide eyes. Her gaze filled with confusion. Whose voice was that? It wasn't Luna for there was only a remnant of her soul that still speaks to her. Besides even if Luna was still alive, she didn't have a physical body at the moment so she couldn't possibly in danger.

So, was it the voice of that girl who saw her? If so, how? How was she able to hear her cries?

Hearing some moments from the bodyguards, Sophia quickly hid and looked around for Sachi. Sachi was currently laying on top of a wooden beam at the top of the ceiling swishing his tail back and forth. When he saw Sophia look around left and right he couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

Luckily no one could hear him but he did expose his location to Sophia, not that it mattered much. When he confirmed that she was looking at him, Sachi already opened his mouth to answer her questions without being asked.

"The people involved in missions have a connection to you through the system. If they see you and are desperate enough you can hear their calls in your head. That girl saw you and even though she can't speak at the moment, her silent cries were able to get through to you."

Sophia was enlightened. 'So that's what happened. I thought I was going crazy. phew.'

Sophia pulled up the system panel once more and looked at the time.

[00:00:18]

Taking a deep breath Sophia put on the black mask that she had on when she left the apartment. Stealthily she made her way towards the bodyguard's room. Most of the bodyguards were there and even the four bodyguards who were guarding the girls were also near the room.

If she lets out the potion gas inside the room, she would have the biggest advantage. Six bodyguards would be instantly knocked out, and the rest four would have their bodies weakened. As for the girls they were somewhat closer to a corner of the barn with no way outside, but they were also quite a distance away from the room and the bodyguards. Even if the gas leaked towards them, nothing would happen to them due to the distance.

Sachi had nothing better to do so he watched a show from the top of the ceiling. From where he was he watched Sophia move towards the front of the barn where the bodyguard's room was under the cover of the dim lights and the many wooden planks and boxes that roamed the sidelines.

The back of the barn was messy with hay all over the place. The girls were also scattered and whimpering. Around them lingered patches of brown and the many shades of red originating from the blood of those young girls. The walls were all lined with wood and suspicious boxes so that the girls had no way to escape. Nor was there any way to peep in.

Swishing his tail rather calmly, Sachi let out a slight smile when Sophia secretly snuck the potion vile into the room. Before long, several thuds resounded the place and the room fell quiet.

The four bodyguards that were near the room also heard the noise. With great caution and their guns on their hands, they quietly made their way towards the room. Sachi laughed when he saw this. He could barely hold it in when he saw the four bodyguards look into the room only to be greeted with their comrades on the floor, stacked one on top of the other.

Before they could make out what was happening, their heads became dizzy and their vision turned blurry. All four of the bodyguards dropped down to the ground one after another. Due to their closeness when they fell, they also happened to stack directly one on top of the other.

Sophia who had hidden behind the planks once more after placing the open vile into the room walked out. She still had her mask on so the gas from the potion didn't affect her. The bodyguards were blocking the entrance so she had no choice but to climb over them and get her vile back.

Closing the lid with the silicone cap once more, Sophia put the vile away and walked over to the girls.

Not many of them were conscious but even so, those who saw her were very hopeful. They saw the bodyguards getting knocked down silently and they were confused as to what was happening. Despite their fear of the unknown, when they saw Sophia, they felt very much relieved.

Knowing that the girls wouldn't be able to talk much, Sophia didn't wait for them to speak up. She directly spoke to them about the happenings.

"I was passing by when I saw the vans and you guys being dragged out so I came to help. I didn't call the police so don't worry. I have to get you guys back into the van as soon as possible before the bodyguards wake up so bear with me. I'm going to send you guys to someone who can help you get back your life. Is that alright with you guys?"

The girls were ecstatic! They were saved! Never mind that, this kind soul was even going to help them get back their lives! How great was that?

Of course, not all of them heard her because they were unconscious but those who did hear her nodded their head as best as they could.

Not daring to waste any time, Sophia went around helping the girls from the barn and into the cars. She started by helping the ones that were awake into the back of the vans. There were barely nine girls who were awake, while the rest were out unconscious. She places two girls on the back of each van. She then moved on to carry the seven unconscious girls into the vans equally before getting the rest of the five girls who were awake into the vans.

With her arrangements, the unconscious girls were surrounded by those who were awake to keep them safe while the cars drove. The vans had two long benches like those of a police jeep. Despite this, there were seat belts so the girls were all safely strapped in.

To prevent any sort of problems or accidents, Sophia surrounded those who were unconscious and very weak by the stronger ones. There was no harm in being too careful.

Sophia walked over to her motorbike and after taking out her phone from the storage compartment she called KL.

"Hey, boss!" KL was excited as ever to hear from Sophia but not for long.

"I'm sending over two black vans. There are sixteen girls inside, all of them are weak and injured. Until I get back from the mission take care of them. Also, keep their identities hidden. Don't leak their whereabouts or their condition."

"..." [Weren't you out on a delivery mission? What the f*ck is this?]

"Oh, one more thing. Don't be too surprised when the cars come in. Wait for them at the back door of Suger Honies within an hour. Get the doctors ready in the meantime, mostly gynecologists."

Not waiting for a response, Sophia hanged up the phone. Sophia opened the door to the vans once more. "The vans will be derived to a company where my friend will help you guys. Don't panic and don't be scared. I'll meet you guys again within 48 hours after I get things settled."

Once she was done explaining to them, Sophia closed the doors. Walking over to the driver's side on one of the vans Sophia pulled out her phone. The brightly lit screen turned dark for a second before green lines started appearing one after the other. Sophia's fingers danced across the screen for a while before her loading bar took over the screen.

Within a few seconds, the bar was fully loaded and 'success' appeared on the screen. Within two seconds the words disappeared and her phone turned dark before returning to a normal lock screen.

At this time a beep was heard and the engine for both vans was started. Sophia was very pleased with the results so after peeking in through the window to make sure that everything was in order, Sophia moved away from the van.

The vans rolled away from the barn one after the other at a fast but steady speed. Their destination was, of course, Sugar Honies where KL was currently waiting for them.

When the vans were out of her sight, Sophia slowly moved her gaze away from the road and looked at her motorbike that was still hidden in the shadows of the barn. As she was thinking about her next steps, Sophia heard Luna's voice in her head once again. Along with it came a barely audible whisper which belonged to one of the girls. Though the words were spoken by different people and for many reasons, they were sincere.

'Thank you.'