Their Mistake, Her Rise - Chapter 396: Chapter 396

The most heinous were the organ traffickers. They treated living humans as mere commodities. Once a match was confirmed, they seized their victims and harvested their organs while they were still alive.
The lucky might survive; the unlucky were gutted and what was left was tossed into the incinerator—with nothing left, not even ashes.
Zoe looked at Shawn and said, "So, are you planning to stir up trouble in this exclusive district?"
Zoe, codenamed Firefox, had long grown used to such brutal scenes. If she happened upon them, she'd take action; if not, she wouldn't go out of her way to intervene.
After all, every place had its own underworld dealings—a persistent problem no authority could ever fully eradicate. Not much could one person possibly change.
Shawn said, "If everyone turns a blind eye, evil will only multiply."
"I've heard there's an underground auction in the exclusive district. They hold it periodically, and the next one's coming up in just a few days," Zoe said to Shawn.
"Five days from now," Shawn said, meeting Zoe's gaze. They were clearly on the same wavelength.
Shawn extended his hand to Zoe, and she took it without hesitation.
With a teasing smile, Zoe quipped, "Pleasure working with you, Mr. Ludwig."
Zoe and Shawn climbed up the clock tower, hoping to steal some quiet time together. But fate had other plans—someone just wouldn't let them be.
In a shadowy corner, a crime was unfolding. Zoe and Shawn saw a woman being dragged into a dark alley by a group of men, clearly intending to assault her.
"Looks like we won't get that midnight kiss after all," Zoe said with a hint of regret, glancing back at the clock. It was only a minute to twelve.
Shawn suddenly pulled Zoe close by the waist and, without hesitation, leaped off the clock tower. The howling wind made Zoe's ears ring.
"We'll make up for it another time," Zoe murmured, a smirk playing at her lips.
'Who says guys can't be romantic? He just hadn't figured it out yet. But once he does, his smooth moves outshine even the most seasoned pickup artists,' Zoe thought.
Zoe and Shawn stepped into the shadowy alley.
"Please, let me go! Help!" the woman screamed desperately, her frantic struggles only fueling the men's excitement.
As her clothes were ripped to shreds, one of them eagerly reached for his belt.
"Stop right there!" Two figures emerged from the shadows, backlit by the dim light. It was Shawn who spoke first.
Zoe stood beside Shawn, taking in the woman's disheveled state—her clothes torn, her body exposed in humiliating vulnerability.
"Help me! Please, help me!" the woman cried out desperately when she saw someone coming.
One of the men slapped her across the face.
"Shut up, bitch! Another word and you're dead!" After disciplining the woman, the thugs turned their attention to Zoe and Shawn.
"Well, well, Clusian idiots," one of the thugs sneered, cracking his knuckles. "You got any idea where the hell you are?"
His buddy teased, "Of course, they don't. This is Merilunia, not the pushover Clusia. Try playing hero here and you're signing your own death warrant."
The rest of the gang burst into raucous laughter.
Shawn was about to step in, but Zoe raised a hand to stop him. He turned to her, but she didn't say a word. Instead, she just shot him a meaningful look.
Their experience of working together had made them a well-oiled team. The moment he saw her signal, Shawn immediately went on high alert.
One of the thugs sneered, "Hey, Clusian idiots, why don't you say something? Let's hear it!"
Another jeered, "Weren't you all so cocky just a minute ago? Cat got your tongue now?"
A third laughed, "They might just be too stupid to speak human language."
Yet another leered, "That bitch is pretty hot. Why don't we drag her over and have some fun?"
As the thugs' vulgar insults escalated, Zoe fixed them with an icy glare.
Seeing Zoe insulted, Shawn was already poised to strike.
"Let me handle this," Zoe cut in before Shawn could act. With his status, it would be beneath his dignity to get his hands dirty. But for her, this was just another day's work.
"Hey, gorgeous, got any cash on you?" Zoe asked.
The thugs, who had been waiting for a show, were caught off guard by the sudden question about money. Instinctively, their eyes darted to the woman on the ground.
"I-I have money... 30 dollars," she stammered, her voice trembling.
"30 dollars?" The thugs erupted in raucous, scornful laughter.
Zoe looked at the woman. "Willing to hand it over?"
"Take everything! Just save me!" the woman pleaded, trembling uncontrollably.
Zoe smirked. As a mercenary, this was just another paid job. Now that the woman had hired her, she could kill with full justification.
With a glint in her eyes, Zoe sneered, "Well then, boys, ready to meet your maker?"
The men burst into derisive laughter at Zoe's bravado.
"Hey, did you guys hear that? She says she's gonna kill us!" one of them sneered.
"What a joke! Look at those scrawny arms. I could break her in half with one hand," another scoffed.
"She's just my type. First dibs, guys!" a burly man leered. With that, he lunged at Zoe.
The others quickly caught on and rushed forward, all eager for first dibs.
Murderous intent simmered in Zoe's eyes as, unseen by anyone, a razor-thin blade slipped between her fingers.
As the first man charged, Zoe didn't retreat. She lunged forward to meet him head-on.
As Zoe darted forward, the men froze in their tracks, gaping ahead in utter disbelief.
"You—" The first to charge barely got the word out when he felt something wet trickling down his neck.
His hands flew to his throat, only to find his windpipe slit open, blood gushing between his fingers.
One by one, the others realized their throats had been slit. Only the man still pinning the woman down remained unscathed.
As his companions collapsed in pools of blood, the last man standing's knees buckled and he dropped to the ground, trembling uncontrollably. "Please, don't kill me! Have mercy!" he stammered.
When he saw blood dripping from between Zoe's fingers, his face drained of all color.
Zoe turned to the woman. "Do you want him to live?"
"Kill him!" the woman shrieked, her voice raw with hysteria.
"No—" Before the man could finish, Zoe ended his life.
Zoe slipped the bloodied blade away and turned to the woman, who was covering her chest with one hand while timidly reaching out with the other, her hand trembling.
"Could you help me up? I'll give you the money," the woman pleaded in a shaky voice.
Zoe didn't move an inch, looking down at her with cold detachment. When no help came, the woman painfully pulled herself up.
But in that instant, she suddenly turned on Zoe. A dagger flashed coldly in her hand, aimed straight at Zoe's heart.
Zoe dodged with a fluid sidestep, grabbing the woman's wrist. "Is this how you repay your rescuer?"
The woman stared coldly at Zoe. "In this exclusive district, everyone at the bottom has only one goal—to survive."
That was why even the weakest-looking, most helpless people will turn vicious—kill, if they must—just to scrape by.