Their Mistake, Her Rise - Chapter 518: Chapter 518

Aileen glared at Sophia and snapped, "Why do I feel like you're just stalling? No way! With your plan, we won't even lay a finger on her by the end of this training. I'm doing it my way!"
Sophia immediately cut her off, "Aileen, we agreed you'd follow my lead. If you act on your own and fail, don't expect me to take the blame."
Aileen frowned. She pondered, 'If I intervene and fail this time, Sophia will just use it as another excuse. No way. Let's see if Sophia is useless. These next few days will tell.'
Aileen snapped, "Fine! But if you screw up again, I'll make sure you regret ever crossing me!"
Sophia clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. No one wanted Zoe dead more than she did. She thought, 'If this plan fails again, I can't just rely on some amateur. I'll need to ally with someone truly powerful.'
Over the next few days, Zoe and everyone else were subjected to inhuman torment by Ryan. Everyone was pushed to their absolute limits, completely drained. Some simply collapsed on the spot, unable to go on.
Most terrifying of all, someone, unable to withstand the relentless pressure, found a secluded place and hanged themselves. The incident caused quite a stir, but the body was quietly removed, and the training camp faced no consequences.
After all, the rules were clear: anyone could quit at any time. If one died here, it was their own decision, and the camp took no responsibility.
The ten minutes of daily competition were pure agony. But once one got used to them, they became the easiest part. In less than eight days, eighty-five had been eliminated. Only thirty remained.
The thirty were the elite among elites, the strongest of the strong. They had endured both physical torment and immense psychological pressure.
As long as they persevered to the end and walked out of the training camp, they would become the world's ultimate hunters and all-rounders, whom organizations worldwide would fight to recruit.
Honors meant nothing to Zoe and Shawn, survival was all that mattered.
On the ninth day, only thirty people remained, but there was food for just ten. When they entered the tent and saw the pitifully small portions, they knew it was going to be a brutal day.
By the rules, all food had to go to the dog first. Only after the dog had eaten could they have any.
The meager rations, already barely enough for ten, were further diminished after the dog took their share and ruined what was left.
"You can eat now," Ryan announced.
At his words, some trainees, wild with hunger, charged at the food like ravenous beasts, each wishing they could eat it all themselves.
"Move! I'm eating this!" someone snarled.
"This is mine!" another yelled.
"Get the hell away from my food!" a third roared.
As chaos erupted in the tent with trainees brawling over the scraps, Zoe and Shawn stood aside, watching the mayhem with calculating eyes.
"Aren't you going to go for the food?" Zoe asked.
"You aren't either," Shawn replied calmly.
They shared a knowing smile. They had no intention of joining the chaos. They'd just wait to see who was left standing before making their move.
Several others shared the same strategy. While the others were too busy fighting to notice the food, those who had held back finally made their move.
Zoe and Shawn joined in as well. Unlike those trying to hoard everything, they simply took reasonable portions and retreated to eat in peace.
When Zoe and Shawn took their share, some scraps of food remained. But among those still brawling, only a handful came to their senses and broke away to grab some food, abandoning the fight.