Their Mistake, Her Rise - Chapter 528: Chapter 528

By this point, a large crowd had gathered to watch, all eyes fixed on the scene, eager to see what would happen next.
One onlooker sneered, "Look at that Clusian woman! She's barely breathing and still wants to compete. She's so dead!"
"Totally! Let's just watch her die," another chimed in.
"That Clusian guy is gonna get dragged down with her, too," a third added.
The crowd erupted in jeers, everyone taking turns to trash-talk Zoe for her supposed incompetence.
Shawn paid no heed to the jeers. He led Zoe straight into the minefield. He crouched down and said, "Hop on."
A chorus of angry shouts rose from the crowd.
"That's cheating!" someone jeered.
"Who does he think he is, trying to carry a woman through this?" another scoffed.
One said, "They're both gonna die!"
"Good riddance! I've never liked those two Clusians anyway," someone muttered with open contempt.
These were the people who wanted both Zoe and Shawn dead.
But the moment Aileen saw Shawn was actually about to risk everything alongside Zoe, she practically jumped out of her seat. In a panic, she instantly snatched up her walkie-talkie and urgently radioed Ryan.
She said, "You can't let Shawn go in there with that woman! He'll get killed!"
Ryan responded impatiently, "Why didn't you say so earlier? It's too late now!"
Aileen demanded, "What do you mean, 'it's too late'? Turn on the speaker now. I need to talk to them!" Her face twisted in fury.
She thought, 'I can't let Shawn die. If he died, what is the point of everything I have done?'
Ryan had no choice but to turn on the speaker and place it in front of the PA system.
Aileen shouted, "Shawn, don't team up with that woman! She'll get you killed!"
Shawn was caught off guard when Aileen's voice suddenly came through the loudspeaker.
Zoe, however, wasn't surprised at all. She thought, 'Aileen wants me dead. She planted traps along the competition route. If Shawn comes with me, he'll be walking right into danger too.
'Aileen is desperate to make Shawn hers. She must be fuming with rage right now.'
Unable to persuade Shawn, Aileen could only lash out at Zoe. She shouted, "Zoe, you little witch! If you're so eager to die, then go do it alone. Don't drag innocent people down with you!
"How could you bear letting a man like Shawn die because of you? You say you love him? Is this what you call love?"
But Zoe couldn't care less.
Ryan urged them to start mine-clearing immediately. Any delay would mean automatic disqualification.
"Let's go!" Zoe said, patting Shawn's shoulder.
Shawn trusted Zoe completely. He hoisted her onto his back and strode straight into the minefield.
The other teams had already cleared all the mines along their chosen routes. Only the stretch where Shawn and Zoe were walking remained untouched. Charging in blindly would be a death sentence.
Aileen's heart was in her throat.
Just then, Sophia arrived at the competition site. As it happened, one of the event organizers was an admirer of Sophia's. So some of the dangerous challenges had been arranged by her behind the scenes.
Sophia had come here with one goal: to make Shawn see Zoe's true colors. She thought, 'I hope Shawn wouldn't fall for Zoe's two-faced act again.'
The moment Sophia arrived, she saw Shawn carrying Zoe on his back as they entered the minefield. Sophia shouted, "Shawn, get back here now!"
But Shawn didn't even glance back. He just kept moving forward, completely ignoring her.
Sophia shouted, "Zoe, you're evil! You're making Shawn walk through the minefield for you. Are you trying to get him killed?"
Zoe turned to Sophia with a knowing smirk, then deliberately raised her voice and asked Shawn, "Afraid I'll get you killed?"
"No chance. I trust you," Shawn said.
"Got it! Take two steps at one o'clock," Zoe commanded.
Without hesitation, Shawn moved exactly as Zoe directed.