Their Mistake, Her Rise - Chapter 531: Chapter 531

Zoe's heart fluttered, as if a feather were gently brushing against it—soft, ticklish, and impossible to ignore. Zoe thought, 'He knows just when to tug at my heartstrings. I like this feeling.'
With their pact made, the assessment commenced without delay.
Numerous armed soldiers suddenly took up their designated positions. With their machine guns and other heavy weaponry set up, they trained their sights directly on the designated training zone.
The competitors' faces paled at the sight.
"Sir, are they going to shoot at us?" someone asked nervously.
Ryan stated firmly, "Correct. You must break through to the designated endpoint without sustaining injuries."
The foreign competitors' faces instantly paled with shock. They thought, 'Sure, we are strong, but that doesn't mean we are looking to get ourselves killed.
'If we failed to evade those bullets, it'd be instant death. At best, we'd end up crippled for life!'
Suddenly, one said, "Wait, didn't they say there were no restrictions? We can team up. With this many of us, we can cover each other and break through their lines!"
"That makes sense!" another contestant chimed in.
The foreign contestants were all ready to team up. But they were quite cliquey and took an intense dislike to Zoe and Shawn, so the two of them were left out of the group.
Zoe and Shawn couldn't care less. For lone wolves like them, only the weak needed allies. But for this competition, even lone wolves like Zoe and Shawn had to work together.
Shawn said, "I've got this. Hop on, I'll carry you across."
Zoe knew Shawn wanted to protect her, but she couldn't shake the feeling that someone might be scheming against her during this competition. She thought, 'No surprise, the moment I show up, all the gunfire will zero in on me.
'If Shawn stayed with me, he might get caught in the crossfire because of me. I can't let that happen. The best course of action is to separate from Shawn. Bluntly telling him wouldn't work; I need to come up with another plan.'
As the seven-member team prepared to move out, Zoe and Shawn stood ready.
Shawn hoisted Zoe onto his back without hesitation. Zoe protested, but Shawn stubbornly insisted.
Seeing that Shawn wouldn't listen, Zoe could only let him have his way. But she was ready at any moment to make Shawn separate from her.
Sophia lurked in the shadows, watching everything unfold. She thought, 'Once Zoe steps onto the field, all the firepower will be trained on her. She'll be dead before she knows it, no chance of survival.'
When Sophia saw Shawn carrying Zoe on his back, her heart clenched with anxiety. She cursed inside, 'Damn that Zoe! Even now, she still wants to drag Shawn down with her.'
Worried that Shawn might get caught in the crossfire, Sophia hurriedly sought out Declan. She said urgently, "Tell your men to watch their aim. Make sure Shawn doesn't get hurt."
Declan asked teasingly, "Do you have a crush on this guy?"
Sophia replied, "No, that's not it. He's Clusia's legendary warrior. I absolutely can't let anything happen to him."
Declan said, "Alright, as a favor to you, I'll remind my man. But once the competition starts, all bets are off. No one can guarantee what might happen."
Though Sophia wasn't pleased with the reply, she knew she'd already asked for too much. Pushing further would likely make Declan unhappy. So, she didn't press on and only silently prayed in her heart that Shawn would be alright.
No sooner had the seven-man team set off than a barrage of bullets came streaking toward them. However, through tight coordination, the team managed to clear several obstacles by the skin of their teeth.
"Let's go too, or we'll lose," Zoe said.
"Hold on to my neck and don't let go," Shawn said, before scooping Zoe up and charging into the hail of bullets.
The moment the machine gunners spotted Zoe entering the combat zone, they instantly zeroed in on her. Bullets poured toward Zoe like there was no tomorrow.
But to avoid making it too obvious that Zoe was being singled out, not every gunner followed suit.
Zoe took one look at the situation and immediately knew that things were unfolding just as she'd anticipated. She thought, 'Looks like Aileen's gang is trying to take me out for good this time.'
To make Shawn leave her, Zoe deliberately exposed her arm and took a bullet while blocking the gunfire.
Shawn's eyes darkened with distress as he saw that Zoe was injured.
Zoe deliberately exaggerated her pain, putting on a convincing act. She said, "Shawn, forget about me. Put me down. My loss doesn't matter, but you mustn't lose. You have to win glory for Clusia."
Shawn said, "Stop talking. How could I possibly leave you like this?"
Zoe insisted, "Put me down! That's an order! I can't be the one holding you back."
"You're not my superior officer, you don't get to order me around," Shawn shot back.