Their Mistake, Her Rise - Chapter 532: Chapter 532

Zoe asked, "Shawn, do you even remember who you are? Are you going to throw away this competition just because of me?"
"I won't give up on either you or the competition," Shawn said firmly.
Zoe gazed at Shawn in stunned silence. She'd always thought that if she got hurt, Shawn would leave her behind for the sake of honor. That was the best outcome she would accept.
But to her astonishment, Shawn wanted both: honor and her. He simply refused to let her go. Zoe was completely shaken by this.
She thought, 'Does it mean that in Shawn's heart, I'm just as important as Clusia itself? How can I refuse a man like this?'
Shawn said firmly, "Trust me. I'll get you out of here safe and sound." For him, leaving a comrade behind was simply unthinkable. Besides, Zoe wasn't just his comrade; she was the love of his life.
Zoe was finally moved by the unwavering resolve in Shawn's eyes. She thought, 'Since he is willing to do everything for me. Why keep pretending to refuse? Let the bullets come harder, then.' She replied, "Alright, I'll follow your lead!"
Shawn pressed forward with Zoe on his back. They soon caught up with the team of foreign competitors.
Those foreigners were shocked to see Zoe and Shawn had caught up with them, drawing even more intense gunfire their way. Some of the foreign contestants saw Zoe and Shawn as nothing but trouble.
"Those two Clusians are the primary targets. If we want to stay safe, we need to eliminate them first," one of them said.
Another said, "Damn right! We gotta take them out first!"
Realizing that Zoe and Shawn were the primary targets of concentrated fire, the foreign contestants split up tactically, each aiming to eliminate them before resuming the competition.
The foreigners weaved through gunfire as they charged at Zoe and Shawn. They figured that with Shawn weighed down by Zoe, it'd be a piece of cake to take him out in one go.
Although Zoe was injured, she was no pushover. Taking someone out wasn't a problem for her. As those foreigners rushed in, Zoe didn't hesitate. With a lightning draw of her dagger, she slit one man's throat before he could blink.
Witnessing Zoe's ruthless efficiency, the others froze in their tracks. None dared make another move against her.
Unable to see her condition while carrying Zoe on his back, Shawn asked, "Zoe, you okay back there?"
Zoe replied, "I'll live! Not dead yet!"
"Move out," Shawn commanded.
Shawn and Zoe were there to win, not to kill. Those foreigners wanted them dead, but Zoe and Shawn weren't about to waste time on them.
Just as Zoe and Shawn were about to move on, the foreign contestants erupted in fury.
"We can't just let them walk away!" one of the foreign contestants said angrily.
"Damn right! If they win, we'll look like complete losers!" one of them snapped.
Another chimed in, "We have to take them down."
One of them muttered, "But what can we do? That woman kills without hesitation. She's downright ruthless."
One said, "Don't worry. We'll figure something out!"
After a quick huddle, they hatched a scheme.
They found that even the gunners seemed to have it out for Zoe and Shawn. So they thought, 'As long as we stay away from them, the bullets pretty much stop flying our way. This way, we can stay safe.
'All we have to do is set up some dirty tricks from the sidelines. If we could make Zoe and Shawn take a bullet by accident, victory would be as good as ours. Dirty tricks like this are right up our alley.'
The remaining six split up, coordinating their movements as they slowly closed in on Shawn and Zoe from multiple directions.
Shawn focused on dodging gunfire to break through, while Zoe vigilantly scanned their surroundings.
With just a single glance, Zoe sensed the foreigners were plotting something. She warned urgently, "Watch out, they're flanking us!"
With Zoe's warning, Shawn sure enough became more vigilant.
But the foreign contestants were still relentlessly closing in, single-mindedly intent on taking Zoe and Shawn down.
Before Shawn loomed a wall over seven feet tall. Jumping over the wall alone would've been a breeze for Shawn, but with Zoe on his back, things got a whole lot trickier.
To make matters worse, a foreigner had already scaled the high wall and was lying in wait at the top, ready to ambush the two of them.
Zoe sneered at the scene. She thought, 'Only I get to mess with the man I've chosen. If anyone even thinks about touching a hair on Shawn's head, they'd better be ready to answer to me.'
The man atop the wall was poised to leap down and snap Shawn's neck, while another had already crept up behind Zoe, ready to strike and distract Shawn. They had it all planned out, teaming up to take down Zoe and Shawn.
Zoe saw right through their little scheme.