Chapter 5
After Zack let out a sharp cry, Zoe let go.
She looked at him coldly and said in a flat voice. “Don’t touch me. You’re not worthy”
Then she turned around and walked out of the Evans residence, not even glancing at the wide–eyed Eunice, Herbert, and Jacob.
They just stood there, stunned, watching her leave like statues. None of them could believe what they had just seen.
Jacob was still in shock. “Mr. Shelton’s a world champion fighter..
That move Zack used, full of killing intent–there were barely a handful of instructors at Highcrest University who could handle it.
But Zoe didn’t just block it–she struck back.
“Oh my god, how could Zoe stab Mr. Shelton in the back?” Eunice suddenly crouched down and picked something up from a crack in the floor where Zoe had been standing.
She held up a small needle and gasped. “Mr. Shelton, I’m so sorry! Zoe must’ve used this to sneak attack you. I apologize on her behalf.”
Of course. Zoe hadn’t used a needle. That was something Eunice had dropped months ago during an embroidery contest–and now she was using it to twist the truth.
Still, Eunice was convinced Zoe had to have cheated somehow. There was no way a girl like her could overpower Zack otherwise.
And the moment she said it, everyone else suddenly looked like it all made sense.
Herbert nearly jumped. I knew something was off. So that’s how she did it! What a dirty trick.”
Jacob’s face turned dark. “She’s got no real skills. All she knows is how to lie and cheat. She’s hopeless.”
Meanwhile, Zack coughed a few times, still holding his nearly shattered wrist, trying to bear the pain. He hadn’t fully processed what had just happened either.
Unlike the others, Zack had enough experience in real combat to recognize just how skilled Zoe truly was..
That move–fast, precise, brutal–wasn’t something a normal young girl should’ve been able to pull off.
If any student at Highcrest had that kind of talent, Zack would’ve made them a top–priority recruit.
But Zoe was just some girl from a poor village. And she had just broken the wrist of Zack Shelton–head of the Clusia Fighting Association and soon–to–be member of Eminence Nexus.
If word got out, he’d be humiliated. People would laugh at him in Jelonsburg, maybe even across all of Clusia. He couldn’t let that
happen.
Thus, for the sake of his reputation, Zack decided to take the excuse Eunice had handed him.
“What good is an apology?” he said coldly. “I won’t allow someone so shameless to enter Highcrest University. She’s banned”
After leaving the Evans réudence, Zor didn’t head straight to Highcrest University. Instead, she made her way to the underground black market of Jelomsburg
Her purpose was simple—she needed weapons. Real weapons. Tools for killing. Tools to assassinate Shawit. Her own arsenal had been
contiorated at the Clusia border.
mbu, you’ve got a urw lace. First time in the black market?” The man in charge of the market greeted her with a fake sinile, his
He bured she was just another clueless girl stumbling to the wrong place
But before he could lush talking. Zoe tossed three thick stacks of cash onto the table. Her voice was flat and cold. “Cut the crap
“I want everything—your 1982 Deien Eagle, the Glock Swiss kidle, poison darts……all of it?
The man blinked in surprise. Not only did Zoe kose the rules of the undergiv
rade – the mus a professional. Che glance and she
had correctly identified every model on display.
His smirk vanished. He collected the cash, wrapped the weapons in a black plastic bag, and handed it over without another word.
Transaction completed. Zoe didn’t linger. She turned to leave
But just as she reached the stairwell of the black market, she saw a familiar, handsome face,
Then came the tall, lean 6’3” frame. Bronze skin that radiated power. Masculine Charismatic. Dangerous. Even if he were reduced to ashes, she would still recognize him.
Shawn Ludwig. Her target.
The world was really small. In a city as massive as Jelonsburg, fate had handed her this encounter on a silver platter
Zoe had never met Shawn in person–but she had stared at his face in photos countless times. There was no mistaking the man who had humiliated her to the bone
Just ahead, Chase said to Shawn, “Mr. Ladwig, it’s all set. Please, this way
“Alright, Shawn replied coolly
Alright”
Before Zoe could react, they disappeared down the stairwell.
She scoffed under her breath. Whatever Shawn was doing here, it didn’t matter. If he was bold enough to appear in front of her–she wasn’t going to waste the opportunity.
Zoe snatched a wooden mask from a nearby shelf and slipped into the shadows, following them silently.
Down the narrow stairwell, three figures moved like phantoms–Zoe trailing ten yards behind, careful to keep her distance.
Down ten floors. Around three pitch–black corners. Then suddenly–at the last bend–Shawn and Chase vanished.
Zoe’s eyes narrowed. Her gut screamed danger. And then, a fist came flying out of the dark.
She twisted
in time, dodging the brutal blow by a hair. But before she could recover, Shawn’s hand reached for her face, grabbing at the mask she wore.
“Why are you following me?” he asked, voice sharp. “Who are you?”
Zue’s expression darkened. She cursed silently. She hadn’t expected Shawn’s counter–surveillance skills to be this good.
Just like that she was exposed.
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Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Zoe stayed silent. Just as Shawn had almost pulled off her mask, she moved fast and hit the back of his hand with her wrist.
Shawn grunted. He hadn’t expected to meet a woman in Clusia who could actually fight him head–on.
Zoe quickly pushed the mask back onto her face and held it down.
Shawn’s eyes narrowed. He struck again, wanting to see the face behind that mask.
The two moved fast, every move sharp and clean. This wasn’t some street fight. It was a real battle–between the queen of mercenaries and Clusia’s legend of war.
Shawn grabbed her wrist. As Zoe kicked at him, he turned his head just in time, dodged the blow, and caught her leg. In one smooth move, he threw her to the ground.
But Zoe had planned it. Right before she hit the floor, she twisted her body and kicked Shawn hard in the jaw. Then she rolled and jumped back to her feet.
In just ten seconds, they had exchanged over twenty blows.
Off to the side, Chase stood frozen, eyes wide in shock. He had never imagined a woman could go toe–to–toe with Shawn. And she had just kicked him in the face.
It was crazy. If word got out that Shawn had taken a hit like that from a woman, half the big shots i
their minds
“Hey, did you hear that?”
“Over there–go check it out!”
Voices echoed from the d
distance. The black market’s guards were getting close.
in Jelonsburg would probably lose
Zoe snapped back to reality. It wasn’t the right time to keep fighting. Besides, Shawn was way stronger than she’d expected. No man had ever lasted more than ten moves against her before
Still trading blows, she slipped a hand into her pocket and pulled out a smoke bomb she’d just bought from the market.
It wasn’t top–grade gear, but the smoke would last ten seconds–long enough to escape. When the smoke cleared, Zoe was gone.
Shawn stared into the fading fog, eyes dark, thinking hard.
“Mr. Ludwig, should we chase her? Cluse asked, stepping up.
“No need, Shawn said without hesitation.
Something about her fighting style reminded him of a mercenary he knew–code name Firefox.
Shawn narrowed his eyes. Right now, he looked like a hunter in the jungle, waiting for the right prey to walk into his trap.
If she really was Firefox, he was sure that they would meet again.
On the way to the campus, Zoe took of her mask and let down her long hair from the bun.
Highcrest University
in the most tipscale part of Jelonsburg. Only the rich or powerful could afford to study there. One could tell just by looking at the designer clothes all the students word
After arriving, Zoe cumpleted the registration and was quickly placed in the honors class
Most students at Hiiglatest were from wealthy families, but the bonon class was von another level–these were the kids of Jelomsburg’s top elite.
Zoe’s current identity was the daughter of the Exam family. Given their status, it made perfect seBSC
But the moment dar stepped the room, she heard whispers full of judgment.
“Hey, who’s that girl She looks so plain. Like, seroudy, did a farm gut just wander in here?”
ed be put in the honors class
