Chapter 39
The moment hit like a lightning bolt–everyone was completely blindsided.
They thought, ‘No freaking way! Zoe beat Eunice? Eunice has barely scraped together her five points by teaming up with others. Yet Zoe scored eight tags–alone! Even Philip probably couldn’t have pulled this off.
And even, Zoe is carried back by Mr. Ludwig, the legendary warrior who is practically untouchable. Totally unheard of!
Eunice and Cheryl looked like their eyes might pop out of their skulls. ‘What the hell? When did Zoe–a small–town girl who’s been faking everything–get so damn good? This time, she actually managed to make even Mr. Ludwig stand by her?‘
Herbert and Jacob were equally mind–blown.
Despite massive skepticism, no one dared challenge the results with Shawn enforcing them. And so, this wilderness survival challenge was officially
over.
Before leaving, Shawn personally loaded Zoe onto his private helicopter. Eunice watched, twisting her fingers so hard she nearly drew blood. She screamed in her heart, ‘Zoe again? Ever since she’s been back, she’s stolen all the spotlight. And Mr. Ludwig’s totally obsessed–he even carried her back!
I’m way better than her in every single way. So why the hell does everyone care? Just because she’s hot?‘
In the helicopter, Zoe’s mind raced. Shawn’s constant testing meant her cover was paper–thin. So now, she should forget playing the innocent student–she needed to neutralize Shawn’s suspicions and totally revamp her assassination plan.
Right back home, she fired up her laptop. Her fingers blurred across the keyboard, and in ten seconds flat, she’d hacked into a top–secret platform using some seriously next–level code.
The login page was hosted on a ghost server with an IP so hidden, only elite hackers could crack it. It had a black background and green text–a totally dark vibe.
This secret platform was Zoe’s own creation–the official site of Crimson Blazes. She had personally coded every line, and the registered mercenaries were her ride–or–die crew, the most badass mercenary group on the planet.
Zoe logged in, accessed the backend, and used her founder account to blast a message: [Everyone, drop everything. Infiltrate Jelonsburg, Clusia. NOW.j
The entire underground and mercenary world was in shock. Everyone figured Clusia would be in total chaos.
Crimson Blaze wasn’t just another mercenary group. They were a force so powerful it could go toe–to–toe with a whole country’s military. And their leader had never issued such a hardcore command before.
The message spread like wildfire. Every Crimson Blaze member immediately dropped their overnight.
current missions and went dark, converging on Clusia
Within 24 hours, Jelonsburg’s power players had caught wind of the bombshell through their underground channels,
Their group chats lit up with the same urgent message: [URGENT Crimson Blaze is ALL IN. Target unknown. EXTREME CAUTION! DO NOT~I REPEAT–DO NOT engage with these guys unless you want total destruction!]
The whole city went into full panic mode, and the elite chat exploded.
Matthew (Oh God. Did they catch wind of our world–changing research project? Are they coming to steal our data?]
Desmond (Seriously? Get real Crimson Blaze has global talent. Why would they waste time on your tiny project?]
Owen II bet this is about Mr. Ludwig I
Matthew (Jelonburg is about to go nuclear. I’m gonna lay low and play it safe. You guys better watch your backs–F’m out!]
Law the Staatsfriand behind this whole chaos, had just rolled back into school Refore even stepping into the classroom, she caught the withet Funkers flying arenared
1/2
12:00 PM & .
Chapter 39
“Have you heard? Crimson Blaze is all in Clusia–word is they’re here for an assassination.”
“Your intel is old news. I heard they’re here to swipe some top–secret cutting–edge tech that hasn’t been announced yet.
“You’re both wrong! It’s a total romance plot–the mercenary king Firefox is here to kidnap Mr. Ludwig and make him his husband.”
Zoe’s face was unreadable. This was her first time seeing how quickly gossip could spiral out of control. She’d just issued a life–or–death order, and somehow these people had blown it completely out of proportion.
Eunice was in her element, holding court with her classmates and devouring every juicy rumor. She’d been blown away by the shocking gossip when spotted Zoe standing silently by the door.
That country bumpkin probably has no clue what Crimson Blaze even is, Eunice smirked to herself. Her ego was sky–high.
Still reeling from the Crimson Blaze rumors, Eunice strutted over to Zoe. She was hoping to see Zoe get just as shocked by the rumors.
She started rattling off gossip like she was some insider expert. “Zoe, you won’t believe the crazy news we’re talking about. The world’s most badass mercenary group, Crimson Blaze, is going full stealth mode in Clusia. This is gonna totally shake up Jelonsburg!
“Oh right—you probably have no clue what Crimson Blaze is. They’re basically on par with entire national militaries. Look at you! Bet you’re mind- blown, aren’t you? Cat got your tongue?”
AD