The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress - Chapter 521

Chapter 521: Chapter 521 Pretend Till You Make It
“Why else? You’re going to be our bargaining chip,” sneered one of the men behind her, a tall, lean figure with hollow cheeks.

“Since only one side will remain standing, we might as well take someone important. They took the other girl, so you’ll do. If you want to live, you’ll convince your people to let us go and clear the way for us.”

Hera took a shaky breath, her eyes darting nervously around as her body trembled like a frightened bird.

She made sure to keep her intentions subtle, hoping to avoid drawing attention all while she kept on pretending to be scared and weak.

The men, however, were oblivious to her inner thoughts, feeling confident that the negotiation was already in their favor.

After all, they’d watched from the shadows as Hera’s people fought to protect her. When the opportunity arose, they seized it, thinking Hera’s value outweighed that of Minerva.

Only if they knew…

They pressed forward through the dense forest, determined but wary, while Leo and the others steadily made their way toward Hera.

Zhane wanted to join them, but with Hera taken and Rafael injured, they had no choice but to split into two groups.

Team A was tasked with escorting Rafael to the designated location, where a helicopter was waiting.

From there, Zhane and the others could quickly transport Rafael and Minerva to the hospital. Meanwhile, the remaining team would focus on rescuing Hera.

“W-why are you doing this? Is this just for some ransom? I-I don’t even have money…”

Hera’s voice trembled, on the verge of tears, though in reality, she was probing for information without giving away her intentions.

“Ha! Do we look like we’re in need of that little money?!” The same tall, lean man spat, his voice dripping with disdain and irritation.

But before he could continue, the man holding Hera’s neck—the apparent leader—shot him a sharp glare, silencing him.

The man quickly refocused, his attention now fixed on making sure they weren’t being followed or setting themselves up for an ambush.

It was clear that the tall, lean man feared the one holding Hera, as he quickly fell silent after the leader’s glare.

Hera, too, remained quiet after that, realizing her attempt to fish for information had failed.

However, it wasn’t entirely in vain.

She now knew that this wasn’t just a typical kidnapping for ransom.

Her intuition about the mafia syndicate’s involvement in Minerva’s abduction seemed to be tied to the larger investigation into the missing and murdered women that the authorities had been trying to crack.

Thanks to the live stream, Leo and the others were able to track the kidnappers’ movements in real-time.

Not only could they follow the trail with ease, but they could also keep an eye on Hera’s condition.

This allowed them to move stealthily through the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike while ensuring her safety.

Hera, realizing that her whining might provoke the men into violence, wisely stopped her feigned sobbing.

Instead, she opted to pretend to be compliant, displaying a fearful and timid demeanor.

Her acting worked to her advantage, as the grip around her neck slowly loosened to a more bearable level.

The men, lulled into a false sense of security, failed to consider tying her up.

They didn’t have the time to stop and deal with that, but more importantly, her submissiveness and apparent fragility made them complacent.

To them, Hera was just another weak woman, one they believed too scared to make a sound, let alone attempt any kind of resistance.

After all, they’d dealt with many women like her before and knew that fear often rendered them passive and easy to control.

Because of their complacency, the moment an opportunity presented itself, Hera acted swiftly.

Spotting something in the distance, she drove her elbow back, knocking the man’s hand from her neck.

In one fluid motion, she pivoted and slipped behind him, locking her arm around his throat in a chokehold.

Her right arm coiled tightly around his neck while her legs wrapped securely around his waist, anchoring her in place.

Her left arm gripped her right arm, tightening the choke.

Before the others could react, the sound of gunshots rang out from a distance, and the men were struck—bullets tearing into their shoulders and legs, halting them in their tracks.

The man Hera was choking reacted quickly, grabbing the back collar of her racing suit.

With a violent tug, her entire body was yanked forward, the suit giving way easily under his strength.

Despite the vast difference in their strength, Hera flipped mid-air, quickly turning her body to deliver a swift roundhouse kick to his jaw.

The impact rattled his head, leaving him dazed.

Seizing the opportunity, Hera followed up with a brutal knee strike to the underside of his chin, the force of which knocked him out cold, sending him crumpling to the ground.

“Sweetheart, that was a clean strike,” Dave’s voice came from behind the bushes.

Some leaves still clung to his hair, but he paid no mind to his disheveled appearance, his focus entirely on Hera’s impressive move.

‘I guess I really can’t mess with my future wife,’ David thought to himself with a grin, kicking the enemy’s weapon aside. ‘She can definitely teach me a lesson or two.’

Leo emerged from behind the tree and immediately pulled Hera into his arms, holding her tightly.

He wanted to chide her for taking on an enemy known for killing without hesitation, fearing that she might have been hurt.

But as he looked down at her, all his anger melted away. Instead of scolding her, he simply held her, overwhelmed with relief that she was safe.

“Are you alright? Is there any pain anywhere?” Leo asked, his voice full of concern. Hera shook her head, a soft smile curving on her lips as she looked up at him.

“No, I was careful. I waited for the right moment to act—I didn’t want to get hurt and make you all worry,” Hera explained her tone light.

“And if my grandpa found out, he’d definitely teach me a lesson.” She pouted in mock grievance as if she’d already been on the receiving end of his reprimands before.

Leo couldn’t help but smile at her, a tender look in his eyes as he ruffled her hair. “I’m glad you’re okay,” he said softly.

After that, they gathered the men, securing and sedating them before dragging them back toward the designated location, where the rest of the team was waiting.

When they returned to the city, Luke took charge of the captured men, dragging them off to another location for interrogation.

Meanwhile, Dave immediately headed to the security bureau.

He had a lot of work ahead of him—first, he needed to ensure the rescued victims were safe and properly taken care of.

He began gathering their testimonies, putting them under protective custody to shield them from any further threats or intimidation from the hidden enemies still lurking in the shadows.

Dave also made sure to secure the victims’ families, ensuring they couldn’t be used as leverage or blackmail against the victims or key witnesses.

Zhane took charge of the operation for Rafael, and ensuring Minerva was patched up and then carefully settled her into a private room.

Rafael, after undergoing surgery, was placed under close monitoring.

Meanwhile, Leo disappeared into an unknown location, leaving only Xavier beside Hera to keep a watchful eye on her, offering comfort and support to make sure she wasn’t left traumatized by the ordeal.

The news of what had transpired sent shockwaves throughout the entire country.