Their Mistake, Her Rise - Chapter 138: Chapter 138

The mocking jeers rolled in, and it felt like a punch to everyone. Henry and his team's expressions instantly fell.
This group of racers from other countries spoke standard Yanish without any accents, so communication was not a problem. Henry and his group frequently participated in international racing events and had mastered Yanish effortlessly.
"Henry, these people are just too much. Every time we join an international competition, they always mock us."
"Forget it. Clusia's racing scene has never matched up to theirs. We're all used to it now. The only thing we can do is work harder and keep getting better."
Even though Henry's supporters from Clusia were fuming inside, they knew it was because Clusia's racing had always lagged behind the rest of the world.
At this moment, arguing with them would only be undignified and could lead to even greater embarrassment. The top priority was to work hard on the international racing circuit to prove the status of Clusia's racing community and win.
Henry glanced at Zoe and gave her an awkward smile. "Zoe, don't mind it. Just do your best in tomorrow's race. It's not like Clusia's racing scene hasn't been laughed at before, but we should strive to reclaim our honor on the track."
After speaking, Henry turned to the hotel receptionist and asked, "Could you please help us check in faster? Thank you." He just wanted to keep things low-key and avoid trouble with them.
But clearly, Henry and his group's concession appeared to the other racers as if they were afraid.
When Zoe, Henry, and their group arrived first and were about to check in, a bunch of racers from other countries who showed up later just barged right past them, cutting to the front while muttering curses under their breath.
"Get out of the way."
"We were the first ones in the hotel, so get out of the way. We should be the ones checking in first."
"Exactly! Out of the way, you jerks."
They were noisy and handed their entry cards to the hotel registrar.
Everyone could see that Henry's group had arrived first, and those other racers came in after them.
But the hotel registrar didn't care about it at all. She took the entry cards from other countries with a smile and said politely, "Okay, I'll register you right away." After saying that, she immediately started to get busy.
This disparity in treatment was clear, no matter how much Henry and his group tried to back down. The expressions of those around Henry had turned angry.
"Don't go too far! We were here first. You guys know it, right?"
"Henry, aren't you going to say something?"
"They are stronger. If our racing skills were better, they wouldn't look down on us like that," Henry muttered to his teammates. He felt awful, but forced himself to come down.
Just as Henry and the others were about to step aside and give up, a loud smack suddenly echoed through the lobby.
In the next instant, something happened that left everyone present stunned. Zoe, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly slapped her entry card on the hotel reception desk. Her expression was stern, and the meaning was clear.
A tall man from the other country's racers immediately shouted in Yanish, "Damn it, you bitch, what the hell are you doing?" He snapped his head up, only to lock eyes with Zoe's icy, gloomy gaze.
Her eyes were sharp, disdainful, and carried an unshakable, commanding presence. In front of everyone, she spoke in cold, clear Yanish, enunciating every word. "Do you even know the basic rule of first come, first served? You jerk."
The words hit like a bomb. Everyone in the lobby stared at Zoe in shock. They thought, 'Did she call us a bunch of jerks?
'She's from the lowest-ranked Clusia, and has the nerve to talk big?' The racers instantly lost their cool.
"Who do you think you are, acting all high and mighty here?"
"Losers like you should stay at the back. Do you think that's something to brag about?"
"You don't have the right to talk here. Women like you should stay at home, get pregnant, and raise kids; that's all you're good for. No wonder Clusia's racing scene is a joke. Letting you compete this year? What a disgrace."
"Yeah, that's right! Get out of here!"
Sneers, taunts, and complaints filled the air, with voices growing increasingly harsh and unpleasant.
One of the racers standing in the middle of the group, clearly a prominent figure, pointed his finger at Zoe's head and said, "You are nothing but trash on the racing track.
"You have no skills, yet you dare to insult us here. Once we get to the track, I'll give you a lesson. I will make sure Clusia's racing community is permanently banned from the international stage."
His words set the others off. They began hooting and jeering, and the situation quickly spiraled out of control.
By now, Henry and his group couldn't hold it in anymore. Things had gotten worse. The other country's racers were already threatening Clusia's racers to get out of the races. If Henry could still bear this, he wouldn't deserve to be called a Clusia racer.
But just as Henry was about to snap back, Zoe suddenly spoke up.
Her words were so bold that everyone froze on the spot. "Is that so? Too bad for you, because as long as I'm here, you'll never get that chance.
"This year, the international racing champion will be me. The strongest country in the racing world will be Clusia, the nation behind me. As for you jerks, you don't even deserve to be in this sport."
As soon as Zoe finished, Henry and his group were stunned. Even the racers in front of them, the hotel clerk, and everyone else went quiet, unable to believe Zoe had dared to say something like that.