Their Mistake, Her Rise - Chapter 143: Chapter 143

"Henry, what do we do now?" one of the Clusian racers asked, his face looking worried.
Henry's brow furrowed deeply. "Looks like there's more going on behind the scenes in this race than we thought. Daniel's got a special background, and this is his father's turf."
"We still don't know who made that call, or how much power they really have," he added.
No one was sure if what the person on the phone said was true—that if they win, they'd be in danger.
For all they knew, the person making the call could be the arms tycoon in Yaniston himself. He might want his own son to win.
This international race was basically a gamble with their lives.
"Henry, I just overheard something when I came back from the restroom. Looks like the other teams got similar warning calls too. It's not just us," someone said.
"Seems like they're trying to scare us with threats," another muttered.
They'd finally gotten a chance to turn things around, only to run into this shady setup. Henry felt like his brain was about to explode.
He asked, "So what are we supposed to do now?"
"I've heard of Bruno, that arms dealer from Yaniston. He's well-known. If you cross him, you're as good as dead—and your family might get dragged into it too," someone said, voice trembling.
"What if we upset the arms tycoon and our families end up paying the price?"
The group fell silent. It was clear the Clusian racers were already starting to lose their nerve.
They had always been at the bottom of the rankings. Finishing dead last again was better than risking their lives.
Panic spread through the group, but the only one who stayed calm was Zoe. She was quietly fixing her gear, totally unfazed by the chaos around her.
"Zoe, what do you think we should do about this?" Henry was at his wits' end. If racing meant risking everyone's lives, he just couldn't do it.
But this time, after finally finding a racing star like Zoe to compete—someone who could bring back Clusia's name—giving up was even harder for him to accept.
As Henry looked at Zoe, everyone else looked at her too.
To them, Zoe was a normal young woman—sure, she had serious racing skills, but she was still just a girl in her prime. No one really believed she'd risk her life for the country's honor.
Just when everyone thought Zoe would give up, she spoke up, calm and cold. "First place in this race is mine. No one else has a chance."
Her pure confidence hit everyone like a punch—they were all stunned and speechless.
When they finally got over their shock, they started scolding her.
"Zoe, we know this is your first race and you don't want to embarrass yourself, but those people are killers. Aren't you even a little worried they might actually kill you?"
"You don't know what kind of person Bruno is. He's the biggest arms dealer in Yaniston. He's got money, power, and two big mercenary teams."
"Those mercenaries are known worldwide. So many people have died from them. We're just racers—if we go up against them, we're dead meat."
Zoe narrowed her eyes, listening as they kept talking. A young guy clearly fired up and stepped forward.
He shouted, "I'm with Zoe. The more arrogant they are, the less we should back down! Are you really okay with them calling us trash? Or do you want to crawl at their feet again, like before?"
The room went quiet.
No one wanted that. But unlike Zoe, most of them had kids. Risking their kids' lives for a trophy was a gamble they just couldn't make.
Zoe said, "If you're scared, I won't stop you. But this time, first place is mine. If they want to come after me, let them try."
She had no plan to let them walk away alive.
When she spoke, her presence filled the room—like a shining light, a pillar of strength that made everyone else seem small.
Even a young girl could show such fearless spirit. Suddenly, everyone's morale went up.
"Yeah, let's go face them!"
"What's there to be afraid of? We keep losing because we're always scared. Screw that—I'm done losing."
"They want us to just give up? Not a chance."
"Exactly—even if we lose, we'll do it with pride. Cheating is for cowards."
"Our families are all in Clusia. I don't believe they can just walk into Clusia and do whatever they want. Shawn will protect us."
"Shawn is a legend!"
Everyone was getting more fired up. Henry felt proud, tears in his eyes. He wondered how long it had been since he had seen his teammates this passionate.
After so many setbacks, everyone had lost their fighting spirit and pride. Now, even if it meant dying, they wanted to hold their heads high against their rivals.
Henry said, "If none of you are afraid, I have no worries. I'll be right behind you all. I hope you can make Clusia and the Clusian Racing Association proud in this race."
Everyone cheered. Only Zoe's face stayed cold, her eyes firm and steady.
She thought, 'The arms tycoon from Yaniston dares threaten me? He's finished.'
It was almost race time. All teams finished their warm-up, and Henry led the Clusian team to the track to check out the course.
Since Clusia was always near the bottom, their entrance barely caused a ripple. If anything, there were snickers and laughs.
Halfway through their entrance, the whole stadium erupted. The crowd stood up, craning their necks to see the racers.
One after another, top racers from different countries came out onto the track.
"Isn't that Diana? She's the only woman who can go head-to-head with the guys out there!"
"Oh my goddess!"
"Isn't that Brady Kane, the Lightning King? He's ranked right below Fox in racing. He's here. Oh my God!"
"Yeah, that's Brady! Last time I saw him race, I was so excited I almost got a nosebleed. His muscles are crazy."
"I even see Job—the racing god who hasn't shown up in ages. He's the idol of every racer from Frostvale. This race is going to be huge!"