Their Mistake, Her Rise - Chapter 242: Chapter 242

"Oh wow, I never thought of that before," Frank mumbled. "If I add a targeting and sensor system here, it'll make the weapon way more accurate. And with less air resistance, it can shoot a lot farther..."
He stroked his beard as he studied Zoe's design. Once she finished the new blueprint, he shouted, "Brilliant!"
The shout caught people's attention outside. Curious, several folks squeezed into Frank's tiny lab.
"Frank, what are you yelling about?"
"Did Zoe come up with another amazing invention?"
"Zoe's the most talented genius I've ever seen," Claude said. "She upgraded my medicine so it now heals patients super fast, and the side effects are almost gone.
"As long as the patient's still breathing, this pill can save their life. It's basically a miracle drug."
Claude had already used the new RevitaCore pill on one of the sickest patients. The patient had been barely holding on, but after taking the medicine, he was soon up and walking. Claude was completely in awe of Zoe now.
Seeing how curious everyone was, Frank didn't hide anything. He held up the upgraded blueprint for everyone to see.
"You guys don't get it—I've been stuck for ages trying to improve the accuracy, range, and power of this weapon," Frank explained. "But guess what? Zoe took one look, made a few sketches, and just like that, all my problems were gone.
"And she didn't stop there—she made major upgrades. If we start producing this weapon, Clusia's military strength and global influence will skyrocket."
Most people couldn't understand Frank's design drawings, but they all knew his personality. Frank never praised anyone unless he really meant it. The fact that he was now openly praising Zoe showed just how amazing she was.
Zoe had only been here for a short time, but she had already impressed every researcher in Jelonsburg.
Soon, everyone started rushing to get her help too, but Joyce stepped in to block them. "Can you all calm down? If you crowd her like this, she'll never want to come back!"
"Joyce, we're just excited," one researcher said. "She helped Claude and Frank. It's only fair she helps us too."
"Yeah," another chimed in. "We've got urgent problems too—we need to keep our projects moving."
Robert clapped his hands to quiet everyone down. "Zoe, what do you think?"
Zoe looked around the room. If she helped everyone today, she'd never get to leave. But she wasn't totally against helping either.
She spoke softly. "Each time I come here, I'll solve two problems. I'll visit once a week."
The researchers were a little disappointed, but since Zoe agreed, they figured their turn would come eventually.
Robert turned to the crowd. "You heard her—Zoe will take two cases each week. If you want her help, line up and sort your issues by priority. Don't bother her with things that can wait. And don't interrupt her rest."
Joyce came over and smiled at Zoe. "You've worked hard today. We set up a private lab for you. Want to go check it out?"
Among all the researchers, Joyce and Robert were the most reliable. Zoe liked the way Joyce handled things. She nodded.
Zoe and the researchers were heading toward the research lab Joyce had prepared for her. However, halfway there, they suddenly ran into a group of foreigners.
The foreigners all wore badges on their chests and exuded an air of arrogance. A few Clusians were walking beside them, explaining things along the way.
Before Zoe could ask, Robert spoke up, "They're international experts from abroad. Scientific research these days emphasizes collaboration. We visited their labs last time and did learn quite a few advanced techniques. Now it's their turn to visit and offer some guidance."
Zoe nodded. But just as she looked away, she overheard the foreigners complaining in heavily accented Clusian.
"My god, this tech is awful."
"Look at this place—it's like a giant trash heap. There's junk everywhere. And they expect to develop cutting-edge equipment under these conditions? What are these Clusians even thinking?"
"Exactly. I heard Clusia had made great progress in recent years—turns out that was all nonsense. This visit is a total waste of my time."
They continued to mock the place in Clusian deliberately, not even trying to hide their disdain. The Clusians guiding them instantly looked grim.
Joyce and the other researchers looked furious, their faces dark with anger. But the foreigners didn't care at all—they kept sneering.
"What a bunch of idiots. Poverty really does limit imagination."
"This place even smells weird. I can't stand it. I want to get out of this dump!"
"Relax, guys. Don't forget why we're here."
"Who cares? We'll just teach them some basic stuff and they'll throw money at us. Their tech is so backward, they have no choice but to learn from us. Clusians are just that dumb."
"This is outrageous! How dare they insult us like this on our own soil?" one of the researchers couldn't take it anymore. Eyes blazing with fury, he started striding toward the foreigners.
Joyce rushed to stop him. "Calm down. Those guys are top international elites. Their skills... they really are ahead of ours, and by a wide margin. If you think you can outdo them professionally, go ahead. If not, don't do anything foolish."
She was just being honest. Robert nodded in agreement. "There's no need for revenge right now. We have to work even harder to advance Clusia's science and technology. In fact, we're already catching up in many areas."
The researchers clenched their fists in frustration, but their silence only emboldened the foreigners further. They laughed loudly.
"Hey, no point wasting more time here. Looking at this level of work is a waste of eyesight."
"Totally! This garbage is an insult to our intelligence."
"Hey, does Clusia have anyone competent at all? Bring someone decent out so we can actually have a proper exchange. We're tired of seeing this trash."
"Clusians, you're a bunch of losers. If this is all you've got, just pay up and buy our technology."
They jeered and laughed wildly, completely trampling on the dignity of the Clusians. The researchers' faces flushed red with rage, and several were on the verge of stepping forward to confront them.
Then, the foreigners heard a cold voice cut through the air—Zoe's.