Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 251: Terror Crisis (2)

The numerous foreign reporters staying in Egypt immediately seized upon the news of the terrorism, and all eyes were now focused on Egypt. There was no direct aid provided by other countries, as the world had become less diplomatic since the emergence of the dimensional gates.

Moreover, Egypt was considered a rival by most countries in Europe, North America, or Asia, making any form of damage to the country potentially beneficial to others.

[I won't allow you to go. It's too dangerous, and we still don't have a plan on how to subdue those terrorists. If you insist on going regardless, then wait until we have a plan in place,] President Phaophator stated firmly.

President Phaophator decided to stall for time, knowing that Tayarana could not be swayed once she made up her mind. It was a wise move on his part, as if he couldn't stop her from going, he could at least delay her until he could think of an alternative plan.

Of course, there was no way the terrorist organization, Shabab, was going to allow that.

While Phaophator was engrossed in conversation with Tayarana, the masked man, who had been hurling insults and threats, suddenly took a deep breath and delivered an even more menacing ultimatum.

[We will give you two hours. If Tayarana does not enter the hunting ground within that time, we will kill one hostage for every fifteen minutes she delays.]

‘Damn it!’ Phaophator cursed inwardly as his plans to stall for time had failed.

He was now compelled to come up with a solution within two hours. But that was not the end of it.

"Come here!"

“Kyah!”

The screen shook for a second before the masked man brought a hostage onto the screen.

‘Su-In!’

Han-Yeol’s gaze wavered after seeing the familiar face on screen.

[Two hours! You have two hours if you don’t want to see this Korean bitch die a slow and painful death!]

Beep!

The screen switched off after the beep.

President Phaophator trembled with anger after being threatened by someone he considered insignificant, someone who wouldn't even last a second against him.

‘I allowed those terrorists to exist because they served a purpose in unifying the continent... but once this hostage crisis is resolved, I'm going to eliminate them,’ he thought, clenching his fist and making a firm decision.

It wasn't that he hadn't been capable of rooting out the terrorists until now; rather, he had allowed them to persist so that the continent would have a common enemy that could help unite its people. Consequently, the terrorists had been given considerable freedom to act as long as they didn't cross certain boundaries. However, this hostage crisis had far exceeded those boundaries.

[Father.]

[T-Tara…!]

[Please come up with a solution soon. I will be entering the hunting ground in two hours.]

[Alright…]

Phaophator had no other choice, knowing it was impossible to convince Tayarana. The best course of action at this point was to formulate a plan within two hours to minimize the risks his daughter would face upon entering the hunting ground.

After pondering for a few seconds, he suddenly turned around and issued a command. [What are you doing?! Hurry up and summon all our intelligence officers here!]

[Yes, Your Excellency!]

The officers quickly mobilized to devise the best possible solution.

***

It was around the time that the command center kicked into full gear that Han-Yeol approached Tayarana.

[Are you alright?] he inquired.

[What do you mean?] she responded, seemingly oblivious to his concern.

[Are you truly alright with entering the hunting ground alone?] Han-Yeol continued.

He was filled with anger after witnessing one of his people being abducted, but he managed to maintain his composure. In fact, he remained more level-headed than ever, understanding that losing his temper would not be helpful at this moment.

[I have to go anyway,] Tayarana replied.

[Why?]

[It's because your people are there, Han-Yeol.]

[Don't tell me... That's why you're so determined to go?]

Han-Yeol cared deeply for his people, but their safety was his personal concern, unrelated to Tayarana. She had never interacted with the Mulan film crew, even when they hunted together.

[I'm sorry,] Tayarana said.

[Hmm?] Han-Yeol was puzzled.

[This happened because I invited you to Egypt.]

[What are you talking about? I was the one who called them over, and this is all my fault,] Han-Yeol confessed, feeling one hundred percent responsible for the predicament the Mulan film crew was facing.

[Still... This happened because I invited you here,] Tayarana admitted.

She was feeling guilty for selfishly asking Han-Yeol to come all the way to Egypt, which had led to his subordinate getting kidnapped by the terrorists. Her guilt was the primary reason she wanted to personally resolve the hostage crisis.

"Haa..." Han-Yeol sighed, realizing that there was nothing he could say to change her mind.

‘What should I do…?’ he thought.

On the other hand, Mariam was anxiously praying in the corner of the command center, ‘O, God of Sun, Ra, please watch over Tayarana-nim…’

Mariam might have been a prominent figure in Egypt as Tayarana's assistant, but she lacked the clearance to enter the command center. That was the reason she stood in a corner, trying not to cause any trouble for Tayarana.

Her initial reaction upon hearing the terrorists' demand was to hope that Tayarana would refrain from entering the hunting ground. However, she knew all too well that once Tayarana had made up her mind, there was nothing anyone could do. So, she began to pray.

While she prayed to the Sun God, her thoughts suddenly shifted. ‘Han-Yeol-nim... Please protect Tayarana-nim…’

It was ironic that she found herself praying to Han-Yeol, considering she could have prayed to numerous other gods. Yet, it didn't seem strange to her at all, as Han-Yeol was the only person she could think of who might be able to assist Tayarana in the perilous situation she was about to face.

***

Time usually moved slowly, but that wasn't the case today. It felt like only a few minutes had passed, but an hour had already gone by, leaving just one hour remaining before Tayarana had to enter the hunting ground.

Tick... Tock... Tick... Tock...

Silence enveloped the entire command center, and the only sound that could be heard was the ticking of a wristwatch. President Phaophator gradually began to feel anxious as the clock continued to tick.

Thud!

[Y-Your Excellency!]

[What is it?]

[Please take a look at this!]

Chwak!

An intelligence officer rushed to the main table and unfurled a map.

[Is this a map?]

[Yes, sir!]

Phaophator grimaced upon seeing the map. Han-Yeol and Tayarana noticed his reaction and approached the table to take a look at the map. The map depicted an area that seemed both familiar and foreign at the same time.

[What is this?]

[This is a map of Faiyum, sir!]

[This?]

[Yes, sir!]

Phaophator examined the map more closely and confirmed that it was indeed a map of Faiyum. However, it appeared slightly different from the Faiyum map he was familiar with. An underground network was depicted on the map, but the strange thing was that there had never been any underground construction in that region.

[So, what about this map?]

[Sir! This map was sent by a raid party that frequently hunts in Faiyum.]

[I see.]

[But the strange thing is that the leader of the raid party that sent us this map is only an Osiris Rank Hunter! This is certainly strange because the only Hunters who typically hunt in Faiyum are our Ra Rank Hunters, given the numerous powerful monsters inhabiting it.]

[What?! How is that possible?!]

Phaophator was shocked. A raid party with an Osiris Rank leader meant that its members were at best Osiris Ranked, but how could they hunt in a hunting ground that required a Ra Rank Hunter? The only conclusion was that this map contained false information intended to sabotage the rescue operation.

[They dare...!] Phaophator growled with obvious anger in his voice, thinking that the raid party was attempting to deceive him.

However, he suddenly realized that an intelligence officer would not submit such information without credibility, unless they wanted to be dismissed from their position. This suggested that there was a reason for presenting this map to him.

Phaophator composed himself and decided to listen to what the intelligence officer had to say. He could address the matter of the intelligence officer's credibility later, after hearing the report.

[Sir! The information they sent states that the Faiyum hunting ground is actually a double-storey hunting ground!]

[A double-storey hunting ground?]

[Yes, sir!]

This revelation was unheard of among those in the command center.

[The raid party claims to have hunted in the Faiyum hunting ground, but there are no records of it since the hunting ground is not officially known yet.]

[H-How is that possible?]

[It is theoretically possible, sir!]

Egypt maintained strict regulations for managing its Hunters. While not as stringent as communist countries like China or Vietnam, Egypt closely monitored its Hunters compared to most nations worldwide.

One of the things the country rigorously documented was the entry and exit of Hunters from hunting grounds. Any Hunter wishing to hunt in such an area had to obtain an official permit from the association beforehand.