Chapter 269: Horus (3)
Kwaaang!
“Argh!”
A group of ten terrorists lay in wait to ambush the vehicle carrying Han-Yeol and the others, but they were annihilated by Tayarana's mana before they could take any action. Three of the terrorists survived the initial attack, but they too were disposed of in the subsequent explosion.
‘Tsk tsk... Those idiots. Why are they in a rush to die?’ Han-Yeol wondered and clicked his tongue.
***
Faiyum was close to Cairo, so it didn't take Han-Yeol and the others long to reach the palace.
[Princess!] nove-lb-1n
[Prince!]
[Both of you are safe!]
[The gods have kept them safe!]
As expected, the Egyptians rushed to greet Tayarana and Mujahid as soon as they reached the palace.
[What about His Excellency?]
[Ah, we will guide you to His Excellency.]
This was not the time for them to exchange pleasantries; ending this horrible catastrophe in the country took precedence. They immediately proceeded to the command center.
[Father!]
[Oh! Tara, Mujahid! Both of you are safe!]
The father, daughter, and son were able to reunite safely. Under normal circumstances, President Phaophator would have welcomed them lavishly, but the current situation made it difficult to do so.
[Eagle. Come in, Eagle, this is Nest. What's the situation over there? Over.]
Psshht!
[Eagle is under fire from two groups of hostile Hunters! I repeat, we are under fire! We are outnumbered! Over!]
[Roger. We will send reinforcements. Hang in there for ten minutes. Over.]
Psshht!
[Ten minutes. Roger that. Over.]
The command center was currently chaotic, and not a single officer was idle. Numerous maps of Egypt adorned the walls, with red circles drawn over numerous locations on the map.
Four days had passed since the terrorist attacks began, and the damage was mounting. The situation was becoming increasingly dire for the country. If they failed to halt the terrorist attacks within the next forty-eight hours, the entire Egyptian economy would crumble, leading to the catastrophic consequence of the African bloc of countries once again fracturing.
Egypt held a crucial leadership role in Africa, and its downfall would spell doom for the entire continent.
[Father, we want to help,] Tayarana and Mujahid insisted.
[There's no need for that. I can't possibly send you kids when you've just returned from the jaws of death. Go and get some rest for now,] President Phaophator replied, adamant about not involving Tayarana and Mujahid this time.
It was understandable from a father's perspective. Although things were chaotic, it was a situation the country could handle.
[No, we've rested enough on the way out from the hunting ground.]
[Yes, sister is right. Oh, and I think you should know that your son has awakened as a Ra Rank Hunter, father.]
[What?!]
“Kyaong!” Furion cried out in response from beside Mujahid.
Mujahid remained an S Rank Hunter when separated from Furion, but he would become a Master Rank Hunter when they combined. However, this didn't mean they were back to their old level, as Furion had gained numerous new skills and a tremendous boost to its stats after reawakening.
Mujahid briefly explained what had happened to Phaophator.
[What...? How can that be possible...?]
[It is true, father. Furion!]
“Kyaong!”
Mujahid decided to show Phaophator instead of further explaining, as he found it difficult to believe him.
Furion gathered its mana before running toward Mujahid.
Shwiiiiik!
Both Mujahid and Furion were enveloped by a blinding light before he emerged wearing his panther suit.
[What do you think, father?] Mujahid smugly asked Phaophator.
[Oh! This mana is...!] Phaophator nodded in satisfaction after sensing the powerful mana Mujahid was emitting.
There was no room for doubt that the mana Mujahid was emitting was that of a Ra Rank Hunter, and he was indeed a Ra Rank Hunter now. Phaophator couldn't be prouder of his son, and the fact that two of his children were now Ra Rank Hunters overjoyed him.
The royal family's influence had long been firmly established by Phaophator. Still, he remained cautious of potential rivals, particularly because both of his heirs had held the rank of Osiris Hunter until recently. In fact, some of the elders had even looked down on Tayarana and Mujahid when they were not yet Ra Rank Hunters.
However, all of that was on the brink of transformation, as nobody could dare to underestimate them now. Both Tayarana and Mujahid had undeniably ascended to the rank of Ra Hunters, evident from their mana alone, and their reawakening had significantly strengthened the royal family's hold on the country.
[Hahaha! This is a cause for celebration! I will personally host a grand banquet once we deal with the terrorists!]
Phaophator had recently held a banquet to celebrate Tayarana becoming a Ra Rank Hunter just a few days ago, but he didn't mind at all. He was not a stingy man when it came to hosting feasts, especially when it involved his children.
[Father.]
[Yes, Tara?]
[Where is Mariam?]
[Ah, Mariam...?]
[Yes, father.]
[That is...]
[...?] Tayarana tilted her head in confusion when Phaophator suddenly began to stutter.
Bam!
[Get down!]
[Help me!]
[Nooo!]
[Medic! We need help!] a man screamed while hugging his wife, who was covered in blood.
The terrorist attacks had spread throughout Egypt, reaching even the port city located two hundred kilometers north of Cairo, Damietta.
Damietta was home to three hundred thirty thousand people and held a vital strategic position known as Egypt's gateway to Europe. While the famous port city managing the Suez Canal, Port Said, lay fifty kilometers southeast of Damietta, Damietta's significance was undiminished. If Port Said was the entrance to the Suez Canal, then Damietta was the entrance to the Nile River.
Given their importance, it was clear that the terrorists would target both of these cities. Numerous suicide bombings were occurring around both cities, resulting in significant civilian casualties.
Dududududu!
Dozens of helicopters patrolled the skies, conducting reconnaissance, supplying military forces, and performing civilian rescue operations whenever possible. Unfortunately, being in the air did not guarantee protection from enemy attacks.
In Damietta, a tall building had been occupied by the terrorists, with no civilians remaining, as they had either escaped or been executed.
[Ready...]
[Aim...]
[Fire...!]
The terrorists aimed their RPG-10A1 at the helicopter. The RPG-10A1 was an upgraded version of the RPG-7, and it was challenging for helicopters to evade due to its rocket being equipped with homing capabilities.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
[Mayday! Mayday! This is Hawkeye One! Enemy rocket inbound...!]
Boooom!
The helicopter couldn't even complete transmitting the message before the rocket blew it up, marking the beginning of the Egyptian military's helicopters being shot down one by one.
[Fire!]
Ratatata!
Of course, they didn't simply sit around waiting to be shot down. The remaining helicopters immediately opened fire on the building from which the RPG had been fired.
The machine guns mounted on the helicopters were powerful enough to shred a human body into pieces, as they were using anti-armor bullets capable of penetrating tank armor.
Ratatata! Boom!
The entire city transformed into a warzone. While the Egyptian military vastly outnumbered the terrorists in Damietta, they had the added responsibility of protecting civilians while fighting the insurgents, making it difficult to leverage their numerical advantage effectively.
In the end, the battle between the Egyptian military and the terrorists became a close and intense struggle.
[Kyaaaahk!]
[Over here! Quickly!]
[Please line up and don't push! We have plenty of space for everyone!]
The Egyptian military was busy evacuating civilians while exchanging gunfire with the terrorists. Meanwhile, the busiest individuals on this battlefield were none other than the intelligence division dispatched from Cairo. They had set up their operations at Damietta City Hall and were overseeing the entire operation from there.
The leader of this division was none other than the B Rank Hunter, Mariam, who had arrived with the entire Horus raid party to reinforce the military forces defending Damietta. She couldn't afford to rest even for a moment.
Mariam was currently stationed at the temporary command center located in the basement of the city hall, closely monitoring the digital map displayed on the screen.
[We have successfully evacuated all civilians in Point A to nearby shelters!]
[We have fully evacuated the civilians in Point B to nearby shelters!]
[Summarize your reports!] ??Mariam shouted, her nerves on edge at this moment.
[We have fully evacuated the civilians in Point C to nearby shelters!]
[Points D, E, F, G, H, I, and J have been fully evacuated!]
[Good.]
Fortunately, things were slowly improving compared to the desperate situation the city had been in when she first arrived. While Mariam had initially struggled to control the terrorists due to the sheer number of people needing evacuation, her efficient management of the military allowed her to evacuate the civilians one by one.
[Send all available troops to the remaining points!]
[Yes, ma'am!]
Mariam intended to maintain this advantageous momentum for even one more minute. She even dispatched the forces guarding the city hall perimeter to aid in the civilian evacuation.
With limited time at her disposal, Mariam needed to quell the terrorists in Damietta and then rush to assist at Port Said, where she had learned that the main terrorist forces were currently attacking.
Port Said was currently facing destruction in a clash between two Ra Rank Hunters, and Mariam needed to quickly assume control of Damietta to help evacuate civilians there.
‘I need to end this quickly.’
Furthermore, she wished to present Tayarana with a stabilized Egypt upon her return from the Faiyum hunting ground. Additionally, Mariam had recently felt that her own standing in Egypt was gradually being overshadowed by the achievements of others. She wanted to establish her worth this time.
‘Tayarana-nim has become a Ra Rank Hunter. That means I need to prove my worth to stay by her side, even if I can't rank up!’
Mariam had been feeling a significant burden lately as she stood beside Tayarana. While Tayarana was advancing rapidly, Mariam felt like she was going in circles, and this sensation left her feeling left behind.
She was aware that others tended to overestimate her abilities simply because she operated in Tayarana's shadow. However, she was determined to prove everyone wrong by successfully stopping the terrorists in Damietta with her own strength.
Initially, there was no obligation for her to come to Damietta, as the Horus raid party served as a reserve force tasked with protecting the presidential palace in times of war. Nevertheless, she volunteered to come to Damietta, aiming to accumulate achievements and demonstrate her worth to everyone.
While it might appear as if she were being overly ambitious by volunteering, it was a strategic move, as her volunteering allowed the relief forces designated for Damietta to be redirected to assist Port Said.
[...] Mariam stared at the digital map, her arms crossed over her chest.
'Mariam-nim...'
Just as Tayarana had Mariam, Mariam had Zakiya, who served as her trusted adjutant. Mariam was perpetually overwhelmed with responsibilities and work, making it only logical for her to have her own assistants.
Zakiya had been Mariam's aide for nearly ten years now. She was intimately familiar with every single one of Mariam's habits and could easily discern that Mariam was currently feeling rushed.
/p>
'Mariam-nim... I hope you can entrust me with some of your heavy burdens,' she thought.
She wanted to voice those words but chose to swallow them back instead.
[...]
Mariam continued to gaze at the digital map, her expression contorted in a grimace. She remained completely unaware of Zakiya's feelings, as she was preoccupied with relaying orders to the soldiers fighting for Damietta's safety.
