Chapter 228: Invitation From Egypt (4)
Nepal had only a handful of Hunters, and most of them lived far from the capital, where the hunting ground was located. This meant that the capital city, Kathmandu, was essentially defenseless against the invading monsters. Desperation had set in, and Nepal urgently needed assistance from China.
Nepal's relationship with its neighbor, India, was strained, leaving them no choice but to turn to China for help. While they had good relations with their other neighboring countries, all of them, except for these two, were facing similar challenges in terms of their Hunter resources.
The nation was confronting the most severe crisis in its history. Nepal relied heavily on tourism revenue to sustain itself, but what if monstrous creatures suddenly ran rampant, wreaking havoc? What if these monsters caused the destruction of countless lives and infrastructure? This disaster was on a scale far beyond mere security concerns. It had the potential to tarnish the country's reputation and deter tourists from visiting.
Nepal's sole and final hope rested with China and its Hunters.
[T-That is… We are trying to reach them, but they are telling us to wait…]
[What?!]
The president shouted, rising abruptly from her seat. However, she suddenly felt dizzy and had to sit back down.
[How can this be…? China has abandoned us…]
She wasn't naive. She was aware that China had stationed a substantial number of Hunters on their border due to the abundance of hunting grounds in Tibet. It would have been immensely beneficial if the Chinese Government had dispatched the guilds located in Tibet alone, but it appeared that they had no intention of doing so.
In essence, China had forsaken Nepal. While they had cultivated a strong relationship through trade and various initiatives, Nepal's diminishing reserves of mana stones had gradually led China to distance itself from the country. Nepal no longer held any economic advantages to offer.
Nepal was the only country in the world that had virtually no native mana stones.
[China has abandoned us…]
[I apologize, Madame President. I do not think we have any hope…]
[Haa…] The president closed her eyes.
The International Hunters' Association, also known as the HUN, was established precisely for situations like this. Regrettably, Nepal had never seen the necessity of joining the HUN, as they were situated in the so-called 'Green Zone,' an area relatively untouched by monster incursions.
Nevertheless, the HUN was on its way to provide assistance, but it would likely be too little, too late, as the country was on the brink of being devastated by then.
[It seems the gods have forsaken our country...]
The vice president appeared to have lost all hope of surviving this nightmare.
[Madame President, we've received word that the airport is in absolute chaos due to the sudden influx of both tourists and our people trying to escape the country.]
[Ah... That's only normal, given the situation... Even I wouldn't want to throw away my life trying to protect a lost cause...]
President Vidya possessed a fiery temperament, but she didn't have the energy to get angry right now.
There were no countries willing to help Nepal at this point. If China wasn't willing to assist them, there was even less of a chance for India to do so. Furthermore, India was grappling with its own problems and not in a position to contend with a dimensional rift of this magnitude.
The only other countries Nepal could turn to for help were Bhutan and Bangladesh.
[What did Bhutan or Bangladesh say?]
[That is... They assessed the current situation and apologized... They said they could not combat such a massive dimensional rift...]
[DAMN IT!]
Bam!
She slammed the table in anger as tears began streaming down her cheeks. She had entered politics to forge a brighter future for her country, unable to ignore the suffering of her people. However, the realization that all her efforts were about to crumble into nothingness made her tremble in anger and cry tears of despair.
[Vice President Nanda.]
[Yes, Madame President?]
[Apply for asylum in China immediately.]
[M-Madame President!]
[Madame President!]
The vice president, along with the other ministers, cried out. Applying for asylum signified that the government was relinquishing their claim on their country, a shocking revelation for the officials. Some inwardly breathed sighs of relief, as not everyone had entered politics solely for their country's welfare.
[I... will stay behind, so all of you should go ahead and seek refuge in China. I doubt they will refuse our request.]
In truth, China would likely welcome the request with open arms. Once Nepal fell, it would become a wasteland with no owner, and China could provide sanctuary to government officials, eventually reclaiming the entire country after dealing with the monsters at a later date.
[But…!]
[…]
The vice president found it challenging to accept the president's directive, but the faces of his family and his subordinates flashed in his mind.
[…I understand.]
[Good.]
[…]
Silence descended upon the meeting room after the decision to seek asylum in China was made. However, the vice president struggled to lift the phone receiver.
“Haa…”
It was at that very moment, as the vice president was about to call China, that...
Bam!
Someone barged into the meeting room.
[What do you think you’re doing?!]
The defense minister shouted in anger, but the staffer who barged in completely ignored him.
[Madame President!]
[What is it?]
[H-Help! Come!]
[Speak properly! I can’t understand you!]
[M-Master Hunter! Lee Han-Yeol! He has come to help us! He just landed at Lamidanda Airport!]
[What?!]
Thud!
The president stood up from her seat and knocked it over upon hearing the report.
[What did you say just now? Who came to help?!]
[L-Lee Han-Yeol Hunter! I am certain they said it was him!]
[OH~!]
Hope swept through the entire meeting room, illuminating everyone's faces.
The vice president promptly rose with a broad smile. [Madame President! He is not just any Master Rank Hunter, he is Hunter Lee Han-Yeol! He has the power to stop the dimensional rift!]
[The vice president is right, Madame President! He is not just a powerful Hunter, but he has numerous demons and the black dragon with him! He is no different from a one-man raid party!]
The president was a devoted fan of Han-Yeol, so they didn't need to remind her who he was. She was such an avid fan that she would watch all the replays of his broadcasts, no matter how busy she was, so she knew just how exceptional a Hunter Han-Yeol was. Her once lifeless eyes, devoid of hope, instantly regained their spark.
[An ember of hope has been kindled with his arrival!]
[You are absolutely right, Madame President!]
It was challenging to guarantee with absolute certainty that he could single-handedly stop the dimensional rift. The rift in Nepal was of an unprecedented scale, and it was impossible for Han-Yeol to defend such an extensive area alone. However, his mere presence infused them with hope.
[Mobilize the entire army at once to support him! Follow his every command!]
[Yes, Madame President!]
[Hurry!]
The government officials sprang into action, rushing out of the meeting room, even those who had been considering seeking refuge in China, albeit reluctantly. None of these individuals were indifferent to their country's future.
‘Tsk… Why does he have to show up now of all times and give false hope?’
‘I don't think he can handle this one, no matter how great he is. It's impossible for him to stop it when he's outnumbered; who knows how many…’
‘Let’s monitor the situation and make a run for it once things go south…’
China had long been preparing to annex Nepal into its territory, employing various clandestine tactics to plant numerous pro-Chinese government officials. These officials had pledged allegiance to China over their motherland, essentially becoming treacherous traitors. Their actions made it clear that their foremost concern was reporting Han-Yeol's arrival to the Chinese government, rather than the safety of their homeland.
Regardless of their intentions, the world these officials were envisioning was not going to easily materialize due to Han-Yeol's intervention.
***
The Lamidanda Airport was on the verge of descending into absolute chaos.
[Hurry up! We need to get out of here!]
[Ticket! Give me the first available flight!]
Lamidanda Airport was an exceptionally small airport situated in a sparsely populated region, with only a few domestic flights servicing it. Normally, it remained nearly empty, except for the staff working there. However, today was different.
The airport was located just seventy kilometers from Dhankuta, where the national-scale dimensional rift had emerged. People had to evacuate as quickly as possible, but not a single plane could take off from the airport.
[P-Please calm down! We don't have any outgoing flights right now!]
[What nonsense is that?! Are you asking us to believe these lies when there's a plane right there!]
The people protested while pointing at the large airplane parked on the runway. However, none of them knew the owner of 'that' airplane.
[T-That airplane is not a commercial plane! It belongs to a VVIP who visited our airport!]
[It doesn't matter who that plane belongs to! What's more important than our lives right now!]
[Yeah! He's right!]
The people retorted, their lives hanging in the balance, but the airport staff had a different perspective.
‘Hey, do you really think your?lives?is as valuable as?his life?’
The airport staff were informed of the identity of the passenger in the private jet, and that person was none other than the one who had come to their country's rescue when everyone else had turned a blind eye to their plight: the Master Rank Hunter from South Korea, Lee Han-Yeol.
[That private jet has just landed and will remain here for now. In other words, there will be no more departures from this airport! Please return now!]
The airport staff had learned that Han-Yeol intended to use the airport as his operational base to intercept the monsters heading toward Kathmandu.
[What nonsense is that!]
[So, are you telling us to die?!]
[No, please make your way to Kathmandu. The government plans to use this place as the last line of defense against the monsters!]
[Ha! Do you really expect us to believe your lies?!]
[You're planning to evacuate those wealthy people with that plane, aren't you?!]
.
[Yeah! They're lying to us!]
The people's fear of the monsters swiftly transformed into distrust of their own government. They were acutely aware of their government's incompetence in this situation and its impotence against the monsters.
[They certainly are! We don't even have a single capable Hunter in this country! How do they intend to stop those monsters?!]
[Move!]
[Let us on that plane!]
The people grew rowdier once again, but the airport staff appeared strangely composed.
[Fortunately, a Master Hunter from another country has come to assist us!]
[What?!]
[I-Is that true?!]
This time, the people fell silent, exchanging murmurs among themselves after hearing the airport staffer's announcement.
Not everyone was entirely convinced, but they had no alternative but to accept it, as there were no other options available. Consequently, all the people living around the airport, except for a few elderly individuals who refused to leave their ancestral lands, headed to Kathmandu to seek refuge.
[Let's try to get to Rumjatar. It might be better than staying here.]
Some of the people still harbored doubts about the airport staffer's words, so they opted to go to another airport instead of heading to Kathmandu. After all, the country had zero Hunters, so their situation would likely be the same no matter where they went. They preferred to forge their own path to survival rather than rely on the inept government.
Creak… Creak… Creak… Creak…
Since most Nepalese were quite poor and didn't own vehicles, they resorted to using rickshaws to transport their belongings and children during the evacuation.
[Haa…]
[What are we going to do…?]
“Waaah! Waaah! Waaah!”
[Oh no… What’s going to happen to us now…?]
They walked with heavy hearts as they evacuated to safety.
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