After more than an hour of flying, the "Jetstream-41" regional aircraft landed on the runway at Matsapha Airport.


    Deng Shiyang gazed out the plane window, surveying the land he was about to set foot on.


    Near the hangars were seven aircraft with Swaziland Airlines'' logo on the tail fins, including three ERJ-135s and four BAe-146s. These expensive jet planes were covered in dust, with streaks of gray and black from rainwater running down the white fuselages, clearly abandoned for some time.


    In the distant corner of the tarmac were three dismantled "Jetstream-41" aircraft. Their propellers, engines, radar noses, and even window glass were all missing, leaving behind hollow shells that resembled corpses abandoned to decay in the wilderness.


    The plane taxied down the runway and rolled onto the northwest corner of the tarmac, eventually coming to a stop in front of the terminal building.


    He retrieved his carry-on luggage from the overhead bin and followed the crowd off the plane. As soon as he stepped onto the concrete tarmac, he saw a white Toyota T100 pickup truck approaching. The truck stopped near the rear of the aircraft, and the ground crew riding in the bed scrambled up with folding ladders, opening the cargo hold to unload the luggage.


    Although he had heard about the rough behavior of African airport ground staff, seeing it firsthand still made him frown. There were no elevators or conveyor belts at this airport; porters climbed up the ladder and crawled into the cargo hold to drag the luggage out and toss it onto the ground, where others then loaded it into the truck bed. Seeing the expressions of "distress" on his fellow travelers'' faces, Deng Shiyang felt a small sense of satisfaction; his expensive Rimowa suitcase had proven useful after all.


    As soon as he entered the terminal building, a wave of heat hit him. The building had no air conditioning, and the midday sun beat down on the thin fiberglass roof, making the lobby unbearably hot. The air was filled with the mixed odor of spoiled food and sweat, making one not want to stay even a second longer.


    The lobby was clean but eerily quiet. The walls and columns were covered with slogans and posters bearing the president''s photo. Ndofa, a fat Black man in his fifties, was striking an exaggerated pose, left hand on his waist and right hand raised high to display his nonexistent "leader''s charisma."


    The ruler of Swaziland wore a peaked cap and black aviator sunglasses. He was dressed in a gray-blue military dress uniform with a chest full of medals, and his epaulets were embroidered with general''s rank in golden thread, while a sapphire blue sash was slung diagonally across his chest. Due to his body shape, the stiff military uniform looked anything but heroic, appearing rather comical. The addition of the sash made things even worse, resembling a bundle of fabric tied around a ball of meat.


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    Nearby, a dozen or so soldiers were seen. They wore wrinkled yellow-green uniforms and gray-green berets, with Uzis or Sterling submachine guns slung at their waists, lazily leaning against the walls inside the lobby.


    The entry procedures were extremely simple; large luggage was directly loaded onto vehicles, carry-on bags weren''t checked, and all that was required was to show a passport for a stamp at the border control.


    However, Whitney''s group was stopped at the immigration counter.


    Three soldiers in olive-green uniforms and red berets approached from one side of the airport. Leading them was an officer with a pistol holster on his belt, while the two soldiers following behind carried rusty SG543 assault rifles slung across their chests. Their demeanor was arrogant, exuding an air of authority over life and death.


    Musabai stepped forward, whispered a few words to the officer, and then pointed at Whitney. The officer turned and waved, and the two soldiers immediately rushed forward, snatching her luggage without explanation and grabbing her by the arm to pull her aside.


    Her companions began to protest, with one gray-haired man stepping forward, spreading his arms to block the officer, and voicing his dissatisfaction, "You can''t do this, we are commissioned by the United Nations..."


    The officer suddenly reached out and forcefully shoved him, pushing him onto his back, then shouted angrily. Even though the language was Swazi and incomprehensible, the body language and expressions made it clear that the words were crude and vulgar.


    This behavior was quite brutal, and when Whitney''s two other companions saw someone being hit, they also stepped forward to loudly protest.


    Unexpectedly, the officer suddenly drew a "Browning" pistol from his belt, waving it around and shouting. The two soldiers holding Whitney immediately released her and raised their guns towards the crowd.


    The argument quickly escalated into a commotion, with exclamations echoing throughout the lobby, and the two White men crouching down, holding their heads in fear. The reaction among the members of the inspection group was similar, as they all bent over and scattered in different directions to avoid trouble.


    However, the three "Red Berets" who had caused the disturbance showed no intention of backing down. Instead, they became even more aggressive, pointing their weapons at several of the White people and intimidating them. The officer arrogantly brandished his pistol, his dark face contorted with excitement, displaying a cruel smile.


    Deng Shiyang had watched a documentary on the Rwandan genocide, where Hutu soldiers often showed the same expression—an inherent trait of a semi-civilized people. To them, weapons symbolized power, and they acted without any logic or reason, like bombs that could go off at any moment.


    Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Musabai hurriedly stepped in to stop the officer. After a round of loud scolding, the officer holstered his pistol and instructed the two soldiers to lift the frightened female doctor and take her away, leaving her companions cowering on the ground, trembling.


    Annotations:


    ERJ-135: A regional jet airliner manufactured by Embraer.


    BAe-146: A four-engine short-haul jet aircraft produced by British Aerospace.