Chapter 271: Pandora’s Box

On the 20th of August 2022, ten days had passed since Dream Technology warned of a potential land subsidence disaster in Central America. The speculated fault line extension reaching Mexico, and ultimately extending into Central America, seemed not to have occurred. Although there were constant earthquakes in the nearby waters of Central America, none exceeded magnitude 6 and even the consequent tsunamis failed to harm the well-prepared countries. The people of Central America quieted down, and those who had planned to flee returned to their homelands. Only a minority who had fled quickly remained abroad, watchful due to the unsettling frequency of the earthquakes.

In fact, not only were the citizens of Central America restless, but so too were the people of Japan.

“Tarō, that was the twelfth one today, wasn’t it? The frequency of the earthquakes has been increasing lately. I hope it doesn’t signal something worse to come,” voiced Michiko, as she righted a fallen coat rack in her home on the outskirts of Tokyo.

Her husband, Kawauchi Tarō, a police officer with a composed temperament, reassured her. Japan being a seismically active country, minor tremors were common throughout the year, usually only registering between magnitudes 2 and 3. The recent uptick was unusual, with multiple quakes shaking the land in a single day.

“Don’t worry, our house is strong enough to withstand earthquakes of over magnitude 7,” he said just before the earth shook violently. This quake, remarkably intense and prolonged for a full 28 seconds, far exceeded any he had experienced. Tarō shielded Michiko in the corner of the room, covering them with a table as items not secured plummeted to the floor.

Following a thunderous noise from the bathroom, he feared the worst. Had their house collapsed? Thankfully, the quake subsided.

“Quick, Michiko, let’s get out to the open field outside,” Tarō urged as they found the door jammed, a testament to the deformation of their house. With several forceful kicks, he broke the door open, and they dashed outside, barely escaping as their home crumbled behind them. The Kawauchi couple had a lucky escape, but many others in Tokyo were not as fortunate. Unexpectedly, buildings that once withstood magnitude 7 or 8 earthquakes now succumbed in the relentless tremors, collapsing under the lasts 28 seconds of violent shaking.

As the quake struck in the evening, numerous households were caught unawares, exacerbating the disaster with gas leaks and subsequent explosions. Unlike the devastation wrought by the Great Kantō Earthquake of yore, the modern edifices of Tokyo were largely spared from fires due to improved building materials, saving many from a fiery fate.

At the Prime Minister’s Office, the atmosphere was tense. “Suzuki, what’s the situation out there?” asked the Prime Minister. The Chief Cabinet Secretary reported no consolidated information yet but assured that key officials were en route.

“Let us pray for our nation’s fortitude,” hoped the Prime Minister, well aware of the potentially catastrophic impact of such a lengthy and powerful quake, especially on critical infrastructure such as the recently reactivated Tōkai Nuclear Power Plant located 120 kilometers from Tokyo.

Emergency measures were hastily arranged as officials secured the area and sought to maintain order among the populace. In the aftermath, within a Tokyo suburb under the cover of night, a collapsed building with no conspicuous signage became a site of frantic rescue efforts. Dr. Shimizu, who had just been extricated, whispered to his colleague Sano with fading breath, revealing the unlucky fate of his precious research—Container No. 3—presumably safe, yet sought by Dr. Shimizu in vain. His death left many questions unanswered and the mysterious container’s whereabouts unknown.