After the Destruction

───「 Human POV 」───

Kazumi, I'm sorry.

"It's alright. If anything, it's better now."

Although Chester, who took command of the naval battle against Godzilla, had successfully evacuated the entire population of Tokyo in time—resulting in zero civilian casualties—the navy paid a heavy price.

8,950 people. That was the total number of casualties in the battle against Godzilla.

Except for three aircraft carriers serving as command centers at the farthest distance and nine nuclear submarines deep underwater, the rest of the fleet was reduced to scrap under Godzilla's relentless assault.

A few partially intact warships barely survived in the outermost area, shielded only by the shockwave, but there was no one left alive on board.

Godzilla's breath attack obliterated the entire Indian Ocean fleet. It became history.

After yesterday's attack, the world stood in silent awe of Godzilla's immense power. The breath attack that wiped out an entire fleet and the inferno that continued to consume Tokyo struck fear into the hearts of people everywhere.

To prevent mass panic, all online communication regarding the event had been completely suppressed.

Meanwhile, the world government was desperately trying to find a way to deal with Godzilla.

Armories were running at full capacity, manufacturing bombs, armaments, ships, and tanks at breakneck speed.

Weapons were being transported in massive quantities to the Far East, and naval forces from around the world were converging on the region.

Every hour, new research submarines were deployed.

The Mariana Trench, where Godzilla had submerged, was now bristling with monitoring equipment, ensuring that every movement of the dormant King of Monsters was observed.

This time, things were different.

Last time, humanity had been caught off guard, unable to even locate Godzilla in time. A swift takedown had been impossible.

But now, they were prepared.

Not only had they tracked Godzilla's movements, but they had discovered its lair.

Yet, no one dared to wake it.

All human activity in the Mariana Trench was guided by a single principle: Do not let Godzilla awaken.

Never had humanity been so cautious.

Countless submarines patrolled the abyss, their sensors locked onto the titan.

Unmanned submarines methodically deployed super-heavy torpedoes at a depth of 10,000 meters.

Nuclear submarines lurked in the upper layers of the ocean.

Above, six aircraft carriers remained on standby 30 nautical miles from Godzilla's resting place.

Hundreds of destroyers and frigates stood ready, a tense vigil against the awakening of the Monster King.

Humanity had learned its lesson.

The reckless bravado of days past had vanished, replaced by fear.

The world now walked a tightrope, knowing that a single misstep could plunge them into the abyss.

───

"Commander Chester, greetings. I am Hirozo Sato, Chief Commander of the Eastern Region Army."

"I am Ryo Akizuki, in charge of emergency management in Hokkaido."

"I am Michitaka Detani, Minister of Information Industries in Ōita Prefecture."

"I am—"

As Chester stepped out into the corridor, several suited officials hurried toward him, each eager to introduce themselves.

They were the newest additions to the Godzilla Extermination Operation—Chester's new colleagues.

Unlike the navy, which was focused solely on eliminating Godzilla, their duty was to defend the remaining two major metropolitan areas and five independent cities in the Far East from the monster's wrath.

In a sense, they weren't on the same mission.

But formalities had to be observed.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Sato, Mr. Akizuki, Mr. Detani," Chester greeted them with a nod. "Are you attending the meeting as well? If so, would you care to join me?"

"Thank you for your invitation. We truly appreciate it," one of them replied.

With that, Chester and the Far East officials proceeded toward the meeting hall.

They were about to discuss humanity's plan to kill Godzilla.

When they arrived, they were surprised to find the room already full, despite being thirty minutes early.

Finding his seat, Chester scanned the room.

Nearly all of the Far East's top officials were gathered in one place.

If Godzilla were to attack here right now, it could cripple the entire command structure of the region.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, more high-ranking officials trickled in.

Finally, the lights dimmed, and the meeting began.

A large screen flickered on, displaying a busy laboratory.

A voice spoke over the speakers.

"I am Andrei Vakhov, nuclear physicist."

"Currently, my team and seventeen other research groups are stationed at the Cavendish Laboratory at New Cambridge University, bringing you the latest analysis on the entity known as Godzilla."

The speaker was an elderly man—one of the world's foremost nuclear physicists and the creator of the first commercial nuclear fusion reactor.

"Firstly, regarding Godzilla's power," Vakhov continued, "we have analyzed the radiation residues left behind at the Grafdamoni incident.

"We discovered that the neutron and gamma radiation left by Godzilla differs from conventional nuclear fission.

"Therefore, we speculate that Godzilla is not a nuclear fission creature.

"But rather… a being that sustains itself through nuclear fusion."

The room fell silent.

"This discovery was nothing short of astounding," Vakhov admitted.

"Godzilla is essentially a walking nuclear fusion reactor."

He gestured toward the screen.

"There are four distinct abilities it possesses that we must consider."

The screen changed again, now showing detailed schematics of Godzilla.

"Our seventeen research teams, along with ninety-five others worldwide, have compiled all available data on Godzilla's biology and power output.

"Through spectral analysis of its high-temperature phase, we have determined that its primary composition is iron.

"However, ordinary iron is far too weak to explain Godzilla's resilience.

"Thus, we believe that the internal pressure inside Godzilla exceeds 100 GPa, creating an ultra-stable, high-pressure phase of iron."

The projection zoomed in on the molecular structure.

"We estimate that this material has a compressive strength of over 50 GPa, rendering conventional armor-piercing rounds and bombs completely ineffective."

The audience tensed.

The more Vakhov spoke, the worse the news became.

Godzilla's reactor. Its near-indestructible body. Its devastating power.

It was a titan beyond human comprehension.

The scholars kept delivering one grim fact after another.

Humanity's weapons were useless.

Godzilla was an unstoppable force.

Many in attendance furrowed their brows, but they didn't interrupt. They simply waited.

Until—

Finally, Professor Vakhov uttered the words everyone had been waiting for.

"Lastly, regarding the plan to exterminate Godzilla."

The room went deathly silent.

Vakhov raised a hand, and a new projection appeared.

"This," he said, magnifying the image, "is what we have designed—

Weapons to combat Godzilla."