Looking at Humanity

───「 Human POV 」───

The whole world stands united in support of the Far East. Millions of workers are heading there, contributing to the construction of defensive lines.

Just yesterday, twelve basic anti-Godzilla cannons were installed across the Hokkaido, Osaka, and Nagoya metropolitan areas—the three major hubs of the Far East.

Meanwhile, in northern Australia, new defense lines are being built. The Far East is no longer alone; the people of Australia stand in solidarity.

In Southeast Asia, mass evacuations have begun. Reports indicate that three days ago, authorities started relocating residents from coastal islands in the Philippines.

With the tireless efforts of three million support personnel across the world, the Far East's defensive barrier has taken shape. For the first time, there's real hope that Godzilla can be stopped.

Under the leadership of the World Government, humanity has every reason to believe that Godzilla will be defeated.

The streets of Hokkaido were eerily quiet, a stark contrast to the usual hustle and bustle. Cars were absent from the roads, save for the occasional maglev vehicle gliding silently by. The sidewalks were nearly empty, with only a handful of people carrying large shopping bags—likely stocking up on essentials.

"Thank you for your patronage."

Hideo Takahashi stepped out of an unmanned store, activating his projection screen to call for an autonomous taxi. He entered his home address and leaned back in the seat, closing his eyes as he reflected on the past few days.

His uncle, along with his in-laws and sister-in-law, had already been relocated to East Asia. Ken, that kid, would take good care of them.

He's going to be my brother-in-law soon. There's no way he'd mistreat them. Now, I can finally stop worrying.

Most of his responsibilities with the engineering teams had sorted themselves out, and the emergency department had been quiet lately. It seemed he'd finally get a moment to breathe.

I heard that once all the anti-Godzilla cannons are operational, everyone except the military will be put on leave. But will Godzilla really stay dormant that long?

According to Professor Andrei's research, the estimated time for Godzilla's awakening was tonight.

If that's true… will we be able to stop it this time?

"Passenger, you have arrived at your destination."

The taxi's automated voice pulled him from his thoughts. Hideo stepped out, gathering his bags before heading toward his apartment.

If Godzilla awakens today, does humanity really stand a chance?

Inside the elevator, Hideo adjusted his grip on the shopping bags.

Humanity has powerful weapons—anti-Godzilla cannons, nuclear bombs, the satellite defense program, and specialized warships designed to combat the creature. Each is a testament to human ingenuity and resilience. If fully deployed, they could deal massive damage to Godzilla.

But none of them are ready yet.

Only twelve of the planned fifty-four anti-Godzilla cannons had been built. Nuclear weapons hadn't been manufactured in over a century, and even with modern technology, producing one would take more than ten days. The satellite program was still in its early stages, and the specialized warships had no set deployment date.

If Godzilla awakens today, what are we supposed to fight it with?

The world's industrial capabilities were vast, but even with unlimited resources, building massive war machines in just ten days was pushing the limits of possibility. Speeding up production simply wasn't an option.

Can twelve cannons really stop it?

Hideo highly doubted it.

If that were enough, we wouldn't need to build fifty-four.

If the worst happens and Godzilla awakens tonight, the Far East will be reduced to nothing but rubble.

And if it doesn't…

Professor Andrei's warning echoed in his mind: Godzilla is undergoing infinite evolution.

If it stays dormant, will it grow even stronger?

No one knew the answer.

Ding.

The elevator doors slid open. Hideo stepped out, only to notice a figure standing outside his apartment door—a woman with long, dark hair, shifting uneasily.

"Hey, what are you doing there?" he called out.

Startled, the woman stumbled backward, landing awkwardly on the floor.

Hideo frowned, stepping closer. "Wait a second… aren't you my neighbor?"

As he got a better look, he recognized her. She was actually quite pretty.

More importantly, he knew who she was.

"Please, Mr. Takahashi… help me."

She suddenly clung to his leg, her grip desperate.

"So you've been surviving on your own for two weeks?"

"Yes! Yes!"

Hideo sighed, watching as she devoured the meal he had just cooked for her. He wasn't sure what to say.

Her name was Suzune Chihana, a graduate student in engineering at the University of Tokyo. Her parents had been executives at a multinational corporation.

But that was before.

Ten days ago, when Godzilla first made landfall, her parents had been in Glyfada, Greece.

They didn't survive.

She had been left completely alone, devastated and unsure of what to do. She withdrew from university and returned home to handle their affairs, but before she could make sense of anything, Godzilla attacked again.

The second strike sent the Far East into chaos.

Tokyo was gone. It wasn't safe to stay.

Everyone who could flee was trying to get out. The only ones left behind were military personnel, construction workers supporting the world's defenses, and a few stubborn holdouts who refused—or couldn't afford—to leave.

Suzune hadn't wanted to stay. She simply had no choice.

Godzilla's attack disrupted her inheritance transfer, leaving her without a single yen from her parents' accounts. The only money she had was her personal savings—barely enough to survive, let alone travel to East Asia.

She rationed what little she had, but her funds eventually ran dry. Two days ago, she couldn't even afford food anymore.

To make matters worse, network restrictions following Godzilla's attack cut off unofficial remote transactions. Even online banking required official verification, but her ID documents had expired. She could receive money but couldn't spend it.

She was trapped.

Desperate and starving, she had recognized Hideo on a government broadcast. Seeing that he was a high-ranking official, she ran to his door, begging for help.

Hideo had agreed.

He gave her food, allowing her to eat to her heart's content. But this was only a temporary fix. He couldn't support her forever. She needed to go to a functioning government office and complete the inheritance process.

After finishing her meal, Hideo pulled out his phone, scanning hers to transfer 10,000 yen.

"This should be enough to get you to East Asia and settle in until your inheritance comes through."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Suzune bowed repeatedly, gratitude overflowing. After helping him clean up, she left.

Alone once more, Hideo turned on the news. Exhaustion washed over him, and he drifted off on the couch.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

The shrill ringtone jolted him awake. At the same time, alarms blared outside, their piercing wails cutting through the silence of the night.

Blinking, he checked the caller ID.

His stomach dropped.

He already knew what had happened.

March 30, 2208, 21:07.

Godzilla had awakened—for the third time.