Chapter 198 - The Port
That city, which once boasted the largest population in Japan, was a cornerstone of not only culture but also transportation and industry. Factories lined the coastal areas, and one could reach the airport by train in 30 minutes. There was a station where the Shinkansen stopped, and furthermore, the port's passenger terminal was designed so that even large cruise ships could dock; it was a place that could be said to have every kind of transportation. Living there was even a kind of status, and it was said to be the "municipality where people most wanted to obtain a license plate."
Consequently, when infected appeared in Japan, it was the first to turn into a hell. Stations were crowded with people who had fled from various places, or people trying to flee, and naturally, among them were those who had been attacked and injured by the infected. Roads were congested, railways were cut off in various places, and more than 3 million citizens wandered through the city that had turned into a hell.
Among them were those who tried to escape to the sea by boat from the port, but Tokyo Bay was blockaded by the JMSDF, and boats that set sail without permission, from rowboats to cruisers, were all sunk. Those allowed to go to sea were only those who had completed quarantine in advance; they were the lucky ones allowed to board the passenger ships prepared as offshore shelters.
"It was a terrible thing. A number of boats and fishing vessels that seemed to fill the port were floating. Because there weren't enough boats, there were even people who brought out inflatable boats used for swimming."
Inside the car running through the ruined city, Sato muttered. Sato, being a JSDF member, was also on duty for VIP escort and rescue within the metropolitan area when the infected appeared.
"We were shuttling between the city center and the destroyers off the coast of Tateyama by helicopter to transport VIPs. At that time, I saw the sea from the helicopter. It was terrible."
Initially, the government prioritized the safety of citizens and allowed escape to the sea, but after an infection explosion occurred on a passenger ship that had taken in escaped citizens, and the inside of the ship turned entirely into a hell with infected appearing in the thousands, the policy changed. The residents who went to sea by boat would eventually reach some island. Or they might leave Tokyo Bay and land somewhere else on Honshu.
If that happened, the infection would spread even at the destination they reached. Even if it were a safe place now, if citizens who hadn't received quarantine reached it, it would be the same as a trash can with many dry leaves thrown in. If there's one spark, it'll flare up in an instant.
"Destroyers were anchored off the coast of the port and sank boats one after another with their main guns and autocannons. Whether it was a luxury cruiser or a boat with just an outboard motor, even if it was a boat with small children on board."
Naturally, objections regarding the indiscriminate killing of citizens who hadn't received quarantine seemed to have come out within the JSDF, but after a destroyer that rescued and took in citizens against orders had its communication cut off with the final words "emergency situation occurring within the ship," the atmosphere changed in an instant. Citizens approached the anchored vessels seeking to be taken in, thinking that a destroyer, which was larger and armed, was safer than a crude boat, but from the perspective of the JSDF members, it was an act equivalent to infected trying to board their own ship.
There is no escape inside a ship. It's safe as long as an infected person doesn't board from the outside, but the moment even one infected person enters, it turns into a hell with no escape. In a narrow ship, the infection spreads in an instant.
Ultimately, the JSDF members also came to actively carry out attacks on vessels that went to sea for the reason of "protecting their own lives." They sank cruisers with anti-ship missiles, blew fishing boats to smithereens with main guns, and turned boats into honeycombs with machine guns. It's said that crew members with self-defense rifles even came out onto the deck and shot at drifting citizens who approached by boat seeking help.
"The sea was dyed bright red. I'm done with seeing that sight ever again."
While driving the car along the highway, a dull silver wall that suddenly appeared was blocking the road. Without Sato even giving instructions, Aki stepped on the brakes and slowly stopped the car.
Why is there a wall in a place like this? Did the JSDF or police make it as a barricade? The boy thought so at first, but when he looked closely at the wall, he understood its true nature.
From an elevated track located dozens of meters away from the highway, a train had derailed and was slammed into the ground as if crossing the road. Was it from excessive speed, or were there many infected on the tracks, or did people trying to escape from the infected drive a car onto the elevated track? (T/N: possibly implying a collision or obstruction).
Even on the day the infected appeared, trains continued to move all over Japan. Riots seem to have occurred overseas, but Japan is unrelated. More importantly is the work before one's eyes. Since the future is already uncertain with the world economy falling, I have to work hard. People who thought so were heading to work as usual, and the government couldn't stop it.
And just when it became the time to go home, infected appeared all at once nationwide. That train surely ended up being caught in that too. The train slammed into the ground from the elevated track was snaking and completely blocking the road. The lead car isn't visible, but it's likely crashed into some building.
"The car can't be used. From here, it's on foot."
At Sato's words, Aki turned off the engine, and the boy and the others got out of the car with guns in hand. The train, which must have had 10 cars, was completely blocking the road, and it was impossible to proceed any further by car. Taking a detour would be one way, but the destination was close, and Sato likely judged it was a distance they could sufficiently reach by walking. In any case, since the purpose this time is to secure a safe place to become a forward base, it's fine as long as they can reach the destination.
The police station ahead was the candidate site for the forward base, which is the purpose of this expedition. A place not far from the urban area, but not too close either, and also close to the industrial area along the coast. Being a police station, there's a possibility of obtaining handguns and bullets, but hope would be thin.
In order to head to that police station, it seemed they had no choice but to pass through the inside of the train lying before their eyes. Sato peeks into the inside of the car from the door of one of the cars that had flipped upside down. Then, since he beckoned saying "Come," the boy and Aki followed after Sato.
Sato put his hand on the door and tried to open it, but naturally, it didn't open. He has heard that in an emergency, the door opens easily if you operate the door cock so you can escape quickly from inside the car, but the only things rolling inside the car are corpses. He can't have it opened from the inside.
Then, when Sato moved to the coupling section of the cars, he operated something like a red handle that was there. And when he returned to the door and pulled again, this time it opened easily. The boy didn't know, but in an emergency, an emergency door cock is also installed outside so that crew members or station staff can operate it from outside the car. It would be quick if they broke the door's glass and intruded, but they didn't want to make unnecessary noise.
Sato slides his body into the car from the opened door while readying his carbine. When they entered the train that was flipped upside down in a slightly tilted state, seats rather than hand straps were hanging from above. And on the floor—accurately, the ceiling—dried corpses were rolling here and there along with many bags and mobile phones.
Aki was grimacing silently. The state of the corpses was terrible in every case.
The cause of death for the passengers would be from the impact at the time of derailment. There are corpses that seem to have been gnawed on by stray dogs or cats, but none are found that were eaten and ravaged by the infected. The corpses are all broken or twisted here and there, conveying that they were exposed to a violent impact. At this rate, it must have derailed when the train's speed was high.
Even so, perhaps because it was thrown from the tracks onto the road, there is no such great damage to the cars themselves. But the humans inside are different. There are no seatbelts on a train, and there are no airbags either. Once you are thrown from your seat, after that, you just roll around the inside of the car helplessly.
The corpses are all wearing suits or school uniforms. Schools should have been closed, but what the government at the time could do was strictly a "request," and even if one didn't follow the request, there was no particular penalty, and there were schools that conducted classes as usual. Also, even if classes were off, many students were heading to school for club activities and the like.
He didn't want to step on the corpses as much as possible, but the inside of the flipped car literally had no place to put one's feet. He stepped on someone's arm that was sticking out from under a bag, and a dry sound like breaking a thick tree branch echoed in the car. Sato was stepping on corpses and proceeding normally, whether because he was used to it or his senses had become paralyzed.
"Watch your step, you'll fall."
The boy called out that way to Aki behind him and stepped forward again. Aki already had a face like she was about to cry, but she proceeded after the boy had passed.