Chapter 603 - 591 Aftermath

"Welcome to today’s Central News. Due to an increase in news content, our program will be extended by 30 minutes. Today’s main news items include:

... The head of The International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano, held a press conference in Edo to announce preliminary success in the cleanup of the out-of-control reactor core at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station.

Rafael said, ’We encountered some unexpected difficulties during the cleanup process, but with coordination from The International Atomic Energy Agency, the Anti-Chemical Emergency Support Rescue Team promptly adjusted their strategy and successfully mitigated the risk of incomplete cleanup, thus rescuing the Islanders from a dire situation.’

At the same time, he sternly advised anyone attempting to approach the controlled area on their own that getting close to the nuclear control region is extremely dangerous. Already, 10 civilians have died as a result, and we express our regret for these losses.

This has revealed some issues in The International Atomic Energy Agency’s blockade measures in the controlled zone. To increase safety measures, the final cleanup operation will be postponed until December 20th.

In the final meeting, our representative from The International Atomic Energy Agency proposed: ’We must place personnel safety first and foremost and will not allow..."

"Why isn’t it here yet!"

The voice of the TV host continued, but Shen Zuozhou was already scratching his head in anxiety, grabbing Xiao Okada’s arm:

"Didn’t you say the evening news would show footage of the nuclear explosion? They’ve been talking for ages and it’s still the host there!"

"Uhh... Ah, I did see Hua Xin Agency reporters there filming when I heard about it. Just wait a bit longer, a bit longer."

Xiao Okada seemed somewhat distracted. Sitting on a plane during two nuclear explosions in one day had greatly drained his spirit, and he was already regretting not flying straight back to his base to sleep instead of coming to the Capital.

The clear video footage of the nuclear explosion had been pressed down, which had made most people in the country who couldn’t be at the scene very anxious. The official media had only released a few photos, but everyone still wanted to see the live footage!

Therefore, today’s Central News had an unusually high viewership, as everyone hoped to see the most authentic scenes of the nuclear explosion from here.

"... After the first cleanup operation, Hua Xin Agency reporter Zheng Tao joined the explosive cloud sample collection team on board a H-6H bomber to penetrate deep inside the explosive cloud. Now, let’s look at the live footage."

"Here it comes!"

Shen Zuozhou immediately sat up straight, then saw a young man wearing noise-canceling headphones and a yellow jumpsuit.

"I am Hua Xin Agency reporter Zheng Tao, and we are aboard a sample collection vehicle less than 20 kilometers from the blast center!"

The camera moved closer to the window, revealing hilly terrain scattered with forests of various sizes, and in the distance, the seaside reflecting the sunlight.

"Where is the nuclear power station?"

Xiao Okada was pulled over to the television, he frowned for a moment, then pointed to a spot on the left side of the coast on the screen.

"It should be right here, the construction area for the nuclear power station is a square extending beyond the coast, you see... oh, it switched."

Now the screen showed Zheng Tao again, who looked at his watch on his left wrist, shouting as loud as he could to overcome the noisy buzz inside the cabin.

"... The first missile has now soared over Whale Sea and reached the skies above Honshu Island, plummeting at over five times the speed of sound. If we look outside, we should be able to (’Off-screen Voice: Missile!’) see a meteor... Let’s have a look outside!"

Zheng Tao’s voice was also uncontrollably excited, and Shen Zuozhou was engrossed and infected by the atmosphere captured in the live footage, watching the screen without blinking.

Through the window, one could see the blue sky above a sea of clouds, and above the sky, a bright meteor flickering as it streaked across, slanting down from the horizon.

Shen Zuozhou was not at all unfamiliar with this scene; spacecraft re-entry into the atmosphere looked the same, producing a plasma field enveloping the object due to intense atmospheric friction. The only difference was that now, the plasma contained a monster capable of apocalyptic destruction.

He immediately thought of the doomsday scenarios that had been going viral on TikTok these past few days. Self-media bloggers had been editing clips from science fiction movies depicting nuclear annihilation and spreading them far and wide.

Shen Zuozhou had always sneered at these movie scenes, but now, faced with a real threat of the end of days, he could only feel a suffocating fear that sent shivers down his spine.

Normally, Zheng Tao’s voice would come from outside the frame, but as Shen Zuozhou became transfixed, the sound also faded away, leaving only the noise within the cockpit.

The meteor shot through the clouds, disappearing into the ground in less than a second, and then, for an extremely brief moment, the world fell silent before bursting into a brilliant light that outshone the sun.

This was the true light of apocalypse, instantly turning the entire screen into a blanket of white.

A total of six seconds of white space, which CCTV did not edit out at all, Central News left a full six seconds of full-screen whiteness.

When the white light finally dissipated, all that was left outside was a tremendously large fireball, several dozen times larger than the setting sun, as if one had truly reached the surface of the sun.

Shen Zuozhou stared blankly at the TV, unmoving, while beside him, Xiao Okada seemed to return to a few hours earlier, when he had lain in front of the porthole, doing the exact same thing.

However, at this moment, Zheng Tao’s voice finally came from outside the frame:

"I... Our hydrogen bomb has detonated successfully, striking the Fukushima First Nuclear Power Station with precision!

I am Hua Xin Agency reporter Zheng Tao, bringing you live coverage from the scene!"

...

There had once been a great debate at the top about how to manage public opinion.

Some argued for minimizing impact, primarily using text as in past nuclear tests, releasing only a very limited number of photos and video footage;

Others thought this was a good opportunity to assert national power. Since it wasn’t an attack on a city, they believed it should be heavily publicized to boost the confidence of the citizens.

The two sides were evenly matched, and neither held a dominant advantage.

The resolution to this problem turned out to be quite dramatic. When the TASS agency’s reporter first boarded the Tu-142 Patrol Aircraft, the lack of choice became destined.

Russia, barely showing signs of recovery, couldn’t wait to show the world its teeth were still sharp, and announced it would allow TASS to release the full footage.

The other parties had no choice but to follow suit, leading to Zheng Tao’s presence on the plane.

Since the footage shot by others outside would be made public, there was no need for a pointless demonstration of one’s own, but the actual public reaction to the broadcast still worried the leadership.

At the time, Xiao Okada and Zheng Tao had a long discussion about this, also uncertain about what to do, and could only wait and see what would happen.

Now, he carefully watched Shen Zuozhou’s expression. With the main footage of the two nuclear explosions fully aired, he eagerly anticipated how Shen Zuozhou would react.

Under his gaze, Shen Zuozhou let out a long breath, his face somewhat solemn:

"The hydrogen bomb... Although we all expected it, now that this has really happened, I don’t feel as excited as I imagined I would."