───「 Human POV 」───
The bitter wind whipped across the plaza as Hideo Takahashi stood among the crowd, all eyes fixed on the elevated podium where General Sato, Commander-in-Chief of the Army, delivered their final battle plan.
The General's voice carried across the plaza, firm and resolute: "After analyzing our recent engagement footage, we've confirmed Godzilla possesses extraordinary sensory capabilities..." He outlined an audacious strategy, one that seemed to hinge on exploiting previously unknown patterns in the creature's behavior.
The briefing was remarkably brief—ten minutes to explain what could be humanity's last stand. The plan was concise, risky, and perhaps brilliantly innovative. Or desperately naive.
"Godzilla will reach Hokkaido's outskirts in 15 hours," the General concluded. "Everyone to their positions. Time is not on our side!"
Hideo felt a hollow disappointment settle in his chest. He'd imagined their final stand would be something more... conventional. Something that embodied the raw human spirit he'd always believed in. Instead, they were banking everything on a hypothesis about Godzilla's long-range detection abilities—a theory based on a single battle observation.
"What do you make of this plan, Mr. Takahashi?"
Yang Qing, head of the East Defense Wall Construction Branch, settled beside him. The Chinese official's expression mirrored Hideo's own skepticism.
"It should work," Hideo replied, though uncertainty tinged his voice. What choice did they have? They'd missed the evacuation helicopters. This was their only path forward now.
"'Should work?'" Yang echoed, lighting a cigarette. He offered one to Hideo, and they sat in contemplative silence, watching darkness settle over Hokkaido's landscape.
The low rumble of approaching mobile base vehicles—massive dark shapes against the night sky—signaled it was time to move. Both men stood, then froze, staring at each other in mutual surprise as they realized they were both heading toward the front lines.
"You're going too?" they asked in unison.
Yang's presence made sense to himself—but why would a high-ranking East Asian official choose to fight? He could have waited safely in city hall, preserving the option to retreat to East Asia regardless of the battle's outcome.
"Why, Mr. Yang?" Hideo voiced his confusion.
Yang's response was simple but profound. He gestured toward the gathered troops. "Look at them, Brother Takahashi. Most of the remaining East Defense Wall personnel are from East Asia. They stayed because they know what's at stake. For our homeland, for all our native lands—while others fled, these people chose to remain. The lowest-ranking personnel stayed while other generals retreated. How could I abandon them? They need at least one leader to stand with them."
Without waiting for a response, Yang Qing walked away, pausing only to clasp the shoulder of an East Asian worker before heading toward the distant mobile base vehicle. After a moment's hesitation, Hideo followed.
───「 GODZILLA POV 」───
Miles away, ancient eyes focused on the distant lights of civilization. The creature humans called Godzilla sensed their movements, their preparations, their fear. Their strategies were becoming more creative, more desperate. But they remained ignorant of one crucial truth: their very efforts to detect and predict its behavior only made them more visible to its senses. Every defense they mounted was like a beacon in the night, drawing it inexorably forward.
───「 Human POV 」───
The final timeline of March 31, 2208, unfolded with military precision:
19:13 - Mass evacuation begins following confirmation of Godzilla's approach to Hokkaido
19:22 - Commander-in-Chief Sato submits the final defense strategy to the United Government
19:25 - Plan receives approval, with participation declared voluntary
21:09 - Evacuation completes: 210,000 personnel evacuated, 28,000 volunteers remain for the final stand
21:20 - Commander Sato arrives to brief the battle plan
22:00 - Front-line personnel board two mobile base vehicles
22:30 - The convoy departs for the Hokkaido mountains, where humanity's last defense would meet its greatest threat