Godzilla Earth: Origin (Patreon)

Volume 2 Chapter 95: The End of Childhood (Part 1)

That day?

You’re asking me how I felt that day?

Ah, well, since we had already been warned in advance, how should I put it… I was excited, of course, but after the excitement faded, there was a deep sense of unease.

Why did you feel uneasy?

Hmm, I didn’t know at the time. I just wasn’t happy, that’s all. Later, when I thought about it, I realized it was because I was wondering: Since the government already knew about their existence, why didn’t they announce it earlier? Why didn’t they ask for help sooner?

That was probably what I was feeling.

Still, despite the unease, the people on the ground—including those who had lost loved ones in the Ghidorah disaster—held the visitors from the stars in the highest regard.

After all, the timing of their arrival was just too perfect.

. . .

“Please board the transport helicopters in an orderly manner. Please proceed in an orderly fashion.”

“Do not push. We still have plenty of time. There are no abnormalities—please remain in line.”

On the eastern coast of Asia, in the last few cities that had not been destroyed by the Ghidorah's Wings and Kaiser Ghidorah…

The streets of these cities were packed with countless people. They squeezed and pushed against one another, all trying to move forward.

Even though it had already been fifteen days since the catastrophe of Ghidorah's Wings, the number of people in these cities had not decreased in the slightest.

And that, of course, made perfect sense.

Although fifteen days had passed, rescue efforts for various shelters were still ongoing. Every day, millions of people arrived in these cities.

Because evacuation and retreat to South America required crossing the ocean, the process was agonizingly slow. Even with transport ships and cargo planes, only six to seven million people could be moved each day.

This meant that every day, at least ten million people were left stranded, unable to evacuate in time.

And that was assuming the ferries could operate normally. However, just a few days ago, mysterious creatures lurking in the waters had attacked over a dozen massive ships, causing horrific casualties.

Faced with such an appalling death toll, the World United Government had no choice but to deploy nuclear submarines to escort the ferries. But since submarines were limited in number, ferry transport capacity had plummeted.

If they relied solely on cargo planes, evacuating even two to three hundred thousand people per day would already be an incredible achievement.

As a result, over a hundred million people were now stranded in place. And with each passing day, another ten to twenty million people continued to pour into the area.

Now, after more than ten days, every major urban area along the coast had gained an additional two to three hundred million people.

Two to three hundred million people… even just finding a place for them to sleep was an overwhelming problem.

Not to mention that, at this point, all offshore seaweed farms had been destroyed, leaving everyone reliant on stored food supplies.

Evacuation was a matter of utmost urgency, but the available transportation simply couldn’t keep up.

Although the latest government directive clearly stated that original residents of the coastal cities should delay their evacuation—turning the eastern coast of Asia into a permanent defensive line for thirty billion people—those who had just emerged from the shelters were too terrified to comply.

Many were willing to defy government orders, spending vast sums of money in underground markets to secure an early ticket out.

On the black market, the price of a ticket for an early escape from East Asia to South America had skyrocketed to the point where the base price was now in the tens of thousands.

Aside from those with official government connections, anyone trying to book a ticket now wouldn’t get a seat for another six months.

And from the moment Godzilla awoke to now, not even half a year had passed.

So, the inevitable happened.

“We want tickets for the ships!”

“Open the cargo planes for evacuation!”

“Down with the capitalists who got to leave early!”

“Give us tickets! Give us flights!”

. . .

“Are they… protesting?”

Sitting in a small helicopter, Serizawa Kosuke looked down at the crowd on the ground, holding up wooden signs as they marched. He turned to the person next to him and asked.

The man glanced down, reading the words on the signs before replying casually,

“Yes, it’s a protest—but a completely irrational one. If the government could provide more tickets and flights, they would. These people understand that. Right now, they’re just venting their emotions.”

“After everything they’ve been through with Ghidorah, there’s no one left who can stay rational anymore.”

With a sigh, he turned his head toward Serizawa and said, “Serizawa… kun, right? I’ve heard a lot about you. Even in our field, your brother’s reputation is well known. During this catastrophe, your brother’s Oxygen Destroyer saved hundreds of millions of lives.”

“And about Mr. Huang… you should try to make peace with it.”

Serizawa, who had been staring out the window, was momentarily stunned by the mention of that name. Then, with a half-smile, he responded,

“Drop the whole ‘kun’ thing, man. I grew up here in East Asia. And as for old Huang—I made peace with it a long time ago. Life and death are fate; fortune and destiny are beyond our control. I accepted that days ago.”

Hearing this, the man was taken aback before chuckling.

“Well, seems like I was worrying over nothing.”

With that, he extended his hand for a handshake.

“Let’s make this official—I'm Yang Qi. Currently—”

“Assistant professor at Cambridge University, researcher at the Cambridge Molecular Biology Lab, and an academician of the East Asian Academy of Sciences.”

Before Yang Qi could finish, Serizawa had already listed his credentials.

“Oh? So you do know who I am.”

“I’m not some paleontology nerd… Of course, I know who you are.”

Yang Qi raised an eyebrow in slight surprise but wasn’t too shocked. After all, he was a well-known figure in the field of biology.

Serizawa, however, couldn’t help but feel exasperated. Everyone treated him like an idiot—all because of his brother.

But now that they knew each other’s names, things would be easier.

“Well, since you know who I am, then tell me, Mr. Kousuke—do you know why I came back to East Asia?”

Serizawa shook his head. How could he possibly know why a top scientist in gene editing had come here?

At that moment, Yang Qi’s expression turned serious.

He opened his mouth to speak—

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Suddenly, before he could say anything, the helicopter lurched violently.

The turbulence was beyond anything imaginable. Even inside the cabin, both men were thrown against the walls.

As they struggled to regain their footing, preparing to open the hatch and ask the pilot what was going on—

Through the cabin window, Serizawa saw something strange.

On the ground below, an eerie light had begun to appear.