Dr. Ota explained in detail, "First, as a city that had already begun modernization, Fuyuki City had a large number of natural gas pipelines buried underground. Especially in Shinto, which was rebuilt after the great fire ten years ago, even more gas pipelines had been laid."
"These pipelines suffered severe damage in the earthquake, causing large amounts of natural gas to leak. The leaking gas formed a combustible gas mixture in the air, which was the prerequisite for the explosion."
"Second, last night's earthquake also triggered powerful airflow effects. These airflow effects not only worsened the gas leakage, but also spread the leaked gas across a wider area. At the same time, they created fierce storms, providing the necessary ignition conditions for the explosion."
"Finally, we must also consider human factors."
Dr. Ota added.
"When disasters strike, people often panic and fall into chaos. Under such circumstances, improper actions and mistakes can also worsen the severity of the disaster. For example, someone might try to shut off a gas valve, but make an error in their panic and instead worsen the gas leak."
He paused before continuing, "Taking all these factors into account, we can conclude that last night's explosion in Fuyuki City was the result of earthquake-triggered natural gas leaks, airflow effects, and human factors acting together."
At that moment, the news footage cut to the scene in Fuyuki City with the precision of a sharp blade. On screen, an enormous impact crater lay embedded in the city's flesh like a massive wound. It was the mark left behind by last night's harrowing explosion.
The crater's edges were an eerie charred black, like ashes left after an inferno. Within the pit was bottomless darkness. Since it was close to the riverbank, some of the river water had quietly flowed