Chapter 270: Shooting Yourself in the Foot
The fierce gunfire and explosions had long since alerted nearby residents and workers. If the police had not explained the situation beforehand, the Metropolitan Police Department's emergency lines would probably have been overwhelmed.
The area resembled an industrial park. There were few actual residential neighborhoods, though they did exist, while commercial office buildings and business towers were far more numerous.
Now, nearby residents and people still working overtime late into the night began receiving calls from the police or notices from building security. If no one answered, someone would find a way to notify them in person.
"Hurry, get on the bus! Keep moving back there! Quick, quick! Leave as soon as you're full!"
The police and the Ground Self-Defense Force maintained order and organized the evacuation as people boarded the newly arrived buses.
Overtime workers, night owls, residents in pajamas, and even those providing intimate services at night arrived at the evacuation points, either panicked or groggy, to find this scene waiting for them.
Everything was being handled as a top-level emergency.
The Special Incident Metropolitan Police Department had authority over extraordinary crises. It could compel local governments to cooperate without offering any explanation, though afterward it had to provide a reasonable justification or face political charges.
Beyond the risk of charges, such an order was bound to offend people. In fact, the crises Japan had previously faced had not been particularly extreme, and today marked the first use of this authority.
Fortunately, this was an office district, so there were relatively few people to evacuate late at night. Those several kilometers away were, at least, beyond the reach of weapons of mass destruction.
Yes, since conventional weapons could not overpower the enemy, the relevant Japanese agencies had prepared themselves to accept