Dozens of fighter jets took off from Yokota Airbase, their thunderous sonic booms clearly audible to the city's residents.
The Fifth Air Force rushed to the vicinity of Mount Fuji.
Dense clouds of dust and smoke swept into the sky. The fighter jets did not plunge in, choosing instead to circle outside.
The orders they had received were to immediately destroy any vehicles not belonging to the police that approached the dust cloud, with no warning necessary.
The missiles carried by the fighter jets were expensive; each shot had to precisely send its target sky-high.
As for the possibility of collateral damage, the higher-ups were indifferent; if ordinary people didn't flee but instead tried to get closer, they were simply courting death.
Nearby police stations dispatched their vehicles one after another. They quickly blocked the main routes to Mount Fuji and began using jet-dropped detection equipment to test for radiation at the scene.
