Ever since the Government Broadcast announced the appearance of the dungeons, television had been a deluge of emergency news programs. Regularly scheduled shows were abruptly canceled, replaced by announcers with grim expressions who repeatedly shared the few known facts. While they weren't wearing the helmets typically seen during major earthquakes, their delivery was indistinguishable from any other disaster reporting.
"Hey! Anything more from the government yet?!"
"Not yet! Even the guys in the press club didn't know it was about dungeons until the broadcast aired, though they knew something big was happening!"
"Tch! What about footage of an actual dungeon?! We need to scoop the other stations!"
"No luck. We’re getting nothing from our local correspondents or viewer tips yet. The internet is just a mess of inflammatory fake news..."
"Dammit! A scoop like this, and we’re empty-handed!"
On the newsroom floor, staff members had gathered to hold a strategy meeting, dragging whiteboards and chairs into a makeshift conference room.
Suddenly, someone came running toward them, clutching a smartphone.
"New info! The Metropolitan Police Department's riot police are moving into XX Town in XX Ward! They're evacuating residents and setting up a perimeter!"
"Is that for real?!"
"Yeah! It’s a report from our contact at the MPD!"
"Alright! Get the chopper in the air! Ground team, move out! We’re going live—don't let the competition beat us to the punch!"
"Yes, sir!"
The staff members scrambled to prepare for the live broadcast.
Ten-odd minutes later, footage arrived from the helicopter as it reached the scene. The entire nation watched the sight of the dungeon and the heavy police presence as they cordoned off streets and guided residents to safety.
In the town where the dungeon had appeared, the streets were filled with police officers blowing whistles and waving light batons, alongside riot police officers holding shields. Residents were being evacuated in whatever they had been wearing, looking as though they had fled with only the clothes on their backs. The morning’s quiet had vanished, replaced by an air of dread amplified by the booming voices of officers on megaphones and the ceaseless roar of helicopter rotors overhead.
"An evacuation order has been issued for this vicinity! All residents, please follow police guidance and evacuate immediately!"
"This road is closed! Follow the detour!"
"Is anyone left?! If you need assistance, please speak up!"
Officers went door-to-door through the evacuation zone, checking for anyone left behind. Several officers worked together to carry out those unable to move on their own, such as the elderly or infirm, using stretchers. Similar scenes were unfolding throughout the area. In a large park within the zone, large tents had been erected, with people busily rushing in and out.
"The evacuation is proceeding well. At this rate, we’ll have everyone out of the zone within the hour."
"Understood. And the status of the dungeon itself?"
"No change. We’ve lined up armored riot police vehicles around it, but there are no signs of anything emerging."
"I see."
A Riot Police Officer holding a tablet reported the progress, but the Commander receiving the report only glanced at his own device with a grim expression before setting it on the table.
"Approximately 2,000 residents across 600 households... I wonder how long this will go on."
"I don't know, sir. No one could have predicted that dungeons would actually appear."
"I know. I'm just venting. Our job is simply to monitor the dungeon and keep the civilians out of the danger zone, just as we were ordered."
The Commander could only watch with a pained gaze as the residents were led away.
In truth, that perimeter would never be lifted. The government would eventually pay out compensation, and the residents would be forced to rebuild their lives elsewhere.
Having received a tip from the Cybercrime Countermeasures Division that a civilian might have ignored the warnings and entered a dungeon, local police had traced an IP address and rushed to the poster’s location.
The address led them to an auto-campsite built beside a stream deep in the mountains. The officers stepped out of their patrol car and headed for the tent associated with the device, but they were sidetracked by a commotion coming from a log house that served as the campsite's management office.
"Hey, let’s check that out first."
"Ah, right."
The Elderly Police Officer told his junior partner, a Young Police Officer, that they were changing course. As they drew closer to the log house, the noise grew into distinct shouting and screams.
"Where’s the ambulance?!"
"Shut up, I already called! The medevac helicopter should be here soon! For now, just keep pressure on the wounds!"
"Can't you do something more?!"
"No! These are just first-aid supplies! I don't have surgical tools or blood for transfusions! Most importantly, I’m not a doctor!"
Hearing this frantic exchange, the officers burst into the log house. The first thing they saw was red. A blood-soaked Youth was accosting a middle-aged man in coveralls—the Manager.
The scene was horrific. A youth lay on a sofa, his chest torn open as if by a bear, his clothes saturated bright red. Another youth sat in the corner, clutching his head and trembling while muttering to himself. A third lay on another sofa, his face deathly pale, having lost an arm and suffered massive blood loss.
The officers froze, stunned by the unexpected carnage. Noticing them, the Manager’s face lit up with relief.
"Oh! Thank God! You're here to help?!"
"Ah, no, we’re..."
"Where are the paramedics?! Where’s the ambulance?!"
Faced with the Manager in his blood-stained coveralls, the two officers struggled to process the situation.
"Please, calm down! We’re here on a separate matter! What happened here? Give us the situation!"
"...A separate matter?"
"Yes. Tell us what happened. We can't help if we don't know the facts."
Realizing they weren't the help he was waiting for, the Manager fell silent for a moment before he began to explain.
"I only know what I saw. About thirty minutes ago, these kids stumbled in here covered in blood. All but one could walk, but as soon as they got inside, one passed out, one started shaking like that, and the other one... well, he’d lost an arm and was bleeding out. I did what I could for first aid and called for help over the emergency radio."
"I see."
"If you want to know how they got hurt, ask him."
The Manager pointed to the Youth who, though covered in blood, seemed physically unharmed. The Youth flinched at the gesture.
"Understood. Hey, check on the status of the emergency dispatch and call for backup from the station. This is turning into a major incident."
"Yes, sir!"
The Elderly Police Officer gave orders to the Young Police Officer before turning his attention back to the Youth. The young man seemed to resign himself to the situation and began to speak.
"Where we got hurt... was a dungeon."
"A dungeon... Then you’re the ones who posted about entering one online?"
"Yeah. One of us was posting."
"Right....Go on."
The Elderly Police Officer felt a wave of dizziness. They had found the posters, but the situation was worse than he had feared. They had been warned repeatedly not to enter, yet this was the result.
"We headed upstream with our fishing rods early this morning. That's where we found it."
"The dungeon?"
"Yeah. We’d seen the Government Broadcast on our phones, so we knew they existed. It looked just like the ones on the news—a dome with those hieroglyph-like carvings."
"Then why did you go inside? The broadcast was very clear about the danger."
The Youth’s face twisted in agony and regret.
"...Curiosity. Dungeons were supposed to be fantasy, but here was a real one. Once we saw it, the idea of not going in... it wasn't even an option anymore."
"I see. Tell me what happened inside. How were you injured?"
"...It all happened so fast, we barely knew we were being hit. At first, we were calm enough to post on the internet, but it was dark inside and our eyes hadn't adjusted. We were moving around when one of us got a light injury. That guy in the corner."
The officer looked at the Youth in the corner. He had a bandage on his arm, stained with blood.
"Seeing him bleed snapped us out of it. We realized the dungeon really was as dangerous as they said, so we tried to get out fast. But then, it appeared right in front of us..."
"...A monster?"
The Youth gave a small, shaky nod.
"One of my friends... his chest was just ripped open. Blood sprayed everywhere. I can still feel it hitting me."
The Youth began to shake more violently as the memory returned.
"I just started swinging my fishing rod, trying to keep it back while we ran. We were almost at the exit when it caught up and bit his arm clean off. We threw everything we had at it to buy time, then carried him out and ran for our lives."
It had been a narrow escape from a slaughterhouse. Despite his shock, the Youth managed to relay the details clearly. However, the Elderly Police Officer had one more question.
"Did the monster follow you outside?"
"I don't know why, but it didn't. It prowled around the entrance for a bit, then just went back inside."
"I see. Thank you."
The preliminary questioning over, the Elderly Police Officer checked in with his partner. The medevac helicopter was a minute or two away, and backup—including riot police—would arrive within the hour.
Once the helicopter arrived, the doctor on board administered blood transfusions and other emergency treatments before the injured youths were airlifted to the hospital. The two officers remained, explaining the situation to the other campers and urging them to evacuate while waiting for the main force. Once backup arrived, the campsite was closed, and a unit led by the riot police surrounded and blockaded the dungeon.
There was a brief stir online when the posts stopped updating, but the Cybercrime Division managed to contain the rumors. Given that the posts had turned out to be true, the government ordered even stricter monitoring of internet activity.
That evening, the news programs focused heavily on the civilian intrusion. As the severity of the injuries became public knowledge, most commentators spoke of the extreme danger dungeons posed. However, one Commentator took a different, more accusatory angle.
"Doesn't the government bear some responsibility for this? They knew about the dungeons and left them accessible."
"Excuse me? How do you figure that?" another panelist asked.
"Exactly. The Government Broadcast warned people repeatedly to stay away."
"Yes, but if the government is blockading 'many' dungeons, isn't the fact that this one was left open a clear sign of negligence?!"
Ignoring the looks from the other panelists—who watched him as if he were a performing circus animal—the Commentator continued to push his bizarre theory. A sense of exhaustion filled the studio, leading the AD to flash a cue card at the MC, telling him to shut the man up and move to the next segment.
No one at the time realized that this Commentator’s absurd logic would later be seized upon by the opposition party during a Diet session, causing an even greater public uproar.