Disaster Report Diaries (Zettai Zetsumei Toshi 3) Part Two

This is my exploration of the Disaster Report series where I will chronicle my playthrough like a text-based Let’s Play. Now let’s continue Zettai Zetsumei Toshi 3: Kowareyuku Machi to Kanojo no Uta...

It was 01:14 pm when Rina Makimura and Saki Honjou exited the collapsing and flooding Harusaki Lagoon Line tunnel…

The Matsutani Intersection where we found ourselves at was heavily damaged, with slanted buildings, broken roads, and a fallen monorail being the most instantly noticeable features. Since Saki was a local, she was briefly overcome by the display, but once she recovered, I wondered where everyone was. It had been six hours since the earthquake, but the area was deserted. Saki suggested that they had gone to the local junior high school, which would have acted as a shelter. She invited me to join her as she was going to head there, too, so I agreed.

I received Disaster Manual 05: Shelters, which explained that elementary and junior high schools were set up to accommodate people in their gymnasium or auditoriums during an emergency — but only for local residents. Refugees and tourists would be ineligible for sheltering.

Someone was sat in shock on the road, so I went over to speak to them, also grabbing a copy of Capital News [1] from the ground nearby, which mentioned that everyone loved Central Island. The man commented that he moved to the island because it was supposed to be the new capital — which I recalled had also been said about Stiver Island and Del Ray…

Since my Stress meter had shot up when I saw the devastation, I rested on a nearby bench. Exploring the area, I found and equipped a Harmony Compass, as well as an outfit called Pink Tights. Another man was sat on the footpath next to a crack in the road and was concerned that there weren’t enough rescue workers. Near to him was a metal beam that bridged the gap, so I crossed it, then waited for Saki to cross too, while she complained that she shouldn’t be scared to do what I just did.

A tremor hit, and as I braced, I watched a truck fall into the gap. Since the next section of road was too high to climb up to, we moved a recycling bin over and used that to reach it, taking us into Matsutani Southern Area. I also received Disaster Manual 06: Damage to Roads, which warned of cracks, bumps, and liquidation. The higher portion of the road was only short, but as we considered getting down, we saw someone getting into a car; it may have been Morita, but I couldn’t see properly. I wondered if it was dangerous to drive with the roads like this, and as Saki called out to the person, they drove off.

As luck would have it, I received the Disaster Manual 07: Dangers of Driving a Car, which did indeed agree that it’s dangerous because you could get stuck in cracks, hit by falling objects, and cause traffic jams. We had a quick rest at a bench, then caught a static-filled radio broadcast, which told those in the West District to evacuate to Nishi Daisan Junior High School, confirming Saki’s theory. She indicated down a road, saying it was in that direction, but I was distracted by the way that some buildings were tilted as if they were going to fall directly onto said road.

I picked up a Red Card Compass and a Gauze Mask, only one of which I equipped in case of smoke. A little way down the street was an Orizuru Compass, and down from that was when a tremor struck! Cars began raining down from the overhanging building, as a fire blocked our escape back the way we had come, meaning that we had to leg it to Matsutani Eastern Area.

As we caught our breath, I asked Saki if she was alright, and she confirmed that she was. I picked up a Maestro Compass, a Black Suit, and Sunglasses, then the Disaster Manual 81: Liquefaction. It explained that saturated soils could cause an area to become a sea of mud if struck by an earthquake, and it would cause buried manholes to protrude from the road, and buildings to tilt.

While we continued on, Saki began humming a tune. After a short distance, I asked if she was singing, and she confirmed that she wanted to lift the mood. She then said that it was an original, unnamed, song that she wrote, before insisting that we get a move on.

We reached Umino Street at 02:47 pm and found the car which Morita had driven off in earlier. It was abandoned, and next to it was the Disaster Manual 08: Abandoned Vehicles, which told me not to touch such vehicles unless they were to be used for accommodation for sick or injured persons. There was a large sinkhole in front of us, and making our way down I picked up a Top Gear Weekly (which reviewed the Morita Motors M-4 car), a Flower Dress outfit, and some Tall Brown Boots. I equipped those, then checked out the fire engine whose ladder extended up out of the sinkhole, which had a Melting Compass in front of it.

We climbed onto the fire engine by first climbing onto a car, then started up the ladder. We heard something that may have been gunfire, and Saki raced up the ladder towards possible danger. However, as I followed, a tremor hit and caused an explosion in the sinkhole! Fire rapidly spread as I raced along the ladder, but at the last moment the truck which I was about to jump onto fell into the sinkhole, so I had to leap to safety!

As I caught my breath, an explosion caused a car to attempt a similar leap out of the hole, which was honestly quite impressive. Saki, however, was more concerned with the noise we had heard and indicated the nearby office building. As my stress level was halfway, I decided to have a rest on a bench just outside, before heading into the Morita Group Office Building.

We found a ransacked office and two people inside. Well, one person and one recently-shot corpse. The apparent shooter, crouched next to the now-dead Morita, turned to aim the pistol at us but quickly lowered it. I called them a murderer and readied to fight, but Saki told me that she’d handle it and displayed some fighting moves. The shooter in a purple suit told us to calm down and asked if we knew the now-deceased chairman of the Morita Group before telling us to forget what we saw.

They left and Saki checked on Morita, then I obtained Disaster Manual 09: Public Safety, which warned that some might use a disaster to ignore social norms. I also received Disaster Manual 10: Resuscitation Procedure, which explained that you should use a defibrillator if available, and we could learn how to use one at a local fire station.

We exited back onto Umino Street, and Saki suggested that we tell the police at the shelter what happened to Morita. I hurried away from the sinkhole that was now full of thick, toxic smoke, and on to Momogaki Street where it was 03:56 pm. Saki noted that the sky looked strange, but we went to a nearby bench, and I picked up a Water 500ml and a Capital News [2] before we rested. The newspaper had a story about how both previous attempts to relocate the nation’s capital city — Geo City and Capital Island — had failed due to disasters and that Central Island had been constructed with “sufficient countermeasures”.

So, a fire tornado began raining fireballs down upon us. Yeah, there was no easing into it, just a wind funnel filled with fire and cars, and I obtained Disaster Manual 11: Fire Whirls, detailing how such a thing is created by a large fire sucking in air and causing an updraft.

With only a moment’s notice before a fireball landed, this section took multiple attempts. I found a Fire Extinguisher in a demolished building (also gaining Disaster Manual 72: Usage of Extinguishers), used it to put out an engulfed car that blocked my way, stopped to pick up a First Aid Kit which prevented me from being squashed beneath a truck, grabbed a Chicken Compass and a Long Skirt, and ran to safety through a smoke-filled alleyway…