TL Note : https://wikizilla.org/wiki/Hedorah
Hedorah
November 2005 – Hebei Province, People’s Republic of China
Yang Hongche, province Communist Party Committee Secretary (at the time)
Since the May 1999 Kamacuras attack on New York, the world had been plagued by a succession of mysterious, gigantic creatures… kaiju. Many were repelled by the militaries of various countries, but there were all too many cases of catastrophic collateral damage.
The 4th Indo-Pakistani War, the first nuclear war in human history, was ignited by Pakistan’s use of nuclear weapons along the Indian border. However, it is now clear that this was done with the aim of eliminating a kaiju that had appeared in the region. This “worst tragedy of human warfare” that burned the nations and people of both countries was brought about by the kaiju.
In November 2005, a bioweapon-based operation by the People’s Republic of China aimed at exterminating kaiju in Hebei Province, known as the Hedorah Operation, is considered a tragedy second only to the Fourth Indo-Pakistan War. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army tried to intercept two kaiju that appeared one after the other in northeastern and southwestern China near Beijing, using a bioweapon called “Hedorah.” Although they successfully eliminated the two kaiju, the bioweapon inadvertently spread from Beijing to Tianjin, causing catastrophic damage. The estimated death and injury toll is reported to be 8.2 million people, but this figure is based on the Chinese government’s announcement at the time, and some claim the actual death toll alone could be two to three times higher.
Just what was this bioweapon “Hedorah” that caused such staggering loss of life? The Chinese government has refused to disclose information on this matter from the start, and with the demise of the People’s Republic of China, all has been shrouded in darkness.
The person said to hold a key to the truth about Hedorah is the former Chinese Communist Party member, Yang Hongche.
In 2042, the Global Union, in a desperate bid against the losing battle with the kaiju, initiated research to resurrect the bioweapon “Hedorah.”
The deputy director of this research facility – the de facto research leader – was Yang Hongche, who had defected to the United States in 2006 with classified documents on the Hedorah operation. Yang demonstrated excellent leadership in this Hedorah revival project, but in 2045 it was revealed that his research involved extensive fabrications and falsifications. Moments before his arrest, Yang blew up the research facility, destroying nearly all the research materials and data related to Hedorah. Yang attempted suicide on the spot but was apprehended by the military police. Even in the subsequent investigative commission and military tribunal, Yang maintained his silence, and was sentenced to death for “crimes against the survival of humanity.”
The mystery of Hedorah has long been a subject of great interest to our Comprehensive Intelligence Division, and we had previously attempted to interview Yang. However, faced with his repeated refusal to speak during our visits to the Global Union’s maximum-security prison, the investigation had been suspended.
It was just a month after the formal launch of the “Extraterrestrial Migration Plan” that Yang himself made an offer to cooperate with the investigation.
The conditions were:
a single interviewer, preferably of Asian ethnicity, for a duration of one hour, to be publicly released only after the execution of his sentence.
In the visitation room of the Global Union’s maximum-security prison, the small, white-haired and bearded Yang looked more like a legendary Chinese immortal than a scientist. Facing me through the reinforced glass, Yang said:
“Ah, you’re Japanese, aren’t you?”
This was actually my third time meeting with Yang. He had remembered me from my previous visit as an assistant to a senior investigator.
“When my father visited your country for work in my youth, I accompanied him. It was a lovely nation – meticulous, clean, well-tended… Most of all, the beautiful harmony of civilization, tradition, and nature. I was torn between Germany and Japan for my studies. But you… you abandoned even Mount Fuji, that beautiful land of yours.”
This was the first time I heard Yang’s voice. From that small frame emanated a deep, river-like calmness, utterly unlike the voice of a fraudster who had “swindled humanity” through fabricated research.
—“I’m afraid that’s not possible. But to fight the kaiju…”
“No, that’s not it. Don’t you understand? The kaiju appeared because humanity has changed the environment of this planet. Environmental destruction, foolish nuclear tests – we’ve transformed this world into a planet for the kaiju. Fighting the kaiju by polluting the environment further, that is the mistake. The more we damage the Earth, the more powerful the kaiju that will emerge. Kamacuras, Dogora, and now…” Why couldn’t they see that?
(Yang took a deep breath to steady himself, then spoke.)
“Time is short. I’ll answer your questions.”
–Why did you suddenly agree for interview after so stubbornly refusing to testify?
Asking the questions, I felt more like I was the one being tested.
“The activation of the interstellar migration plan. So humanity has finally realized it no longer has the power to fight the kaiju. Then surely, they would abandon the foolish hope of Hedorah’s revival. My purpose has been achieved. That’s all.”
I sensed there was more to it. Yang had not deceived humanity for gold or glory, but out of his own beliefs.
–“Tell me. Why did you try to stop the Hedorah revival plan? What was Hedorah?”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
Let me indulge you with this old man’s tale a little.
In 1999, when the world first encountered the kaiju, I was in the Pollution Control Division of China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection. Looking back, how ironic that title sounds. What I actually did was the opposite – in our rapidly developing country, instead of curbing environmental destruction, my job was to facilitate the forced relocation of farmers who had lived in harmony with the land for generations, so that nature could be destroyed without limit.
But at the time, I saw it as a necessary evil. Some environmental damage was inevitable with modernization and industrialization. Hadn’t the Western nations and even your Japan gone through the same?
You must know that China’s path to modernization was fraught with hardship. Throughout history, our nation has always been the center of civilization – the true center of the world. We were always at the forefront, and thus never had the experience of learning from other civilizations. That is the difference from your country. You imported written characters – kanji, the ritsuryō legal system, and much technology and culture from our land when it was an “advanced nation.” So when China became a “backward nation,” you could look to the new center from the West. For us, it was not so simple. Importing and learning from another civilization was an immensely difficult task.
The Opium Wars. The Chinese Civil War. The detestable war with your nation. The Cultural Revolution and Tiananmen. After so many twists and turns, it was only at the end of the 20th century that we finally began the path of modernization. What I, or rather the Chinese leadership of the time, cared about was how to catch up on our past delays. Environmental protection and human rights were merely slogans for the wealthy. First, we must enrich the nation. Everything else would follow. If the sky and earth became a little polluted, and a few people lost their homes, as long as it brought happiness to the motherland, that was what mattered. I truly believed that. Our homeland has the power to embrace both purity and impurity, unlike the Western countries bound by empty slogans.
Yes, I even took pride in my work. I didn’t cover up pollution or deceive the people. In exchange for their barren farmland, I ensured the farmers were properly compensated and given urban housing – I truly believed I was making them happier.
How foolish I was…
That’s why…that’s why I jumped at it.
—“At what?”
It’s obvious, isn’t it? Hedorah. The biological weapon. No, it couldn’t be…it couldn’t be such a thing. Hedorah couldn’t be…couldn’t be…
(Yang’s voice trembled with a mixture of anger, regret, fear, and sorrow that defied description. He reached shakily for the cup beside him, sipping water as if to calm himself.)
Forgive me, I got carried away.
It started with a strange phenomenon observed near an abandoned mine in Hebei province. Fish had returned to the river, thoroughly polluted by mining toxins. We were astonished when we arrived – the once murky stream had regained its pristine flow. The ammonium nitrite and cadmium had vanished completely. Where had the pollutants gone?
“I don’t know.”
They were consumed by Hedorah.
—Was it devoured? Was this thing called Hedorah actually a living organism?
(Yang ignores my question and continues speaking.)
After the whole region was purified, a high concentration of pollutants was found in the underground lake that had formed inside the abandoned mine. Mercury, cobalt, cadmium…lead, sulfuric acid, oxidants…it was like some kind of sludge swamp. The concentration was so hazardous that you couldn’t approach without protective gear. Of course, it wasn’t a naturally occurring phenomenon. We investigated this sludge and discovered the reason behind it. It was an aggregate of microorganisms that fed on the chemical substances in the water. That was the true nature of the sludge. We rejoiced. Foolishly, we thought this could solve China’s environmental problems. No matter how many pollutants we discharged, we could just feed them to these microbes. No, in fact, we thought they could even consume radioactive materials…
—So you became involved in researching these organisms?
No, my claim of being involved in Hedorah research in China was an outright lie. The materials I brought out when defecting were genuine, so the United States readily fell for it. In reality, the abandoned mine was immediately shut down by the People’s Liberation Army’s General Armaments Department, and the microbes were taken away somewhere.
According to the director of the Armaments Department, “Comrade Yang, the party highly values your discovery. These microbes will play a decisive role in making the 21st century China’s century. However, precisely because of that, their existence must be kept secret until the appointed time.”
After that, I was appointed secretary of the province committee (note 4) that oversaw the area with the abandoned mine. Ostensibly, I was tasked with reviving the region after the pollutants were removed. I was still in my 30s then, so it was an exceptional promotion. Being elected to the central committee (note 5) was not an unrealistic dream either. “You’ve made a discovery worthy of that,” the central leaders told me. At the time, I innocently believed those words, but it was probably just a fancy way to reassign me somewhere remote and keep me under surveillance after shutting me up.
In any case, for the next few years, I was involved in reviving that devastated province. Those were days that made me keenly aware of my foolishness. No matter how many pollutants were removed, immense effort was needed to rehabilitate the ravaged fields and revive the depleted soil. Still, the people worked hard. First, their land was unilaterally taken away on the party’s orders, and now they were told to return to it. Despite such unreasonable orders, the farmers toiled diligently. I realized that to them, the land was a part of their lives…no, it was an inseparable part of the history stretching back to their ancestors. How shallow of us to think that if the land was polluted, we could just compensate them and make them move. Those six years…the days I spent tilling the fields alongside the farmers were the best of my life. But in 2005, it all became meaningless.
—Hedorah was deployed in the province you governed.
I don’t know why my province was chosen. Was it truly just a coincidence, or was there some reason…did they intend to show me, the one who discovered it…? In any case, it all happened so suddenly.
“Comrade Yang, evacuate all province residents immediately. Two kaiju, a Wyvern-type that emerged from Mt. Paektu and a Quadruped-type from the Siberian permafrost, are approaching Beijing. Their projected routes are expected to converge near this province. The People’s Liberation Army will make a final stand here to stop them,” the political commissar ordered.
It was the same man I had handed over the microbe samples to before. I perhaps could have realized something then. But I was preoccupied with evacuating the residents. Over 200,000 people needed to be evacuated. Even after gathering all available buses for shuttle operations, it wasn’t nearly enough. Able-bodied men tried to walk while putting just their wives and children on the buses. As a result…it became the last time many families saw each other.
—There is evidence that the two kaiju – Rodan and Anguirus – were actually lured to Hebei Province by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. Unofficially, the North Korean and Russian militaries also cooperated in this.
Looking back, the Central Military Commission probably intended some kind of demonstration. By accomplishing the feat of destroying the two Kaiju together, they likely meant to make a show of force. How foolish…humanity at that time failed to understand that the emergence of kaiju was no longer an era for nations to be pitted against each other… And I, the one who discovered them, may have been considered qualified to be a minor participant in that demonstration.
The evacuation of residents was finally making progress, and the People’s Army had deployed near the Great Wall instead. But soon I realized something was off. They claimed they would intercept the kaiju here, yet their combat vehicles were just armored cars at best. All the soldiers were wearing chemical protection suits, as if handling poisonous gas or something. I asked the political commissar – just what were they planning to do?
He told me, “Comrade Yang, the time has come for your discovery to show its true value. Even Kaiju are living beings. And if they are living beings, there’s no reason our Hedorah can’t kill them.”
That was the first time I had heard the word “Hedorah.” But I instantly understood what it meant. The Party was trying to kill the Kaiju with that microorganism, and the pollutants it had accumulated. However, that meant scattering highly toxic substances across our province. As the province representative, I could never accept that. I desperately pleaded to stop the operation. Of course, they didn’t listen. When I continued to strongly oppose it, I was detained on charges of insubordination and rebellion, and transported to the rear.
…In the end, that’s what saved my life.
(Yang’s hand begins trembling slightly as he remembers that time, but he resolutely opens his mouth again.)
The Party must have had some calculation for controlling and managing Hedorah… but that was foolish. Humans can’t control Kaiju.
Yes, Kaiju,
Kaiju.
Hedorah is not the name of a biological weapon. If such a harmful microorganism exists, devouring toxic substances, then it is nothing less than a true Kaiju, beyond human comprehension.
Foolishly, we had nurtured it ourselves. It was like a giant black tornado. Spreading a black, rotten mist, it moved with tremendous force. The armored vehicle carrying me was swept up in that gale and fell over the cliff. Ironically, only I, strapped securely in the back, survived. As I crawled out, I saw the black mist polluting the earth and sky. Engulfing the sky and the meadows. In the shrouded darkness, a giant winged beast soared, and a four-legged beast ran through the mire-covered land. And within the black tornado, I clearly saw something. Its form was indistinct, like a specter. Huge red and yellow eyes. Enormous eyes. Yes, it was neither a biological weapon nor a microorganism. Could a biochemical weapon strangle a Kaiju? Could microbes gouge out a Kaiju’s eyes or tear it apart? But it was still not satisfied, and turned its course southward. Towards… Beijing, where I had evacuated the residents.
And…
And–
I’m sure you know the rest of China’s history.
—The capital Beijing was devastated overnight. The Central People’s Government tried to relocate the capital to Shanghai, but could not regain the control lost in the intervening months, and warlords arose across the country, plunging it into civil war. The fighting grew increasingly fierce, eventually leading to the use of nuclear weapons within the country. And that summoned a new Kaiju…
Currently, the estimated survivors in the former Chinese territories are believed to be less than 10 million. Isn’t that right?
—Yes.
Out of a population of 1 billion.
(Tears stream down Yang’s cheeks. I cannot respond.)
That’s what I’ve told you. You can imagine why I obstructed the Hedorah research. I knew that the appearance of Kaiju would continue. If that were the case, there would surely be those who would try to revive Hedorah. How foolish. Hedorah vanished after devastating Tianjin and Beijing. Likely it exhausted the accumulated pollutants and perished, but that doesn’t mean it’s completely dead. Or another similar being may appear somewhere. I must never repeat that mistake.
—So you understand, I pretended to be a Hedorah research scientist myself, and continued to obstruct the research from the inside.
That’s right. Better to sabotage from the inside than from the outside. It would be easier.
But… my role is over now. The Hedorah research facility has been closed. No one will dabble in the research of that demon anymore. The planet Earth has been saved.
—But humanity is still on the verge of extinction.
No, it’s just a return. To the time when humanity feared the threat of carnivorous beasts. That is not extinction. Even if we surrender the position of the planet’s ruler to the Kaiju, there must be a way to coexist with them, as long as the Earth remains safe. Or perhaps the time will come when we reclaim the seat of power, and acquire an even more prosperous civilization. But… if the Earth becomes a planet of death through nuclear and biochemical weapons, even that would be beyond our reach. That, that I absolutely had to prevent, no matter what.
That is the only atonement possible for me, who so easily wanted to rely on Hedorah’s power.
(I remain silent, unable to find any words. Eventually, an alarm signals the end of the investigation.)
That’s all I have to say.
I have no fear of being executed. I even wish for it, for atonement. But not for the crime of obstructing Hedorah research. For the sin of driving my motherland, the great China, to ruin.
I had meant to save my country.
I had believed it was for the good of my country.
If I hadn’t discovered that, it wouldn’t exist.
I am…
I (Note 6).
Note 1: However, there is a theory that Yang had been conducting Hedorah research under the support of the United States immediately after defecting, and the 2042 effort was merely the Global Union taking over the research and publicly revealing the facts.
Note 2: In 2043, an interview with Yang regarding Hedorah was conducted, but later investigations revealed that much of his statements were false.
Note 3: From the beginning of the interrogation, there were some hardliners, particularly in the military, who called for the administration of truth serum to Yang, but this was rejected due to the strong resistance from the Exif, who revered the autonomy of the mind.
Note 4: A province was a subdivision of the Chinese government at the time, below the province and district level. The province Communist Party Committee Secretary was the de facto top official.
Note 5: The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, the highest leadership body of the Chinese Communist Party.
Note 6: Three months after this investigation was carried out, Yang’s sentence was executed. The report I submitted to the government based on the investigation was made public in full, as per Yang’s conditions. Yang’s confession sparked fierce praise and condemnation, but the details are left to a separate section.
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