Chapter 546 - THE CHAOTIC CITY

The teams sent to the three locations reported to Director Deguchi, who was in a large van outside of Crystal Plaza. The van was modified into a mobile control centre for the operation. Four other people were with him as part of the command group. 

The primary role of the director was to guide the operations where necessary. Moreover, the command group helped keep the three groups connected in case of any unexpected situations.

However, the on-ground units had commanders keep an eye on the bomb searching operation. The entire operation was quite streamlined.

"Director Deguchi, four more couples matching the appearance of Bonnie and Clyde have been spotted around the city." The communications liaison said as he monitored the system. 

The faces of the four other people in the van became ugly as they lost the confidence they had earlier. When they found the first couple, they were almost certain about the location of the bomb.. However, the decoy couples showed that it was a trick by Bonnie and Clyde. 

"Let the on-ground units evacuate all the buildings identified as potential targets. We do not know the amount of time we have. We have to act quickly." Director Deguchi said. "Once the evacuation is complete, focus all efforts on locating any signals indicating the presence of a bomb." 

The instructions were passed on to the other CAB officers. 

At that moment, multiple parts of Tokyo were in chaos. People were running from the locations where the CAB officers were seen, even without the evacuation order. It did not take geniuses to know that the Central Antiterrorism Bureau was looking for a bomb. 

Moreover, the online news was explosive. 

The netizens were coming up with wild theories about the terrorists who had invaded their beloved, peaceful city. The more people discussed the news, the more chaotic the city became. The lucky people had seen the early warning signs and left the inner-city areas. 

Unfortunately, anyone who was working overtime or did not bother to check the online news were shocked once they saw what was going on. They could only leave their workplaces or their after-work hangout joints at a high speed. 

The rush led to heavy traffic jams. In addition, some people panicked and left their vehicles right in the middle of the road because they were worried about not making it out. It was better to get a demerit and a fine instead of dying in an explosion. 

"Director Deguchi, there has been a few stampedes in the city. Some injuries have been reported from a popular mall. It is mayhem." The communications liaisons officer could not help panicking along with the rest of the city as he tried to keep up with the reports coming through to him. 

"Let the police call in every available officer in Tokyo for help. The police should be able to manage the movement and minimise the chaos." Director Deguchi remained calm. "Someone, check on the status of the air support we requested." 

Even though Director Deguchi could be a little dumb when dealing with the specifics of office work, he was not unreliable on the field. He could make decisions quickly in a crisis as long as it involved real law enforcement work. 

When he was a soldier, he was a marvel in field missions. Otherwise, he would not have been able to join one of the most sensitive bureaus of the national self-defence. It also kept him in his job, even when he made some stupid mistakes here and there. 

In another location, Minister Shimada had just finished the meeting with the president. Her entire body was tense as she walked while reading her messages. Her official secretary was trying to keep up with her pace as she strode out. 

Everything was a big mess. And the day had started so well. 

Her only meeting for the day was supposed to go easily. She only needed to convince Akira to take over the presiding panel of the Immortal Sword Brigade. After that, her evening was supposed to be free. She planned on having a nice supper with a few glasses of wine while checking up on her children. 

Now, she felt like she was trying to put out a volcano with a glass of water. 

She could not even convince the president to leave the city temporarily. He wanted to show solidarity with the people by being with them during the time of crisis. But the man did not consider the fallout if anything happened to him. 

"What is the current status of the CAB? Are they closer to finding the bomb?" Minister Shimada asked her secretary. 

The short and fat man was sweating bullets. "They have evacuated the buildings identified by Ms Yamazaki and are currently doing a sweep. They have also captured several couples that looked like Bonnie and Clyde, but the people are of no use." 

"They all said that a man or woman paid them to walk around the city in the evening. They did not think they were doing anything wrong. The probability is that they were put there as distractions. The chaos in the city is quite intense." The man panted. 

Minister Shimada stopped and looked at her secretary. Unlike her former personal assistant, this man was not used to walking around. He was also quite overweight and seemed about to faint. But he was more useful because he had the necessary clearance and experience to learn about the internal operations of the ministry. 

Unfortunately, he was a liability in a situation where she needed to be on the literal move. While the president was delivering a comforting speech to the nation, she had to be on the scene with the CAB. She could not afford to show weakness while Tokyo was in danger. 

If she kept dragging the man around, he was likely to experience some strain due to excessive physical activity. Despite his high level of efficiency, he would not perform well in the adverse conditions of a field operation. 

"Go back to the office and monitor issues from there." Minister Shimada said. 

"No, I will act as your aide until you find someone else." The man was a little stubborn. 

"Your skills would be wasted on that. I am sure I can survive for one night without someone taking my calls and carrying my bag." Minister Shimada responded drily. 

"But…" The man began again. 

"Focus on keeping the office together for a few more hours. The crisis will be over soon, one way or another." Minister Shimada countered. "I have to go to the Crystal Plaza. Do not waste any more time. I am counting on you." 

With that, she went directly to her vehicle.