Battle of Hong Kong

From top right, counterclockwise: Evacuation zone after the attacks; Central after the impact of the first ballistic missile; Dragon setting parts of the city ablaze; Aftermath (January 2015)

### Result (Outcome)

* Hong Kong Island is severely damaged.
* The existence of dragons is revealed to the world.

## Casualties

> "The ground trembled, right in the heart of the Island. And then, a huge figure emerged from the depths of the earth and ripped through the city... we realized we had lost Hong Kong."
>
> ―Carl Spencer

The **Battle of Hong Kong**, or **Hong Kong attacks**, was a huge open conflict sparked by the sudden appearance in Hong Kong of a Mountain Dragon specimen in codename *Dilong*. That morning, after an 8.4 magnitude earthquake rocked the city, the creature emerged from Victoria Peak and began to rampage across Hong Kong Island. Subsequent military actions neutralized the threat through the *Free Fall* Protocol airstrike in a battle of one hour and forty-three minutes. It confirmed the public existence of the dragons to humanity and became the first public high-profile incident involving themn preceding their periodic appearance attacking human population.

## Background

### Dragons

*Main article: Dragons*

> They're new, they're big, and they don't know the world they've left behind.
>
>

Dragons (or *Draconia*) are a diverse group of mostly large predatory reptiles, conventionally characterized by large winged limbs, in almost all its forms, and the ability to spit fire. Before the 21th century, their representations and paintings were present in multiple cultures throughout the world and their beliefs varied considerably by region. Although size and appearance may vary depending on the case, dragons are considered medium to large reptiles, solidly built, with two large wings, two to four legs depending on the case, with the unique ability to spit fire or similar gases.

## Attacks

### 8.4 earthquake

> "It felt strange, everything was cloudy and I could only catch a glimpse of the twinkling lights of the city. He had wounds, he was bleeding. Then I could hear people screaming and running around. An earthqueake."
>
> Vanessa Mitchell

In the early morning on September 13th, 2013, a 8.4 magnitud earthquake struck Hong Kong with the epicenter held under Victoria Peak. Although the initial assumption of the event was taken as a atypical event, due to the rare occurrence of seismic activity in the area, the Hong Kong Observatory erroneously reported minutes later that the quake could be strong subduction of the weak ground beneath the island or interplate seismicity induced by human activity. The earthquake occurred around 4:22 a.m, during a cloudy night , and lasted 78 seconds. At 4:30 a.m., shortly after the island was shaken, Victoria Peak collapsed on its north face over Central district, causing serious infrastructure damage and fires.

Some callers from the site provided details and reports indicated buildings destroyed, people trapped or completely buried and smaller tremors were also reported as the minutes ticked by. Both the earthquake and the landslide were reaction-induced triggered by the movement of the dragon beneath the sub-soil of the island.

### First Reports

> The alert level is 10 after the earthquake, an evacuation is being mobilized.
>
> Sara Lan, Deputy Manager (Disaster Management System)

Media coverage was extensive during the attacks and aftermath, beginning moments after from the collapse of Victoria Peak. After the earthquake, Hong Kong's emergency and disaster response system was activated, mobilizing a first evacuation, advising civilians to leave the city. However, because the disaster occurred on a morning schedule, confusion and panic delayed the response. At around 4:35 a.m., reports of one or more large objects moving in the city began to circulate, which were taken as false news or incorrect sightings of large debris. Seventeen minutes after the earthquake (4:38 a.m.), news organizations and social media showed a large unidentified figure moving through the city, instantly proving to the entire world that a possible attack of some kind was taking place in Hong Kong.

On the streets, the Hong Kong Police Force fired on the invader to no effect., while still continuing the evacuation and protecting as many civilians as they could. The 29-meter-tall creature was moving through the streets of the city, destroying buildings, pushing cars and obliterating stragglers in its path. Later, when the government envisioned the magnitude of the event, the police forces were supported by the Hong Kong Garrison that deployed ground forces throughout the island and combat helicopters.

### Confrontation

> Dr. Banner, now might be a good time for you to get angry."
> "That's my secret, Captain. I'm always angry.
>
> Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner, The Avengers

For approximately one hour and forty-three minutes, the creature rampaged through the central districts of Hong Kong Island, destroying landmarks and fighting the military. News companies were able to fly their news helicopters to report on the event with successive reports showing the devastation it inflicted and the futile attempts by ground forces and combined airstrikes by the military. However, after the creature shot down several helicopters, the military suspended all unqualified aerial activity over the airspace. People around the world watched in horror as the city was razed to the ground, while those left on the ground were crushed by rubble, either by the creature itself, taking cover or running through the desolate streets. The evacuation also turned into chaos as an urban conflict unfolded, but civilians managed to evacuate via ships and ferries, tunnels or MTR rapid transit lines.

    Although initially unclear in nature, subsequent attacks by the military scared and then enraged the animal, causing more land damage and losses. The creature represented a danger to air safety, since in the middle of the confrontation it raised the powerful folds of its wings and took flight, destroying several planes. Because of this, a perimeter was created to force the dragon to stay within the island's territory; at 5:43 a.m. the army began an operation where the creature was bombarded with eighty Mk-82 general purpose bombs, visibly wounding it. In response, the creature unleashed a powerful blast of Dragonfire from its mouth, destroying buildings, streets, and taking down nearby helicopters or ground forces. After expending such a large amount of energy, the animal looked tired and weak, and succumbed to its injuries while remaining on the ground.

### *Free Fall* Protocol

*Main article: Free Fall Protocol*

> "I don't know exactly what they will do, I just know that they haven't knocked that thing down yet despite attacking with everything they have. It will be something big, all this... This is big."
>
> Ethan Williams to Vanessa Mitchell about the ballistic missile attack on the city.

As of 6:00 a.m., the evacuations of people and resources from the city were finally successful and it is estimated that approximately 1 million residents and visitors were evacuated by tunnels, helicopters or by sea, completing a total of 78 successful airlifts since the island. Meanwhile, after several failed attempts to kill the monster, Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying called on the Chinese People's Liberation Army to launch two intercontinental ballistic missiles on Hong Kong to end the attack before it spread further. beyond the Island. The Chinese government approved the military execution, under the name of the *Free Fall* Protocol at 5:51 a.m. m, 24 minutes before the execution, in a last ditch effort to destroy the dragon. It was considered a controversial response, as there were still hundreds if not thousands of people in the city at the time of the attack. The missile was ordered to be launched at 6:09 a.m. and fell on the island at 6:15 a.m. the 13th of September. The missile detonated directly over Hong Kong Park in the Central district, immediately killing the creature and several hundred other peoples.

## Aftermath

### World's Reaction

> It is not yet known if this phenomenon is a terrorist attack or a natural disaster, while the evacuation in the area is accelerated.
>
> BBC News, September 14, 2013

    The consequences of the attacks included both a humanitarian crisis and a significant economic impact and also had immediate effects on the population; the displacement of thousands of people in the region, complete family nuclei missing or scarcity of aid resources. The evacuation and organized repositioning processes took weeks, although they were accelerated due to high levels of air pollution and underlying geological hazards from the first earthquake in the affected areas. By mid-September 2013, multiple international humanitarian troops had been dispatched to assist in the search for victims, while local and allied armed forces took up permanent standby positions due to fears of further attacks. The global discussion regarding the dragon attacks was numerous; no extremist group takes responsibility for the attacks, so the initial suspicion that it was a terrorist attack was ruled out. The global scientific community came together for the exhaustive investigation, however many were found to be inconclusive due to Chinese government intervention.
In society there was a general feeling of fear and uncertainty, with positive and negative perspectives regarding the animal. There were people who were excited about all the benefits the creature could have clinically and militarily. For example, there was William Queen who founded Queen Industries for the creation and sale of weapons using resources obtained from the animal. Others, however, were concerned about the imminent appearance of more of these creatures, and how unprepared the world's governments were to handle similar situations.

### Project *T.R.A.D.A.*

*Main article: Project T.R.A.D.A.*
Following the attack, the Chinese government collected the remains of the animal, and subjected it to extensive private scientific investigation. Due to this and the little information that the government issued to the rest of the world, Senator Boynton from the US publicly called for the regulation of activities with the remains of the animal, and that they should be an active and international operation. Ten days after the attacks, most of the wreckage had been moved through a covert operation to the East China Sea, based on the newly formed Chinese Protection Registration Service. In late 2013, the seized samples were flown to Guangyuan, Sichuan, China, as part of Projec*t T.R.A.D.A.*, an operation to study the biochemical components of the animal and its capabilities to create a biochemical weapon of mass destruction. By 2015, a prototype was used as a contingency measure in the Battle of Seoul to defeat the Ryujin dragon, before losing control and ending in a disastrous outcome that killed the project.

Other remains of the animal, such as its skull, were either put on public display or transferred to private organizations around for research, including Queen Industries.

## Notes

1. ↑ The exact number of total victims is unknown: the immediate official figure of 278 confirmed victims refers to those directly affected by the dragon. However, this figure is skewed; According to the Seoul Commission of November 2016, the total number of deaths related to the dragon or collateral damage from the military operation itself could amount to several hundred unidentified deaths or part of the list of missing persons. The victims of the first earthquake and its consequences are not included.
2. ↑ United States, North Korea, Russia and Morocco, mainly.

### References

1. ↑ Past Weather in Hong Kong, Hong Kong — September 2013. *Time And Date As*. Archived from the original on September 15, 2013. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
2. ↑ Hong Kong’s emergency and disaster response system. Prevention Web. June 2015.
3. ↑ Chen, Te-Ping; Yung, Chester (25 March 2012). "Leung Chun-Ying Wins Hong Kong Election". *The Wall Street Journal*. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2012.