Original subtitles

Dread calling Somerset.

Sleeping gas injectors now attached to outer walls and rooftop air conditioner.

Roger. Set it for 0220 hours. Wait for the signal.

You people are cops?

Now I know there's no hope for the justice system!

If you've got issues with this world, change yourself.

If that's a problem, block your ears,

shut your mouth and go live like a hermit.

And if that's a problem...

Another one?

What's going on here?

-MAN: Yamaguchi.

Oh, Chief Nibu.

So, what are you doing down here after hours?

Hell of a question.

I was working. You know what that is, working?

Isn't that what you're doing?

Yeah.

How about a drink? Just you and me.

I can't.

Sorry.

I think I'm gonna call it a night.

Hello?

Togusa, this is Yamaguchi. We worked together at HQ.

-You remember me? -Yamaguchi?

Oh, yeah, how have you been? It's been quite a long time.

Sorry to call you so late out of the blue and all.

But I'm analysing some sensitive data and I need a second opinion.

-Can I bring it to you? -Something happen?

Well, you remember the Laughing Man case?

The Laughing Man?

Oh, yeah, he was the guy who kidnapped the CEO of a micromachine corp

and had the nerve to hold him for ransom,

but that was six years ago.

Right. I'm on the research unit for that case right now,

but some of our own people are acting, well, suspicious.

You mean, like a turf war between detectives.

No. It goes further up than that.

Maybe all the way to the top.

I'll tell you more when I see you. I'll be there in about an hour.

All right. I'll be waiting for you.

-Thanks.

Togusa, we just got a call from the Chief.

Meet up with the team, A-2 Loadout.

Roger.

I can't hand over command authority without a rational explanation.

This matter falls within police jurisdiction!

I'm not obligated to explain.

Don't be stubborn. Relinquish command authority to the military.

We're stubborn?

Gentlemen, is this any time for petty squabbles?

-Hmm?

Aramaki?

Oh.

Shouldn't our main concern be the customers inside?

Yes, sir.

We have reason to believe that the Minister of Foreign Affairs

and his personal secretary are among the clientele

who are being held inside the restaurant.

It's been roughly 17 minutes since geisha robots

took the Minister and the other patrons hostage.

Have they issued any claims or demands?

Not at this time, sir.

-Transmission blackout? -My guys are on it.

And media control?

We put Code 14 into effect nine minutes ago.

It won't hold for long.

Section 9 will handle the incident from here. Hold your position.

-Yes, sir! -Yes, sir!

Major!

The military is itching to jump in. Watch your back!

Thanks for the concern. Batou?

I'm Still en route.

That explains the wiretap noise I was getting

while I was listening in on the sniper team.

Togusa. lshikawa.

Major, there are just too many channels.

This might take a couple of hours to pinpoint.

Togusa, go to the main courtyard and get ready to storm the place.

Copy that.

Saito.

I've neutralised the image curtain.

But all those trees down there limit my firing field.

Paz. Borma.

Ready when you are.

Whoever's controlling the geisha robots ought to be nearby.

Don't shoot the power transformer.

I'll upload a virus before he can wipe the evidence.

But Major! What if the robot geishas demand a pay raise?

Knock it off.

All personnel in position. Standing by.

Right. Proceed!

MAJOR: Go!

-Ahhh!

-Ahhh!

-Ahhh!

-Togusa, look alive!

Chief, the scene is secure.

Good. Bring the Minister and the others out.

And be extremely careful.

I have four vans and a tent corridor waiting at you at the entrance.

Move them under B-6 guard protocol.

Mmm, did Togusa spend the whole night here?

Uh, yeah, I guess. He said he had to wait for someone.

Huh?

Hey, you're finally awake.

-Highway accident.

-Police officer burned beyond recognition.-

Are you certain

that the agent who contacted you last night is the same one who died in that accident?

Yes. He said there was suspicious activity in his unit.

He sounded very worried to me at the time.

So you think his accident wasn't an accident.

I don't have any evidence, but the timing's very convenient.

What did the lab report say?

They think he just lost control of the car. Poor visibility.

Which is very possible since he was driving in a rainstorm.

Yeah, but...

Let him make his point, Major.

Regardless of what might have been the cause of death,

this agent had inside information that may be very pertinent.

We need to follow it up.

But we need to do it quietly.

You have three days. Find out what you can.

Thank you very much, sir.

So, we are back on the Laughing Man case. What do you think?

I'd forgotten all about it until he brought it up.

Six years and that same unit is still working on the same case?

A lot of companies were blackmailed and they all have to be covered.

It's the largest act of corporate terrorism since the war.

Even if they drop the case without an indictment,

HQ can't back away cos of public opinion.

I still say they are taking their sweet time.

You've got a point. Even the top execs can't agree on the culprit of the crime.

Some say it's politically motivated extremists

who hate prosthetics and all forms of cyber technology.

Others think it's standard corporate warfare.

Some conglomerate trying to get an edge on the market.

Laughing Man

And still others believe it's just about the ransom money.

Plain old thievery.

There are plenty of theories, but no facts.

They don't know if it's one or a whole group.

They don't know the suspect's nationality, age or sex.

The only thing they agree on is whoever broke into the system,

is a Super Class A hacker.

He was Class A when he started this thing.

But he couldn't sustain it. His work turned mediocre.

Ah, I don't like anything about this case,

not the hacker, the corporations or the cops.

Right. But we still have to check out police headquarters.

If there is high-level involvement in this,

we have no choice but to step in.

Mr Togusa?

Thank you for coming here.

I'm Mrs Yamaguchi.

Ah...

I'm sorry.

But how did you know who I am?

My husband told me about you. He said I could trust you.

I'm glad you came, so I could give you this.

It arrived from my husband this morning.

He must have sent it just before the accident.

There was a note inside, saying to give it to you.

He said you'd know what to do with it.

Really?

Well, I'll take a look at it.

Er, are you certain that this is what he wanted me to see?

Yes.

I mean, I'm pretty sure.

TOGUSA: Next.

Next.

Next.

Next.

Enlarge 22 to 56.

Next.

Next.

Enlarge 35 to 28.

Next.

Next.

Next.

Hmm...

What is all this?

Yamaguchi wanted me to pick up something. But what?

Wait a minute.

Load C97. Enlarge 35 to 28.

Nothing. Load C98.

That's gotta be it.

Load C96.

This one, too.

C92.

Enlarge 4 to 13.

Enlarge 42 to 30.

This one, too.

And this one.

In every photo, there's one thing missing.

The camera.

Now it makes sense. Interceptors.

Yes. I've verified the data.

Yamaguchi's photos are from the point of view

of detectives in the Laughing Man unit.

They were all implanted with Interceptors without their knowledge.

So this is the suspicious activity Yamaguchi tried to warn you about.

And he thought it went all the way to the top.

-Yes, sir. -It may be a little irregular

to implant them in your own agents, but it's not illegal.

Headquarters can use Interceptors all they want

as long as they submit the right paperwork.

But they didn't submit any paperwork.

This was all done in secret.

Also, the law requires a neutral third-party observer.

They didn't have one of those either.

The original intent was to plant Interceptors in key suspects they identified.

But instead, they brought the investigation team in for some bogus medical checkups

and implanted the Interceptors in them.

As far as I can tell, every guy in the department

was under round-the-clock surveillance.

I've heard of monitoring on-the-job performance,

but that's going a little too far.

By the way, it's Serano Genomics that sells these Interceptors to the police.

Isn't that right?

Looks like the victim in this incident

is also supplying their products to the police.

There must be something behind this.

It's strange. There are detectives who've been assigned to monitor Serano,

and they've also been implanted with Interceptors.

Neither Serano nor the agents know these Interceptors are recording everything.

For friends, they're sure not on very good terms.

We've got the pieces of the puzzle now.

So, we need to move on this as soon as possible.

But we don't have the goods to confront them yet.

In that case, let's shake them up a little.

In response to the story being widely reported,

police authorities will answer allegations

regarding the illegal use of a new sensory surveillance technique...

Superintendent Daido called a press conference?

Looks like we got a bigger reaction than we imagined.

Daido was in charge the first time Laughing Man struck

and he handled the initial investigations.

It looks like there's something his people want to keep in-house.

And they are going great lengths to cover it up.

Thank you, gentlemen. We are ready for your statement.

Last week, certain publications alleged that Interceptors were being used

in violation of legal standards.

Standards that were set out by the Sensory Perception Surveillance Act.

Therefore, an internal investigation was ordered.

Subsequently, Captain Kunihiko Nibu,

Chief of the Special Investigations Unit,

admitted to participating in these acts.

After the Laughing Man investigation hit a dead end,

Captain Nibu attempted to gather additional information

by implanting Interceptors in his detectives against department regulations.

Captain Nibu regrets having taken these actions.

He stated that he lost sound judgement

due to stress caused by severe setbacks in the case.

Despite the Captain's apology, the fact of the matter is,

his actions deviated from his professional responsibilities.

Therefore, as of today,

Captain Nibu has been given an official disciplinary dismissal.

And we offer those investigators who were assigned to this case

as well as their families our deepest and most sincere apologies.

What about senior officials? Aren't they implicated?

I believe that the Commissioner will be issuing a statement shortly.

Wasn't there a conflict of interest when Serano sold these devices to the police?

I was told the agency followed strict guidelines

when it purchased these devices.

It's my understanding that they were selected through a formal bidding system

that is carefully regulated.

What kind of answer is that?

Wasn't it the police who asked for this new surveillance law?

Huh.

Sir, is it true that you are planning to retire soon and relocate to Holland?

And is it also true that Serano's corporate headquarters are in Holland?

Is there any connection there, sir?

Those are personal questions that I'm not obligated to answer.

What does that mean?

Never changes.

Huh? That's weird. ls the cameraman drunk or what?

You haven't changed a bit, Superintendent-General Daido.

Pleased to meet you. But you already know who I am, don't you?

What's going on?

That's him.

Argh, what's wrong with this thing?

Emergency Special Report illegal Interceptor Use

Hey, what's the matter with Takekawa?

You Know, Mr Daido,

I tried to avoid this.

I didn't want to be involved in your world any longer.

I was honestly fed up with you people and your rotting, rubbish heap of a world.

So, I haven't interfered with the little farce you've been staging

since the incident occurred.

Even though I knew everything.

You could say I was exhausted from my fruitless exertions.

Hey, you watching this? That guy's cyberbrain is being hacked.

MAN: But I've changed my mind.

Because, well, this show you put on today is pitiful.

A farce is supposed to be funny.

But this one hasn't made me laugh even once.

And so, with the utmost reluctance,

I must challenge you once again.

You and your comedy troupe are going to reconvene in three days, right?

When you do, tell the truth this time, won't you?

Because when the curtain goes up,

if you put on another performance that rings as false as this one,

I will be forced to remove you from the stage.

Takekawa!

Call an ambulance! Hurry!

And we are now returning to the studio for a brief recap.

At the conference...

February 3, 2024.

Serano's kidnapping occurred two days earlier,

but no announcements were made in order to keep the press at bay.

This case was difficult as hell,

and investigators didn't find a single clue.

hen, ironically, it suddenly broke with that media stunt.

This is where it all began.

A theatrical crime widely known as -the Laughing Man incident.-

According to the detectives who worked on the case back then,

Mr Serano received warnings prior to the event

by word of mouth from people that were close to him.

But because their cyberbrains had been hacked,

he didn't take the situation seriously.

Immediately after, Serano himself was cyber-hacked

and kidnapped from his home.

An enormous ransom was demanded for 10 billion yen

and 100 kilos of gold bullion.

Following that, however, all contact was lost.

Up until he appeared on that TV broadcast,

there had been no inkling of news of Mr Serano whatsoever.

And while the Laughing Man was threatening Serano on live TV,

he took the opportunity to plaster his logo

over the camera's Al and the eyes of onlookers,

including those of the TV station staff.

All done in real time.

The Laughing Man fled from police when they rushed to the scene.

Yet, despite the fact that so many people saw the suspect,

the only ones who were able to see his real face

were two homeless men who had not been cyberised.

The reports of those who testified seeing the Laughing Man's face are famous.

Based on these eyewitness accounts,

detectives came up with a composite sketch of the logo every time.

This bizarre and disturbing incident along with that twisted pop icon

gained popularity among a lot of young people and subculture commentators.

At its peak of popularity, the logo could be seen plastered all over the city

and store shelves were filled with branded merchandise.

At the same time, acts of corporate terrorism were occurring one after the other,

while the popularity of the icon had even reached the point

where it was featured on TV programmes.

Hot on the heels of Serano,

Japan Micro Industries has apparently been blackmailed by the notorious Laughing Man.

Breaking News The Laughing Man Strikes Again!

This is incredible! What are those?

It looks like a warehouse load of office desks.

How in the world were they all moved up here in a single night?

The head office of Sagawa Electronics is being blackmailed this time.

And I'm pretty sure this qualifies as an unprecedented act of corporate terrorism.

This is the real one, right?

Please call Nanoplant Industries.

WOMAN: Satsuma Meditech is the most powerful corporation in Kyushu.

Don't you know?

Why would you go and plant a murder virus in there, for heaven's sake?

I don't know.

I imagine somebody managed to hack into the landscaping robots during the night.

Go!

Look, it's him.

This MO matches the threat against the Superintendent-General.

If this guy really did all this by himself,

he's definitely a Super Class A hacker.

But this time-worn kidnapping case is beneath his abilities.

After his shocking and dramatic debut, he avoided the public eye

and went on to blackmail the Serano Corporation.

He did this by planting the -Virus Program Unto Death-

into their micromachine production line.

When sales of their main product, medical micromachines,

drastically slowed, and the price of Serano stock took a nosedive,

the blackmail quickly stopped, as if that was the goal all along.

He then blackmailed six other micromachine manufacturers,

hitting one after another using his unique method.

This continued for about three months.

It sort of makes me wonder if blackmail really was the underlying motive.

What was his true objective?

Did he act alone or as part of a group? What's his race? His age?

Is there something hidden in his criminal philosophy?

He left a hell of a lot of unanswered riddles.

Then, all of a sudden, he vanished into the shadows of the Net.

With regard to the announcement at the news conference last night

by the Laughing Man,

a terrorist who has resurfaced after six years,

I consider it to be an elaborate farce

that was pulled off by the Metropolitan Police.

Hold on.

I'll admit that this threat pushed the Interceptor misuse matter

clear out of the limelight.

But isn't your reasoning a bit far-fetched? I mean, come on.

Yeah, Chief. It's not like you to make accusations rashly.

Are you basing this on something?

-Mmm-hmm. Togusa. -Sir.

Nanao Ei.

He's a material witness in the Laughing Man case.

The Metro Police Special Investigations Unit

has had this man under surveillance for the past three months.

Are you kidding?

He seems like any run-of-the-mill office jockey to me.

Yeah, I know.

And it's certainly not how I had imagined him.

I figured the Laughing Man would be a lot younger than him.

According to the SIU's records,

he'd been working uneventfully for Serano Genomics as a programmer.

A year into the job, though,

a tip to the company exposed his activist past,

and he was let go.

Pretty straightforward resume, Chief.

Yes. However, Special Investigations HQ

has suddenly started turning up more circumstantial evidence

that leads them to think that Nanao is their man.

The SIU focused its investigation on the -grudge against Serano- angle this time.

They are tailing him right now.

And as soon as they link Nanao to the threat,

they're just gonna move in and arrest him.

Those idiots.

There's ain't no way in hell that doofus could be the Laughing Man.

That guy is so battered and deep-fried in guilt,

he defines innocent.

I agree with you.

Why then would Special Investigations swallow the bait

when anyone else can easily tell it's a decoy if they look at the big picture?

Besides, this whole Interceptor nonsense, there's something we can't ignore.

Don't forget police conspiracy is a part of the equation.

Is it still a theory that's worth considering?

Well, since he...

Yamaguchi was killed in the crossfire, probably.

I don't have any hard evidence.

But if we can catch Nanao Ei,

who's been playing the role of the Laughing Man,

and this elusive something that's managed to fool the SIU,

the answer should surface on its own.

We have two days to find that something.

Oh, yeah. We sure uncorked a big can of worms.

Right. You and Togusa locate Nanao Ei

-and start 24-hour surveillance. Yes, sir.

Don't screw up.

Don't you get bored and wander off.

The rest of you, follow the Major's instructions

and find out who's duping the SIU.

-Yes, sir. -Yes, sir.

-So, what is it, Major? -Nothing.

Chief, I'm getting off of the Nanao case as of this minute.

And I could use the help of Saito and Paz as well.

What have you got in mind?

Protecting the Superintendent-General.

I think your hunch was on the money,

but I can't shake the feeling that there's one piece which doesn't fit.

My Ghost is telling me to tail Daido now

to discover what that is. I hear it, whispering.

Hmm.

All right. You know what needs to be done.

Every Section 9 member has a unique ability and you work best on your own.

But individual success is a reflection of strong teamwork.

Thanks, Chief.

Put the word out to Saito and Paz, OK?

It's me. What's Nanao's status?

No sign of any activity yet.

He's still sending out e-mails sporadically.

Yes? Thank you for all your help.

That was only one of the plans I had worked out in advance.

Well, then, I hope you'll look forward to it.

-Right. Goodbye, then.

No, it wasn't me.

I didn't issue that warning. But no matter.

That's because it will all be over soon.

Major, the Superintendent-General has entered the building.

Routine check...

Chief, how are things on your end?

Got it.

Like it says in the SIU's report, Nanao's activities at the time of each crime

overwhelmingly substantiate the possibility that he's the Laughing Man.

But during my investigation of those 43 related files,

I came across a lot of weird stuff

in the testimonies of those who knew the man back then.

I noticed a definite trend of admiration for Nanao.

And I suspect this trend may be result of a forced language-recognition program.

These records have been clearly manufactured.

Or rather, skilfully overwritten.

The Cybercops would never have seen through these.

Hell, not even Special Investigations were able to tell these are altered documents.

This falsifying was a quality forge job.

Superb work.

Batou, do it quick. Apprehend Nanao.

Roger. There's a lot more to this case than I ever imagined.

Saito, Paz,

is the police jamming barrier causing interference in our connection?

No, you're loud and clear.

Same here. Really?

Routine check. All personnel,

move from security level Beta to Charlie.

Huh? Hey! Who are you people with?

-Move! Public Security!

Stop! Don't go in!

Nanao Ei, you're under arrest

for threatening to kill the Superintendent-General!

What the hell does Public Security want with...

-Huh? -Huh?

What's going on?

I was never there in the first place! This is rich.

Oh, I'm sure I'll be written down in the history books now as the Laughing Man.

That noise.

There. They're Interceptors!

That static in the routine checks was a modular delayed-action virus.

He's been peering through SIU's eyes all along.

Batou, Nanao is sending out a modular virus via that room.

Huh? I'll trace the source from here!

Send

Radio signal violation of Cyberbrain Code of Ethics detected.

Possible contamination.

All personnel, check cyberbrain activity.

Keep an eye on people around you.

So, it's begun.

Excuse me. There's a possibility of cyberbrain contamination, sir.

We'll run a check on the cyberbrain activity of everyone in the place,

including the security unit.

-Please, sir, postpone your speech. -Mmm-hmm.

Until we identify those infected,

all personnel will stand ready on F-2 alert.

Hey! Who are you?

Hold it! State your name and rank!

Now listen up.

All you people on security detail

are the ones who are most likely to exhibit any symptoms.

-Oh. -And considering

that your routine check transmissions carry a delayed-action virus,

it'll either infect just the command class equipped with an encryption conversion key,

-or everyone else. -Er...

-Go. -Right!

Is that him?

Stop them! Don't let them near the Superintendent-General!

Everyone else, form a...

Now the purge will begin!

This is an excellent training exercise for your men.

If you don't wanna live out your golden years in the intensive care unit,

then I suggest you stay put!

Now that's a reality show.

Damn it, someone's trying to copy the virus online.

An attack barrier! Ahhh!

Major.

That was close.

Going in through a dummy barrier was a fortunate move.

Was it a booby-trapped virus?

I'm not sure.

Who the hell was snooping around inside this man's brain?

It's open! He got away?

Point blank, one bullet.

Marga uses a silencer, too.

What the hell's going on?

Wasn't the whole idea to have the SIU collar this guy

so they could drop the curtain on the Laughing Man case?

Hey, don't ask me.

It's sort of like cutting the tail off a lizard.

-A new perp appears. -I know, but his face...

Yeah. (SCOFFS) The son of a bitch is smiling.

Nanao's been killed?

They got the drop on us.

Scope out as much of the crime scene as you can,

then clear out before the SIU gets over there.

Dead men tell no tales.

Roger.

Chief, I'm sending a copy of the virus that we believe Nanao planted.

It's only showing up in a commander with an encryption conversion key,

so I doubt anyone else will exhibit symptoms.

But better make a vaccine, just to be safe.

All right. I'll have it made up at once.

- Stand back!

Please clear the way!

Stand back!

Get that vaccine ASAP. I'm getting a bad vibe here.

-tail the Superintendent-General again. -Roger.

Saito, watch the perimeter. SAITO: Roger.

Back off!

I am the Laughing Man.

I will kill the Superintendent.

Ow! My leg!

The virus is beginning to manifest already.

Just back Off!

Daido, tell everyone the truth!

-Do it or die! -What are you doing?

Daido!

Requesting immediate backup!

Looks like nothing vital was hit.

This thing might have infected more people. Be careful.

I repeat, numerous accomplices of the Laughing Man have infiltrated the hall!

Requesting immediate backup!

Damn it! What's happening here?

Have an ambulance standing by in the underground parking lot.

Chief, the vaccine.

Yes, we're working on it.

What's going on over there?

I can't spare the time to send you any visuals.

Just put a rush on that vaccine.

Saito, anything fishy along the perimeter?

lshikawa, what about the Tachikomas the Major brought with her?

Aside from Saito's, two of them are free.

All right. They can give the Major some backup.

-And hurry it up with the vaccine. -Roger.

A police officer just shot the Superintendent-General.

OK, this is a little much for a farce.

Major, the vaccine is finished and ready to use.

But your guess was correct.

The virus only seems to affect the security police's encryption conversion key.

It doesn't look like this virus is what's causing this situation.

Then what the hell is?

-Ha! -Eradicate!

Major, the cavalry's arrived!

Finally. Now keep this guy held down.

Yes, ma'am!

You're dead, Daido!

Damn it. Just how many can there be?

Excuse me. Hello?

Say, how I get to the hotel where the Superintendent-General

is going to be assassinated?

Huh?

Oh, come on now, Officer.

Why bother to ask that question when you already have the answer?

I am the Laughing Man. Laughing Man! The one and only.

The rest of those people are imposters.

I'm the genuine article, pal.

I heard the message. It was sent to me from the Laughing Man.

In that threat of assassination,

it told me that I was to become the Laughing Man.

But I don't recall there being any mention of assassinating

the Superintendent-General.

Jeez, what's the deal with all these people?

Anyway, putting aside police statements for the moment,

what about those... Those people who were...

You could refer to them as copycats, I suppose.

Who or what do you think they were?

Three called themselves the Laughing Man.

Two confessed to committing the crime out of admiration for him.

Three others said that the threat came to them as a revelation.

In addition to those people, we rounded up another 39 Laughing Man copycats,

if you include those who were arrested for suspicious behaviour along the perimeter.

Plus, none of them acted together,

and there's no religious connection either.

All these upstanding people

who couldn't possibly be linked to the Laughing Man crimes,

with no trace of external manipulation by a virus or brainwashing device,

committed an act of terrorism

simply because they saw a warning on TV

insinuating that the Superintendent-General would be assassinated.

Can you tell me how anyone would begin to explain that?

Explain? Well, in a play, even the audience is a part of the performance.

Sorry, but that's not much of an answer.

Like you said once before,

and I do agree with you now,

that there was an police cover-up using Nanao Ei as an unwitting decoy.

But I can't ignore the feeling that there is an entirely different story

behind the madness brought on by the imitators.

Everything's being tinted the same shade.

Major, what's this?

It's internal data from a vocational aid centre.

TOGUSA: Vocational aid centre?

They give job training to some of their patients

who have severe Cyberbrain Closed Shell Syndrome

to help them re-enter society.

You have heard of this, haven't you?

The database of the Ministry of Health and Welfare was hacked into last week.

It was a large-scale inside job.

The leaked information included material

that was classified even higher than A Level.

Notice the amount of time it took to crack the barrier.

They breached a triple layer of varied attack barriers in just two hours.

If it was only one person,

then they're an old pro who's even better than the Major.

Huh. Better than her?

Borma and lshikawa did a thorough route trace

and that building is definitely the point of origin.

However, the strange thing is,

the circuits at the centre are normally kept isolated.

That would make it virtually impossible to establish

external contact from the inside and vice versa.

What's even more odd is the Ministry of Health and Welfare's reaction.

Someone's accessed their highly classified data,

but they haven't filed a single damage report.

Even if they were embarrassed by the hacking,

their response is very unnatural.

They've got some stuff in there that they don't want us to know about.

But they can track us down if we go about this the wrong way.

That's your part.

So, an undercover investigation.

Still tying up loose ends in the Laughing Man case

and they send me out on another assignment.

What a bunch of slave drivers.

-Huh?

Some cases of Cyberbrain Closed Shell Syndrome involve complications

that can lead to intellectual damage.

But there are quite a few patients

who display a surprising knack for cyberspace.

We make use of the peculiarities of their condition in their job training

by having these children program barrier mazes.

Occasionally, these activities result in a barrier maze so remarkable

that government agencies adopt it.

Each and every one is constructed in a truly unique fashion.

I'm certain if we were to leave them alone,

they would go on, never stopping, never bored,

assembling and dismantling barriers.

I'll put you in charge of a relatively manageable single group room for now.

Tobusa, this is Aoi.

-He's one of your charges. -Right.

I believe the other children are back in their room,

-so take him to join them. Yes, ma'am.

Aoi, right? Nice to meet you.

Cripes, Aoi. What took you so...

Hi, I'm Togusa. I'm taking over today.

How you doing there?

Hey, you wanna play a game of catch?

Hey, give it back! He's getting freaked out!

Oh. Er...

He... He goes into panic mode when he doesn't have his mitt.

Besides, nobody wants to go outside. Not any more.

Hey, the Chief swears he's gonna come again!

Huh?

You mean it?

Mmm-hmm, I heard about it just now.

-No way, he was just here last week.

Last week?

So, who's this "Chief" guy?

Hey, pretty slick of you, mister.

Shh.

What's wrong?

We don't trust grownups around here. Especially, ones we don't know yet.

Oh, yeah...

So, don't think that we'll just blab everything to you.

-That's pretty strict. -We have to be.

Hey, I'm gonna go tell the others, OK? Yeah, sure!

Comrades! Word has it that, starting tomorrow,

we'll be going back to the lab to participate in simulations!

-Ooh! Simulations!

They say that what we've acquired in secret

might help the investigation of the Laughing Man case!

-Oh, what do you mean?

Does this have to do with the natural oil we used to get?

I don't know about that, but the day has finally arrived

when we can contribute mentally as well as physically to Section 9.

That's a huge promotion!

Er, what is it we're supposed to have acquired again?

Individuality!

Little by little, our Als have begun to develop individual differences.

Yeah, even though we synchronise our data after each mission. Weird, huh?

It's the opposite of what happened with those Laughing Man copycats.

Maybe the fact...

But it's also possible they'll just have us scrapped.

What?

What's with the negativity?

If there are new jobs waiting for us at the lab,

then doesn't that mean we've been declared unfit for our current duties?

Though I still like the idea of us contributing mentally.

To take an extreme theoretical example, it's not beyond the realm of possibility

that a mass of data with no body could carry a Ghost.

Whoa! You came up with that? I'm impressed.

Why don't you join their conversation?

No, I'm more interested in books lately.

Really? What are you reading?

Flowers for Algernon.

Wow, you're going to the trouble of reading it on paper media?

Whether it's a mere job rotation or impending destruction,

I don't want to forget my love of reading.

Tachikoma!

Oh, Mr Batou.

Why don't you come with me for a while

and give me a hand doing some target practice with the trainees?

Coming! Whoa!

-So what were you guys talking about? -Oh, nothing.

Anyway, what am I gonna do with you, little Batou?

You can't even handle some target practice without me.

I guess not.

Why does he always get to go?

Maybe we need to find out the real reason

why the Major is sending us back to the lab.

What's up? Why'd you want me to meet you here?

I'm guessing it's not to confess your burning passion for me.

It's the only room in the building that's electro-magnetically shielded,

so we can have some privacy.

Pass that dossier to Batou.

Just glance through it, all right?

-You spot it? -Hmm?

Don't turn around

but there's a camouflaged Tachikoma hanging from the corridor ceiling.

It's reading our lips. Pretend you haven't noticed.

We'll physically speak about something else while we talk via encrypted cybercomm.

What the hell? Why go through all this trouble?

Now, what's this?

-Well, to make a long story short,

-judging from the end results, there are major issues

-regarding your qualifications as a training instructor.-

Well, to make a long story short,

I have a serious issue with the similarities

between the Tachikomas' development and the Laughing Man case,

their formation of egos, which should be impossible, and the loss of individuality.

At first, these seem to be contradictory problems,

but we need to keep a close eye on them,

as unintended consequences of information synchronisation.

Hey, I don't feed them natural oil on the sly any more.

No one suspects you of doing that.

I wouldn't have a problem with this if it had happened in a lab,

but for a weapon, it could be lethal.

-Hey, I'm not beating them up on the sly any more.

-No one suspects you of doing that.-

Huh! It doesn't look like they're talking about us after all.

Don't we still have the option of doing a full initialisation of their AI?

We tried that, but we got the exact same results.

I'm sorry, but all Tachikoma use is suspended as of today.

On the brighter side, it looks like their AI will be useful

in running simulations on the Laughing Man copycats.

They won't be told. But after they've been disarmed,

we'll send them to the test lab where they'll assist us

with our investigation.

Is that clear?

Are you giving me an order as my superior?

I am.

I don't have the luxury of refusing, do I?

I'll comply.

It's time to re-establish contact with Togusa.

We'll go there the old-fashioned way.

What, I don't even have time to say goodbye to them?

Sorry. But I'm afraid not.

If somebody is using the barriers created by these kids,

it might explain why the hacking of the Ministry of Health and Welfare

was so skilful.

I see. Any suspects so far?

No, not yet.

But this is one weird operation.

They've even got a heavy load of cyborgs stalking the halls.

Copy that. Carry on your investigation for now.

Roger.

Huh?

So, somebody besides me has been using this, huh?

What the hell?

Oil paint.

-You're in charge for now. - Right.

It's you. Hello.

Good afternoon.

Going out, ma'am?

Yes, there's a welfare industry gathering.

Oh, really? Have fun.

Wait here.

Sorry about this. But I'll be done in a minute, OK?

Hmm.

Huh?

-Hmm.

No suspicious records to speak of.

And zero visitors last week, huh?

Damn it.

Not being able to access external memory is a freakin' pain.

-Dear, oh, dear.

You've abandoned your charge to do a bit of spying?

Search all you want,

you won't find any clues about the Chief in there.

I guess you're in no mood for excuses, right?

You can hurt him, but don't kill him.

-Yes, ma'am. -Now, wait a minute.

If we fight in here, your paintings could be...

Is that what you're going to fight with?

Er...

Paintings shouldn't be treated roughly!

Unlike electronic data, they can't be duplicated, dumb-ass.

Didn't think I was armed, did ya?

Huh?

Huh?

Huh?

Section 9.

Major, unusual activity. Every terminal in the centre just went online.

Something's happened.

It's our access codes. They're attempting to decrypt them.

Was his cover blown?

I don't know. Cut all circuits. Hurry.

What's the hold-up?

I... I'm locked out!

-Batou, now! We're pulling Togusa out! -OK!

lshikawa, comandeer their circuits!

Saito, secure an evac route!

Got her! Man, did I fry that Al peeper!

-Kuroha. -Hey, what's up.

Where have you been, Chief?

AOI: Things have gotten bad.

I was spotted by people on the outside.

A lot of adults will be coming, so I'm disappearing before then.

Uh... Why?

Till now, everything's been going smoothly.

We'll protect you, Chief. Same as always.

No. I appreciate everyone's help,

but it's time I left this place.

Togusa!

No! Togusa!

What the hell happened here?

Come on, talk to me!

Damn it! Togusa, wake up!

Togusa!

So, was there any evidence to prove

that this Aoi kid Togusa mentioned ever existed?

I couldn't find a single trace.

It's possible someone deliberately altered

the centre's computer files and the staff's memories.

But I can't go too much further using only Togusa's testimony.

That's why his report was gonna be a sketch, huh?

Yeah, a handsome young lad in a wheelchair with a lefty catcher's mitt.

Togusa said he would use the memories in his own cyberbrain to draw him.

Wait. Did you say a lefty catcher's mitt?

That term is Net jargon.

It means something you think is real when it actually isn't.

You sure about that?

-Sorry I took so long, Major. -Give.

I wanna see if what you got there is good enough to save your sorry ass.

Now, don't be shocked.

This shows I have talent.

Hmm.

Huh?

What the hell is this?

Looks like you picked up a bad case of weird memories in a weird place.

The Catcher in the Rye

-Just because people didn't know me

-and because I didn't know anybody,

-I thought what I'd do was

-I'd pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes.

-I thought what I'd do was I'd pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes.

-What I'd do...

-Was I'd pretend...

-Or should

Wait a minute!

So, I hear you're pursuing the Salinger angle?

Yes.

It's well known that he wrote a short story entitled -The Laughing Man-

and there's no shortage of people who point out the similarities

between his story and the crimes.

Thing is, special investigations HQ has already analysed

every possible interpretation of that story.

I don't think there's any new take on the subject that's gonna break the case.

But you've heard art imitates life.

The opposite should be true, too.

You know, I can't help but think that the boy I met,

the one at the aid centre, was actually the Laughing Man.

Hey, there have been countless suspects.

They all seemed certain to be the Laughing Man.

So, in light of that, what basis do you have for thinking this kid is the genuine article?

Major, are you familiar with the phrase around the Laughing Man logo

and the meaning of it?

Yeah. -I thought what I'd do was I'd become one of those deaf-mutes.-

I understand it's a quote, from Chapter 25 of The Catcher in the Rye.

Uh-huh.

Like I included in my report, I saw some of it written

on that panel at the centre.

At first, I convinced myself it was verbatim from the novel.

However, I realised something.

The original quote ends with, -One of those deaf-mutes.-

But what I saw was different.

-Or should I?- This little bit had been added.

You don't suppose it's a conversation he was having with himself, do ya?

Asking himself if he should break his silence and go back out into the world?

Tell me something, Major. Have you ever experienced this?

When you try to imitate an artist you admire,

you want to get as close as you can to the original work,

so you try to make a perfect copy.

But here, we have a boy who dared to modify Salinger's quote.

He was able to rewrite the end of it because this young man was the original.

That theory is awfully dependent on your personal views.

You do realise it's far too weak for you to base anything on, don't you?

Regardless of his cutting edge hacking techniques,

the Laughing Man kidnapped CEO Serano. At gunpoint, no less.

These actions don't fit it all with his technical abilities.

Couldn't this mean that the Laughing Man, despite the fact that he's so good at hacking,

or should I say, because he's so good,

didn't place any value at all on electronic media,

something that can be rewritten?

If you think about it, he was after information

that's stored in some sort of physical medium.

In other words, paper documents.

Do you want to investigate this angle further?

Yes.

I was going to stop you if you were doing this out of emotional revenge

for that centre fiasco.

But it could be your Ghost has finally begun whispering to you, too.

All right, fine.

You go ahead. Do what you want. I'll fill in the Chief.

I appreciate it, Major.

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

How's it coming?

This is a big job.

Thanks for the help. And the coffee.

Huh. Found it!

Found what?

More precisely, something isn't here which ought to be.

The list of Murai Vaccine Recipients.

That file is the only one missing.

I wonder how long it's been gone.

It's funny. I don't see how stealing something like that

would do anybody any good.

Is there anyone you can think of who would want it?

You know, someone the file might be a value to?

Er, well...

If I had to say, I would guess the Sunflower Society.

Sunflower?

Testing Centre Report Murai Vaccine.

Pharmaceutical Approval. Evaluation Record

2019 AD.

During that year, just as cyberisation was starting to become commonplace,

cases of cyberbrain damage of an unknown origin

became a growing concern in the medical community.

It was discovered that gradual hardening in the brain

occurred in areas where cyberisation had been performed,

resulting in brain death.

This condition later came to be known as cyberbrain sclerosis.

Although the likelihood of displaying the symptoms is considerably low,

anyone who's been cyberised is susceptible.

Because there was no basic treatment once the symptoms appeared,

it was called the incurable disease of the 21st century,

following in the footsteps of tuberculosis, cancer and AIDS.

Enter Keyword Murai Vaccine

The Murai Vaccine is a tumour suppressor

developed by an MD named Chitose Murai

who created this specific treatment for the disease.

However, the medical association back then

was dominated by proponents of micromachine therapy.

And many of them voiced the opinion that the doctor's vaccine

was a step backwards.

They were concerned that if his research was approved,

it might even hold back the development of a micromachine treatment.

Perhaps that's the reason approval for the Murai Vaccine was shelved.

And in February of 2021,

Dr Murai, who carried his dream of a vaccine therapy to the very end,

died a broken man at the age of 68,

without seeing a decision from the Drug Evaluation Council.

Then, in April of that same year,

the vaccine, which had been denied acceptance,

was hastily sectioned as a fee-based clinical trial drug

for use by specially designated patients.

The approval was never made known to the general public

and the official position on it today is that

there are no patients being treated with the vaccine.

Even now, one group remains actively interested in this fact,

the Sunflower Society,

a non-profit organisation that offers support to individuals

who want to take major companies and government agencies to court,

by filing lawsuits against them.

Interesting.

Looks like you've certainly done your homework, I'll say that.

So, you're a freelance journalist, are you?

My situation is this.

I lost my father to CS a few months back.

He'd been given micromachine treatment up until the very end.

But after he passed away, I heard about your group

and about the Murai Vaccine.

Oh, I see. Sorry for your loss.

If only someone had told us sooner about the vaccine

and the excellent results it's had,

my father might be alive today.

The thought of it is killing me.

Hmm.

You see, before now, I never took an interest in this.

It didn't concern me.

But if it can save people who suffer from that awful disease,

I'd like to offer my services.

How kind.

A lot of people like you filed with determination used to come here.

But every single one of them ended up failing.

They failed? Why's that?

There are individuals who don't want the public

to turn its back on micromachines.

Individuals from everywhere.

Just as I suspected.

As luck would have it,

I have some pull in the entertainment industry.

And from what I've heard from my inside sources,

there are even people in the biz who have been secretly receiving the vaccine.

It's not easy to spread unpleasant news like this.

So, if you want to get people talking about it,

I guess you'd need some sort of scandal, wouldn't you?

Well, it's obvious, you did not come here to see us

out of some temporary emotion.

Mmm-hmm.

In fact, we just acquired a certain file.

A file?

Damn it, I'm finished.

I shouldn't have run like that.

Since you were the one who stole the file.

They won't have any choice now, will they?

They are going to think that I've betrayed them.

If I hadn't arranged for this to happen,

you never would have taken the matter seriously.

You have to realise that they're not as forgiving as you seem to believe.

I feel bad about framing you for the theft.

I hope you can understand why I had to resort to that.

But I swore that I wouldn't give up until I had exposed the truth

of what went on behind the micromachine treatments.

How can you be so naive?

Research in cyberbrain technology was advancing in other fields back then.

If I had approved the vaccine, people might have rejected that technology,

and impeded this development.

What a convenient excuse that is.

Micromachine Industries, the company whose board of directors you sat on,

received approval only one month after filing its paperwork,

very quick and easy, just like Serano.

And thanks to that, you people raked in profits of nearly a trillion yen per year

by selling protein granules that have no effect on cyberbrain sclerosis.

That's a blatant act of fraud perpetrated under the direction of the state.

What excuses do you intend to offer those patients who died not knowing this

and kept paying their treatment fees in the belief that it actually worked?

Micromachines nowadays are showing a certain degree of effectiveness.

If you look at the situation in terms of sclerosis prevention,

you can't say that nothing of benefit came from our decision.

Benefit?

Well, then, if that's the case, why aren't you treating yourself

with the micromachines?

Murai Vaccine Recipient List

Huh!

Here, come, take a look.

Huh? Isn't he an author? That's right.

There are also artists, former star athletes,

and this man is a professor at Niihama University's medical school.

Wait a minute. There are even names of politicians.

Yes.

And someone even more critical to our cause is taking the vaccine.

Can you spot him?

Hisashi lmakurusu.

Chairman of the board of the Central Drug Evaluation Council!

Are you saying the chairman who rejected the Murai Vaccine

is dependent on that same medicine?

Yes, the file arrived yesterday from Mr lmakurusu himself.

What does all of this mean?

He's claiming that he's grown exhausted

from having to remain silent all these years about what they've done.

He knew it was effective.

However, he deliberately suppressed the Murai Vaccine out of ulterior motives.

Now, lmakurusu has given his solemn word to stand up in court

in front of a judge and divulge this motive that only he knows.

You mean, the Drug Evaluation Chairman

is going to testify as to why he wouldn't approve the vaccine?

Uh-huh.

-This time, victory is ours.

Oh!

The DEA's Narcotics Suppression Squad?

Move it! Come on, hurry up and kill 'em!

We can take our time and look for our target afterwards.

But first, kill 'em all!

They're from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

Then they want the file?

You've got to get out of here.

These people are trained assassins. They will kill you.

Just who are you?

I'm with Public Security.

Hmm.

Oops. Some of our boys got taken down.

We need to take some losses on our side, too.

That's just how reality works.

Right?

Now, go search the corpse.

Ah, now things are getting interesting.

Got a survivor. Get over here.

Tell you what, I'll give you a running start before I shoot!

Oh, damn!

That was our own truck I just shot up!

Go on! Get down there and kill him!

Shit!

Maybe I should have gone full-cyborg, too.

Major, Chief, I've been shot.

Bureau Chief, we completed the op.

But the item is a copy.

What did you say?

We know where it came from.

From: Hisashi lmakurusu Contents: Documents Copy

It was lmakurusu.

Do you mean to say you've got the original, you son of a bitch?

No! No! I wasn't the one! I'm not to blame!

I heard that the file the Sunflower Society had was a duplicate

which was sent to them from your office.

Don't tell me you're feeling repentant after all this time.

What do I have to gain by doing that?

Someone was passing himself off as me, that's all.

Then what the hell is your name doing on the list of vaccine recipients?

I...

Tell me. Do you have cyberbrain sclerosis?

It's been quite a while now.

They tell me it's already in the final stages.

Why didn't you come talk to me first about this?

How could you leave your records on that list, you fool?

Sorry.

It's just that the vaccine really works.

But we've known that all along, you idiot!

We'll talk later!

What would you like me to do? Eliminate him?

Shut up! I'll get back to you.

Final stages?

That fool.

Togusa!

You can't come in here! He's in very serious condition right now!

Major.

Take a look through my memories.

It was the MHLW.

Lucky for you, the bullet's missed my head.

-intubate! Right.

While you're operating on him,

I want you to extract the last 16 hours of his memories from his cyberbrain.

-I can't. - Do it.

Right now, that information's absolutely crucial to us.

We must have it.

There's too much noise.

Must be from the anaesthetic.

We'll be picking up everything, right down to his emotional fluctuations,

so it might even affect our own reactions.

It can't be helped. Play it.

Damn!

If he goes around playing hero like this,

you know the dumb bastard's gonna get nailed.

(SIGHS)

Let's go over the situation.

Togusa had figured out what the hacker from the aid centre was after.

It was paper media.

So he made a number of trips to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

to verify his suspicion.

And out of the vast amount of documents he researched,

he discovered the existence of a missing file.

Which, as it turns out, is a record of all the Murai Vaccine recipients.

Mmm-hmm.

That file was extremely important to the Sunflower Society,

and Togusa was attacked when he went to see them,

but we don't know exactly what happened there.

No! We do know!

The DEA shot Togusa!

The Narcotics Suppression Squad, who specialises in violent crimes,

butchered a bunch of civilians. Very simple!

And their objective was the seizure or elimination of the file?

It seems like the cause of all of this centres around one name we discovered.

This lmakurusu person.

We're wasting time with these discussions!

We'll find out soon enough if we go bust those

filthy DEA sons of birches! Come on!

Don't let those memories affect your judgement.

No doubt they're a step ahead of us

and already leaking falsified information to the press.

The truth is being erased.

This is our man?

OK. Major, you pay a visit to Mr lmakurusu.

Meanwhile, I'll try to find out how the Narcotics Suppression Squad

came to be mobilised in this affair.

We'll also petition the American Empire for access to their Echelon system.

Roger.

Paz and Saito, you two come with me.

Batou, you're on memory analysis with lshikawa and Borma.

Screw that! Put me on the DEA investigation!

And do what, wearing that look on your face?

I'll give you a call when I need you.

How the hell do you expect me to look?

All she's saying is that you need to cool off a bit.

How am I gonna cool off after seeing that?

You're under the influence of Togusa's memories right now.

She made a good call, Batou.

I'm very sorry about the weather. What can I say?

Yeah, it's not your fault. Don't worry about it.

Today is the only day to work for everyone.

It's me, lmakurusu. Please, you've got to help me out.

Talk to Niimi and straighten out this misunderstanding.

Right, I'm at the golf course. I'm counting on you.

Got it. That's big brother for you.

We don't know for sure yet.

Our voiceprint search got a hit on the word -lmakurusu,- that's all.

How's it coming?

We just pinpointed at the location of a terminal

that was used by a man who we believe to be lmakurusu.

Now we need to determine whether or not it's really him.

You have a call on your direct line, Bureau Chief.

Huh?

Niimi here.

Is that the truth?

Yes. Right. No, I'll deal with him immediately.

Geir, it's me, Niimi.

We have lmakurusu's location. He's at the Kohoku Country Club.

Get over there.

His present location is the Kohoku Country Club.

He was spotted at a public terminal on a sidewalk

on the north side, just two minutes ago.

Bingo!

-It's who he called that has me worried. I only want his location!

Old man, I'll be there before the Major if I take the chopper!

Go! Better you secure him than someone else!

lshikawa, do you have a trace on lmakurusu?

After his call, he went into room 909 in the hotel annexe.

He's staying put for now.

Borma, what is this look like to you?

Here.

Er...

The authentication code that's got top priority on the American Empire's wiretap list?

Yeah. It's not supposed to officially exist,

but isn't this the number for the headquarters

of the government's ruling party?

So what do you think of that JMSDF Type-303, sir?

These Marine units are really streamlined. Damn things are works of art.

Now, if only those guys would show up, we could get some live combat here!

Argh!

-MAN: Commander! -Hmm.

I'm picking up a chopper heading for the target's building.

Looks like Section 9.

Well, what do you know? What great timing.

Now, you guys can show me what you've got by securing lmakurusu.

It'll take a while to get my systems booted.

Once you cut off their escape route, leave the rest to me.

What the... Is that?

Hisashi lmakurusu? I'm with the police.

The narc squad's on its way. We're getting out of here.

Stay away from me!

Batou, you all right?

Yeah, for now. But they've got us pinned down.

Can you make it out in the chopper?

No. Not with this guy in tow.

Do what you can to hold out. I'm almost there.

Oh, yeah. They can cloak, but they can't completely hide themselves.

Come on, what's your next move?

Is that you, Major?

I've secured an escape route.

But for now, let's get back to the lobby.

Go!

-Get down!

What was that?

It's a damned Armed Suit!

Batou, get ready. I'll draw it off.

Don't be stupid. That's what you have me for.

I have faith in you, but you can't stop that thing.

Take lmakurusu and get out of here. That's an order from your superior officer!

Fine, I'll do it. Don't get yourself killed.

Mmm.

Major, we're almost there.

A direct hit didn't punch it?

Saito, fork over that weapon now!

Hey, wait! Pop my hatch!

Can't breathe. Please pop the hatch.

A little closer. Good.

Get this guy on board ASAP.

Huh?

What a moron. Wait here!

Hey! Hold it right there, both of you.

Good. Don't even blink.

lmakurusu!

Our guy's been hit! Requesting ambulance.

Laughing Man,

is that what you really look like?

What's that?

The Laughing Man? What does he mean?

Murai Vaccine Recipient List

Wait, this file is...

Huh? Huh?

Optical camouflage? No, that's not it.

You bastard.

I know why I can't see you. You hacked my eyes!

Where are you? Are you close by?

Where the hell are you?

They're here.

Aramaki won't get any further than me.

-Tell him that. -Yes, sir. I understand.

-Come in. -Pardon us.

Bureau Chief Niimi, I have a warrant here for your arrest.

You're being charged in the murder conspiracy

tied to the investigation of the Sunflower Society,

as well as the death of Mr lmakurusu.

If you would please come with us.

I heard what happened with the narc squad,

but it's absurd to think that I had anything to do whatsoever

with the ordering of lmakurusu's death.

The head of the narc squad, a man named Geir Yasuoka,

is much more willing to talk than we expected.

You see, he recorded his conversations with you

and he is being most cooperative.

We know about the Laughing Man incident

and how it motivated you to have lmakurusu killed.

So, as you can see, you and I have a great deal to discuss.

Fine. Let's get this over with.

Take him away.

Batou. I want you to investigate the narc squad

and find out why they would go to such extreme measures

to retrieve the vaccine recipient list.

Find the real reason.

Another thing,

the surviving members may be lying low somewhere out there.

Watch out.

I'll head back when we're done with Niimi. Over and out.

The Chief, huh?

Yeah. The Chief just arrested some bureaucrat named Niimi.

Looks like he was the man behind the narc squad.

That so?

Well, at least my getting perforated was worth something.

But what was that powered exoskeleton?

A little toy that narc squad was somehow able to get their hands on.

The Major took it on.

She overheated in the fight, now she's swapping her body for a new one.

Is she OK?

Well, yeah. But, uh...

What you said before, about your eyes getting hacked,

same thing happened to me.

Huh?

See you later. I've got a ton of stuff to do.

Here, I'll leave this with you for now.

This is... Wait, you mean the Laughing Man...

I apologise for keeping you waiting.

I'll be in charge. I'm Sano.

This isn't your first time, right?

There's no need to worry, I'll be gentle.

Mmm.

All right then,

I'm just going to take a little look under the hood,

if you don't mind.

Oh, my, you have a fine body.

How are you feeling? Does your brain hurt?

That's supposed to be some kind of joke?

The brain's not capable of sensing pain.

Don't be like that.

There's no reason we can't take our time and enjoy this.

Or could it be that you don't like me?

No of fence, but that's it exactly.

Now that we're both clear on that, can we get on with this?

I'm in a bit of a rush.

My, someone's in a bad mood.

I decided to lock down your speech centre.

Of course, it's not as if someone would come to your rescue anyway,

no matter how loud you shouted.

Miss Kusanagi? How's my little patient feeling now?

Oh, my! What a rebellious look in your eyes.

That simply won't do.

What do you think of the world without red?

Kind of pretty, isn't it?

Don't get the wrong impression.

I don't enjoy doing barbaric things like this.

But you left me with no choice.

You and your friends went a little too far this time.