"Angels and demons circle above me, through the thorns to the stars." "Only those unable to perceive its call do not know happiness." "Watch in awe, watch in awe." "Aeria gloris, aeria gloris." "Watch in awe, watch in awe." "Aeria gloris, aeria gloris." "I am calling, calling now, spirits rise and falling." "To remain myself longer." "Calling, calling, in the depths of longing." "To remain myself longer." "Watch in awe, aeria gloris." "Home Affairs Ministry" "Home Affairs Ministry I believe you understand the situation." "I believe you understand the situation." "As you know, hostility directed towards the police because of the suspicion of improper usage of audiovisual devices is on the rise." "And now a warning hinting at the assassination of the Superintendent-General of the Metropolitan Police was carried live on the media." "This is a serious problem that will affect the prestige of the police as a whole." "That would seem to be a reasonable opinion." "Police headquarters is working with the utmost resolution to solve this case." "I want Section 9 to work in close cooperation with the police." "Practice self-restraint and don't rush into anything reckless." "Moderation in all things, you see." "I understand." "The Copycats Chant" "The Chief sure is taking a long time..." "He sure is." "Here he comes." "Now that is the face of a man who just got screwed over." "Did something he said get to you, Chief?" "By the Minister of Home Affairs?" "Good or bad, he's nothing but a public servant." "The problem is with police HQ, which is leisurely conducting a steamroller operation while the Superintendent-General's life was threatened with everyone watching." "We're just going to be spectators and watch it unfold on TV?" "I'm going to work you like dogs and make you earn your pay." "In regards to the criminal announcement made at the press conference last night by a terrorist who has resurfaced after six years and is believed to be the Laughing Man," "I believe it to be a farce which was written and staged by the Metropolitan Police." "Hey, now!" "I'll admit that last night's incident put the Interceptor misuse issue on the back burner, but isn't your reasoning a bit farfetched?" "True." "It's not like you to be so imprudent." "What are you basing this on?" "Togusa." "Yes, sir." "Nanao=A." "He's a material witness in the Laughing Man case who has been under surveillance by the Metro Police's Special Investigations Unit for the past three months." "Him?" "Looks like a plain old office worker to me." "Yeah, I pictured the Laughing Man as having more of a Peter Pan feel to him, too." "According to the SIU's records, he is 36 years of age." "He is the son of a police officer, and had a perfectly normal childhood." "After entering college, he joined the "Green Tower," a part of the Human Liberation Front." "They championed a direct action policy while working with the "New World Brigade,"" "a powerful ultra left-wing group of the time." "He was involved in armed conflicts, and has an arrest record." "But after he was released, he hid his entire history as an activist, and nonchalantly joined Serano Genomics as an agent programmer." "A year later, though, a tip exposed his past as an activist, and he was let go." "That's a pretty straightforward résumé..." "And now, Special Investigations HQ has suddenly started turning up more and more circumstantial evidence that makes them think Nanao is their man." "The SIU is focusing their investigation on the "grudge against Serano" angle." "They're currently tailing Nanao." "Once they get to the bottom of this death threat, they'll move in and arrest him." "Are they idiots?" "!" "There's no way a guy like that could be the Laughing Man!" "He's so guilty he's gotta be innocent!" "I think so, too." "But why would Special Investigations swallow bait that you can easily tell is a decoy if you look at the big picture?" "Setting aside the Interceptor incident, wouldn't you say that the police conspiracy is still being continued for some reason in the Laughing Man case?" "Yamaguchi died when he got caught in the crossfire." "Probably." "I don't have any hard evidence, either." "But if we catch both this "something" that's managed to fool the SIU and Nanao=A, who's been playing the role of the Laughing Man, the answer should surface on its own." "We'll find that "something" before the crime is committed the day after tomorrow!" "See if I care." "We're opening up a big can of worms here..." "Batou and Togusa, begin 24-hour surveillance on Nanao." "Yessir." "Don't screw up." "And I don't wanna see you getting bored and walking out." "The rest of you, follow the Major's instructions and learn the real story behind this man who's fooled the SIU." " Yessir!" " Yes, sir!" "What is it, Major?" "Nothing." "Again, detectives?" "I wish you'd give it a rest." "Look, I admit we went to the same school and were involved in some activist stuff together, but that guy is way scarier than I ever was." "We're talking dyed-in-the-wool." "He's tenacious like you wouldn't believe." "Once he started a plan, he'd see it through, no matter how long it took." "I think it's a bad idea to overestimate him, but back in school, nobody was as worldly as that guy." "Yeah, and that's a fact." "If I was asked if Nanao had a grudge against the company," "I'd have to say yes." "The reason being that the basic systems for the micromachine design line here at Serano were pretty much assembled by Nanao himself." "The company used his past as an excuse to dismiss him, and they got all the rights to his work." "You'd have to be crazy not to be angry." "Didn't he claim his rights to his work in court?" "Forget about it." "We've got a powerful defense counsel here." "But just between you and me, Detective, I for one have the urge to cheer Nanao on." "And that's a fact." "Yeah!" "You detectives are persistent, I'll give you that." "This really brings me back, though, so I don't mind telling you about him." "The financial yakuza back then were already controlled by eggheads." "That Nanao kid was a pretty sharp customer, and was always doing or saying antiestablishment stuff." "I don't think the last detective who was here could understand why Nanao would work with the yakuza, but that whole "social provocation equals left wing" idea is so last century." "There ain't no left or right when it comes to making money, and that's a fact." "Just to be on the safe side, this is the Nanao=A you're talking about, right?" "Yeah..." "His hairline's receded a lot, though." "Ishikawa here." "I'm amazed SIU did such a thorough job using six-year-old records." "Even restricting it to Level D-class, I pulled up 1023 records." "I'm checking them in order, starting from Level E-class, but it looks like it'll take a long time just to clear the decks." "Here you are, sir." "That's all right." "I'll be leaving now." "34 hours to go until the crime will be committed..." "There has to be some clue." "Find it, no matter what it takes." "Roger." "Chief, why not let us give up on this dull-ass investigation, grab Nanao, and make him talk?" "Section 9's specialties are playing rough and cyber warfare." "SIU has the manpower and resources, so let's let them handle the routine snooping." "Don't be so hasty." "If our timing is off when Nanao is arrested, we may end up in hot water." "Any change in his behavior?" "He's just been sending out short e-mails from his apartment at regular intervals all day." "We've checked the contents, but most are spam, and there's no sign of virus data in any of the outgoing mail." "Hey, we can wait here for as long as you want..." "Good work, fellas." "Well, if anything happens, we'll bust our way in." " I'm sorry for the trouble." " Not at all." "Any time." "By the way, Ishikawa, where's the Major?" "Now that you mention it, I haven't heard from her since she left." "She said she was gonna check on something with her own external memory device." "What's she up to?" "Don't they have those records at your work?" "Yes." "I was out of the country at the time of the incident, so I want to hear the gossip about it that was going around at the time." "Gossip, huh?" "I can't get a feel for it from the police records." "Thanks." "But it's been so long since you've stopped by..." "Sorry, I'll make it up to you." "Hey, you said Motoko's here?" "It's 7:20 on February 3rd, and it's time for Drive Time Weather." "Drive Time Weather Report It's 7:20 on February 3rd, and it's time for Drive Time Weather." "It's 7:20 on February 3rd, and it's time for Drive Time Weather." "Good luck with your commute, everyone." "The weather won't be perfect today, but it looks like it will be fair." "Apparently, a micromachine dispersal will accompany this afternoon's CO2 cleanup." "Those of you with throat trouble might want to wear a mask." "And do you remember, everyone?" "Today marks 100 days before the opening of the World's Exposition." "Japan World Exposition 100 Days to Opening of Awaji Expo Today marks 100 days before the opening of the World's Exposition." "Japan World Exposition 100 Days to Opening of Awaji Expo" "Japan World Exposition 100 Days to Opening of Awaji Expo With that in mind, we've come up with the following questionnaire." "The topic is, at the expo..." "That's no fair!" "Look into that camera and tell them the truth!" "Stop it." "You won't shoot me." "Are you sure?" "If your word is any good, tell..." "I can't, not right now!" "Why don't you tell them?" "It wouldn't mean anything!" "Mr. Serano, if you don't tell them the truth, I'll..." "I... can't do that." "Why not?" "!" "February 3, 2024." "Serano's kidnapping had occurred two days earlier, but no announcements had been made due to press control." "Investigators hadn't found a single clue in this difficult case, and then, ironically, it suddenly broke with this leak to the media." "This was where it all began, the theatrical crime commonly known as "The Laughing Man Incident."" "According to the police reports back then," "Metro P.D. Directive A.P.B. 081 According to the police reports back then," "Ernest Serano had received warnings prior to the incident  via the mouths of people around him whose cyberbrains had been hacked, so this kidnapping happened because he didn't take the situation seriously." "Immediately after Mr. Serano himself was hacked and kidnapped from his residence, an enormous ransom of 10 billion yen and 100 kilos of gold bullion was demanded." "After that, however, all contact was lost, and until they appeared on that TVmonitor, there had been no news of Mr. Serano whatsoever." "And then, while he threatened Mr. Serano on live TV, the Laughing Man wrote his logo over not only the TVcamera's Al, but the eyes of nearby passersby, and even those of the TVstation's staff, all in real time." "Despite the fact that many people saw the Laughing Man after the incident  when he fled from policemen who had rushed to the scene, the only people who were able to see the man's real face  were two homeless men who had no cyber implants." "There's a famous story that most of the people who testified that they saw the man's real face  drew this mark when the police artists were working up a composite sketch." "That pop-culture logo that bears no resemblance to that shocking incident  gained popularity among some young people and subculture commentators." "The M.O. Resembles the death threat against the Superintendent-General." "If he really did all this by himself, he must be a super-class-A hacker." "But this anachronistic kidnapping case is beneath his abilities..." "After his shocking debut, he avoided the public eye  and went on to blackmail the Serano Corp. By planting the "Virus Program Unto Death"  into their micromachine production line." "Sales of their main product, medical micromachines, slowed, the price of Serano stock took a nose dive, and the blackmail against them stopped, as if that was the goal all along." "The Laughing Man went on to blackmail  six other micromachine manufacturers one after another using the same M.O." "This continued for about three months after this incident  that made one wonder if blackmail itself were the goal." "Criminal Commentator" "Criminal Commentator What was his true objective?" "What's his criminal profile?" "Did he act alone or as part of a group?" "What's his race?" "His age?" "Was there something hidden in his criminal ideology?" "He left these and many other riddles unanswered." "Just when the government decided to allocate public funds to the victim companies, the Laughing Man suddenly vanished into the shadows of the Net." "But why would he start off by doing something as risky as appearing in public  and try to make Mr. Serano disclose some fact or other?" "That's one thing I just can't understand." "It's almost as if the criminal's message was secretly switched  from 1st person to 3rd person halfway through." "So he's saying that that is just wishful thinking." "All-Night Debate TV "Why Did the Laughing Man Appear Again?"" "All-Night Debate TV "Why Did the Laughing Man Appear Again?" This incident isn't that simple." "All-Night Debate TV "Why Did the Laughing Man Appear Again?"" "All-Night Debate TV "Why Did the Laughing Man Appear Again?" Personally, I believe that the culprit is a life form..." "Personally, I believe that the culprit is a life form  that was spontaneously generated in the shadows of Net society." "In other words, I believe that this is a complex incident  caused by completely standalone conspirators." "I also have to wonder if this Laughing Man ever existed in the first place." "Chief, I'm taking myself off the Nanao investigation." "Also, I need you to assign Paz and Saito to me." "What do you have in mind?" "I'm going to guard the Superintendent-General." "I think your reasoning is on the money, Chief, but I can't shake the feeling that there's one piece that doesn't fit." "My Ghost is telling me to tail the Superintendent-General to find out what it is." "It's whispering to me." "All right." "We don't have convenient excuses like team plays here at Section 9." "There's just teamwork that comes about as a result of a grandstand play." "I'm out of here!" "Get the word out to Saito and Paz, okay?" "Did you copy that?" "I'm sending Paz and Saito to back up the Major." "Be my guest." "We're done with our inquiries, so Borma and I can manage by ourselves from here on." "Borma, mobilize all the A.I. Ladies." "Also, get authorization to use the Sci-Tech Bureau's Hekatoncheir." "We'll check 'em all out, one by one." "Yes, sir..." "It's me." "What's Nanao's status?" "Still no sign of any activity." "He's still sending out e- mails by fits and starts." "Yes." "Thank you for all your help." "Hm?" "Oh, that?" "Yes, that's right." "As you say, the reaction was even better than expected." "That was just one of the plans I had worked out in advance." "Well, then, I hope you'll look forward to it." "Right." "If you'll excuse me, then." "I wasn't the one who issued that threat, but no matter." "Oh, well." "It'll all be over soon." "Major, the Superintendent-General has entered the building." "Can I get you anything?" "I'm fine." "Regular check-in." "Superintendent-General has entered the building." "Take assigned positions and stay on alert." "Batou, what's Nanao doing?" "No change." "We have verification of short e-mails being sent and received, but we haven't netted anything that looks like a virus." "I see." "Major, I tapped the SIU's radio." "They sound pretty impatient." "Why aren't we moving in?" "He's right under our damn noses!" "The unfortunate thing is that we couldn't pinpoint Nanao's location when he threatened the Superintendent-General." "We have you bums at HQ to thank for that, too!" "Thanks to that Interceptor mess, those of us out here in the field got screwed over!" "Chief, how are things on your end?" "Got it." "Like it says in the SIU's report, Nanao's activities at the time of the crimes substantiate the possibility that he's the Laughing Man, all right." "There's a lot of strange stuff in the testimony of the people who knew Nanao, though." "Based on my investigation of the 43 files in question," "I noticed a definite trend of admiration for Nanao." "I believe this trend may be the result of a forced langauge recognition program." "And then there's the descriptions of Nanao mentioned in the testimony." "It's subtle, but they don't appear to be the same person." "I've determined that it's a composite of several different personalities." "And despite the fact that the content of the testimony itself is in the 1st person, all the witnesses confirmed that Nanao was the man in the picture showed to them." "I can tell you that these are clearly manufactured records." "Or rather, records that were overwritten." "Not even the Cybercops could see through these." "This document falsification is so skillfully done that not even Special Investigations could tell they were fakes." "Good work." "Batou, apprehend Nanao immediately!" "Roger!" "There's more to this case than I ever imagined." "Saito, Paz, are you getting any static in our signal  from the jamming barrier put up by the police?" "No, it's loud and clear." "Same here." "Really?" "Regular check-in." "All personnel, go from security level B to level C." "Hey!" "Who are you people with?" "!" "Public Security!" "Hey!" "Stop that!" "Nanao=A, we're taking you in for threatening to kill the Superintendent-General!" "Hey!" "What the hell does Public Security want with..." " What the hell?" " What's going on?" "!" "I was never there in the first place!" "Now I'll go down in the history books as the Laughing Man." "That static, it's..." "That's..." "Interceptors!" "The static in the regular check-ins was a modular delayed-action virus...!" "He's out there somewhere, peeking through the SIU's eyes!" "Batou, Nanao's been sending out a modular virus via that room." "I'll trace the point of origin!" "Send" "Tachikoma..." "Tachikomatic Days!" "Doesn't this constant infection by viruses shame you as Al's, gentlemen?" "!" "Look, we've been over this before." "That only happens to you." "The rest of us just get caught in the crossfire." "Yeah, he's right!" "Ahem." "And on that note, I had Ishikawa whip up a training program in order to strengthen our antivirus procedures!" " Aw, do it yourself." " Let's go." "Now, now." "I'll have none of that talk." "Actually, I'm already running it in our shared memory space to see what'll happen." " You're what?" " You're what?" "Leave us out of your weird hobbies, pal!" "But don't they say, "In traveling, companionship, in life, kindness"?" "!" "For us, it's "The cure is worse than the disease"!"