1
00:00:03,100 --> 00:00:08,130
Angely i demony kruzhili nado mnoj,
Angels and demons circle above me,
2
00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:13,670
rassykhali ternii i vechnye puti.
through the thorns to the stars.
3
00:00:14,210 --> 00:00:19,410
Ne znaet shast'je tol'ko tot,
Only those unable to perceive its call...
4
00:00:20,050 --> 00:00:26,190
kto jevo zova ponjat' ne smog.
...do not know happiness.
5
00:00:26,190 --> 00:00:31,960
Naljubuites', naljubuites'.
Watch in awe, watch in awe.
6
00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:37,330
Aeria gloris, aeria gloris.
7
00:00:37,670 --> 00:00:43,040
Naljubuites', naljubuites'.
Watch in awe, watch in awe.
8
00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:48,110
Aeria gloris, aeria gloris.
9
00:00:48,110 --> 00:00:54,380
I am calling, calling now,
10
00:00:54,720 --> 00:01:00,350
spirits rise and falling.
11
00:01:01,290 --> 00:01:06,090
Soboj ostat'sja dol'she.
To remain myself longer.
12
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Calling, calling, in the depths of longing.
13
00:01:18,510 --> 00:01:23,680
Soboj ostat'sja dol'she.
To remain myself longer.
14
00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:26,020
Naljubuites',
Watch in awe,
15
00:01:26,020 --> 00:01:29,880
aeria gloris.
16
00:01:32,460 --> 00:01:35,220
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome
to the Laughing Man Room!
17
00:01:38,930 --> 00:01:42,360
It's a bit of a surprise, isn't it, him
showing up again after six years?
18
00:01:44,130 --> 00:01:45,620
It certainly is.
19
00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:50,000
This is no laughing matter, and it's got
the blood of Net Master Omba boiling!
20
00:01:50,370 --> 00:01:53,140
Is everybody here a hardcore
Laughing Man freak?
21
00:01:55,750 --> 00:01:58,540
Maybe, but none of them have
the guts to take the floor.
22
00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:01,380
Oh, don't talk
like that.
23
00:02:01,380 --> 00:02:04,110
You'll get hit with
a DoS attack...
24
00:02:17,900 --> 00:02:20,500
I heard that there's somebody
in this chat room...
25
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...who has some interesting things to say
about the Laughing Man Incident.
26
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Who is it?
27
00:02:25,780 --> 00:02:28,440
Everyone here,
you might say.
28
00:02:29,310 --> 00:02:31,340
Along with some
who don't.
29
00:02:31,850 --> 00:02:33,250
What's that supposed
to mean?
30
00:02:33,420 --> 00:02:35,280
My point exactly.
31
00:02:43,690 --> 00:02:48,160
Anyway, what's the deal with the Laughing Man
dying just as he reappeared?
32
00:02:48,330 --> 00:02:51,560
Man, I thought I could finally become
a realtime Laughing Man freak!
33
00:02:51,670 --> 00:02:53,230
Why are you getting
so worked up?
34
00:02:53,570 --> 00:02:56,090
Nobody cares about
that stuff, not anymore.
35
00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:57,600
Talk about stupid...
36
00:02:57,740 --> 00:03:01,700
Speaking of stupid, I think that getup
of yours is pretty stupid.
37
00:03:01,780 --> 00:03:05,510
If you don't like it, why don't you suggest
a more constructive theme, then?
38
00:03:06,650 --> 00:03:09,220
Okay, then. How about, "What was the
reason behind the Laughing Man's...
39
00:03:09,220 --> 00:03:12,710
...sudden reappearance for this recent
failed assassination attempt?"
40
00:03:12,920 --> 00:03:16,060
Miss Kanabi, I know!
I think it's because the world...
41
00:03:16,060 --> 00:03:18,050
...is still full of crap and
boring as hell, that's why!
42
00:03:18,290 --> 00:03:20,200
We already know that.
43
00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:23,770
My point is that maybe the man behind
the incident six years ago...
44
00:03:23,770 --> 00:03:26,860
...and man behind this latest one
are two different people.
45
00:03:27,670 --> 00:03:31,610
"Man," huh? We don't know if the
Laughing Man is really a man.
46
00:03:31,670 --> 00:03:32,840
He is a man!
47
00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:35,970
According to information obtained by one
of my sources, he's definitely a man.
48
00:03:36,380 --> 00:03:39,550
Besides, if he was a she, why would
he call himself the Laughing Man?
49
00:03:39,550 --> 00:03:40,780
Just a minute, please...
50
00:03:41,180 --> 00:03:44,590
Y-You'd notice if you'd
go over the data,
51
00:03:44,590 --> 00:03:48,250
but he never actually referred
to himself as the Laughing Man.
52
00:03:48,420 --> 00:03:50,630
Whether he did or didn't,
he's still a man!
53
00:03:50,630 --> 00:03:53,960
That was a man in the CEO kidnapping
footage, no two ways about it!
54
00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:56,330
You sucker! That may have
been a prosthetic body.
55
00:03:56,600 --> 00:03:58,620
Wait, we're getting
off topic.
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00:03:58,930 --> 00:04:03,440
Up until now, his criminal style
was limited to corporate blackmail.
57
00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:06,430
Doesn't anyone have any opinions
on the fact that this is totally different?
58
00:04:06,710 --> 00:04:11,540
And yes, this latest incident also started off
with a micromachine-related issue,
59
00:04:11,850 --> 00:04:14,520
but then he suddenly threatened
to kill the Superintendent General.
60
00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:16,490
Doesn't that seem a bit
too violent for him?
61
00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:20,750
Well, they do say that he started off
with little stuff six years ago,
62
00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:24,480
like hacking the cyberbrain of a secretary
or family member and sending e-mails.
63
00:04:24,830 --> 00:04:28,190
So you're saying that this
Laughing Man is a fake?
64
00:04:28,500 --> 00:04:30,190
Don't you think it's
a strong possibility?
65
00:04:30,270 --> 00:04:32,360
It's been six years
since he vanished.
66
00:04:32,840 --> 00:04:35,270
Doesn't anybody think this one
was just made up,
67
00:04:35,270 --> 00:04:37,330
using the net's Laughing Man
craze as a cover?
68
00:04:38,340 --> 00:04:41,010
But what's your
basis for saying...
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00:04:41,010 --> 00:04:44,310
...that the Laughing Man's criminal style
is corporate blackmail?
70
00:04:44,950 --> 00:04:48,480
Wasn't that initial kidnapping
an act of violence?
71
00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:52,820
But I don't think he's committed any impulsive
crimes since the CEO kidnapping.
72
00:04:53,390 --> 00:04:57,790
Yeah, you're right. I mean, it's just not cool,
manipulating a person to kill somebody.
73
00:04:57,930 --> 00:05:01,400
The Laughing Man is
a super-class-A hacker,
74
00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:03,760
but he's never once
killed anybody.
75
00:05:04,430 --> 00:05:07,430
Damn. It was interesting, but I guess
maybe this one was a fake.
76
00:05:07,500 --> 00:05:08,830
I guess it's better
that way, though.
77
00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:12,710
And so, you've already been stripped
of your title of realtime freak.
78
00:05:12,710 --> 00:05:13,970
How sad.
79
00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:18,950
But why do you think that
the Laughing Man is cool?
80
00:05:19,280 --> 00:05:21,080
Because he is cool,
that's why!
81
00:05:21,220 --> 00:05:24,190
Are you trying to tell me he's not cool
after he pulled off something like that?
82
00:05:24,190 --> 00:05:27,020
I'm not saying
that he isn't cool...
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00:05:27,420 --> 00:05:30,550
If coolness is determined
by your hacker skills,
84
00:05:30,860 --> 00:05:35,660
they say the delayed-action virus used
in the assassination attempt was a work of art.
85
00:05:36,270 --> 00:05:40,440
It was so sophisticated that the police
could only make a vaccine for it...
86
00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:45,470
...after the security detail's cyberbrains
started to manifest symptoms.
87
00:05:45,470 --> 00:05:46,700
That's certainly true.
88
00:05:47,110 --> 00:05:49,170
On top of that, rumor has it that the police
weren't even able to obtain...
89
00:05:49,250 --> 00:05:51,770
...any traces of the virus
itself afterwards.
90
00:05:52,180 --> 00:05:53,050
I see...
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00:05:53,180 --> 00:05:54,910
But their suspect died.
92
00:05:55,120 --> 00:05:59,490
Exactly! The guy who made the virus
was killed by somebody,
93
00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:02,390
so that means that it was an imposter
that appeared and was killed!
94
00:06:02,390 --> 00:06:04,230
Who killed him?
And for what reason?
95
00:06:04,230 --> 00:06:07,200
I know that one, too! Because it's
a conspiracy by some secret society!
96
00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:10,900
Speaking of which, according to information
obtained by one of my sources,
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00:06:10,900 --> 00:06:13,070
some of the corporations
that he blackmailed...
98
00:06:13,070 --> 00:06:16,160
...apparently had a hitman on the payroll
even before this latest incident!
99
00:06:16,510 --> 00:06:19,700
What kind of source?
Pork cutlet sauce? Oyster sauce?
100
00:06:20,780 --> 00:06:23,010
Why would the corporations
want to kill him themselves?
101
00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:25,670
I'm saying that they've been waiting
for a chance to get him!
102
00:06:26,050 --> 00:06:28,780
They wanted revenge for the blackmail
or the money demands or something!
103
00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:32,050
And then, with this death threat,
he slipped up and left a trail.
104
00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:34,590
Even if that's the case, what's the point
in killing an imposter?
105
00:06:34,590 --> 00:06:35,490
He's right.
106
00:06:35,490 --> 00:06:38,090
Even if he was the real thing,
it's just not possible...
107
00:06:38,090 --> 00:06:41,060
...that they could find and kill someone
that not even the police could track.
108
00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:43,760
T-That's my point.
That doesn't sound like him.
109
00:06:44,330 --> 00:06:47,740
It's just not cool to be
tracked down that easily.
110
00:06:47,740 --> 00:06:51,100
In that case, what if he was killed
by the real Laughing Man?
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00:06:51,270 --> 00:06:52,570
No way.
112
00:06:52,570 --> 00:06:55,440
Like the cops said, what makes the most sense
is that there were multiple Laughing Men...
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00:06:55,440 --> 00:06:57,210
...and there was a dispute
in the group.
114
00:06:57,550 --> 00:07:00,570
Which means it's safe to say that we're
right back at our first conclusion.
115
00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:05,020
Someone other than the Laughing Man from
six years ago was responsible for this incident.
116
00:07:05,020 --> 00:07:06,490
L-Let me ask you again...
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00:07:06,890 --> 00:07:10,450
What's your basis for saying that corporate
blackmail is the Laughing Man's criminal style?
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00:07:10,730 --> 00:07:13,630
Geez, let it go, man! Because anything
else wouldn't be cool, that's why!
119
00:07:14,230 --> 00:07:16,890
But stop and think
about it for a minute...
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Was that first incident
really all that cool?
121
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I see. We just can't discuss that topic
without looking at the origin.
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00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:39,190
All right, by way
of changing gears,
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00:07:39,190 --> 00:07:42,180
let's look back at the starting point
of the Laughing Man Incident.
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00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:52,560
It's 7:20 on February 3rd,
and it's time for Drive Time Weather.
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Good luck with
your commute, everyone.
126
00:07:56,710 --> 00:08:02,200
Today marks 100 days before the opening
of the World's Exposition.
127
00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:06,780
With that in mind, we've come up
with the following questionnaire.
128
00:08:07,950 --> 00:08:09,150
The topic is,
at the expo...
129
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That's not fair!
130
00:08:14,620 --> 00:08:18,250
Look into that camera
and tell them the truth!
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Stop it.
You won't shoot me.
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00:08:21,700 --> 00:08:22,960
Are you sure?
133
00:08:23,630 --> 00:08:25,970
I know we're all probably sick to death
of seeing this, but we need to...
134
00:08:25,970 --> 00:08:30,840
...since this is the only time the man thought to
be the real Laughing Man ever showed himself.
135
00:08:33,410 --> 00:08:38,400
Hey, did you see that? The show's fly-in title
got tagged with the Laughing Man logo, too.
136
00:08:38,680 --> 00:08:40,150
He sure is thorough,
isn't he?
137
00:08:40,650 --> 00:08:42,410
The local weather
forecasts, too.
138
00:08:43,450 --> 00:08:47,050
Some rumors say that those graphics
were changed after the initial broadcast.
139
00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:51,660
Whatever the case, this was where
the Laughing Man incident began.
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00:08:51,660 --> 00:08:53,630
The incident that shook
this country six years ago.
141
00:08:59,170 --> 00:09:02,470
You know, looking at this now,
he wasn't cool at all.
142
00:09:02,700 --> 00:09:04,900
I mean, the gun he was holding
was shaking all over the place.
143
00:09:04,970 --> 00:09:08,310
Oh, you don't know anything! What're you
talking about?! That's what's so great!
144
00:09:08,680 --> 00:09:13,120
But compared to the M.O. in the serial
corporate blackmail that followed,
145
00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:14,520
it seems totally
reckless.
146
00:09:14,520 --> 00:09:15,540
No, it's not.
147
00:09:15,820 --> 00:09:18,920
Even though he has
special-A hacking skills,
148
00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:21,690
he deliberately risked his own
neck in this first incident.
149
00:09:21,690 --> 00:09:25,520
This reckless performance
was what made us love him.
150
00:09:25,830 --> 00:09:29,730
I'm telling you, he's trying to expose
the deception of exploitative corporations.
151
00:09:30,070 --> 00:09:31,230
That's deep...
152
00:09:31,500 --> 00:09:33,100
No, he's right.
153
00:09:33,100 --> 00:09:35,500
Even while he was starting something
that seemed poorly planned,
154
00:09:35,570 --> 00:09:38,440
he was meticulous enough to hack
into all the media beforehand.
155
00:09:38,710 --> 00:09:40,200
That's his appeal.
156
00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:44,640
Man, you guys sure are enthusiastic...
What is this, "We Love The Laughing Man"?
157
00:09:44,950 --> 00:09:47,610
There were never any messages
to that effect, though.
158
00:09:51,950 --> 00:09:54,860
Hot on the heels of Serano,
Japan Micro Industries...
159
00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:57,150
...has apparently been blackmailed
by the Laughing Man.
160
00:09:57,660 --> 00:10:02,190
This is incredible! What is that,
a huge number of office desks?!
161
00:10:02,260 --> 00:10:04,600
It's the head office of Sagawa Electronics
that's being blackmailed this time!
162
00:10:04,970 --> 00:10:09,200
How in the world were all those desks
moved up here in a single night?!
163
00:10:09,570 --> 00:10:13,100
It may be safe to say that this is an
unprecedented act of corporate terrorism!
164
00:10:13,210 --> 00:10:15,570
This... This the
real one, isn't it?
165
00:10:16,380 --> 00:10:18,900
Please call Nanoplant Industries...
166
00:10:20,350 --> 00:10:24,050
Satsuma Meditechs is the most powerful
corporation in Kyushu, don't you know?
167
00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:27,280
Why would you go and plant
a murder virus in there?
168
00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:28,620
I don't know!
169
00:10:28,690 --> 00:10:32,590
Somebody must've hacked
the gardening robots last night!
170
00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:34,160
Get us out of here!
171
00:10:36,130 --> 00:10:37,760
Look! Look at that!
172
00:10:39,070 --> 00:10:42,870
You know, I've got a T-shirt with the
MicroTel crop circle printed on it.
173
00:10:44,610 --> 00:10:47,940
After that, public funds were allocated
to the blackmailed companies...
174
00:10:48,140 --> 00:10:50,630
...in the fear that their stocks
would plummet, and at that instant,
175
00:10:51,010 --> 00:10:54,880
the Laughing Man called an end to his spree
and vanished into the shadows of the net.
176
00:10:55,580 --> 00:10:58,890
Remember when Kadoya advertised
that there was a Laughing Man logo...
177
00:10:58,890 --> 00:11:02,320
...inside a bag of their snacks, and there
was a quick spike in their stock price?
178
00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:05,260
What about the rumors
that in each of the companies,
179
00:11:05,260 --> 00:11:08,230
there were people who secretly
made a killing off of their stocks?
180
00:11:08,360 --> 00:11:12,820
If you're only judging by that criterion,
the Satsuma Meditechs case might be a scam.
181
00:11:12,900 --> 00:11:15,300
Is that a case of
babe's intuition?
182
00:11:15,700 --> 00:11:18,970
In that case, why don't you
backtrack the fluctuations...
183
00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:21,010
...of the other companies' stock prices
and compare them to Satsuma's?
184
00:11:21,180 --> 00:11:23,580
Now that you mention it,
Satsuma was the only company...
185
00:11:23,580 --> 00:11:26,010
...that didn't get an influx of funds
from the government, wasn't it?
186
00:11:27,020 --> 00:11:28,180
Well, I'll be...
187
00:11:29,050 --> 00:11:31,390
Nobody noticed it because all six
were making roughly the same amount...
188
00:11:31,390 --> 00:11:33,950
...at the time he called an end
to the crime spree.
189
00:11:34,190 --> 00:11:38,350
Well, even that talk show they set up
to discuss the threat was pretty lame.
190
00:11:38,560 --> 00:11:41,860
I'd say that it was self-written B.S.
put out by the station itself!
191
00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:48,460
Looking back like this, even the incident
six years ago was full of inconsistencies.
192
00:11:49,340 --> 00:11:52,930
It may be a bit of a stretch to say that everything
was carried out by the same perpetrator.
193
00:11:53,010 --> 00:11:55,530
So in the end, should we settle
on multiple criminals, then?
194
00:11:55,810 --> 00:11:58,470
There are any number of critics who would
point out the difference in ideology...
195
00:11:58,550 --> 00:12:00,980
...between the initial kidnapping
and the subsequent incidents.
196
00:12:01,320 --> 00:12:04,010
Personally, I'm for the
"single Laughing Man" theory.
197
00:12:04,890 --> 00:12:06,980
But don't you think that
isn't very plausible?
198
00:12:07,590 --> 00:12:09,890
Any speculation now as to whether
the same criminal...
199
00:12:09,890 --> 00:12:12,380
...was behind this incident and the one
six years ago is meaningless.
200
00:12:12,960 --> 00:12:16,100
Something tells me that the key to unlocking
the Laughing Man mystery...
201
00:12:16,100 --> 00:12:19,730
...is asking ourselves what factor gave rise
to both the incident six years ago...
202
00:12:19,970 --> 00:12:23,700
...and the string of phenomena that occurred
immediately after this recent death threat.
203
00:12:24,210 --> 00:12:26,400
Pretty slick, miss!
204
00:12:26,910 --> 00:12:28,400
I think so, too.
205
00:12:29,180 --> 00:12:29,940
And on that note...
206
00:12:31,110 --> 00:12:35,070
Let's examine that question as we look
at some old footage that we have in stock.
207
00:12:35,550 --> 00:12:40,510
But before we do, I need to delete the backup
cache data that's built up in the server,
208
00:12:40,860 --> 00:12:42,120
so let's take
a quick break!
209
00:12:51,270 --> 00:12:55,200
Hey, you remember how that designer named
Paul who supposedly came up with that mark...
210
00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:58,460
reported himself to the special investigations
unit while the incidents were going on?
211
00:12:58,540 --> 00:13:02,810
He kept saying that the design had been stolen
when his database was hacked, right?
212
00:13:02,810 --> 00:13:06,580
But the fact is, his career as a designer
took off thanks to this.
213
00:13:06,580 --> 00:13:07,950
I respect the guy, too.
214
00:13:12,990 --> 00:13:14,480
All right,
let's rock!
215
00:13:20,900 --> 00:13:25,860
Still, why do you suppose this incident
became such a big craze at the time?
216
00:13:26,370 --> 00:13:28,570
It's a mystery that you think
you understand but you don't,
217
00:13:28,570 --> 00:13:31,560
and a sensation that keeps getting fed
to us with amazingly smart timing.
218
00:13:31,810 --> 00:13:33,670
Gee, you do make some
valid points sometimes...
219
00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:38,340
The fact that Serano's CEO wasn't cooperative
with the investigation is titillating, too.
220
00:13:38,450 --> 00:13:42,040
To this day, he's still suspected of making
a secret deal with the Laughing Man.
221
00:13:42,550 --> 00:13:45,080
But what really attracted me
to this incident the most...
222
00:13:45,420 --> 00:13:50,950
...was the crusading, "lone-wolf hero" image
he demonstrated in the first incident.
223
00:13:51,190 --> 00:13:52,420
Yeah, same here.
224
00:13:52,930 --> 00:13:55,300
This last incident also began
during a press conference...
225
00:13:55,300 --> 00:13:57,790
...that addressed suspicions
of the illegal use of Interceptors.
226
00:13:57,870 --> 00:13:59,630
Was that another example
of his crusading spirit?
227
00:14:00,170 --> 00:14:04,100
And it was none other than Serano Genomics
that developed those Interceptors.
228
00:14:04,570 --> 00:14:06,870
Don't you sense that there's
some power behind this?
229
00:14:06,940 --> 00:14:10,250
This is interesting, all right! It's like
everyone thinks they're detectives!
230
00:14:10,250 --> 00:14:12,870
No wonder they're all reaching
the same conclusion!
231
00:14:13,010 --> 00:14:16,180
What if the Laughing Man
turns out to be a program...
232
00:14:16,250 --> 00:14:21,210
...that the entire micromachine industry
wrote and staged to manipulate stock prices?
233
00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:24,750
Where's the fun in that?
I know there's really a Laughing Man...
234
00:14:25,060 --> 00:14:27,650
Aren't you just saying that you
want there to be one?
235
00:14:27,730 --> 00:14:30,360
According to information obtained
by one of my sources, though,
236
00:14:30,430 --> 00:14:32,730
- the financial boost caused by this incident...
- Yet another source, huh?
237
00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:34,270
...comes to about
20 trillion yen!
238
00:14:34,340 --> 00:14:37,100
Wouldn't you say that that fact alone says
that the Laughing Man needs to exist?
239
00:14:38,610 --> 00:14:42,410
Since none of you are showing any interest
in what I'm trying to say,
240
00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:47,180
I'll put my best information on the table.
Stuff I got from an independent source.
241
00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:50,480
The official police statement
will say that the recent...
242
00:14:50,550 --> 00:14:55,150
...multiple, simultaneous assassination attempts
were caused by the virus spread by Nanao=A.
243
00:14:55,490 --> 00:14:56,980
It's a complete lie.
244
00:14:59,290 --> 00:15:01,090
What are you
basing that on?
245
00:15:01,230 --> 00:15:03,700
Yeah! State your source
for that information!
246
00:15:03,770 --> 00:15:05,320
Again with the sources...
247
00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:10,630
Out of curiosity, how many times has J.D. used
the word "source" since entering this room?
248
00:15:10,970 --> 00:15:12,600
- Laughed Man: Oh, just let it go!
- Mr. Moe: A search shows 38 times.
249
00:15:13,010 --> 00:15:15,070
I'd be interested
in hearing that, too.
250
00:15:15,610 --> 00:15:19,640
Well, the truth is... I had hacked into
the crime scene when it happened.
251
00:15:19,710 --> 00:15:20,810
Are you serious?!
252
00:15:21,150 --> 00:15:23,620
Are you saying you were trying
to assassinate him, too?!
253
00:15:23,620 --> 00:15:24,880
No, it's not like that.
254
00:15:24,950 --> 00:15:29,220
I was just peeping the system because
I wanted to see how it would turn out.
255
00:15:29,660 --> 00:15:32,650
That's why I think that
the 39 assassins...
256
00:15:32,730 --> 00:15:37,560
...were also there of their own free will, not
because they were being controlled by a virus.
257
00:15:38,100 --> 00:15:40,570
Lots of other hackers
like me were there,
258
00:15:41,100 --> 00:15:45,470
and I think some among our audience
may have tried to crack their way in, too.
259
00:15:46,010 --> 00:15:48,770
But for some reason,
every last one of them failed.
260
00:15:49,640 --> 00:15:51,610
You saw that?
261
00:15:55,320 --> 00:15:57,620
If that's true,
it's big news.
262
00:15:57,920 --> 00:15:59,610
You just can't trust
anything anymore!
263
00:15:59,960 --> 00:16:00,920
Are you kidding?!
264
00:16:01,560 --> 00:16:05,580
I thought about going
to the hall that day, too!
265
00:16:05,730 --> 00:16:06,730
Crap!
266
00:16:06,730 --> 00:16:12,030
Hold it. Wouldn't that mean that the real
Laughing Man was one of the 39 arrested?
267
00:16:12,270 --> 00:16:13,760
I don't think
he was.
268
00:16:14,400 --> 00:16:19,360
The people arrested there were copycats,
or enthusiastic fans like those of us here.
269
00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:23,500
So you're saying they were there
in response to Nanao=A's threat?
270
00:16:24,010 --> 00:16:25,950
That's not quite right, either.
271
00:16:26,010 --> 00:16:28,780
Actually, I have one other
piece of information.
272
00:16:28,850 --> 00:16:31,980
After the incident,
I was diving in the net,
273
00:16:32,790 --> 00:16:38,490
and I found an authentication server under
Nanao's name that he had tampered with.
274
00:16:43,770 --> 00:16:44,960
That's it there.
275
00:16:45,670 --> 00:16:47,160
You're right!
276
00:16:47,570 --> 00:16:51,200
Be careful. It's crawling
with attack barriers.
277
00:16:51,540 --> 00:16:56,170
When you dive to level six, you'll find
several plans that had been simulated.
278
00:16:56,780 --> 00:16:59,610
It had things like blackmailing major
micromachine manufacturers again,
279
00:17:00,180 --> 00:17:03,710
and even methods of targeting
cyborg food corporations next time.
280
00:17:04,050 --> 00:17:07,350
What they all have in common
is that a modular,
281
00:17:07,420 --> 00:17:10,620
delayed-action virus is the
key to success in each plan.
282
00:17:11,060 --> 00:17:15,260
But that brought up
one question.
283
00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:21,290
The assassination attempt that Nanao actually
did carry out isn't one of the simulations.
284
00:17:22,140 --> 00:17:26,400
Why did he suddenly switch over
to assassination at the last minute...
285
00:17:26,840 --> 00:17:30,680
...when he had so meticulously prepared
so many other plans?
286
00:17:31,180 --> 00:17:32,650
That's some
impressive digging.
287
00:17:32,950 --> 00:17:36,110
This sort of thing
is all I do.
288
00:17:36,350 --> 00:17:37,610
Why'd he do it, then?
289
00:17:37,690 --> 00:17:40,480
Are you trying to say that Nanao=A
was also a copycat...
290
00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:42,420
...under the influence
of that death threat?
291
00:17:43,090 --> 00:17:47,030
I can't think of any other reason why he
would abandon his carefully honed plans...
292
00:17:47,100 --> 00:17:51,690
...and use his wild card, the modular virus,
on an unplanned assassination attempt.
293
00:17:51,900 --> 00:17:54,800
Who made the death threat against
the Superintendent General, then?
294
00:17:54,870 --> 00:17:56,700
You sure love
to read into things...
295
00:17:56,770 --> 00:17:59,430
Let's focus on interpreting just
the things that actually happened.
296
00:17:59,510 --> 00:18:03,600
But now that he's shown us that server,
his story sounds plausible, doesn't it?
297
00:18:04,010 --> 00:18:05,500
Let me ask you
something, then.
298
00:18:05,850 --> 00:18:08,540
In spite of the fact that there were many
active crimes committed that day,
299
00:18:08,620 --> 00:18:12,450
why is it that there wasn't a single case
of cybercrime aside from Nanao's?
300
00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:17,690
Maybe someone only wanted Nanao
to commit a crime that day.
301
00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:20,920
It was also decided ahead of time
how he would fail.
302
00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:24,530
Which sets up Nanao as the culprit
behind the Laughing Man incident,
303
00:18:24,530 --> 00:18:26,860
which shook society
six years ago.
304
00:18:27,870 --> 00:18:31,130
Then who is it that's profiting
from this scheme?
305
00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:35,900
It's not hard to guess.
It's got to be the po... po... pol...
306
00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:43,980
Hey!
307
00:18:45,150 --> 00:18:48,750
You've been giving a lot
of roundabout explanations,
308
00:18:49,220 --> 00:18:51,490
but I think you're on
the right track. Don't you?
309
00:18:55,760 --> 00:18:59,890
Did you see my dummy barrier
get blown away at the hall that day?
310
00:19:01,600 --> 00:19:06,370
W-Wait, you're that lady who pinned down
that security guy at the crime scene?!
311
00:19:06,670 --> 00:19:07,830
Well, did you?
312
00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:10,040
Yes, I saw it happen.
313
00:19:10,550 --> 00:19:12,810
That barrier was a nasty
piece of work, wasn't it?
314
00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:15,720
Was there anything left of it?
Fragments of something?
315
00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:16,680
Yes.
316
00:19:19,850 --> 00:19:21,010
Here it is.
317
00:19:21,660 --> 00:19:22,710
Thanks.
318
00:19:22,990 --> 00:19:26,860
Don't mention it. Um, do you mind
if I asked you something, too?
319
00:19:27,900 --> 00:19:32,330
At first, I thought it was the police
themselves who were behind all this.
320
00:19:32,770 --> 00:19:35,040
But that attack barrier
was clearly different...
321
00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:38,400
...from the ones the police
had deployed on the perimeter.
322
00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:41,100
I've never seen a barrier
like that before.
323
00:19:41,480 --> 00:19:43,140
Was that really
the Laugh...
324
00:19:43,750 --> 00:19:45,710
Here's a word of warning
in return for the fragment.
325
00:19:46,150 --> 00:19:50,350
Knowing too much will get your body
in the real world eliminated.
326
00:19:54,360 --> 00:19:56,380
Hey, did you get disconnected
or something?
327
00:19:57,690 --> 00:19:59,560
No, I'm fine.
328
00:19:59,560 --> 00:20:03,330
I'm sorry, but I think
I'll call it a day.
329
00:20:03,770 --> 00:20:06,100
What? But you never finished
what you were saying!
330
00:20:06,100 --> 00:20:07,800
Sorry I caused
all this fuss.
331
00:20:12,840 --> 00:20:15,810
Geez, this place sure got dead
all of a sudden.
332
00:20:16,540 --> 00:20:19,210
Let's be realistic. Even if we get
worked up in places like this,
333
00:20:19,210 --> 00:20:21,440
it doesn't mean we'll
ever get to the truth.
334
00:20:21,750 --> 00:20:26,350
I'm not so sure about that! The real
Laughing Man might be watching!
335
00:20:26,490 --> 00:20:29,750
The instant you start
thinking that, it's all over.
336
00:20:30,190 --> 00:20:33,530
Or more to the point, this incident
is just too complicated.
337
00:20:33,530 --> 00:20:34,960
We'll get bored
with it eventually.
338
00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:38,090
I have to wonder if the Laughing Man
is just a symbolic phenomenon...
339
00:20:38,530 --> 00:20:43,870
...that was created by some
freak of nature in a corrupt world.
340
00:20:44,210 --> 00:20:48,300
I guess we're already copycats,
dancing to his tune like this...
341
00:20:48,380 --> 00:20:51,240
But even if all the incidents
were a phenomenon,
342
00:20:51,310 --> 00:20:54,150
I suppose you can't help but sense
some sort of common thread...
343
00:20:54,150 --> 00:20:57,810
in the initial kidnapping and the incidents
triggered by this death threat six years later,
344
00:20:58,150 --> 00:21:01,280
just like Baby Ruth said.
345
00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:07,500
I believe that those two incidents alone
were caused by the same talented culprit.
346
00:21:07,860 --> 00:21:12,530
All the others, regardless of the scale,
objective, and rationale of their crimes,
347
00:21:12,530 --> 00:21:15,400
were copies that were called into being
by the absence of their hero.
348
00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:19,340
Even so, it's still doubtful that the criminal
behind those two incidents...
349
00:21:19,340 --> 00:21:22,070
...who was the motivation for the rest,
was himself an original.
350
00:21:22,410 --> 00:21:23,400
Not bad, miss!
351
00:21:24,410 --> 00:21:25,970
Pretty slick!
352
00:21:31,350 --> 00:21:32,440
A forced transfer?
353
00:21:35,460 --> 00:21:36,620
What the...?
354
00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:43,830
Aw, why now?
355
00:21:45,430 --> 00:21:48,560
It was just getting good!
Can't I stay online a little longer?
356
00:21:48,900 --> 00:21:50,270
Aw, no fair!
357
00:22:05,720 --> 00:22:08,850
So that's what happened.
What do you think?
358
00:22:09,260 --> 00:22:11,380
Damn... Couldn't trace it.
359
00:22:11,790 --> 00:22:12,730
Hey!
360
00:22:12,790 --> 00:22:14,820
Hm? Did you say something?
361
00:22:15,530 --> 00:22:19,020
Geez, don't tell me you've
been diving this whole time!
362
00:22:20,300 --> 00:22:21,790
Damn, that's dangerous!
363
00:22:22,300 --> 00:22:26,370
Come on, I could be asleep
and still drive in this part of town.
364
00:22:26,370 --> 00:22:27,270
Anyway, you were saying?
365
00:22:28,410 --> 00:22:30,670
Oh, forget it.
I'm not gonna repeat myself.
366
00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:36,480
A phenomenon created by
copycats without an original...
367
00:22:37,150 --> 00:22:39,950
Two pieces don't
fit the puzzle...
368
00:22:41,290 --> 00:22:42,720
What are you
talking about?
369
00:22:43,420 --> 00:22:44,580
Forget it.
370
00:22:44,580 --> 00:22:46,580
371
00:23:16,460 --> 00:23:20,810
She's so cold and human
372
00:23:20,810 --> 00:23:23,710
It's something humans do
373
00:23:23,710 --> 00:23:26,020
She stays so golden solo
374
00:23:26,020 --> 00:23:29,080
She's so number nine
375
00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:31,830
She's incredible math
376
00:23:33,090 --> 00:23:36,110
Just incredible math
377
00:23:36,380 --> 00:23:40,570
And is she really human?
378
00:23:40,570 --> 00:23:43,860
She's just so something new
379
00:23:43,860 --> 00:23:46,110
A waking lithium flower
380
00:23:46,110 --> 00:23:48,970
Just about to bloom
381
00:23:49,060 --> 00:23:51,770
I smell lithium now
382
00:23:52,810 --> 00:23:55,890
Smelling lithium now
383
00:23:57,060 --> 00:24:01,100
How is she when she doesn't surf?
384
00:24:01,100 --> 00:24:04,930
How is she when she doesn't surf?
385
00:24:04,930 --> 00:24:07,830
How is she when she doesn't surf?
386
00:24:07,830 --> 00:24:12,030
I wonder what she does when she wakes up?
387
00:24:13,310 --> 00:24:16,600
When she wakes up?