Ernest Serano, the revolutionary leader of Serano Genomics, fell prey to "The Laughing Man Incident" in 2024 when he was abducted and held for ransom by terrorists. Despite six years of continued investigation, Detective Yamaguchi was unable to solve the case. He contacted Togusa from Public Safety Section 9, hoping for a breakthrough, but met with an untimely demise soon after. His death was a significant setback for the investigation. Days later, during a police interview regarding interceptor suspicions, "The Laughing Man" issued a warning about his next attack. The perpetrator, an intangible hacker, started to take action once again.