7 hours ago
Why would the Drones just pass by without doing anything?
This doesn't make sense.
This isn't a setup, is it? lol
They said they couldn't read his Psycho-Pass because he was wearing a helmet.
You're kidding!
Whaaaaaaat? Then the street scanners are pointless!
Seriously?
Whooooooooooooooooooa!
So this is happening for real? That's awful.
But there's no such thing as murder here, right? lol
Dumbass. This is so obviously fake, lmao
I bet you the Bureau's behind this.
You moron. This isn't real, rofl
Calling the Drones in didn't work, right?
This is bad. Seriously, the Area Stress Level must be through the roof.
The end of the week is nigh!
I'm so scared that I can't go out!
I think you mean the end of the world, lol
Helmet, pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase!!
I got a call from my employer.
What did they say?
They said that the area's temporarily closed off, so I shouldn't try to go out.
If we go out, we'll be killed.
What if the Psycho-Pass check at the entrance doesn't work?
But surely the Psycho-Pass check should work, right?
Does this mean that it's dangerous no matter where you are?
Don't even poke your head outside. If they notice you're there, you might end up dead.
If you've got that kind of time on your hands, make a weapon.
Hand over your portable terminals and credit cards.
Give me the passwords too.
If you see someone wearing a helmet, watch out!
Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! Ruuuuuun!
What do I do?
If their Crime Coefficients can't be measured, there's no point calling the police, right?
Is that friend of yours okay? Isn't he in danger?
I don't know. I can't get through to him.
Someone pls recommend some everyday items that can be used as weapons
You could try swinging a potted houseplant around.
Huh? What's a houseplant?
Put something heavy in a sock.
Stop! Stop it!
Please stop! I'm begging—
Old-timers like you still stash money under their mattresses, right?
I saw it on the news.
Sounds handy. You can just digitize cash and nobody asks where it's from.
We don't have anything like that in this house.
I would like to show
Cut open my skull
Look into my head
I don't know why I'm so harsh
I can't be so brash
I'm going to crash
'Cause I feel
I can always show my everything to you
If this moment was for me
I try to hear, lend my ear
Voices inside, one link to join it all
Again
'Cause I feel
I can always show my everything to you
If this moment was for me
I try to hear, lend my ear
Voices inside, one link to join it all
So it goes
Again
#15: The Town Where Sulfur Falls
And thus, today we've brought together all you top honor students from the same school.
Greetings, ladies and gentlemen.
Don't you guys think it's totally unfair?
I mean, you all have promising futures.
But we know before we even try that we'll never amount to anything.
Why are you doing this?
Stop it! This is terrible!
This is nothing compared to the Sibyl System's cruelty.
Sibyl's Judgment has robbed us of any chance we had for a good career.
We live with no hope for the future.
But since you've all enjoyed Sibyl's blessing, you wouldn't understand, would you?
What the hell's your problem?!
We saw you take one of those helmets off earlier.
Huh?
So after causing all that mayhem, you thought you could just take the helmet off and play dumb.
That's screwed up, man.
You've got the wrong guy!
If you really think I did all that, why don't you check my Hu—
You helmet-wearing bastards are raising the Area Stress level of the whole neighborhood.
Whatever you do, just leave us the hell out of it!
This won't raise our Crime Coefficients, will it?
I read on the 'net before that if you fight in self-defense or attack criminals,
it actually reduces your Crime Coefficient instead.
It's chaos outside.
Call the Public Safety Bureau.
What is the Bureau doing?!
Stay inside and hide.
I didn't manage to escape...
So what happens when totally unrelated people get dragged into this?
Eh. They're trash who won't contribute anything to society anyway.
Aren't there latent criminals in there as well?
I bet all of your Hues have gotten clouded already.
The guys in helmets aren't the only criminals.
It's too late.
If those helmet people are killed, things'll be peaceful again, right?
Self defense. Self-defense. Self-defense...
No, no, no, no, no...
Come on, listen to yourselves!
It's not too late. We need to take matters into our own hands.
Isn't that dangerous?
It's better than doing nothing.
Several dozen cases...
No, several hundred cases!
The number keeps growing!
The brutality is spreading like a contagion.
Has the Psycho-Hazard grown by this much?
It's more than that.
At this point, it's become a full-blown riot.
The Area Stress Level is rising like crazy too.
Aren't they just latent criminals from the start?
It's not just the helmet-wearers who've gone on a rampage.
Must be a Psycho-Hazard...
It's begun...
Scared citizens are committing widespread acts of violence all over the place.
Someone without a helmet on is going on a rampage?!
Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! Ruuuuuuun!
Chief Kasei issued an emergency summons.
She's ordering all CID personnel to report for duty, including those who are off duty.
You sound restless.
Yeah, of course. This situation would make anyone uneasy.
What's awaiting us from here on out?
What will happen to this town?
I really like that ordinary side of yours.
You and I are both quite ordinary, essentially common people.
I've never thought of myself as avaricious.
I just long for a world in which everyday things are done in an everyday way.
That's all I really want.
Here we are, two ordinary, unremarkable people...
instigating crime in a town that isn't ordinary at all.
A town that isn't ordinary, huh?
How should I put it...
This town is like a parody of one of the old novels I used to read.
Like the ones by William Gibson?
More like Philip K. Dick, perhaps.
It's not as controlling as the society George Orwell depicted, and it's not as wild as what Gibson depicted.
I've never read Dick.
Which book would you recommend I read first?
"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"
They based an old movie on that story, didn't they?
Yes, though the original is quite different.
You should compare them when you have time someday.
I'll go ahead and download it.
Why don't you buy paper books?
E-books lack character.
Is that right?
Books aren't just something you read.
They're like a form of meditation.
Meditation?
Sometimes, when I'm not feeling well, I read books but I don't really absorb them.
When that happens, it makes me think about what could be getting in the way.
There are also books that I can absorb even when I'm feeling down.
Sometimes I wonder why.
It could be like mental conditioning.
I think it's all about the stimulation your brain receives when you turn the pages.
The feeling of flipping them over, one by one.
That's kind of a downer.
Hm?
When I talk with you, I feel like I've been missing out on something all my life.
You're reading too much into it.
Maybe.
It's about time.
Shall we go?
This is just a random thought, but...
Yeah?
It's just too perfect that such an outstanding hacker would be into Gibson.
We're currently facing an unprecedented crisis all across the metropolitan area.
When the Sibyl System was introduced, people believed it would eliminate all possibility of a riot among the citizens.
Therefore, the current Public Safety Bureau has neither the personnel nor the equipment to suppress such a mob.
We've been at peace for too long.
We're currently trying to bring in the border security Drones and equip them with non-lethal weapons,
but the situation out there requires prompt action.
Until a full-fledged suppression unit is formed,
we have no choice but to have those of you at the CID act as the last remaining shield to keep our citizens safe.
The cymatic scan-proof helmets we have observed hinder the functionality of the Dominators.
Stun batons are therefore our most effective weapon for dealing with the rioters.
I'll also permit the use of electromagnetic pulse grenades for crowd control in emergencies.
Once the helmet's electronics are knocked out by the EMP, you'll be able to use your Dominators in the usual way.
However, make sure you pay careful attention to when you use the grenades.
If you let off an EMP in the wrong location, you might disable vital city facilities as well.
How many grenades do we have?
Not many.
Probably enough to give out two to each person here.
You'll form teams of three.
Each team is to take an area and suppress the riots there one by one.
It'll be time-consuming and dangerous, but we don't have any other choice.
The whole town's future is at stake.
I'm counting on all of you.
I always knew you and I would be traveling down a dangerous road together.
But you never wanted to turn back.
Well, don't you think it's strange?
The Sibyl System.
All those people who are happy entrusting everything in their lives to some nonsense like that? They're the ones who are crazy.
I'm a foreigner, you know. I appreciate simply being able to live in this country.
Well, that's what I'd like to say,
but in the end it's just like you said, Makishima.
I also desire a world where we can just do everyday things in an everyday way.
This is my hometown. It's where I was born and raised.
I want to put things right as soon as possible.
These guys want to see what lies beyond the destruction you'll cause.
Beyond the destruction, huh?
Well, if that happens, more the better.
But I don't mind if this is the end.
How are you going with manipulating information on the 'net?
The AI I set up beforehand is already at work.
Makishima Shougo... He's really done it this time.
Hold on a sec, though.
We still haven't found conclusive evidence that Makishima has anything to do with these helmet incidents.
Think about it.
The moment an ordinary person even thinks of making something that'd undermine the Sibyl System, it shows in their Hue.
But whoever was behind the helmet designed it, mass produced it, and distributed it.
The whole process probably took a few months at least.
He'd have to order parts, arrange distribution and so on.
There's no way he'd be able to do that while avoiding all the scanners around town.
The only person who could make that helmet
is someone who could defeat the Sibyl System without needing one himself.
So he took advantage of a blind spot in the Sibyl System to engineer a mass Psycho-Hazard?
That was Makishima's goal?
No.
What?
Makishima's crimes always had a purpose behind them. He was always looking for answers.
This is a truly fearsome riot, but I can't believe that this chaos could be his only goal.
I agree with you, Inspector.
If all he wanted to do was watch the city burn, he'd be a lot easier for us to apprehend.
Ouch. Things are looking bad online too.
There's a mishmash of false rumors and real information flying back and forth.
I thought we were keeping a lid on media coverage?
Made-up rumors attract more attention anyway.
What the hell?
"The Bureau's killing all the townspeople"?!
We have to stop them!
Why don't you just run them over with the car?
No way!
Well, I thought it was a good idea.
In what way?!
This is the Public Safety Bureau!
Stop this violence immediately and lay down with your hands behind your head!
We have no choice but to resort to force.
Give them another warning!
This is the Public Safety Bureau!
Cease this violence immediately or we'll be forced to use Dominators!
We will not hesitate to use lethal force on those of you with high Crime Coefficients!
I repeat! Lay down with your hands behind your head!
Why are you doing this?!
The guys in helmets are the real criminals!
What's the Bureau going to do about all the helmets that are already out there?
We're the victims, aren't we?!
Shut up! You're breaking the law too!
What's the matter?
These guys are victims as well.
Yeah.
If the citizens hadn't been dragged into this, they wouldn't have become so violent.
No. I mean the helmet-wearers.
It might take time, but eventually they'll all be hunted down and killed, just like this lot.
And the ones we don't catch will be killed by gangs of citizens.
Something's been bothering me.
The false rumors on the 'net are getting worse and worse.
What if this is another case of Makishima manipulating information for his own purposes?
We already know that either he or one of his accomplices is an accomplished hacker.
Otherwise, all those crimes wouldn't have been possible.
Look at all those people who surrendered and took off their helmets.
They're scum who'd never be able to commit crimes otherwise.
In a sense, they're all just Makishima's pawns.
Hold on a sec.
If that's the case, then what is Makishima's goal?
Let's suppose that everything is going according to his plan.
Maybe he even anticipated what we'd do at this very moment.
Inspector, which riot locations were we asked to suppress first?
Let's see...
Here they are.
I think he's been playing us from the start.
What if the whole thing was set up so that the riots would flare up
in such a way that all the CID's detectives would be lured out?
You don't mean... No way!
I've spent these last five years desperately trying to figure out the Sibyl System.
"Distributed parallel processing by servers installed throughout the metropolitan area."
"A model system that makes iron-clad fault tolerance a reality."
Those are the catchphrases used by the Ministry of Welfare.
Of course, analyzing and measuring the Psycho-Pass of every citizen in this country
requires a great deal of computing power.
As you might imagine, such computational feats are impossible without distributed computing over a series of nodes.
However, the more I looked into it, the more I realized
that something about the flow of data made no sense.
Scanners throughout town, authorized counseling AIs, the Dominators, and so on...
At first glance, it looked like the data was just being distributed throughout the grid,
but it was actually just being passed from one place to another.
Then, I finally noticed it.
There's a single relay point that every piece of data transmitted through the Sibyl System
passes through at least once, without exception.
If we consider the possibility that there is a stand-alone system hidden there
that is responsible for all of Sibyl's processing and computation,
everything makes sense.
You really are a genius.
What's strange, though, is its capacity.
If everything really is handled by this one system,
the sheer throughput it must have is beyond what should be possible with current technology.
As well as that, it makes no sense to put it all in one place to begin with.
It's far too great of a security risk no matter how you look at it.
Maybe they just want to keep it secret at all costs.
Exactly.
But when I discover something that fishy, I can't help but sniff around.
I had to find out the truth behind the Sibyl System.
And you tracked it back to this facility?
This is the relay point at which all the cymatic scan data intersects.
There are also clear signs that the true power consumption in this area has been concealed.
I'm almost certain that the Sibyl System resides within this building: the Ministry of Welfare's Nona Tower.
Well, then...
why don't we all uncover the heart of the Great Prophetess?
Inspector Ginoza!
The man behind these incidents is planning to attack the Ministry of Welfare's Nona Tower!
The riots are just a diversion!
Don't be ridiculous!
You are not to leave your post based on groundless speculation!
People's lives are at stake!
But since all the Inspectors and Enforcers are out on the field, the government district in the Chuo Ward is empty!
The guard Drones might as well be scarecrows to these guys!
If we stay here and let them carry out their plan, we won't get a second chance to stop them!
Please let us go, if only us!
Okay!
You guys go there first and find out what's happening!
We'll continue to suppress the riots in each area.
If anything happens, let me know immediately!
Okay!
Here it is!
There's no way I could love anyone,
but I wish to be loved by someone in turn
The world may not have
ended yesterday after all,
but we will not budge
from where we are
God, in favor of which parts have you left us?
I receive no reply
I never do
Are you still here?
You'll never walk alone
I walk with you
I will share all your sins
Together with you
I walk
a trackless path
This is a world where the mental state and personal tendencies of humans can be quantified. While all sorts of inclinations are recorded and policed, these measured numbers used to judge people's souls are commonly called "Psycho-Pass".
This story is a work of fiction. The names of all individuals and organizations that appear in this show are fictitious and any similarity to those in existence in the real world is purely coincidental.