The Prime Minister of Japan spins the dismantling of Section Nine as preventing a coup against a bunch of Right Wing terrorists ready to overthrow the government. This propels his party into winning re-election. However, no sooner does he do so than he discloses all of the information about the Laughing Man case. This includes revealing that Yakushima is the ringleader of the Murai vaccine cover up.
Togusa hears the Major has been killed and the rest of the team has been fingered for high treason. Deciding to kill Yakushima for his role in matters, he prepares to do a public assassination before Batou picks him up and reveals that they're all fine. The public dissolution of the team was a ploy and they are now all back on the job. Aoi, revealed to be the Laughing Man (as much as one actually exists), is offered a job at Section Nine but declines out of a desire to continue working as a librarian.
- Ambiguous Situation: Aoi points out that he only became the Laughing Man because of an anonymous essay that revealed the Murai vaccine was better than nanomachines. Who wrote the essay? He has not the slightest idea.
- And the Adventure Continues: Section Nine, while no longer officially existing, will continue their actions against enemies of the state.
- Blatant Lies: Section Nine is said to have been plotting a coup and have all been sentenced to prison or killed. They're fine and probably the most loyal government operatives in the dystopian future of the setting.
- Dude, Not Funny!: Togusa has this (understandable) reaction to everyone thinking it was hilarious he was going to throw his life away to avenge them.
- Call to Agriculture: A literary version as Aoi prefers his gentle life as a librarian versus Section 9's violent world of cyber-espionage.
- Heroic BSoD: The Major's "death" and the others being arrested is enough to call Togusa to break down and decide on Taking You with Me.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Togusa planned to go on one of these. Batou finds this outrageously funny when he finds out. Though Ishikawa finds it equally hilarious how Batou had a similar freakout when it appeared that the Umibozu had assassinated Kusanagi.
