At Ignatov's house, Ignatov and his wife, Stronskaya are having dinner together. As they eat, Stronskaya mentions to Ignatov that she had called Shindo earlier and told him that he could punch Ignatov once. Ignatov bitterly asks if she wants him to get beat up and Stronskaya teasingly replies that he could use it. Watching his wife, Ignatov is interrupted when his phone suddenly starts beeping. Picking it up, Ignatov discovers Shirogane calling him. Stronskaya asks Ignatov, "What's wrong?" and Ignatov tells her that it is a work call as he leaves to take it.
Stepping into his office, Ignatov sets up the call to be recorded and answers it. Shirogane greets Ignatov and introduces himself. Asking Shirogane what he wants, Ignatov is urged by Shirogane to pick his sides more carefully, arguing that he has more resources than Homura. Curious, Ignatov asks Shirogane, how much resources he has and Shirogane replies that he knows about Ignatov’s brother, Akira. After the call, Ignatov quickly changes into his work outfit and tells Stronskaya that he has to leave to follow a tip. Stronskaya urges Ignatov to call Shindo for back up, but Ignatov reassures her that he can take care of himself. Upset, Stronskaya scolds him for his lone wolf behavior and makes Ignatov promise to contact Shindo for help if he needs it. Still hesitant, Ignatov is asked by Stronskaya if he considers Shindo to be a burden, but Ignatov denies it and remarks that Shindo is his “belay partner.” Gently touching Ignatov’s left arm, Stronskaya calmly remarks that Ignatov should never let Shindo go then. Promising that he will, Ignatov then leaves and heads to his car.
Driving to a safe location, Ignatov plays the rest of the recorded phone call where Shirogane reveals that the Homura family were deeply involved with Akira’s death and asks if Ignatov really intends to work with his enemy. Cautious, Ignatov asks for proof. Shirogane agrees to provide it on the basis that Ignatov comes and find him himself, without any help from the PSB. Shirogane then reminds Ignatov that he can place Stronskaya back into the mental care facility at any time, before ending the call. Once the call ends, Ignatov activates his watch terminal and instructs Komissa to filter on the background noises and track the airplane engine sounds. Thinking for a bit, Komissa tracks the background noise back to a C3 Hyper Transport Company aircraft located at the Ariake Airport (Tokyo International Airport). With that location in mind, Ignatov starts driving towards the airport.
At Bifrost’s base, Homura is waiting for Shirogane who arrives late. Curious, Homura asks if Shirogane had some trouble. Shirogane instead informs him that he had a brief chat with Ignatov. After Shirogane sits back down in his chair, Roundrobin announces the resuming of the relation. Shirogane starts by flattering Homura of his elation at finally going head to head with Homura, whose family is revealed to have created the Roundrobin system. Meanwhile, Azusawa heads for the PSB building with a couple of automated transport vehicles. Upon arrival, Azusawa uses Kunizuka’s press pass to enter the building through the back door. Once inside, Azusawa presses a couple of buttons on his phone to activate the wasp drones inside his suitcase and fly them into a nearby vent.
In the PSB dining room, Todoroki and Hinakawa are having dinner together. Slurping his noodles, Todoroki remarks that he is glad that the "Kisaragi thing" worked out and that he is happy that Irie looked relieved. Though Todoroki admits that it kinds of turned his stomach seeing Irie be the coy type. Todoroki continues that while he accepts that most people try to hide stuff that is really important to them, he thinks Irie should be more open about “that stuff” (his feelings). Taking a bite of his sandwich, Hinakawa agrees. Meanwhile, Irie is waiting for Kisaragi on the balcony with a wrapped present in his hands. Pocketing it, Irie looks up to see Kisaragi arriving and asking why he wanted to meet her out here in the cold weather.
Inside the vents, the wasp drones make their way to the security room and start hacking it. In Shimotsuki’s office, a bored Shimotsuki starts sighing when she suddenly receives a report from Division Three that Kunizuka is in critical condition at the hospital. As Shimotsuki goes to order Division Three to comb the area for potential suspects, the comm links start shutting down as the wasp drones successfully take control of the system. Suddenly, the windows shutters go down and the building goes into lockdown. In Hosorogi’s office, Hosorogi senses the disruption as Todoroki and Hinakawa watch the shutters coming down from the dining room. Outside, Kisaragi interrogates Irie if them being locked out was his idea, but an insulted Irie denies it.
At the front of the building, a fence appears as a number of drones line up and create a barrier. In the basement, Azusawa announces the start of the game as Jackdaw and Vixen revive themselves utilizing the same trick as Enomiya’s men from the back of the automated trucks parked in the PSB’s underground parking area. Synchronizing their watches, Jackdaw reminds Vixen to remember their motto and Vixen replies, “Training is always harder than the execution!” as she pulls off the cloth covering a sniper turret. In the PSB conference room, Karanomori is busy setting up the equipment while an exhausted Komiya is getting ready for a web meeting. Giggling, Komiya’s hair stylist compliments Komiya on her lipstick and Karanomori asks if the present is from Shindo. Fed up, Mitsumori firmly instructs Karanomori to leave as soon as she has finished checking the equipment. Brushing him off, Karanomori remarks that she already knows that a latent criminal shouldn’t be addressing the Governor so casually. But Komiya remarks that it is alright as Karanomori’s hue is recovering.
Surprised, Karanomori asks how Komiya knew and Komiya replies that she knows by the level of composure Karanomori showed when she said “latent criminal.” Elated, Karanomori joyfully remarks that Komiya sounds like Shindo and asks if he is doing well. Komiya replies that Shindo is first rate. Karanomori is called away by one of the technicians who informs her that he cannot sync to the main server. All of a sudden, the lights start flickering. In another part of the PSB building, Jackdaw is setting up some gas canisters as the rest of the workers notice that they have been locked out. In the holding cell room, Azusawa arrives and rescues Obata who angrily asks Azusawa what took him so long. Giving Obata the sports bag with her clothes in it, Azusawa is further reprimanded by Obata for not making an effort to show up five minutes early to an arranged meeting like a proper adult. In Division Two’s office, Division Two notices the disruption in the holding cells and in the main server. Noticing the situation, Inogashira suggests to Bando that they get their Dominators and head to the holding cells. Bando agrees and the teams sets off as Azusawa releases the prisoners from their cells.
Grabbing the freed prisoners’ attention, Azusawa provides them with weapons and manipulates them into attacking Division One, Two and the SAD. Noticing the more reluctant former members of Heaven's Leap, Azusawa uses an image of Aschenbach’s corpse, their faith and their desire for revenge to goad them into action. Turning away, Obata calls the prisoners, “Idiots.” Azusawa coldly remarks that it was their choice, and in the end, they are all responsible for their own actions as the pair head into the elevator. Obata proclaims that everyone should make their own path even if it leads to hell The elevator door then closes as Bando and Enforcer Kasumi Seno arrive and get attacked by the criminals.
In Division One’s office, Shindo is sleeping when he suddenly gets a rude wake-up call from Azusawa. Meanwhile in the dining room, Todoroki is checking the door shutters as he asks Hinakawa if the shutdown is a disaster drill. Hinakawa replies that his watch terminal is acting up. Suddenly, there is a scream as a worker gets attacked by a trio of latent criminals. The trio then spot Hinakawa and Todoroki and goes to attack them. However, Hinakawa and Todoroki easily knock them out and tie them up. At the same time, Obata arrives in Karanomori’s office and uses her laptop to locate "Factor 1." In the dining room, Todoroki is securing the criminals and asks Hinakawa what they should do. Hinakawa surmises that someone has hacked the security room and has taken control of all the doors, windows and elevators. Taking the initiative, Todoroki suggests checking the emergency exits next. Checking the emergency doors, Hinakawa and Todoroki discover that they cannot access them either. Angry, Todoroki kicks the door, shouting out his frustration. Kneeling down, Hinakawa explains that the shutters were originally set up to prevent latent criminals from escaping and starts hacking the door.
On a lower level, Inogashira and Morikubo enter an office. Spotting a dead body, Inogashira yells for Morikubo to stop. When Morikubo comes back, Inogashira is stunned when Morikubo is attacked from behind by Vixen. Vixen then kills Inogashira. Meanwhile, Shimotsuki is still analyzing the situation from her office. Convinced that it is an attack, Shimotsuki grabs her stun baton and pepper spray. Hearing a banging at her door, Shimotsuki goes to attack the potential attacker, only to accidentally spray Todoroki in the face. Hinakawa then rushes into the room as Shimotsuki apologizes to Todoroki.
At Ariake Airport, Ignatov arrives in his car. Noticing another car driving up, Ignatov is surprised to see Sugo stepping out of the car. Introducing himself, Sugo is asked by an upset Ignatov if he was tailing him. Sugo confirms it and asks Ignatov what he is doing at the airport. Ignatov replies that he is following up on a tip. However, Sugo explains that they know he is lying because they have been tapping his phone calls and they didn’t intercept any tips. So Sugo asks where he got the tip from. Ignatov refuses to answer and angrily remarks that he will file a formal complaint with his superior. Sugo reminds Ignatov of their respective jurisdictions and tries to take him in for questioning. However, the pair then get fired at by a sniper turret. Avoiding the gunfire, Sugo gets shot in the arm and Ignatov has to drag him to a safe spot. In the PSB parking area, Jackdaw is using the remote terminal in the truck to fire at the pair. Hiding behind Sugo’s vehicle, Sugo calls Hanashiro for backup.
Back at the PSB, the lights go out in the conference room where Karanomori and Komiya are located. Suddenly, an announcement comes over the P.A. system announcing that latent criminals have escaped and that everyone has to evacuate to the underground parking area, not knowing that Obata is the announcer. Repeating what Obata said, Karanomori becomes suspicious as Mitsumori tries to evacuate everyone into the elevators. However, before Komiya can step into the elevator, Karanomori pulls Komiya back and warns her that it is a trap. However, Karanomori’s warning comes too late. The elevator falls before Mitsumori and others can get out of the elevator, killing everyone within. In Shimotsuki’s office, Shimotsuki informs Hinakawa and Todoroki about the attack on Kunizuka, but reassures the pair that Kunizuka is going to make it. Taking charge, Todoroki suggests they take care of the assailants, while Hinakawa states that they should assume that the security and server room has been taken over. Shimotsuki agrees to both suggestions, but adds that they should secure the Dominators first. Moaning, Todoroki remarks that the storage room is 35 floors down on the 20th floor, but Shimotsuki insists on going.
In Kisaragi's room, Azusawa is pouring himself a cup of coffee as a bound Shindo regains consciousness. Before he can talk to Shindo, Azusawa receives a message from Obata that Factor 1 (Komiya) has survived the elevator trap. Smiling, Azusawa remarks that its not going to be easy to get rid of her. Calling out to Azusawa, Shindo remarks that it wasn’t a bright idea coming for the Governor at the PSB headquarters. Flustered, Azusawa sarcastically chides Shindo for his rude greeting, feigning being emotionally hurt. Ignoring him, Shindo continues the conversation and asks if Azusawa used "Foxes" to get in. Azusawa joyfully replies that there are Foxes everywhere, even in the PSB.
Shindo surmises that Azusawa had let them arrest Obata on purpose and Azusawa declares that Shindo is right. Shindo replies that he had a hunch that was the case and realizes that they were set up right from the start, when he had asked Karanomori to investigate the paparazzi drones. Azusawa confirms it and Shindo realizes that Azusawa’s specialty is calculation. Shindo replies that there must be something wrong with Azusawa if his crime coefficient didn’t rise from it. Azusawa calmly remarks that he is just more well-adjusted than him. Shindo adds that Azusawa is crazy for trying to kill the Governor when he doesn’t even want to kill her.
Staring down at his cup, Azusawa replies that he has no interest in killing the Governor, but he wants to test whether human nature is in accordance with Sibyl. Azusawa further adds that Komiya will live if she makes the right choice and shows good citizenship, causing Shindo to ask if he really isn’t doing anything. Azusawa remarks that he merely made a fork in the road and while he doesn’t wish for Komiya’s death, whatever happens will happen. Back at Ariake Airport, Ignatov and Sugo are still hiding behind the car. Judging that it is a sniper turret, Ignatov is handed a gun by Sugo who declares that he will use himself as a decoy. Ignatov argues that Sugo is injured, but Sugo rebuts that he is going to bleed out anyway, so it is now or never. Ignatov reluctantly agrees. Making his move, Sugo runs around dodging the sniper bullets and using the cars as shields. Dodging an exploding gas tanker, Sugo hits the ground as Ignatov rushes over and fires on the sniper turret using Sugo’s gun. Successfully disabling it, Ignatov notices another turret in the distance and almost gets hit by the bullets. Ginoza then suddenly shows up in a aircraft and shoots the turret down as Kogami and Hanashiro watch on. Back at the PSB, Jackdaw heads to his next task as Vixen finishes her second task and heads to take care of Factor 2.
At Ariake Airport, the aircraft lands and Hanashiro assesses the situation. Hanashiro declares that she will take Sugo to the hospital in Ignatov’s car, while Kogami declares that he will trace the turret’s operator by air. Hearing this, Ignatov asks to be taken along, but Kogami is doubtful that Ignatov will be of help to them. Ignatov says that he will be of help and the three of them including Ginoza fly off in the aircraft. Meanwhile, Division Three is trying to get inside the PSB, but the drones will not accept their IDs. One of the Enforcers then points out that reporters are gathering nearby, so their Inspector orders them to not let them get close. In Hosorogi’s office, Jackdaw arrives and holds Hosorogi at gun point. At the same time, in a stairwell, Karanomori cautions Komiya to take care of her hue and Komiya remarks that Karanomori should do the same. Karanomori replies that she is used to situations like this and Komiya tells her that she is not that fragile either. Scurrying through the halls, Karanomori and Komiya arrive at the waste recovery room. Searching the room, Karanomori finds a box with pill bugs in it and starts fixing them.
Outside on the balcony, Kisaragi and Irie are still trying to get inside when suddenly their Komissa’s appear with a bulletin from Azusawa. Azusawa begins his bulletin by summing up the situation and demands that Komiya return to the conference room in thirty minutes and announce her resignation as Governor, otherwise, he will have the hostages killed. Azusawa then repeats Obata’s earlier caution about arriving five minutes early and ends the bulletin. Before Azusawa can end the broadcast, Shimotsuki interrupts and informs Azusawa that they will meet all of his demands, in exchange for Komiya’s location first. Azusawa retorts that he will not allow Shimotsuki to use the call to stall for time and ends the call. Closing her terminal, Shimotsuki is asked by Hinakawa for their next move and Shimotsuki replies that they follow the plan and secure the Dominators first. Shimotsuki adds that they will have to avoid the surveillance cameras as well. Outside, Kisaragi is disgusted that Azusawa got in. Irie asks what they should do next and Kisaragi replies that they will fight back of course and suggests that they climb up to the roof.
In Kisaragi's room, Azusawa walks up to Shindo and remarks that the next 30 minutes will be fun. Disgusted, Shindo asks if Azusawa thinks this is all a game. Azusawa retorts that society is a game that runs on the rules of the Sibyl System and declares that those who cannot “fathom its rules deserve to lose.” Shindo disagrees and declares that Sibyl is not a game as it provides people with direction in life. Shindo then asks if Azusawa wants to be more than a player and Azusawa replies that he wants to be perfect. Disappointed, Azusawa remarks that he thought Shindo would understand as they have a lot in common. Shindo disagrees and remarks that they are couldn’t be more different. Azusawa rebuts that they do have something in common, Shindo’s father, Atsushi and asks if Shindo didn’t become an Inspector to solve Atsushi’s death.
Whispering, Azusawa tells Shindo that he should give up on it, as Atsushi drove people to madness. Angry, Shindo yells at Azusawa to shut up and declares that his father wouldn’t do that. Azusawa agrees that this fact is true in the Ministry of Welfare’s records, however, Atsushi wasn’t a saint. Azusawa then reveals that he was taught to manipulate people by Atsushi, so he knows what he is talking about. Shindo argues that his father wouldn’t have used his mentalist skills for personal gain, causing Azusawa to ask if Shindo believes that the ends justify the means. Shindo argues that his father always used his skills for others and wasn’t selfish like Azusawa.
Fed up, Azusawa flatly tells Shindo that he doesn’t care about himself and only wants to know the truth about the world. All of a sudden, Shindo goes into a mental trace and has a vision of the red beast in the Sibyl System room. Noticing Shindo’s reaction, Azusawa notices that Shindo used mental trace and remarks that Shindo won’t get his hue to cloud any further. Leaving, Azusawa grabs his coat and tells Shindo that Atsushi wanted to be a Congressman, like he does too.
In the waste recovery room, Karanomori lets one of the pillbugs loose as Komiya asks about the communications. Karanomori explains that Azusawa and his crew are only blocking internal communications, so they can still send radio waves. Komiya asks if they should meet Azusawa’s demands, but Karanomori insists that would make everything worse and asks about Ma-Karina. Komiya replies that Ma-Karina agrees, but doing so would cloud her hue. Karanomori remarks that Azusawa is a twisted man for making one choose between their life and hue. Komiya asks what they should do and Karanomori tells her to trust them. Meanwhile, in Kisaragi's room, Shindo is struggling against his ropes. Finding himself unable to break free, Shindo falls. Sensing that the cologne bottle has fallen out of his pocket, Shindo grabs it.
In the stairway, Shimotsuki, Hinakawa and Todoroki make their way to the storage room. Shimotsuki then starts discussing Azusawa’s demands and Todoroki declares that Azusawa will probably kill Komiya. Shimotsuki agrees and remarks that they will either have to rescue the hostages or apprehend the perpetrators while trying to regain control of the system. Suddenly, a pillbug lands on Shimotsuki’s left shoulder and she freaks out. Regaining her composure, Shimotsuki activates her communicator, revealing Karanomori on the line. Shimotsuki and the team move to a nearby female toilets to continue the call. In the toilet, Shimotsuki reveals that she is glad, Komiya and Karanomori is safe. Karanomori starts the call by summing up their current situation and Shimotsuki reconfirms their plan. Karanomori adds that she has added a program to keep their GPS locations hidden as another one of her pillbugs is moving through the vents.
Concerned, Komiya asks about Shindo as Shindo struggles to reach the nearby huge fan in Kisaragi's room and break the cologne bottle. Karanomori replies that they have to check where the gas is first to narrow the others’ locations and discover which routes are safe. Karanomori uses the pillbug to access the biochem weapons defense system and discovers that the gas has risen to the 20th floor. Komiya suggests filtering the gas to get their components. Doing so, Karanomori discovers that there is a high amount of alcohol in the gas and deduces that it is from the cologne that Komiya gave Shindo, Komiya realizes that it must be a message from Shindo and Karanomori narrows the source down to Kisaragi’s room. In Kisaragi’s room, Shindo prays that Karanomori notices the smell.
In the waste recovery room, Karanomori tells Shimotsuki of their plan to rescue Shindo, but Shimotsuki warns them that it is too risky. Komiya interrupts and says that they cannot leave Shindo alone and Karanomori convinces Shimotsuki to let them go. Shimotsuki reluctantly agrees and ends the call. Karanomori and Komiya then make their way to Kisaragi’s room. In Karanomori’s office, Obata suddenly notices the pillbug and orders her wasp drones to attack it. In the vents, the pillbug and the wasp drones fight, with the pillbug and its new mods coming out on top.
Seeing her wasps defeated, an irritated Obata contacts Azusawa and informs him of the situation. Azusawa reassures Obata that everything will be fine and that she can handle it. Obata curses Azusawa as Azusawa continues to trace Komiya. Looking at the screen, Azusawa contacts Vixen and asks her to check on Shindo’s location. Vixen asks about Factor 2 (Hosorogi), but Azusawa instructs her to take care of it later. Jackdaw in the meantime is escorting Hosorogi to the roof at gunpoint. In the aircraft, Ginoza informs Kogami and Ignatov that the sniper turrest’s operating signal came from the PSB building. Kogami turns to Ignatov and asks what is going on there. Ignatov just grimaces.
At the PSB building, Azusawa announces that their time limit is up. Shimotsuki tries to stall for time, but Azusawa doesn’t fall for it. Azusawa then has Komissa show everyone footage from the roof, where Jackdaw is holding Hosorogi at gunpoint on the ledge of the roof as Kogami, Ginoza and Ignatov arrive. Trying to land, the aircraft is met with more sniper fire and they are forced to pull back, barely dodging a missile. On the ground, Division Three gets startled. Back on the roof, a calm Hosorogi tells Jackdaw that killing her is meaningless. Jackdaw retorts that they are the ones to decide what is meaningless. As the aircraft continues to take fire, Hosorogi disagrees and states that she is but a small fragment of this world, before stepping off the ledge.
Falling, Hosorogi crashes into the bottom of the building and dies. This move frantically energizes the press who start preparing to get their drones ready, causing Division Three to intervene. Watching the video, Azusawa blames Shimotsuki for Hosorogi’s death and warns her that Shindo is next. On the roof, the cloak covering a turret comes undone as it prepares to fire at the aircraft again. Firing, the turret nicks the aircraft’s right engine. From behind the turret, Irie remarks that things are a lot worse than he thought and Kisaragi agrees that they must get rid of it first.
In the elevator, Jackdaw contacts Vixen and tells her that he is going to turn on the sniper turret at Point B next and asks about her situation. Vixen replies that she is right on time. At the same time, Komiya and Karanomori stop to retrieve some gas masks before heading to Kisaragi’s room. Breaking in, Komiya and Karanomori untie a relieved Shindo. The group barely escapes before Vixen arrives.