Science, to mankind
and to me, is the light.
- Oh, Scientific Crime Countermeasures Office. - Yes?
It was Director Shimazaki who established this office.
I just lent my name.
So you're Senior Superintendent Kohiruimaki. My name is Hasebe Tsutomu.
I know.
Doctor Mogami is a brilliant scientist.
She suddenly disappeared from the scientific community 3 years ago.
If we could bring her in as our advisor...
Modern science has now
reached a line that we should not cross.
Beyond that is...darkness.
Scientific progress is always accompanied by problems.
Scientists can't repress their inquisitive minds. That's why I...
If man's abilities can be improved through the power of science,
I don't think it's a bad thing to want to give it a try.
Science has a dangerous line that should not be crossed.
Why did you step away from the scientific community?
That's none of your business.
Then please leave me alone too.
- I can't leave you alone. - That line just now,
it totally sounds you're on the verge of a romance, doesn't it?
I'm Saegusa with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
Did you find any useful information?
I thought that an organization called Body Hacker Japan might be suspicious.
Carl Khan...
Daddy, carry me.
Kohhi, is your wife...
She's been sick in the U.S. for a long time
and she may never wake up again.
That's the story.
Ami...
She will be frozen at minus 196°C and
will be kept safe under lock and key at Trance Brains Headquarters.
Until the day science makes progress
and the technology to resuscitate a corpse is perfected.
What's with your obsession with the progress of science?
It's impossible to bring her back to life with today's technology.
I know that.
But still... I want to believe.
I used to believe that you would open the new door of science.
3 years ago, you saw the line that shouldn't be crossed
with your own eyes, didn't you?
Mogami Yukiko
Have you decided on your order?
I'm meeting someone so not yet.
Certainly.
On second thought, can you save two of these strawberry parfaits for me?
- I'll be ordering them later. - Yes, certainly.
How have you been? There's something I'd like to tell you in person. Can you make some time for me tomorrow?
Hayami Mao
- There's an ambulance. - Huh?
Did someone go down?
At around 1:30 this afternoon,
a patient who suffered cardiopulmonary arrest was transported to North Nakano Hospital.
The doctors performed resuscitation measures,
but the patient died 20 minutes later.
The cause was determined to be old age, as there was no trauma or pre-existing medical conditions.
What?
Why are we investigating a granny's death due to old age?
This patient is
- 35 years old. - 35?!
You're kidding, right? She's all wrinkled up.
Could it be Werner syndrome?
Wer... What's that?
So why do you always sit on my jacket?
Werner syndrome is an intractable disease in which
patients develop symptoms such as premature hair loss or graying and cataracts,
and they end up looking elderly even when they're in their 20's.
Cases can be found all over the world, but
it's also a mysterious disease in that about 60 percent of the patients are Japanese.
Then did this patient have that disease?
Since Werner syndrome progresses over a period of several years,
it doesn't apply in this case.
This is the footage from a surveillance camera at the time of her collapse.
She got wrinkled all of a sudden.
What's going on here?
According to her driver's license, she was born on January 15, 1987.
Her occupation is science journalist.
- Her name is... - Hayami Mao.
Doctor, do you know her?
We were supposed to meet today.
What?
What does that mean?
The Eternal Light
Pandora's Fruit
Scientific Crime Investigation File
Hayami-san was Doctor's senpai in college,
and they were also research partners.
No wonder she won't go in.
But shouldn't she see her before the autopsy gets going?
Yes, she should.
Meishun University
Dept. of Forensic Medicine
Doctor...
I'm sorry for saying she's all wrinkled up.
Are you okay?
Huh? I'm totally fine.
Okay...
Don't you think you should see her?
Yeah, I was just thinking about going in.
But we still don't know if she's Senpai, right?
- I know you don't want to believe it, but... - Maybe they just look alike.
We found her dental record.
As a result of the comparison, the body is Hayami Mao-san without a doubt.
Well, I guess I'll go see her then.
- Shibayama Sensei. - Yes?
I'd like to leave them alone for a while.
I can do that.
A G C T T C...
Oh?
There's a gene for a virus in here that doesn't belong to the mouse.
Actually, it's very likely that the virus infected and was absorbed by the host.
Maybe it's affecting the evolution of the host.
What?
No, I was just thinking that you're such a research fool.
Doesn't that apply to you too, Senpai?
True.
Don't you think science is the light of mankind?
What's that, out of the blue?
And you, Doctor, are the one who produces that light. That's what I believe.
You mean you and me together, right? We're partners.
Yeah. Thanks.
Science is the light of mankind, huh?
That may not be a bad thing.
Right?
What are you doing, turning into an old biddy?
Chief, when the doctor comes out,
please say something to her.
What do you think I should say to her?
I dunno...
Something like, "You wanna go eat?"
Or "You want some snacks?"
Do you believe that people feel better if they eat something?
I mean, people do feel better after eating and sleeping.
No, I don't think it's that simple.
Doctor's a glutton for food.
- True. - She's constantly talking about food...
Who did you say was a glutton for food?
I meant...
- Shall we go out for a meal? - Right away?
- A meal? - Yes.
You don't go through steps or anything, do you?
Wow, I didn't know this was so sweet.
You bought it yourself, didn't you?
What the heck, you seem to be okay.
About what?
Huh? Were you worried about me?
Well, yeah.
I'm fine, I'm fine!
See? What did I tell you? It's all about food. Food.
To eat is to live. Itadakimasu.
You can tell us while you eat.
You were supposed to meet Hayami-san today, right?
Yeah, although I hadn't kept in touch with Senpai since
- we shut down the lab 3 years ago. - 3 years ago...
Yesterday, she contacted me out of the blue.
"Something to tell you in person"?
What do you suppose she wanted to tell you?
I don't know.
As I recall, Hayami-san was working with you at
an institute specializing in virus research, right?
Yeah, that's right.
But research of viruses sounds kinda dangerous.
Hasedon, don't talk about viruses as if they're the villains.
- My thoughts exactly. - Huh?
But they're villains, aren't they?
Because viruses can't survive on their own,
they need to infect the host.
- Host? - The body that harbors the virus.
A viral infection
can make the host sick at times.
But there are over a million kinds of viruses on earth, and
there are far fewer viruses that are harmful to humans.
Huh? Is that right?
In fact, there are cancer-fighting viruses and
viruses that eat cells.
Such viruses are
being studied for the treatment and prevention of diseases.
I guess that means there are good guys too.
It's also thanks to a viral infection that occurred a long time ago that
the placenta evolved to nurture human babies.
Viruses have evolved together with life.
The objective of our research
was to find the origin of life from viruses.
That's of such large magnitude, I can't get my head around it.
Well, although I did quit halfway through.
Doesn't the fact that she was a science journalist
mean she wasn't doing research anymore?
It seems so.
By the way, what is it that causes aging in the first place?
The mechanism of aging isn't known yet.
According to one theory, every time the cells multiply, it causes damage to their DNA.
You get senescent (aging) cells as a result of the accumulation of that damage to the DNA,
- and that's said to cause the aging process. - I see.
- Then there's no way to prevent it, right? - That's not entirely true.
In 2021, a research group from Japan
developed a vaccine that eliminates senescent cells.
Oh, wow.
If aging can be stopped, it's said that man's healthy life expectancy
can be extended to about 120 years of age.
So that means you can work past the age of 100.
Working upwards of 50 years from now will be a pain the ass.
And the retirement age will probably be extended as well.
- Did you find something? - Yeah.
Looks like she was participating in a networking event for freelance researchers.
Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare...
So was Hayami-san at that networking event to gather information for her article?
It seems she wasn't there to cover the event.
From what I heard from my junior who attended,
this person called Hayami-san
was intently asking the other researchers on things like
ways to raise funds for research and
ways to obtain virus-related patent.
- Patent? - Yes.
- For what virus? - I'm sorry, I didn't get that far...
An unknown virus?
We got a report from Shibayama Sensei, the medical examiner.
Hayami-san was found to be infected with this unknown virus.
She said she's never seen a genetic sequence like this, even at the forensic lab.
Prometheus virus.
Prometheus? Do you know this virus?
Is this perhaps the virus you were studying with Hayami-san?
Prometheus is a god in Greek mythology.
He provided fire and gave hope to mankind.
What happened 3 years ago?
I crossed a line that I shouldn't have crossed.
It all started with a virus I discovered by accident.
An unknown virus?
When I was transferring infected cell culture...
Only this bottle is multiplying abnormally.
It's dividing quickly.
Did it become malignant?
But cancer markers haven't gone up.
Does this mean that the cells are no longer aging?
Aging markers haven't changed either.
This is incredible! It's a major discovery!
It's still just cell culture. You're overreacting.
You finally, did it, Doctor.
You produced the light.
That means you discovered a virus
- that stops the aging process, right? - Wow.
You mean immortality will be realized?
Yes. It's definitely the first step.
That's what I thought at first too.
For us at that time, that virus was our hope.
That's why we named it Prometheus.
If you expose it at room temperature, half a day is the limit.
It only infects by contact and it's infectivity is low.
What's the matter?
The Prometheus virus
lost its infectivity in about half a day when exposed to room temperature.
And it had the unusual property of getting activated instantly
when subjected to intense motion and vaporizing.
You sure are a handful.
If the tube explodes,
the surrounding organisms could be infected.
So we normally had it in a case so that it wouldn't move around,
and had it stored at -80° C.
Research sounds like a hassle~!
I never thought of it as a hassle.
To the contrary, I couldn't hold back my inquisitive mind.
That's only natural for a scientist.
In order to apply that virus to human beings,
we moved on to the next step.
Day 36 of progress observation.
Today is December 24th.
No infection on the subject was observed again today.
Senpai.
What's this?
Christmas present.
Cheap.
Thanks.
We'd like to hang in there for another 50 days under the same condition.
Day 141 of progress observation.
Again, no infection was observed.
Day 215 of progress observation.
Again, no infection was observed.
Winter turned to spring,
and even when summer came, the individual cells were not infected.
Doctor! Look at this.
What?
They're infected.
We did it, Doctor!
It was 16 months after we started the research of
the Prometheus virus that we were able to confirm infection in a monkey.
Incredible... And then? What happened?
Darkness.
A deep...darkness.
Senpai, let's start heading home.
What was that?
The infected monkey was
cannibalizing another monkey.
What was there wasn't a monkey anymore
but it looked like a completely different creature.
With the power of science,
I managed to produce darkness.
In return for stopping the aging process,
a large amount of energy became necessary to sustain vital activities.
To the infected monkey,
the other monkey in front of him was nothing more than food.
Are you sure you want to destroy them all?
This virus is a major discovery, you know. If only a sample...
This is too much for mankind to handle.
Pandora's box was about to get opened because of us.
We have to seal it shut now.
I made a recommendation for you.
Professor Kuryu is my mentor, so
I'm sure he'll welcome you, Senpai.
What about you, Doctor?
I'm planning to stay away from the scientific community for a while.
Then I'm not going.
Why? There's no other lab that offers such good conditions, you know.
But you and I, we're partners, aren't we?
Senpai, you go your way.
I'll be fine.
Thanks for everything.
But why did Hayami-san age so rapidly
when the virus is effective in stopping the aging process?
I think it must've have mutated.
Mutated?
The gene sequence is slightly different.
A variant...
This doesn't exist in nature.
It's a virus that we created for sure.
Pandora's box
has been opened.
Sorry~.
Tachikawa, Tokyo Tatenokawa Park
- You're too slow. - Sorry... Thanks.
- How many today? - Today? You mean medal goal?
After I managed to swipe two,
I ruined one of them~.
Yeah, the other one is safe.
It's probably a liquid type of drug since she was carrying it protectively.
Okay, talk to you later.
What is it?
For real? Why, why, why?
- Want one? - Can I?
Give me your hand.
- No way! - The gum disappeared.
And this will...
That's awesome.
Now, where is it?
In your pocket?
When did it get there?
The correct answer is...
The body is Kawai Eito, 42.
He was unemployed, but had a criminal record for pick-pocketing and bag snatching.
This body sure don't look 42 years old.
Any surveillance cameras at the scene?
Unfortunately, they weren't working.
Two days ago, there was a brief power outage in this whole area.
No clues, huh?
Tokyo Tachikawa Police Station
Actually, it seems a high school girl was watching, and
filmed the scene with her cell phone. This is it.
That's awesome.
- Now, where is it? - Huh? Where is it?
The correct answer is...
It's exactly the same as Senpai's case.
It's a variant of the Prometheus virus.
Excuse me.
Two days ago, Kawai was caught snatching on camera under an elevated bridge in Nakano.
Wait!
May I see that for a minute?
It's Hayami-san.
Pieces are falling into place.
She had it in her possession after all.
Kawai stole all this, huh?
This is it.
There are signs that the virus was released.
It's okay.
It's lost its infectivity already.
This is where Kawai opened and tried to check out the content of
the case he stole from Hayami-san.
That's when he shook the tube and it broke.
He got infected by the virus that squirted out of it.
What an idiot. That's what happens when you don't handle it with care.
Subjecting the Prometheus virus to intense motion
causes it to activate and vaporize.
Isn't that right, Doctor?
Doctor.
There were no laboratory equipment in Senpai's room.
There's no way she can mutate the virus.
But maybe she was working on it elsewhere?
Nowadays, there are even facilities where
you can rent research space such as a rental lab.
This guy must know something.
"14:00 in front of the food truck at Tatenokawa Park"?
Tatenokawa Park is the scene.
Was he trying to sell it thinking it was drugs?
"Two for 80,000 yen"...
Two for?
Only one broke.
Ohno-san, please show me the video you showed me earlier.
Ah, yes.｡
Here you go.
That's awesome!
Now, where is it?
This boy has the virus.
We're rushing over to Tatenokawa Park.
- Request backup from the local police. - Will do.
Look for this skateboard boy.
Security Guard, please pass on the instructions.
All right. Thank you.
Looks like Kawai's transaction partner was a dealer of illegal drugs.
He said he didn't know anything about the virus.
Was Senpai was continuing her research after all?
But where...
What I don't understand is why Hayami-san
took out the virus.
Why did Hayami-san, who knew the virus well,
expose it to room temperature?
I can only think that she had a need to take it out...
Unfortunately, it wasn't working.
Two days ago, there was a brief power outage in this whole area.
Wait!
It was the power outage, Doctor!
If the temperature reaches room temperature due to power outage, the virus will die out.
That's why she took it out!
While she was try to take it elsewhere, Kawai snatched it away.
In other words, Hayami-san's laboratory is located
somewhere in the area where the power went out.
Oh, sorry. Have you seen this boy?
Excuse me. Have you seen this boy?
There he is, on the go-cart.
Police here! Stop your car, everybody.
I want you to stop the car and get out slowly.
Thanks.
You over there! You!
Let's stop the car, shall we?
Good, good.
Get out slowly from there.
The Bioterrorism Response Squad has arrived.
Okay.
Come over here.
Hey!
It's okay, it's okay.
Leave your backpack there.
No way! Don't run!
Please! Don't run!
Slowly put down your backpack.
Look, it's going to be okay.
Wah! You scared me.
What do you want? Let go of me.
Give it here!
Got it just in time! Thank God.
Hey, what are you peeking at! You pervert! We're calling the police!
W-w-wait... I'm with the police.
Really! Really, I mean it, not the face.
Not the face.
- Here. - Thanks.
Why did you run away?
Because you came after me.
Tell me the truth.
What is it?
- You have cigarettes or something? - Wait... Stop...
What's this?
I collect coins I find on the arcade floor and use them to play.
Am I getting arrested?
Huh?
You won't get arrested.
But you should give them back to the arcade employee.
You return what you pick up. Okay?
- Okay. - Okay.
They called me a pervert.
- Pervert~. - Pervert!
Shut up!
When I looked around for a facility that can accommodate lab work within the power outage area,
I ended up at this lab.
Hayami-san's name was among the people who were renting this place.
There seems to be no more virus left.
Doctor, are you okay?
Yeah, I'm totally fine.
Shall we start checking?
Looks like Senpai was recording something.
March 30th.
I succeeded in mutating the Prometheus virus.
I'm going to infect the subject and keep an eye on the progress.
Eight hours have passed since the infection was confirmed.
Normally, they would have started cannibalizing each other by now, but...
for now, there's no sign of that.
They're fine.
15 days have passed since the infection was confirmed.
There's no sign of cannibalism,
and the amount of food is the same as usual.
This is a new record.
The side effect of seeking a large amount of energy
from an external source may be eliminated.
Now, I can apply for a patent...
Power's out?
All the viruses will be ruined.
Looks like Hayami-san was trying to apply for a patent
after eliminating the side effects.
The mice are all dead.
Instead of eating each other,
they exhausted all of their own energy.
As a result, the aging process was accelerated.
In the end, the experiment failed.
Honestly, Senpai... what am I going to do with you.
So what happened to the Prometheus virus?
They were all lost.
No samples are left anywhere.
A virus that accelerates aging, huh?
There's no way we can make this public.
Maybe it's a good thing that there's none left.
Do you really think so?
Hayami-san had her case snatched away on the day the power went out.
Don't you think that's too much of a coincidence?
Are you saying that someone set it up intentionally?
I don't know. It just bothers me a bit.
Would you like to drink too, Kohhi?
Yes.
Thank you.
I can't believe she was continuing the research by herself.
Was it for the patent after all?
I'm sure Hayami-san had her own thoughts about it.
But it caused deaths.
Although you can chalk it up to a series of coincidences, it's not something that can be forgiven.
That may be true, but...
Are you bothered by the patent application?
Not particularly.
It's just that...
I didn't think our research was about money.
While it's true that patents lead to money,
there's also the purpose of protecting the invention.
I know that.
This is an application form I found in Hayami-san's lab.
Hayami-san wanted you to return to the scientific community.
That's why she continued the research by herself.
She believed that you would come back
if she could eliminate the side effect of the virus.
Don't you think science is the light of mankind?
What's that, out of the blue?
And you, Doctor, are the one who produces that light. That's what I believe.
There's no other lab that offers such good conditions, you know.
But you and I, we're partners, aren't we?
I think Hayami-san wanted to tell you in person
that she wanted to work with you again.
Doctor.
Until 3 years ago,
science was the light for you too, wasn't it?
Then just one more time,
why don't you try believing in it?
Are you saying that I should quit being an advisor and be a scientist?
No... what?
That's not what I meant, is it?
Please don't drink too much.
- No. - Why?
Because these belong to Senpai.
Oh, I see.
She could never have too many strawberries.
She loved strawberries like a kid.
Strawberry candies, and strawberry cakes too.
Parfaits had to be strawberry too.
On top of all that, even all her office supplies had strawberries on them.
Almost made you want to tell her to just study strawberries already,
she was that much of a strawberry fool...
She's a real fool...
Huh?
You said those were Hayami-san's...
I can eat it, since I'm her partner.
You know, Kohhi...
It may be good once in a while.
What is?
To believe in the light.
Right?
Just once in a while though.
- You know... - Hm?
- Yukki didn't look well, did she? - Well...
I bet she had too much to drink.
Her eyes looked like a rabbit's eyes too.
Yes, they did.
Let's be nice to her when we get home.
Ami.
Daddy?
What's wrong?
Let's go.
"Thorough Investigation! Unsolved Phenomena File"
An abandoned hotel where a series of ghost sightings have been reported for the past 13 years.
Will Sachiko-san from the Mole Room
appear in front of the reporting crew?
Footsteps of a woman that close in on the reporting crew.
Detective Hasebe is overtaken by a sudden chill.
Heart beat and breathing become agitated.
Detective Hasebe screams and faints.
Are these phenomena caused by Sachiko-san's spirit?
Tackling this bizarre phenomenon
is the Scientific Crime Countermeasures Office, which has led MPD to solve numerous difficult cases.
Leading the way is Senior Superintendent Kohiruimaki Yuichi, the head of the office.
Acting as the advisor is
a brilliant scientist in a variety of fields ranging from physical engineering
to life sciences, Doctor Mogami Yukiko.
Finally, science will be delving into one of the three most haunted spots in Japan.
Okay, that's it for the recording of the opening scene. We're changing the set.
We'll be starting again in 15 minutes, so please be ready.
- I'll see you later. - Good luck.