Three years after the events of "Ghost in the Shell", little has changed at Section 9 except for the glaring void left by the disappearance of Major Motoko Kusanagi, and no one is more affected by this than Batou. In her absence he has become more sullen and withdrawn than ever, taking an interest in philosophy and finding joy only in the company of his pet basset hound. When a string of shocking cases comes to light involving a certain model of androids manufactured by the LOCUS SOLUS company butchering their owners, Chief Aramaki assigns Batou and Togusa to investigate. Batou arrives at one such crime scene and shoots the android just as it is seemingly attempting to destroy itself. When Batou questions why Section 9 is involved in this particular case, Aramaki explains that none of the families of victims have filed lawsuits against LOCUS SOLUS, and that several of the victims were connected with the government.