^\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\^
\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨, ««««««« ««««««« ««««««« ,¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ NICK WILDE IS A RED FOX AND A CONMAN. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨, ««««««« ««««««« ««««««« ,¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\
^\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\^
$^\«,¨¨¨¨¨ HE'S NOT ABOVE PETTY CRIME, BUT HE ¨¨¨¨¨,«\^$
@$^\«,¨¨¨¨ KNOWS THAT IF HE PUTS IN A BIT OF WORK, ¨¨¨¨,«\^$@
@@$^\«,¨¨¨ HE WILL FIND MUCH MORE LUCRATIVE ¨¨¨,«\^$@@
#@@$^\«,¨¨ REWARDS. ¨¨,«\^$@@#
##@@$^\«,¨ ¨,«\^$@@##
#@@$^\«,¨¨ AND THUS HE'S CURRENTLY WORKING ¨¨,«\^$@@#
@@$^\«,¨¨¨ ALONGSIDE HATSUNE MIKU FOR A COMPANY ¨¨¨,«\^$@@
@$^\«,¨¨¨¨ THAT MAKES SYNTHETIC MEAL REPLACEMENTS. ¨¨¨¨,«\^$@
$^\«,¨¨¨¨¨ HE'S GOT A VAGUE OUTLINE OF A PLAN, TO ¨¨¨¨¨,«\^$
^\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ SCATTER WITH SOME PRODUCT, OR EVEN ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\^
\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ BETTER, SOME FORMULA? THESE THINGS ARE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ WORTH A LOT TO A COMPETITOR. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ HE'S BEEN LUCKY; THE PLACE IS ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ SURPRISINGLY UNGUARDED. ONCE HE'S GOT ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ HIS PAWS ON SOMETHING WORTHWHILE, IT'LL ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ BE EASY TO JUST WALTZ OUT. UNTIL THEN, ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\
^\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ KEEP DOING THE WORK... ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\^
$^\«,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,«\^$
@$^\«,¨¨¨¨ COME TO THINK OF IT, THE PLACE IS ¨¨¨¨,«\^$@
@@$^\«,¨¨¨ ALMOST EERILY EMPTY. THERE ARE FEW ¨¨¨,«\^$@@
#@@$^\«,¨¨ COWORKERS. (IN FACT THE COMPANY IS ¨¨,«\^$@@#
##@@$^\«,¨ AI-RUN AND ONLY A FEW KEY ROLES ARE ¨,«\^$@@##
#@@$^\«,¨¨ FILLED BY ACTUAL PEOPLE. ¨¨,«\^$@@#
@@$^\«,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,«\^$@@
@$^\«,¨¨¨¨ NONE OF THE EMPLOYEES KNOW THIS.) ¨¨¨¨,«\^$@
$^\«,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,«\^$
^\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ««« ««« ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\^
\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ««« ««« ««« ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ««« ««« ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ NICK AND MIKU ARE BOTH STATIONED IN ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ EARLY PROCESSING, HOUSED IN A STATE OF ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ THE ART FACTORY CLOSE TO THE DOCKS. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ THEY CREATE THE EARLY BUILDING BLOCKS ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\
^\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ THAT ARE LATER COMBINED INTO THE MEALS ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\^
$^\«,¨¨¨¨¨ THAT'S SOLD TO CUSTOMERS. ¨¨¨¨¨,«\^$
@$^\«,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,«\^$@
@@$^\«,¨¨¨ THE BASES ARE MOSTLY SLUDGES ¨¨¨,«\^$@@
#@@$^\«,¨¨ OR PASTES, SUCH AS: ¨¨,«\^$@@#
##@@$^\«,¨ ¨,«\^$@@##
#@@$^\«,¨¨ \« PLANT MATTER ¨¨,«\^$@@#
@@$^\«,¨¨¨ \« BLOOD COLONY ¨¨¨,«\^$@@
@$^\«,¨¨¨¨ (MADE WITH A TYPE OF BACTERIA) ¨¨¨¨,«\^$@
$^\«,¨¨¨¨¨ \« WILD FLESH ¨¨¨¨¨,«\^$
^\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ (FREE ROAMING ANIMALS) ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\^
\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ \« ORGANS ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ (TAKEN FROM A LIVING HUMAN THAT ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ IS WILLING TO SELL) ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ \« MINERALS ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ \« BLOOD COLONY TWO ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ \« INSECTS ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ (WHICH ARE MAINLY USED FOR THEIR ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\
^\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ BRAIN, WHICH IS USED TO EXTRACT ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\^
$^\«,¨¨¨¨¨ RECEPTORS THAT DETECT PHEROMONES) ¨¨¨¨¨,«\^$
@$^\«,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,«\^$@
@@$^\«,¨¨¨ ««« ««« ¨¨¨,«\^$@@
#@@$^\«,¨¨ ««« ««« ««« ¨¨,«\^$@@#
##@@$^\«,¨ ««« ««« ¨,«\^$@@##
#@@$^\«,¨¨ ¨¨,«\^$@@#
@@$^\«,¨¨¨ MIKU IS IN CHARGE OF THE BLOOD ¨¨¨,«\^$@@
@$^\«,¨¨¨¨ COLONIES. THERE'S LARGE VATS OF THE ¨¨¨¨,«\^$@
$^\«,¨¨¨¨¨ ORIGINAL CULTURE WHICH IS FED BLOOD ¨¨¨¨¨,«\^$
^\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ MEAL, BONE MEAL, WHAT DOESN'T QUALIFY ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\^
\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ TO GO IN THE "WILD FLESH" PASTE, AND ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ SOME PROCESSING CHEMICALS. ALL THESE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ INGREDIENTS HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE BLOOD ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ WHICH IN TURN AFFECTS MIKU. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ THERE IS A LARGE TANK BEHIND THE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ FACTORY THAT CONTAINS A VAST NUMBER OF ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\
^\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ AUXILLIARY BLOOD COLONIES. MIKU WATCHES ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\^
$^\«,¨¨¨¨¨ OVER THESE AS WELL. THEIR PURPOSE IS ¨¨¨¨¨,«\^$
@$^\«,¨¨¨¨ UNCLEAR. ¨¨¨¨,«\^$@
@@$^\«,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,«\^$@@
#@@$^\«,¨¨ THE FACTORY IS SURROUNDED BY THE BLOOD ¨¨,«\^$@@#
##@@$^\«,¨ MEAL FARMS. THERE IS A CONSTANT ¨,«\^$@@##
#@@$^\«,¨¨ EXCHANGE OF BLOOD AND BLOOD MEAL. THIS ¨¨,«\^$@@#
@@$^\«,¨¨¨ PROVIDES TWO OF THE MAJOR MATERIALS FOR ¨¨¨,«\^$@@
@$^\«,¨¨¨¨ BOTH THE COLONIES AND MIKU. ¨¨¨¨,«\^$@
$^\«,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,«\^$
^\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ««« ««« ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\^
\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ««« ««« ««« ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ««« ««« ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ NICK IS UNCOMFORTABLE AROUND ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ THE "WILD FLESH" VATS. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\
^\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\^
$^\«,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,«\^$
@$^\«,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,«\^$@