...~~~=†&& &&†=~~~...
......~=$& &$=~......
..~~~~†&&@ @&&†~~~~..
.~~=†$$$&& &&$$$†=~~.
.~~=†$@@ @@#&$†=~~.
....~~=$&@ .~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~. @&$=~~....
.~~=†$@# NICK WILDE IS A RED FOX AND A CONMAN. #@#&$†=~~.
...~~~~††& .~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~. &††~~~~...
.~~=†$## ###&$†=~~.
......~=†& 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. &†=~~~....
.....~=$#@ @#$=~.....
.~~=†$@# ~~~ ~~~ #@#&$†=~~.
.~~=†$&@## ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ##@&$†=~~.
.~~=†$@# ~~~ ~~~ #@#&$†=~~.
.~~=†$@# #@#&$†=~~.
.....~=†$# NICK IS UNCOMFORTABLE AROUND #$†=~.....
.~~=†$@# THE "WILD FLESH" VATS. #@#&$†=~~.
.~~=†$@# #@#&$†=~~.
.~~=†$## ###&$†=~~.
.~~=†$@# #@#&$†=~~.
.~~=†$@@ @@#&$†=~~.
.~~~~~†††& &†††~~~~~.