&&,&&&,,,, ,,,,&&,,,,
&&,&,&&,,, ,,,,&&&,,,
&&,,,&&&,, ,,,,&,&&,,
&&&,,&,&&, ,,,,,,&&&,
&,&&,,,&&& ,,,,,,&,&,
,,&&&,,&,& ,^ ------- ------- ------- ^, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,&,&&,,,& 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. ,,,,&,,,,&
&,,,,,,&,, &,,,,&,,,,
,&,,,,,,&, &&,,,,&,,,
,,&,,,,,,& ,&&,,,,&,,
,,,&,,,,,, ,&&&,,,,&,
,,,,&,,,,, ,&,&&,,,,&