###¶@^;=:¨ ¨:=;^@¶###
#¶¶@&^;=:¨ ¨:=;^&@¶¶#
#¶@^;;:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:;;^@¶#
###@&^;=:¨ ¨:=;^&@###
##¶@&^;=:¨ ¨:=;^&@¶##
¶¶¶@&^;=:¨ ¨: ======= ======= ======= :¨ ¨:=;^&@¶¶¶
@^;;==¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨:=;^&@@¶¶
###¶&^;=:¨ ¨:=;^&¶###
###¶&^;=:¨ ¨:=;^&¶###
##¶@&^;=:¨ ¨:=;^&@¶##
#@&;:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:;&@#
##¶@&^;=:¨ ¨:=;^&@¶##