¤$^^^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^^^$¤
¤$$^^^^^¨¨ ¨¨^^^^^$$¤
#@#¤$§^«^¨ ¨^«^§$¤#@#
¤$$$^^«¨¨¨ ¨¨¨«^^$$$¤
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@@#¤$§^«^¨ ¨^ ««««««« ««««««« ««««««« ^¨ ¨^«^§$¤#@@
##$§«¨¨¨¨¨ NICK WILDE IS A RED FOX AND A CONMAN. ¨¨¨¨¨«§$##
¤§«^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨^ ««««««« ««««««« ««««««« ^¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^«§¤
¤$^^«^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^«^^$¤
#@#¤$§^«^¨ HE'S NOT ABOVE PETTY CRIME, BUT HE ¨^«^§$¤#@#
###¤$§^«^¨ KNOWS THAT IF HE PUTS IN A BIT OF WORK, ¨^«^§$¤###
###¤$§^«^¨ HE WILL FIND MUCH MORE LUCRATIVE ¨^«^§$¤###
#@#¤$§^«^¨ REWARDS. ¨^«^§$¤#@#
@##¤$§^«^¨ ¨^«^§$¤##@
¤¤¤§§«««^¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨«§¤@
#@#¤$§^«^¨ ¨^«^§$¤#@#
#@#¤$§^«^¨ ¨^«^§$¤#@#
#@#¤$§^«^¨ ¨^«^§$¤#@#
##@#¤$§^^¨ ¨^^§$¤#@##
#@#¤$§^«^¨ ¨^«^§$¤#@#