###@$$=«,¨ ¨,«=$$@###
###@$$=«,¨ ¨,«=$$@###
@$$==,,,,¨ ¨,,,,==$$@
#$$==,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,==$$#
###@$$=«,¨ ¨,«=$$@###
###@$$=«,¨ ¨, ««««««« ««««««« ««««««« ,¨ ¨,«=$$@###
###@$$=«,¨ NICK WILDE IS A RED FOX AND A CONMAN. ¨,«=$$@###
###@$$=«,¨ ¨, ««««««« ««««««« ««««««« ,¨ ¨,«=$$@###
###@$$=«,¨ ¨,«=$$@###
@$=,,¨¨¨¨¨ HE'S NOT ABOVE PETTY CRIME, BUT HE ¨¨¨¨¨,,=$@
###@$$=«,¨ KNOWS THAT IF HE PUTS IN A BIT OF WORK, ¨,«=$$@###
####@$$=«¨ HE WILL FIND MUCH MORE LUCRATIVE ¨«=$$@####
@$$$==,¨¨¨ REWARDS. ¨¨¨,==$$$@
###@$$=«,¨ ¨,«=$$@###
@$===«¨¨¨¨ AND THUS HE'S CURRENTLY WORKING ¨¨¨¨«===$@
#$$$$$=«,¨ ALONGSIDE HATSUNE MIKU FOR A COMPANY ¨,«=$$$$$#
###@$$=«,¨ 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. ¨,«=$$@###
###@$$=«,¨ ¨,«=$$@###
@@$$$$=«,¨ ¨,«=$$$$@@
@@$«««¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨«««$@@
#@$==,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,==$@#
###@$$=«,¨ ¨,«=$$@###