.....:«\^& &^\«:.....
......:«\^ ^\«:......
.......:«\ \«:.......
........:« «:........
.........: :.........
........:« .: ««««««« ««««««« ««««««« :. «:........
.......:«\ 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. #&^\«:....
.....:«\^& &^\«:.....
......:«\^ ^\«:......
.......:«\ \«:.......
........:« «:........
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