@@@@@@@@@. ......@..@
........@@ .....@@.@.
.......@.@ ....@.@@@.
......@@@@ ...@@@..@.
.....@.... ..@..@.@@.
....@@.... ., ======= ======= ======= ,. .@@.@@@.@.
...@.@.... 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. .@@.@.@@@@
..@@@.@..@ @.@@@@...@
.@..@@@.@@ @@...@..@@
@@.@..@@.. .@..@@.@.@
.@@@.@.@.. @@.@.@@@@.
@..@@@@@.@ .@@@@...@.