,&,,&&,&&, ,&,,,,&,,&
&&&,&,&&,& &&&,,,&&,&
,,,&&&&,&& ,,,&,,&,&&
&,,&,,,&&, ,,,&&,&&&,
&&,&&,,&,& ,,,&,&&,,&
,,&&,&,&&& ,~ »»»»»»» »»»»»»» »»»»»»» ~, &,,&&&,&,&
&,&,&&&&,, 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. ,&&&&,,,&&
&&&&,,&,,, &&,,,&,,&,
&,,,&,&&,, &,&,,&&,&&
,&,,&&&,&, &&&&,&,&&,
,&&,&,,&&& ,,,,&&&&,&
&&,&&&,&,, &,,,&,,,&&