Mechanical Age: Restart the Future

Story background: In 2045, the global manufacturing industry fell into a technological winter. Traditional mechanical engineers faced large-scale unemployment and salary cuts. Artificial intelligence and automated equipment gradually replaced labor. Hidden behind the technological innovation was an industry conspiracy controlled by capital and technology oligarchs.​ Protagonist: Lin Chen, 32 years old, a senior mechanical engineer who once worked for the top domestic heavy industry company "Qingtian Heavy Industries". He lost his job due to company layoffs and was burdened with mortgage and family pressure. He accidentally discovered that the core program of the first generation artificial intelligence "Apocalypse" was hidden in an abandoned robotic arm of his old factory. From then on, he embarked on the road of technological counterattack and industry secrets.​ Core Conflict:​ Existential conflict: Lin Chen faced financial pressure, family doubts after losing his job, and the initial difficulties in self-media and novel creation (the plot of the protagonist writing a technical novel is embedded in the novel, which fits your side job experience).​ Technical conflict: Lin Chen used "Apocalypse" to repair old equipment, compete with the automation equipment of the technology oligarch "Zhike Group", and break through the other party's technical barriers.​ Conspiracy conflict: It was discovered that the "Zhike Group" was a monopoly on the market and deliberately restricted the circulation of underlying technologies, causing the manufacturing industry to fall into a downturn. Lin Chen teamed up with other unemployed engineers to reveal the truth.​ The main line of the story: Lin Chen, an unemployed engineer, unexpectedly obtained the first-generation AI core → repaired old equipment and opened a small processing plant → had a technical conflict with Zhike Group → joined forces with colleagues to form an engineer alliance → exposed industry conspiracy → promoted technology inclusiveness, and achieved a dual counterattack of individuals and industries.