Blue Lines

Era: 2042, the 12th year after the meteorite fell. Twelve years ago in the post-meteorite era, an asteroid codenamed [Flint] disintegrated in the atmosphere, and the fragments were scattered around the world. They were not metal ores, but a translucent crystal-like substance, later called meteorite. Meteor crystals will not directly provide drawings, but will be coupled with human brain nerves: after people come into contact with the fragments, fragmented engineering principles, material formulas, and microstructures will appear in their minds. The price is the core setting: every time the meteorite crystal information is read, it will erode people's consciousness. Mild symptoms range from migraines, memory lapses, and cognitive distortions; severely infected people will slowly lose themselves, their thinking will be assimilated by the underlying alien logic, and become numb individuals who only pursue "analysis and reconstruction." This is called crystal erosion syndrome in the industry. Powerful countries and giant capital companies quickly blocked the large fragments and monopolized alien technology. In the past decade or so, the world has experienced an explosion of abnormality: special new materials, neural interfaces, and micro energy modules have been rapidly implemented, but the basic theories have always been incomplete. Many technologies can be used, but humans cannot understand the underlying principles. The benefits of technology are highly fragmented: top-level chaebols and scientific research institutions enjoy life extension, prosthetic bodies, and high-energy equipment; civilians at the bottom live in polluted areas, and small meteorite crystal fragments are circulated in the black market. Countless people risk crystal erosion to become "technical archaeologists", salvage unregistered fragments, and piece together lost alien information.