The man turned and ran. Not from fear. From efficiency. A direct fight would cost him time, and time was the only currency the Megastructure did not mint.
Without these genes, humans cannot access the NetSphere to order the Builders to stop. Because of this mutation, the Safeguard—the Megastructure’s automated defense system—views all living humans as unauthorized trespassers and hunts them ruthlessly. Visual Storytelling: The Power of No Words Blame- Manga. 10 Volumes. Finished. Tsutomu Nihei.
Centuries before the story begins, a catastrophic mutation or virus caused humanity to lose this gene. Without it, humans can no longer log into the "Netsphere"—the digital control network of the world. Because the automated systems no longer recognize humans as authorized users, the Safeguard (the Megastructure's automated defense system) views humanity as a disease. The Safeguard systematically hunts down and exterminates every human it detects. The man turned and ran
It forces the reader to experience the oppressive quiet of the Megastructure alongside Killy. A direct fight would cost him time, and
The Builder retracted its arm. A tiny chip, no bigger than a fingernail, rested in his palm. He pressed it into a slot behind his ear. It clicked.
Instead of heavy exposition or thought bubbles, Nihei forces the reader to look at the environment to piece together the history of the world. We learn about the state of humanity by looking at the desperate, mutated enclaves Killy encounters. We understand the terrifying power of the Safeguards through the grotesque, bio-mechanical designs of their bodies.