The Bible has its Genesis.
The Matrix has The Second Renaissance.
BLAME! has NOiSE.

Through the eyes of police force member Susono Musubi, this one-volume prequel gives readers a glimpse of the world before the Netsphere went haywire. Witness the events that threw the technologically advanced society into chaos: the cancerous growth of the Megastructure, the birth of the parasitic lifeforms called Silicon Creatures, and the development of the ruthless killing machines known as the Safeguards.

Also included in the compilation is Tsutomu Nihei's debut work BLAME which served as the prototype of the acclaimed 10-volume series, BLAME!.