Finding a job is hard. Very hard.
Honestly, if soone were to ask which is more difficult, job hunting or climbing Mount Everest, ten out of ten people would answer without hesitation, finding a job.
At least if you climb Mount Everest, you freeze to death within a few hours. But if you look for work, you go insane little by little every day, especially whenever an email notification cos in and it is just another rejection.
It has been almost two years since Leonard earned his bachelor’s degree in Robotics Engineering and AI from a once prestigious university.
Back when he chose his major, his academic advisor told him, "This is the field of the future, son. Companies will fight over you once you graduate."
And he was right. Two years after graduation, Leonard was indeed being sward, by bills and predatory credit card offers.
He has sent out more than five hundred applications. Not an exaggeration. More than five hundred. From positions that matched his qualifications such as industrial robot technician and AI programr for startups, to manual jobs that did not even require a high school diploma: courier, warehouse packer, night guard. He even applied to beco a skyscraper window cleaner.
And do you know how many calls he received?
Nine. Nine online interview invitations in two years.
And the day after every interview, there was always the sa email: "After careful consideration, we have decided to proceed with another candidate. We wish you success in your continued job search."
Whenever there was a job opening, he applied imdiately. It did not matter whether the salary was small or large, office work or field work, formal or informal. All he cared about was being able to survive. And yet...
He let out a long sigh.
"In this era, people compete to beco slaves. As long as they can eat, as long as they can pay their installnts. Isn’t this worse than the Middle Ages? At least back then, if you were a slave, you knew your position. Now? You’re free. Free to starve."
All this chaos has a root called insane capitalism carried by technology. It began around the 2020s when AI started spreading. At that ti, AI was just an assistant, a tool.
Entering the 2030s, the AI Boom truly struck. Major technology companies began replacing administrative workers, custor service agents, and even journalists with AI that could work 24/7 without salary, without leave, and without complaints.
Did people protest? Of course. But protests could not fight efficiency. Companies that used AI were able to cut operational costs by up to 60 percent.
Small companies that could not adopt the technology were pushed out one by one. They could not compete with the efficiency of the giants. They went bankrupt. Then their employees were laid off. But at least at that ti, manufacturing and service sectors still offered jobs.
Then ca the Robot Boom in 2050. That was what truly destroyed everything. Imagine AI that once existed only on computer screens suddenly gaining a body. These new robots no longer required humans to operate them.
Automated factories ran 24 hours nonstop with thousands of robots that never complained and never asked for raises. Fast food restaurants began using robotic servers. Autonomous trucks replaced long distance drivers. Even street cleaners, gardeners, and dostic helpers could all be replaced.
Large corporations with trillions in capital bought thousands of these robots. Their productivity skyrocketed. Their production costs plumted. They could sell goods at prices that small and dium businesses relying on human workers simply could not match.
As a result, within five years, more than 70 percent of small and dium enterprises went bankrupt. They could not compete. And when they collapsed, millions of their employees lost their jobs.
As technology kept advancing, even large corporations began reducing their workforce. Why maintain 10,000 employees when 1,000 employees and 5,000 robots could produce twice the output?
Efficiency, they said.
Innovation, they said.
The future, they said.
"Bullshit," I said.
Nearly 90 percent of jobs that were once considered secure disappeared within a decade.
Now, in 2056, the official unemploynt rate in this country has reached 63 percent. Unofficially? Maybe over 70 percent. Even those who work are mostly temporary laborers with three month contracts renewed every three months, without health insurance, without pension funds, and without certainty.
Gig economy, they say. Flexibility, they say.
Damn it.
And above it all, a handful of people who own shares in massive technology corporations have seen their wealth swell beyond imagination. They build cities above cities, luxurious enclaves in the sky, while below on the ground, people crowd into slums.
Society, once divided into upper, middle, and lower classes, now has only two: a tiny group of the ultra rich and an ocean of people struggling to survive.
And instead of helping, nations are busy fighting each other over increasingly scarce resources, over technology, and over influence. News about ard conflicts across the world has beco daily consumption that no longer surprises anyone.
"I don’t believe in God," Leonard muttered, "but sotis I wish God were real. So He could see the kind of hell those bastards have created. The ones who created the internet, AI, robots. I hope they all burn in hell. If hell exists."
Leonard is lucky. At least that is what he always tells himself.
His family was not wealthy, but they were financially savvy. They bought a house in what used to be considered the outskirts, but is now the city center.
They also invested in startup stocks that were unknown at the ti. One of them is now one of the largest AI giants in the world. Without ever working a single day, the dividends from that inherited stock are enough to keep Leonard afloat. Sotis he sells small portions when he needs extra money.
But Leonard knows those stocks are not inco. They are only an ergency cushion. If they run out, he will fall without support. So he lives simply. Very simply.
anwhile, Leonard’s daily work consists of criticizing and insulting the governnt on online forums. Stirring up debates with netizens who agree and disagree. Sotis he writes long articles on his personal blog read by only dozens of people. Sotis he just spreads cynical comnts on social dia. That is all. The rest of his ti is spent playing gas or daydreaming.
Often, Leonard imagines living in the Stone Age. Humans hunting and gathering, living in caves, warming themselves by campfires. The air still clean, no global warming pushing outside temperatures to forty degrees. Forests still dense and animals still roaming freely.
"That sounds better than living in this era," he whispers to himself.
He sighs. Two years. Nearly two years. When will this end?
BEEP.
A notification.
Leonard turns to the screen. An email. From OmniCorp Industrial. He rembers applying there last week for a field technician position maintaining mining robots.
He clicks the email without hope. It must be the usual. Thank you, but...
His eyes read. Stop. Read again.
"Dear Leonard Harrington, We are pleased to inform you that you have passed the administrative screening and online test for the position of Field Technician at OmniCorp Industrial. You are scheduled to attend orientation and placent on February 22, 2056 at 08:00 at our headquarters, OmniCorp Tower, 12th Floor... "
Leonard stops reading.
He cannot believe it.
Accepted?
He got the job?
For several seconds, Leonard just sits there, frozen, staring at the screen without truly seeing it. It feels like a dream. Or a system error that will soon be corrected with a second email apologizing for a technical mistake.
But no second email cos.
Instead, Leonard jumps up from his chair and screams.
"HUAAAAAAAA I GOT ACCEPTED!!!"
His shout echoes throughout the house. Lulu, who was sleeping soundly, nearly jumps out of her skin. The dog leaps off the bed, almost falls, then stares at her owner who is jumping around in front of the computer like a madman.
"Lulu! LULU!" Leonard turns and hugs the dog tightly. Lulu struggles for a mont, then gives in. She is used to her owner being a bit odd sotis. But this ti is different. He is crying. Laughing while crying.
"Lulu, I got the job! Do you know what that ans?" Leonard releases her and holds both sides of the dog’s face, staring into her round, innocent eyes.
Lulu barks once.
Woof!
"That’s right!" Leonard laughs. "We can eat three tis a day! For real, three tis! Not just once with leftovers from yesterday!"
His laughter fills the room.
Lulu wags her tail enthusiastically, sharing his excitent even if she does not fully understand. This dog. The only being who has always been there for him. She is the last gift from his parents before they passed away.
"Okay, okay, we have to celebrate," Leonard finally says as he lets go and stands up.
He reaches into his pocket and counts the cash he has. Not much, but enough to buy good food at the convenience store. Instant curry noodles, and maybe sausages for Lulu.
"Co on, Lu. Let’s go for a walk."
At the word walk, Lulu imdiately becos excited. Her tail swings rapidly like a propeller. She jumps in place, barking happily.
He puts her collar on, grabs his worn hoodie jacket, and makes sure the door is locked before leaving. Dusk is falling. The sky is a dirty orange covered by pollution. Streetlights begin to turn on, but half of them are dead from lack of maintenance.
Along the way, Leonard sees the sa sight every day: holess people sitting in rows under the overpass, on the steps of closed shops, at bus stops that buses rarely pass anymore. So lie weak, their bodies skeletal. So sit with empty stares. So beg with hoarse voices, but most no longer have the energy.
Leonard tightens his hoodie, lowers his head, and quickens his steps. His hand slips into his jacket pocket, feeling the taser he always carries.
In this insane era, you never know. There are crazy people everywhere. Cri has beco part of daily life. News about robbery, murder, kidnapping no longer shocks anyone.
Lulu walks calmly beside him, occasionally sniffing the side of the road. She does not bark at the holess.
"Stay close to , Lu," he whispers. The dog, as if understanding, moves closer.
They walk past a group of holess n sitting in a circle under a makeshift tarp tent. So of them stare at Lulu with strange looks.
Leonard walks faster.
Finally, the convenience store cos into view. A small building with half dead neon lights, surrounded by rusted iron fences.
The owner has put up a large sign: "HOLESS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. 24 HOUR CCTV. VIOLATORS WILL BE PROSECUTED."
"Here, Lu, wait outside for a bit," Leonard says, pointing beside the door near an bike rack. "I’ll go in for a mont and buy food. Don’t go anywhere."
Lulu sits obediently. Leonard pats her head once, then enters the store.
Inside, the air is cold from a noisy old air conditioner. Leonard takes a basket and walks between the shelves. The prices make him slightly shocked, higher again since last week. But today, he does not want to think about it. Today is special.
He is choosing pasta sauce when he hears sothing from outside.
A dog barking.
Leonard turns toward the glass door of the convenience store. From behind the shelf, he can see outside.
In front of the door, four holess n are crowding around sothing.
They are kicking. They are pulling.
Lulu.
One of them kicks Lulu in the stomach. She yelps in pain but still tries to fight back, barking loudly. Another grabs her collar, trying to drag her away.
Seeing that, Leonard’s blood instantly boils.
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