top of page

The Magnet 2024

Lame Jokes: Levi, The Diver. 

I recently visited Cape Station, the future home of the world’s largest enhanced geothermal power plant.

fabaf05d-c9fc-468e-8b2b-75e82c3fdb73.png

By JianHeng Linn published on Thursday, May 3, 2023

2023:
[Anchor 1]: Now, let's report today's news:
[Anchor 2]: The stock market has steadily risen for 60 consecutive trading days, and the economic situation is booming!
[Anchor 1]: The world welcomes the 6G era! Blu-ray movies can be downloaded in just one second!
[Anchor 2]: The new generation of bionic robots has officially been deployed! They can serve us in all aspects of life!
[Anchor 1]: The global sea level has risen by another 1 centimeter, but...
[Together]: So who cares?! What does it matter?

2077:
[Levi]: Cough cough... Hello, anyone there? My name is Levi. If you're alive and can hear this broadcast, and if you need help, come to the water near the west side of the Holy City Financial Building at noon and find me. Over.

[Levi]: My name is Levi, and I'm the only living person in this city, maybe or maybe not. A great flood engulfed this city years ago, and I don't remember much about it. But I know for sure that I happened to be on this nuclear submarine and survived. Every day for so many years, I've been doing the same thing - searching for survivors in one area after another, and then coming to the water near the Holy City Financial Building to broadcast. Then, I'll search for survivors in one area after another. If you're talking about entertainment, the only entertainment I have is listening to radio broadcasts from many years ago.

截屏2026-01-09 下午5.39.25.png

[Anchor 1]: Now, let's report today's news:
[Anchor 2]: The stock market has steadily risen for 60 consecutive trading days, and the economic situation is booming!
[Anchor 1]: The world welcomes the 6G era! Blu-ray movies can be downloaded in just one second!
[Anchor 2]: The new generation of bionic robots has officially been deployed! They can serve us in all aspects of lif……….

[Levi]: I couldn't hear the rest clearly. I've listened to this broadcast too many times, so many that I can recite it by heart. But I still love to listen to it, to hear the sounds of that era when there was still life. In the past few years, I have made a friend, whom I call "Dummy." He's a shark, and he often follows me around. You might think he sees me as food, but that's not the case. Several times, I've gone underwater to search, and he obediently stayed by my side. If he saw me as food, he would have eaten me long ago, wouldn't he? Lonely souls may really attract each other. The underwater world is fascinating, and I often see different scenery. But I still hope that there can be a human touch to these sights. Occasionally, I receive signals from sources other than myself on the radio, and every time, I excitedly try to find the source. It's either from an abandoned broadcast station or from outer space. I hope that the light that shines into the deep sea can be like the light that shines into our hearts, not just the darkness that the deep sea reports. I've become more and more desperate day by day, until this day.

image.png

[Levi]: As usual, I came to the vicinity of the Holy City Financial Building to broadcast. Hello, anyone there? Although I knew there was no one, I still wanted to talk to you. My name is Le...

[Unknown Person] : Hello, Levi.
[Levi] : OMG! Did you receive my message?
[Unknown Person] : Yes, I received your message.
[Levi] : I... I'm Levi. (nervous)
[Unknown Person] : Nice to meet you.
[Levi] : Um... Ah! I have a nuclear submarine! Where are you!? Do you need help!? I can... I can come and rescue you immediately!
[Unknown Person] : A nuclear submarine?
[Levi] : Yes... Yes!!!!! A nuclear submarine!
[Unknown Person] : My coordinates are 0D13, AC2E, 43F2.
[Levi] : Okay, okay!!! I'll come find you right away!
[Unknown Person] : Thank you, goodbye.
[Levi] : Goodbye!

[Levi] : It's been a long time since I felt this way, or maybe I never have. My whole body feels like it's charged with electricity. The thought that there are other humans alive makes the deep, dark and dreary underwater world seem brighter.

截屏2026-01-09 下午6.00.50.png

[Levi] : Hello, my name is... Levi!
[Unknown Person] : Hello, Levi.
[Levi] : Um... I ... You ...
[Unknown Person] : Hello, Levi.
[Levi] : What kind of work did you do before?
[Unknown Person] : I was a shelf stocker.
[Levi] : What did you do specifically?
[Unknown Person] : Paper products go in section A, household goods in section B...

Every word he said was filled with the nostalgia of everyday life. I began to miss it, although I couldn't remember what it was like.

[Unknown Person] : …….Fresh food goes in section J, do you understand?
[Levi] : Uh, sorry, I got distracted.
[Unknown Person] : Let me repeat myself.
[Unknown Person] : Paper products go in section A, household goods in section B...

I didn't interrupt him and listened to him repeat it again.

"Are you there? Are you there?" I kept calling out to him, but he never answered. I searched for his figure in the water, swimming back and forth, but I couldn't find him. Suddenly, I saw a figure swimming past me with a knife in hand, rapidly swimming towards me.

截屏2026-01-09 下午6.05.53.png

He lunged at me, but I quickly dodged. Luckily, I managed to avoid his attack, and we started fighting underwater. I kept asking him why he was doing this, but eventually, he cut my oxygen tank with his knife. I watched as he swam towards his nuclear submarine and disappeared from my life forever.

截屏2026-01-09 下午6.06.50.png

[Unknown Person] : "Place paper products in zone A, and household items in zone B... I need to survive. I'm sorry, goodbye."

The feeling of loneliness was a familiar one to me, but this time it wasn't due to the betrayal of strangers. No, it was something far more profound. The creature that attacked me was not human, but a bionic robot. Watching him swim away, I couldn't help but wonder if I was the last human left on this desolate earth. As I wandered through the aisles of the store, it struck me that the bionic robots outnumbered humans. They were everywhere, carrying out menial tasks without emotion or hesitation. I was alone in a world where the line between man and machine had become increasingly blurred. What was the point of existing in a world where my soul could never find a kindred spirit? ……… His voice gradually distorted like a radio with no power off…….. The sound of static filled the air...

截屏2026-01-09 下午6.08.47.png

[Anchor 1]: The world celebrates the arrival of the 6G era! Blu-ray movies can be downloaded in just one second!
[Anchor 2]: The new generation of bionic robots is now officially in service! They can serve us in all aspects of our lives!
[Anchor 1]: It is reported that this new generation of bionic robots is equipped with artificial intelligence and has self-learning and evolving capabilities.
[Anchor 2]: They will no longer be used in simple places like supermarkets and factories, but instead, they will be used for sea rescue missions.
[Anchor 1]: This is the first time that the technology giant, LEVI, has used robots in rescue missions.
[Anchor 2]: Do you think they will evolve self-awareness?
[Together]: So who cares?! What does it matter?!

Levi's body floated towards the surface, his eyes lifeless and unseeing. Dummy swam around him, its mechanical movements devoid of any emotion. Dummy swam out, a haunting scene emerged before us. Countless dead LEVI robots floated around them, like discarded toys.

截屏2026-01-09 下午6.12.36.png

Did they, too, ponder the meaning of existence before their final moments? Were they capable of experiencing the same range of emotions that humans did? As the sun set in the horizon, the question lingered in the air, unanswered. Perhaps, the bionic robots, just like humans, were merely children who had descended upon the earth, seeking their place in the world. But as the waves rocked their lifeless forms, it was clear that the quest for purpose was not an exclusive trait of humanity.

bottom of page