The little monkey had a happy home in Cloud City before the apocalypse. His parents were both highly educated intellectuals, and his family was well-off.
He was twelve years old, and his sister was eight. The family of four lived in a villa in Cloud City, leading a blissful and fulfilling life.
When the apocalypse descended, his parents were killed by zombies while protecting him and his sister.
He led his sister, hiding in their home, too afraid to go out, surviving on the little food they had left.
Later, they heard that ability users had driven the zombies out of Cloud City, sealed the city gates, and established a survival base. Only then did they dare to come out.
They thought they could live well within the base, but the nightmare had only just begun.
People from the base approached their home, stating that the base now managed Cloud City, and all resources within the city belonged to the base and would be distributed uniformly.
They were just two children and could not occupy a villa. The base wanted to reclaim it to house those in need.
Facing those ability users, the two children had no power to resist and were directly driven out of their home.
With no other options, the siblings found a dilapidated flat to shelter in. However, after a few days, they were driven out again.
This was because a large number of survivors had arrived in the city, requiring places to live. The base rented out unoccupied houses to them in exchange for crystal cores.
The siblings had no abilities and dared not go out to kill zombies. Without crystal cores to pay rent, they were naturally driven out.
Thus, the two had to scavenge for materials and find a sheltered spot to build a place to sleep.
Initially, the base distributed food once a day. Although it wasn't enough to feel full, at least they wouldn't starve.
But after a month, the base announced that resources were limited, and free food would only be available to ability users.
Ordinary people who wanted food had to purchase it from the base's resource station using crystal cores.
Simultaneously, it was announced that the base had established a task hall where crystal cores could be earned by completing missions.
Ordinary people within the city, in order to earn crystal cores for food and to survive, gritted their teeth and went out to complete missions, despite lacking abilities. The outcome was predictable; most did not return.
Being too young, the siblings were not even eligible to accept missions. Helpless, they went to the city gates.
They worked as guides for newcomers to the base, barely managing to survive.
However, a few days ago, the environment mutated. The water source within the base became polluted, and water had to be purchased from the resource station.
The little monkey's sister, being young and having a weak constitution, caught a cold during the environmental changes.
Furthermore, she became extremely thirsty and drank unclean water, falling gravely ill.
For the past few days, he had given his sister all their remaining food and water, but her condition did not improve; instead, it worsened.
Therefore, he did not use the medicine and water that Mingyue gave him, intending to save them for his sister.
"Since the base's resources are so scarce, why is Bu Ying still taking in those outsiders? Couldn't they just refuse to accept them and take care of the original survivors within the city?"
Tian Shang listened to the little monkey's account and felt a bit confused. Based on the explanation Bu Ying had given Bu Zhi yesterday, she understood the logic.
"There are very few original residents in Cloud City Base who don't have abilities. Many waves of outsiders have also died. The ordinary people who entered today will all be dead within half a month. Sister, don't you know the base's objective?"
The little monkey guarded the city gates daily, clearly seeing who entered and who left. He had long seen through the base's intentions.
"Can't you just say it directly? My brain isn't very good, and I don't understand."
Tian Shang's voice grew softer as she spoke. Although everyone in the team knew that she and Bu Zhi were known as the "double fools," admitting her lack of intelligence in front of a strange child still made her feel embarrassed.
"Amassing wealth!"
Seeing the little monkey's nervous expression and his furtive glances, Mingyue spoke up directly.
She finally understood. Cloud City Base, on the surface, was a survival base for humanity in the apocalypse, a place that brought hope.
In reality, it was no different from outside the city; the number of people killed was no less than that of zombies and mutated animals.
The difference was that zombies killed directly, while the ordinary people killed by Cloud City Base were disguised. They used systems and forms to force ordinary people to willingly walk to their deaths, thereby achieving their goal of amassing wealth.
In the beginning, at the dawn of the apocalypse, they seized all the resources and assets in Cloud City, including houses, under the guise of unified management and distribution by the base. Then, they announced that food required crystal cores for purchase, forcing ordinary people within the base to go out and die. This way, they obtained a large number of vacant houses.
Next, they accepted a large number of outsiders, first by charging an entry fee, and then by collecting rent, draining all the crystal cores from those people. To obtain food, those people had no choice but to accept missions and go out, only to be killed by zombies. As houses became vacant, the base would accept new people, creating a cycle.
Bu Ying's calculations were truly shrewd. He used a base as a gimmick to attract survivors of the apocalypse to seek refuge. The collected resources were used to support the ability users within the base and to continuously acquire crystal cores. The entire base operated without production, yet it remained functional. It was a truly profitable venture; he was indeed a business prodigy.
However, his method was based on the continuous death of ordinary people, which disgusted Mingyue. Mingyue would never adopt such a method. Still, she wanted to understand more, as it could serve as a warning for the future, even if she didn't adopt it.
"Sister, can you go and treat my sister now?"
The little monkey looked at Mingyue expectantly. He had finished his story; wasn't it time to treat his sister?
"Alright, let's go now. But eat this first. Don't think about saving it for your sister; I have more. I'll give it to her when we get there."
Mingyue took out a box of milk and a piece of cake and handed them to the little monkey. The child must have been hungry for a long time. Seeing him on the verge of fainting, Mingyue was very worried and forced him to eat.
"Sister, I'll eat as we walk. I'm worried about my sister."
The little monkey was concerned about his sister, so Mingyue naturally agreed and followed him to their dwelling.
It was a dead-end alley. At the end of the alley, many old items were placed, likely left there before the apocalypse. A few wooden boards were covered with a plastic sheet. The little monkey's sister lay inside.
"Sister Mingyue, it's too serious. I can't save her."
The little girl had already fallen unconscious, her breath faint. Tian Shang channeled her wood-elemental ability into the girl's body, but there was no improvement.
"Sister, wake up. Three sisters, I beg you. Save my sister. I don't want crystal cores anymore, please save her!"
The little monkey hugged his sister and pleaded incessantly. In this world, she was his only relative, and he didn't want to lose her.
"Right, I still have this. Sisters, this is what I wore when I was born. Dad said it's ancient jade and was very valuable before the apocalypse. Please take it. If it's still not enough, I'll go out and kill zombies. I'll give you all my crystal cores then. Please, save my sister, okay?"
The twelve-year-old little monkey took off a melon-shaped jade pendant from his neck, crying like a tearful child, hoping Mingyue would save his sister's life.