I Hate Systems

"Excuse me!" Compass Carburettor grabbed hold of a man wearing a hazmat suit, asking him in confusion, "Can you tell me what's happening here?"

"Are you from the upper floors?" The man asked after glancing at Compass Carburettor from top to bottom, concluding on his own as he said, "It's pretty simple actually."

He pointed at the goldfish in the living room, "It is a special type of goldfish that is able to eat the grass growing below."

He then said while sporting a zealous expression, "And thanks to its presence, the mosquitoes don't target this floor during the night. Unlike other creatures, this goldfish is rather special in that even the shit it produces is a valuable fertiliser that allows us to grow plants indoors at a rapid pace."

He opened the door to a nearby room, showing a variety of fruit-bearing plants growing within, as if it was a greenhouse nursery, "Tomatoes, potatoes, corn, etc. From seeds, we managed to grow them to such an extent within two days. And, the yield is pretty great. The goldfish only needs to eat the grass growing below to produce this mysterious fertiliser. Thankfully, we had seeds to use."

"With this, we don't need to worry about food." The man smirked, saying, "As for water, the goldfish can release the moisture within the grass into the air that we collect into buckets through distillation. Drinking it heals our body to a certain extent."

"Hmm," Compass Carburettor frowned, 'Something feels strange here. It feels like the goldfish is making them dependent on it for survival. Just what is it planning? And, how come it is so smart to plan like this?'

He then felt a Mental Energy stream from the goldfish, sighing as he understood the situation at play. It wasn't the goldfish that was taking advantage of them. But, it was the humans that were using it for survival.

And in return, the goldfish was able to grow in strength by eating the mysterious grass. They were pretty much in a symbiotic relationship.

'But, how did these people determine the various uses for the goldfish so quickly?' He thought next, asking the man in the hazmat suit, "But, are you sure this is safe? You haven't tested this clinically, right?"

"Well…" The man looked at Compass Carburettor like he was an idiot, "Do you think we have a choice? It's not like most of us stockpiled any food to last us long. And even then, it would be used up soon after. But now, we can grow crops within the building itself and can stay safe, avoiding harm from the mosquitoes, ants, and grass, all thanks to the goldfish. So, whether something happens, we can't complain."

"I see, so you are mentally prepared." Nodding in response, he turned around, intending to leave.

"Wait," The man stopped him all of a sudden, asking, "Young man, you seem pretty strong. So, why don't you join us? You'll be guaranteed enough food and water for your needs. You won't even feel like we are in an apocalypse."

"I'll pass," Compass Carburettor waved his hand and began to climb up the stairs. All along, his brows were knitted together in a frown before relaxing, "Well, whatever. It's no longer my concern. Even if I save them, I cannot provide for them anyway."

Technically, the goldfish didn't mean them any harm. It too was trying to survive in this dangerous world. After all, it didn't seem to possess any offensive abilities other than its breath attack. As for its special ability, it was internal, one that it relied upon to help the humans survive while depending upon them.

The humans would feed it grass that it would digest using its special ability, emitting the excess water for them to collect while it stored the nutrients within its body. It then expelled the waste that was used by them as fertilizers, allowing them to grow crops and eat their fill.

And, as it continued to grow in size, its appetite continued to increase. But, the products it created were also of better quality now so the humans recruited more of their kind from the upper floors.

Eventually, it would reach a point where all the humans living in the apartment building would enter a symbiotic relationship with it.

Theoretically, there didn't seem to be any problems at first glance. But, Compass Carburettor felt that it wasn't as simple as it seemed. Even though the goldfish didn't have enough intelligence to scheme against the humans, it also retained some instincts that allowed it to make use of them, something long term.

"Well, you are the boss of your own life." Muttering as such, Compass Carburettor arrived at the roof of the building, still able to feel the Mental Energy stream from the goldfish.

He wanted to make it a member too but didn't wish to rush things. After all, he wished to judge exactly how the situation between the goldfish and the humans played. Only after that, once he judged that it was worth the risks would he make it a member.

"I'll observe them tonight and see how it plays out." Thinking as such, he asked the mosquito, "Are there other mutated beasts with a horn around?"

"There's one more," The mosquito said, "But, that place is under the constant watch of the ants. It'll be a bit troublesome if you head there now."

"It's fine, I'll be quick this time." Compass Carburettor smiled, learning of the location as his figure flashed, vanishing from the roof of the apartment as he appeared above another building, arriving at the location within a dozen seconds.

He noticed a dog barking while holding a branch in its mouth, wriggling its head as it used the branch to swat away the ants that were swarming it. It was tired, sporting injuries all over its body, protecting the couple that were behind it.

They were dead, having been killed by the ants already. But, it was still defending them, attacking the ants nonstop. Its horn was dull, showing that it had already unleashed its breath attack, evident by one side of the wall having collapsed to the ground.

Just as Compass Carburettor arrived at the scene, an ant opened its mouth and unleashed a breath attack, obliterating the dog.