Mr. Rat of the Steam World

Chapter 101 Are you trying to usurp the throne and become the boss?
"My lord, are you ready?"

The bald research mouse's paws were still steadily supporting the glass tube that carried the hope of evolution. Lu Ran's eyes sparkled with excitement, and her little paws had already gripped the cold tube tightly.

He took a deep breath, and the unique scent, a blend of herbs and metal, filled his nostrils, making every cell in his body seem to stir.

"I'm ready!"

Lu Ran's voice was more solemn than ever before. He suddenly raised his neck, the tube pointing directly at his mouth, ready to drink it all down and receive the new power.

"Squeak squeak squeak! Boss! Something terrible has happened—squeak!!!"

A sharp, almost distorted squeal of a rat boomed like thunder in the cramped space of the underground laboratory, followed by a sentry rat that tumbled and crawled in, almost leaping in.

"Pfft-cough cough cough!"

Lu Ran was startled by the sudden howling and wailing, and the medicine in his paw almost flew out. He hurriedly steadied himself and barely managed to avoid spraying the medicine that was about to be in his mouth all over the bald-headed research rat's face.

With his cheeks puffed out, he held a half-empty medicine in his mouth, unsure whether to swallow or drink it.

Fortunately, the bald rat reacted quickly: "Boss, drink it quickly, don't drink it in two portions."

Lu Ran was stunned upon hearing this, then quickly gulped down the rest of the medicine in one go, followed by an angry outburst.

"Who? I was just taking my medicine and someone shouted 'Boss' is finished!'"

Lu Ran rushed to the Sentinel Rat and grabbed the little guy by the ear.

"You little rascal, you have shifty eyes, are you trying to usurp the throne and become the boss?"

"No...it's not that you're finished! It's...it's up above! Humans! Humans have...humans have invaded!"

The sentry rat shrank its neck, but quickly remembered that business was more important, and frantically pointed its paws toward the entrance to the tunnel leading to the upper levels of the factory.
"A...woman! She ran in with something flashing, what do we do, boss?!"

"A woman, a human? What the hell? How did they let her in... Damn it! Hurry, hurry, hurry!" Lu Ran realized what was happening, and the next moment, as if his butt was on fire, he pushed off the ground with his hind legs and his body turned into a gray lightning bolt, rushing out of the entrance passage at breakneck speed.

Only his furious echo remained in the air: "Guard the lab! Don't let anything unknown get close! Especially the reagents!!"

……

the other side.

Jenna was still slumped on the cold, rough cement floor, clutching the old-fashioned camera tightly in her arms, wiping away her tears while listening curiously to the murmurs of the surrounding rats.

"Squeak? Why isn't she moving? Has she stopped crying?"

"Call the boss! Call the boss! Squeak! Why isn't the boss here yet?"

Hey you upstairs! Send someone to fetch the boss, and make sure they're quick on their feet!

"Hey, you guys need to explain yourselves more clearly. Is she complaining about our table manners? Squeak?"

"Humans...are so strange..."

Listening to the murmurs around her, some of which sounded a bit bewildered, Janna's tense nerves unconsciously relaxed a little.

A sense of absurdity began to overwhelm the fear.

This is quite different from the man-eating rats I imagined. They weren't supposed to be ferocious, violent, and incredibly strong, having injured many people...

Just as her mind was in turmoil from this huge contrast, and she was trying to muster the courage to observe again,

"Wow!"

Without warning, all the gray squirrels parted to the sides with incredible speed, instantly clearing a straight path large enough for a person to walk through in the sea of ​​squirrels.

All the rats surrounding her, thousands upon thousands of pairs of dark, cold, beady eyes, turned in unison, filled with indescribable reverence, excitement, and absolute obedience, towards the end of the passage—the dark area shrouded in the shadow of the enormous machine—the moment the passage parted! They've arrived!

This sudden change made Janna's heart pound again! The tension that had just eased instantly tightened to its limit!

The ones before were all ordinary mice; this one is a real man-eating mouse.

Beneath their wet, filthy, dark gray or dark brown fur lay bloated, twisted, and brute-force bodies, many bearing festering wounds and grotesque growths. Foul-smelling saliva dripped from their gaping maws, revealing menacing fangs…

An image of a "tall and imposing," "ferocious-looking," and "radiating an aura of terror" rat king uncontrollably began to form in Jenna's fear-stricken mind. She could almost hear the imaginary, heavy footsteps approaching, carrying an overwhelming force...

Tap...tap...

A soft, rhythmic sound came from the shadows at the end of the passage, growing closer. The footsteps were quick, yet carried a strange…solid quality?

It's here! That terrifying figure is about to break through the shadows!

Jenna instinctively held her breath, closed her eyes in despair, and prepared to face her final judgment—

then.

next second.

The terrifying scene that was expected did not occur.

Jenna squeezed her eyes open a crack, then suddenly opened them wide.

A round, furry, and dusty figure hurriedly jumped out from the shadow of the machine at the end of the passage.

It was a mouse that was noticeably larger than the other gray mice, even several sizes rounder.

Because it was running fast, its four short paws moved quickly, and the fur on its chest bounced up and down with each step.

There was no ferocity, no imposing stature, no gleaming claws; it was just an ordinary-looking mouse charging out, surrounded by countless eyes that seemed to say, "Our boss has arrived!"

Jenna was completely dumbfounded.

Those eyes, still glistening with lingering tears of terror, were now wide open, even wider than the beady eyes of the round rat that had rushed out before them, their pupils filled with immense shock and absurdity.

"Um?????"

This is... the leader of the rat pack? The one they claim can solve everything... their boss?

Lu Ran, who rushed over, instantly locked his gaze on the object in Jian Na's arms, and then everything went black.

Is that a camera she's holding?

The person who sneaked in was actually a reporter?
Looking around at the chattering rats, who were openly discussing things in front of humans, Lu Ran sighed helplessly. He no longer bothered to hide his ability to talk and slowly walked up to Jenny.

"So before we start communicating, hand over the machine you're carrying."

Janna froze, instinctively hiding the camera even tighter into her arms. As she was thinking about how to explain, a sudden flash of inspiration struck her gradually calming mind.

"Wait, wait!"

Lu Ran was taken aback, looking at the female reporter in front of him with some confusion and disbelief.

"Oh ho, you're even trying to negotiate now? Men, bury her..."

Jenna almost burst into tears again, and quickly said, "Since you can talk, do you know a talking crow?"

Lu Ran was taken aback: "Huh?"

(End of this chapter)