Mr. Rat of the Steam World

Chapter 40 Backhand
Gray Street, a familiar place.

Lu Ran returned to the area and quickly found the gathering place of the rats in the region.

Who sent me the letter?

“It is I, Lord.” A gray rat who looked a little older stepped forward.

Lu Ran glanced at the other party. If he remembered correctly, this guy was one of the first batch of mice he had just started out with. Unfortunately, most of the mice in this batch did not have any remarkable talents or highlights, so they did not go further like the gluttons and the others.

However, given his experience and mindset, he is more than capable of managing a small division.

Lu Ran then asked, "Where is Zell? Shouldn't someone have sent rats to keep an eye on him?"

The gray mouse nodded: "My lord, please follow me."

An unremarkable old brick building, where someone must have urinated indiscriminately, exudes a musty smell mixed with dampness and stench. The iron drain pipes at the base of the wall are covered with rusty icicles, clearly indicating that it has been around for many years. It looks like a building preserved from the Old Baker era.

Following the direction the mouse pointed, the square windows on the right side of the third floor were arranged like a honeycomb. The glass was covered with old newspapers, leaving only a small area that could be seen clearly. However, judging from the background it reflected, there should be another layer of curtains behind it for obstruction.

"They have a good eye for finding places."

Lu Ran squinted and looked up, and just then he saw a hand gently prying open the curtains, revealing half an eye looking out.

Because of its small size and its location in the shadows of the corner, Lu Ran wasn't worried about being noticed by Ze'er. He kept his eyes fixed on the slowly closing curtain and turned to the mouse beside him.

"Does Zell usually come out?"

"I usually come out around 5 p.m. every day, and spend the rest of the time inside the house."

Lu Ran seemed thoughtful upon hearing this, but didn't rush to go in and check.

Doing this kind of thing should be done after dark. Besides, Lu Ran still wanted to find clues about the extraordinary person behind the scenes, so he wouldn't act so early. Therefore, he ran around the area first to observe it briefly.

This brick building is nestled in a wedge-shaped area where three alleys intersect. Its front faces the main road with heavy traffic, while its back door connects to two dark alleys that can only be passed by one person at a time. The left side leads to the cargo warehouse in the dock area, making it extremely convenient for both rendezvous and escape. As a result, Lu Ran had to send more rats to keep watch at each intersection.

"Should we wait for Sherlock, or for that extraordinary being..."

Lu Ran murmured to himself that, just in case, he still sent Rat to find the novel Rat. As the only one who had seen the face of the person behind the scenes, Rat could avoid unnecessary oversights at crucial moments.

After all, he had taken a few days off in advance from Afra using his Sherlock identity to secure this big deal.

As for Bella, she had informed him in advance anyway, and this wasn't the first time the kid had stayed away for several days in a row, and he had no problems at all.

Time passed like this until evening. Every now and then, Zell would open a small crack in the window of his room to look outside, which showed that he seemed a little restless.

They're not running away, yet they're stuck here in fear.

Lu Ran pondered the man's thoughts until he saw a man of similar build to Ze'er walk down from the brick building. However, the man's wide-brimmed hat was pulled down very low, and a thick, dark cashmere scarf was tightly wrapped around his nose, making it difficult to see his face clearly.

"What do you usually do when you come down here?"

"Buy food, and also go to that mail exchange place to check if there's a reply."

As the mouse beside him had said, Zell went around twice, went into another house for a while, came out slightly disappointed, and then went to the shops on the street. Before long, he had a bag of oil paper in his arms. It took him about half an hour to return the way he came.

It was only then that Lu Ran realized something.

"Does no one else live in this brick building?"

Lu Ran had been watching all day and just noticed that Ze'er was actually the only person to enter and leave the brick building that day.

“No one else has come out.” After receiving the mouse’s confirmation, Lu Ran raised an eyebrow and glanced at the other floors again.

Except for a small gap on the third floor, the windows on every other floor were covered with old newspapers, completely blocking out sunlight, which certainly didn't seem to fit the lifestyle of ordinary people.

"Let's not go to the third floor yet, let's check the other rooms first."

Lu Ran moved swiftly and ran into the brick building.

Upon entering, a sense of desolation immediately hits you. It's evening, so there's not much light. Looking around, the corridor is as narrow and dark as an abandoned intestine. The spider webs hanging from the ceiling are like tattered gray curtains, entangled in the rusted empty lamp holders.

Lu Ran went directly to the room on the first floor that was directly below the third-floor room, only to find that it was locked tightly. He tried to pry it open, but it wouldn't budge. For such a dilapidated old-fashioned door, there was no slight wobbling that should be there under normal circumstances. It felt like it was welded shut rather than locked.

"There is indeed a problem."

Lu Ran slipped out of the brick building, confirmed the location of the room and continued to observe around it. He quickly located the drainpipe hanging down at the base of the wall. Looking at the rusty bumps that could be broken at the slightest touch, Lu Ran made a tough decision.

"vomit."

One minute later, Lu Ran emerged.

He felt there must be a better way than drilling into the drain pipe.

"vomit."

Why does it smell so bad?

Lu Ran grumbled and turned his gaze back to the window on the first floor. He quickly climbed up the wall and found that the window frame was made of wood. Because it was old, a small bite could easily gnaw off a large piece of wood, just enough to make a small hole, which shouldn't damage the entire glass structure.

Lu Ran acted immediately, and after some effort, he finally managed to squeeze in.

The room was pitch black, but one could still vaguely see that there seemed to be a large hole in the ceiling, with a spiral staircase extending down from above.

Looking at everything before him, Lu Ran suddenly realized what was happening.

The first and second floors are connected.

So the third floor is also open?

Lu Ran didn't know where the ground floor led, but he guessed it was probably to the nearby dock where he could easily take a boat and escape.

So, is it because this abandoned brick building was bought early on and was specifically intended for escape? Apart from the room currently occupied on the third floor, the other rooms should be completely sealed off.

Having understood Zell's backup plan, Lu Ran was completely relieved.

They climbed out again, stuffed the sawdust back in little by little to restore everything as much as possible, and then returned to the settlement.

"Give me a pen and paper."

You want to sell out national intelligence, huh? I'll write it down for you right away.

First, it can't be too general or vague, otherwise it won't be credible. For information worth 500 gold pounds, it definitely needs to make the other party feel reassured.

Then you have to make the other party feel a sense of urgency that they can verify it at any time, but if they are late, they will miss out.

Lu Ran's mind raced, and he thought of the nearby port, and slowly wrote it down.

"In the next few days, a batch of precision machinery will be shipped from Biden Estate to the Holy Orion Empire via Blue Reef Port. I'll let you know the time and shipment number once I get the money..."

　Thank you to the foodie who loves the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams for the 300-point reward!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)