Mr. Rat of the Steam World

Chapter 61 Black Cat
The setting sun cast a tired orange hue over the massive, dark outline of the Black Gold Transportation Equipment Machinery Manufacturing Plant.

The deafening roar deep inside the factory did not diminish with the approach of dusk; the massive steam engine continued to tirelessly puff out billowing black smoke, accompanied by the clanging of metal clashing and the screeching of iron wheels sliding on the tracks… Dane Fisher gave the medical room door a final check.

He took out his pocket watch, glanced at it, and left right on time, just as he was about to leave work.

As you pass by the scorching forging workshop, a wave of heat hits you, mixed with the pungent smell of coke and molten iron.

Several workers, who had just come down from the furnace to rest, their bare upper bodies glowing red from the heat, sweat dripping down and leaving streaks of grime. Seeing Dane, they quickly straightened up and nodded politely in greeting.
Good evening, Mr. Fischer.

"You've worked hard, sir."

"Farewell, sir."

Dane nodded with a hint of authority in response, then forced a habitual, smooth smile onto his face: "Alright, guys, do your job well, but don't overwork yourselves. If you're not feeling well, just come find me. And remember to record your health data."

The workers beamed with smiles and nodded in agreement.

Dane continued walking and soon arrived at the open area behind the factory, where his private steam car, which was produced and assembled in his own factory, was parked.

Although the craftsmanship is not as good as some companies that specialize in producing steam cars, and there are some minor flaws, it is still at cost price, so we can't be too picky.

Of course, the most important thing is that it can be customized to meet specific needs.

Click.

Dane opened the huge, custom-made trunk at the back of the car. Inside, a worker lay unconscious. Dane pried open the worker's eyelids to check his condition, and after confirming that everything was alright, he closed the trunk again.

bang.

As the car door closed, the noise from the factory outside became indistinct, leaving only the bumpy wheels rolling over the gravel road and the clatter of horses' hooves.

Dane leaned back in his leather seat as the car drove from the dilapidated, dusty industrial area to the quieter commercial district, and finally into the relatively tidy residential area where his home was located.

Dane slowly parked the car. As he approached the door and took out his keys to open it, he noticed a faint, unpleasant odor in the air.

He frowned and continued to take out the brass key and insert it into the lock.

With a soft click, the heavy oak door was pushed open, and a lingering smell of blood hit the door.

Dane narrowed his eyes slightly as he fumbled for the dim light on the entryway wall lamp.

Snapped.

In the dim light, a dozen or so gray rat carcasses lay on the living room floor, each in a different posture, stiffly limp on the cold wooden floor. Some had their necks cleanly bitten off, while others had their chests and abdomens ripped open, their internal organs and flesh oozing out in a bloody mess.

"Meow~"

A black cat, its fur as black as the surface of a deep pool, sat languidly on top of a low cabinet by the window, its posture exuding a haughty and superior air.

The light from the wall lamp barely illuminated half of its body, while the other half remained hidden in shadow. It slowly licked the blood residue from its front paws, the extended claws gleaming with a faint metallic sheen and exhibiting an exaggerated length compared to that of ordinary felines.

After scanning the room, Dane said with dissatisfaction, "Vicks, next time don't let this kind of thing all over the room. Just catch it and throw it out."

Hearing the sound, the black cat gracefully turned its head, its amber eyes looking at Dane, and simply meowed softly.

After Dane finished speaking, he felt something was off.

"But when did so many gray rats appear in this place...?"

Of course, this wasn't a big deal. He left the door open and quickly went back to move the workers from the back of the truck back. That was the most urgent thing to do.

……

Lu Ran, who noticed something was wrong immediately, quickly inquired about the situation from several rat squads.

It wasn't until Lu Ran rode Bella through the oppressive atmosphere of Copper Wire Street, which was like a powder keg, that they quietly turned into a quieter and more dilapidated alleyway.

After many twists and turns, it finally stopped in front of a wall covered in oil stains and coal ash, almost blending into the background.

"Woof, are you sure this is the place? Second brother, why didn't you choose a better location?"

Bella glanced around with some disdain, then saw Lu Ran easily jump down and skillfully use his claws to push aside several rotten wooden planks, revealing a narrow, downward-facing entrance.

Lu Ran rolled her eyes, glanced at Bella who was making sarcastic remarks, and said succinctly, "No money."

He paused after speaking, then added, "But once these matters are resolved, the rats should have a stable place to live."

Before Lu Ran could even burrow down, a sentinel rat with a long face suddenly squeezed out from inside. Upon seeing Lu Ran, it exclaimed with delight, "Lord!"

Lu Ran hurriedly asked, "Has something happened? Take me inside quickly."

"Follow me quickly!"

Bella, watching from the side, felt a pang of envy: "I really want a little dog brother too."

Lu Ran ignored the dog and found a few rats to help keep an eye on it so that they could receive timely reports if anything happened. He then quickly followed the sentinel rats into the hole.

soon.

"My lord! You're finally back!" A small, urgent voice, trembling with tears, came from the darkness below the entrance.

Lu Ran nimbly slipped inside. Although the cave entrance was narrow, the inside was slightly more spacious, a small gathering place that the rats had transformed from a corner of an abandoned sewer.

Following the direction the mouse in front was pointing, a small gray mouse was seen huddled in the innermost corner, its whole body still trembling uncontrollably.

Its gray fur was disheveled. When it saw Lu Ran enter, it leaped up as if it had seen a savior, pounced at Lu Ran's feet, waving its little paws wildly and screaming incoherently:

"Lord... Lord! They're dead! All dead! Waaaaah... What a scary cat! So black! It eats gray mice!"

"They're all dead! So many hamsters! They were caught, bitten to death... torn apart... Waaah..."

Lu Ran was taken aback upon hearing this. He quickly reassured her before asking the question that had been bothering him: "Where are you keeping watch? Is it Dane's place?"

Its hurried, fragmented description was filled with immense terror: "It was Dane, we...we found Dane's house, we didn't intend to go in, we just wanted to...look around, but suddenly a black cat appeared near his house."

“Black Cat…” Lu Ran paused slightly, repeating the name.

He slowly approached, gently stroking the trembling mouse's back with his paw: "Tell me slowly, don't be afraid. Tell me what happened? Logically speaking, given your physical strength, you shouldn't be afraid of a cat even one-on-one, let alone a group of mice acting together. How could you have suffered such heavy losses?"

The little gray mouse calmed down a bit after feeling the lord's reassurance, but its round little eyes were still filled with tears of fear. It began to recount, in broken but incredibly clear, the horrific massacre it had witnessed near Dane's house.

"We couldn't see anything the cat was doing at all. Only when the cat stopped playing could we barely make out its appearance..."

　Thank you Zhou Xi for the donation!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)