Mr. Rat of the Steam World

Chapter 75 Blast Manchester (4k6)

"I see."

Lu Ran learned the principles of runes and felt a little regretful.

It's not the spatial flickering you might imagine, but rather something akin to deception magic combined with concealment. It refines the use of illusions with more detailed runes, focusing on hiding one's form in the shadows and then using the shadows to achieve a visual effect.

Simply put, it involves using high-speed running combined with illusions in shadowy areas to create the illusion of blinking and teleporting.

The deception magic Lu Ran used before applied illusions to the target, giving them a deceptive effect. This one works on himself, so the focus is different, but it's still a very good magic.

Especially when used in conjunction with the scout rats, it makes tracking and eavesdropping much easier. At least Lu Ran can feel somewhat at ease letting them monitor targets involving the supernatural.

"good."

Lu Ran accepted the stealth technique with satisfaction, as the ability to continue innovating after the magical enlightenment had ended was far beyond his expectations.

As the mice walked and chatted, Lu Ran strolled from the food sorting area in the storage area to the training ground, where dozens of mice were training and practicing crossbow shooting.

Then we came across a study corner where a dozen or so gray mice were gathered, seemingly exchanging magical ideas.

Looking at the familiar runes engraved on the wall above, Lu Ran suddenly asked a question.

"How is the popularization of magic going?"

The gluttonous mouse seemed to know this data by heart, and immediately said: "38 mice have learned the Meditation skill, 7 have learned the Deception skill, 2 have learned the Divination skill, and 2 have learned the Stealth skill."

After finishing his explanation, he also offered a further explanation.

"This data excludes you, boss."

Lu Ran nodded, wondering if it was because his IQ was too low, but he felt that his learning speed was a bit slow.

On second thought, it makes sense. Level 4 is just the intelligence level needed to learn magic. How many magical geniuses can be expected to emerge from the rat swarm? But to upgrade from level 4, one needs a higher-level relic. Lu Ran doesn't have a solution for the time being, so he can only look for another opportunity to slowly investigate.

Lu Ran gave the foodie a brief reminder: "Everything else is fine, but you need to be careful when you do divination. It's okay to practice with some minor matters related to the rats, but don't do any divinations that go beyond the rats' territory, or you'll get into trouble."

The foodie was taken aback for a moment, then quickly nodded.

"clear."

Just then, an object whistled past overhead, followed by a mechanical clanging sound.

Because the metal pipes of the pneumatic mail delivery device are laid underground, the sound of the mailbox passing through the pipes is very clear.

"Another letter?"

Lu Ran instructed Novel Mouse and One-Ear to continue with their own tasks, while he led Foodie Mouse to quickly run to the ground.

Upon reaching the machinery in the stone house, they skillfully retrieved the mailbox inside.

I didn't know much about the address here. I thought it was another letter from Sheriff Edwin, but when I opened it, I was surprised to find that the sender was the Black Gold Factory's number—was it a letter from a money-grubber?
"what's the situation?"

It wasn't written on normal stationery; instead, it was a rolled-up strip of paper, about the size of an adult's little finger. Lu Ran quickly unfolded it, and his pupils contracted when he saw what was inside—

[A message has come from Copperwire Street that the Luddite organization is discussing blowing up the Manchester foundry; this message has also been sent to Edwin.]

Since the mailboxes were used for mail entering and leaving Biden's estate, Lu Ran was always worried that someone might open and inspect them. So he had long ago instructed Shushu not to include words like "master" or "shushu" in any letters she sent.

He wouldn't care if others saw his intelligence exchanges, since his public persona was that of a detective.

Even so, he was still shocked by the enormous amount of information revealed in the letter.

"Why so sudden?"

Fortunately, Lu Ran had already instructed the money-grubber to inform Edwin directly if the surveillance rats obtained any information about Lud's organization's operations, without waiting for his reply, to avoid delays in information transmission.

Now that the money-grubber has made arrangements, there's no need for him to rush back.

If it were a prepared attack, a large-scale battle, then it would clearly be beyond the capabilities of a single Gray Rat.

Providing them with intelligence to prepare them was the greatest contribution Lu Ran could make.

After a long silence, Lu Ran sighed softly, clutching the letter in his hand and gazing into the distance towards the city of Baker: "Such a big order right after my promotion, Inspector, I wonder if you can handle it."

……

Meanwhile, it was already afternoon in Baker City.

Because they lived in the same city, the money-grubber sent a gray rat with the message directly to Edwin, who was on patrol.

Upon seeing the familiar little creature, Edwin naturally concluded that all gray squirrels look pretty much the same.

If a normal person saw this, they would either chase it away or ignore it, but he knew that this was Sherlock's unique style, similar to a carrier pigeon, a way of taming mice to deliver messages, so he immediately squatted down to test it.

Unexpectedly, the gray rat ignored him and instead pushed off with its hind legs and walked into an empty alley by the roadside.

The young police officer standing nearby chuckled, "This gray rat is quite energetic."

Edwin ignored the guy, looked around, pulled up his pants as if loosening his belt, and casually followed, while gesturing to the junior officer behind him not to follow.

"I need to pee! I'm going to the alley to relieve myself!"

The alley was filled with the sour smell of coal dust and decaying matter. The gray squirrel skillfully led the rat to a shady spot and spat out a rolled-up piece of paper from its cheek.

Edwin's surprise deepened. He carefully took the note and patted the gray rat's head. But when he read the contents of the note, his previous leisurely demeanor vanished instantly, and cold sweat soaked his temples.

"Are these damned bastards insane?!" Edwin cursed, forgetting his previous attempts to conceal his true feelings, and rushed out as if his pants were on fire.

Manchester Foundry is not a small factory like Black Gold Factory; it is one of the top three metal raw material processing plants in Baker City.

If it were to be blown up, not to mention the astronomical losses, the chain reaction it would trigger would be something he couldn't bear.

"What happened to the police inspector...?"

The young officer was still bewildered when Edwin suddenly rushed out, but he didn't expect to be met only by Edwin's ashen face. Seeing his superior's increasingly rapid pace and his silence, he quickly quickened his pace to catch up, but he was still a little confused.

Why are you in such a hurry to go in and pee? Maybe you got bitten by a gray rat somewhere.

……

Not long after.

"Assemble! Assemble everyone immediately! Right now!"

The piercing siren shattered the tranquility of the police station. In less than twenty minutes, all available, fully armed officers, including those on leave, were called in and filled the small police station lobby.

Edwin's face turned ashen, and he quickly issued the order:
"Tom, Jerry, and Henry, you three teams, in plainclothes! Infiltrate the workers' quarters surrounding the Manchester foundry immediately, and monitor all suspicious individuals and roads leading to the foundry! Keep a close eye on the guys in the workers' rest area who are instigating trouble, but don't alert them!"
Jonathan, your squad is responsible for setting up covert blockades on the two main roads east and west of the foundry. The personnel are hidden in the shops on the street corners!

David, you take your men and occupy the high ground of that three-story warehouse diagonally opposite the foundry! It offers the best view!
The rest of you, stay with me at the intersection of West Street, ready to provide support at any time! Remember, this is going to be a tough battle! We may be facing ruthless saboteurs! You are authorized to open fire immediately if they launch an attack or throw explosives! Understand?!

"Understood!" The officer, who had been somewhat irritable due to the unexpected overtime work, immediately showed tension on his face.

As night deepened, the police, like an invisible net, silently spread across the silent Manchester foundry. The massive chimneys stood silently in the sparse starlight, the dark windows of the factory buildings like the eyes of monsters. Plainclothes officers blended into the squalid shantytown where the workers lived, while Edwin and his reserve team huddled in the shadows of a side road a few hundred meters from the foundry's main gate.

Time passed by minute by minute.

For the first hour, the foundry and its surroundings were eerily quiet, save for the sound of the wind whistling through the coal ash heaps and the occasional barking of dogs. Plainclothes officers relayed fragmented messages: "Nothing unusual." "Most of the workers are resting."

In the second hour, my legs started to go numb. The observer on the warehouse roof reported: "There are no lights in the factory area, and no one is passing by on the nearby roads."

Edwin became slightly agitated.

Sherlock wouldn't joke about something like this... but no specific time was mentioned.

Is it because it's not time yet, or did the other party notice?

In the third hour, drowsiness began to creep into their tense nerves. A police officer hidden inside a coal wagon yawned slightly. Someone in the team monitoring the intersection muttered a complaint about the mosquitoes.

"Inspector, is there a mistake?" A young police officer approached, his voice filled with confusion and exhaustion.

Edwin glared at him and growled, "Shut up! If you don't want to be humiliated in the city news, you'd better be alert! We can't let our guard down, especially now!"

However, he couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't today, but tomorrow or the day after?

However, continuing to endure this will indeed severely deplete your energy.

He thought for a moment and then called in a police officer to inform him of his shift break.

Finally, after nearly two hours of suffocating silence, it was almost 1 a.m.

"Hoo—" A young police officer guarding the entrance to the alley on the west side of the foundry leaned against the cold brick wall, couldn't help but raise his hand to cover his mouth and let out a huge, silent yawn, his eyelids drooping heavily.

Just as he yawned, he suddenly heard faint sounds of a door opening and footsteps nearby.

The sounds were very frequent and did not come from one place. In the dark workers' shack area, simple wooden doors were pushed open from different locations, making a slight but continuous creaking sound.

One by one, figures emerged from the darkness behind the door. They were numerous, their shadowy figures filling the narrow alleyways nearby. Each person had their head and face wrapped in dark, greasy rags, revealing only their gleaming eyes.

The pace quickened, even before the junior officer had a chance to react and was considering whether to shout out his report.

“Swoosh—boom!!!”

With a soft throwing sound, a huge fireball suddenly shot into the air from the west side of the foundry, near the main wall, with a thunderous roar that shook the ground! The firelight instantly illuminated the surroundings as bright as day, and the shockwave carried rubble, coal dust, and twisted metal fragments in all directions!
"Enemy attack!!" The police officer guarding the west alley entrance was terrified, his drowsiness instantly vanishing.

He didn't finish his sentence.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!" A dark mass of nearly a hundred people seemed to emerge from the darkness all at once, preparing to rush into the factory gate that had already been blown open.

"Beep—beep beep—!!" Inspector Edwin's expression changed drastically, and he blew the piercing siren!

"Police! Drop your weapons! Surrender immediately!"

A slight disturbance broke out among the masked group in the distance. After a few orders were vaguely heard from one of them, the group quickly regained their composure and split into two groups: one ran towards the Manchester foundry, while the other rushed towards the police.

They watched as several masked figures, whose physiques were clearly exceptionally robust, swiftly took out long, oilcloth-wrapped objects from behind their backs and lit the fuses.

"Fire! Quickly." Edwin's scalp tingled. Without the slightest hesitation, he gestured for some officers to go into the factory and chase after the other group of workers.

"Bang bang bang-!"

In an instant, gunfire erupted! The revolvers of the police officers lying in ambush on the east and west streets and at intersections spat fire at the same time!

The masked men at the front, carrying explosives, fell to the ground, but the explosives had already been thrown out before they fell, making a dangerous hissing sound.

boom!
Boom boom!

The explosion interrupted the police officers' offensive and even injured several officers.

Then, an unbelievable scene unfolded!

The masked men who had fallen to the ground struggled to their feet and, with the help of the other masked men, retreated a little. Because they were already very close, they could vaguely hear the clanging and clattering of bullets falling.

Following closely behind were the remaining masked men who swarmed forward from behind. They were not empty-handed; a significant number of them were wielding heavy crowbars and homemade Molotov cocktails that were already lit.

"Aren't they afraid of bullets?"

Some people realized what was happening and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

After a round of firing, dozens of people were hit, but surprisingly, not a single one of them was lying on the ground unable to get up.

Panic spread among the officers like a plague. In that moment of shock, the gun ran out of bullets. Reloading a revolver is inherently slow, and the police's firepower inevitably experienced a brief delay and gap.

Taking advantage of this brief lull in firepower, several Molotov cocktails traced bright arcs and accurately struck the ground in the center of the intersection where the police officers were most concentrated! The explosive flames instantly formed a raging, scorching wall of fire!

"Ah—!" A shrill scream rang out! A police officer who was standing a little closer was hit in the leg by a shard of a Molotov cocktail. His trouser leg was instantly engulfed in flames, and he rolled on the ground in pain.

Another officer was frantically ejecting spent cartridges and loading new ones when, in the instant he looked up, his pupils constricted sharply!

A heavy crowbar came hurtling straight at his face! He instinctively raised his gun to block, and with a sickening crack, the wooden grip of the gun was smashed open! The force of the impact sent him staggering backward, his wrist throbbing with pain! The gun flew from his hand!

"Scatter! Scatter quickly! Cover for reloading!" Edwin fired a burst of fire, knocking down a burly man who rushed towards him. The man only let out a muffled groan, staggered back a few steps, was supported by his comrades, and then rushed forward again.

"Damn it!" Edwin was also forced to engage in close combat. There were too many people on the other side, and they were acting like they were not afraid of death, giving him no time to reload.

Another punch shattered a masked man's mask, revealing a very ordinary face with deep wrinkles and sunken cheeks.

Edwin was just about to memorize the face when, in the next moment...

boom!
In the distance, in the workshop area of ​​the Manchester factory, some part suddenly exploded.

"Success! Retreat!" A triumphant roar erupted from the masked team!

The man whose mask had been ripped off hurriedly put it back on. Hearing the sound, he glared hatefully at Edwin, then immediately took off running as if he had received a signal.

Several men then threw several more Molotov cocktails at the chaotic group of police officers. They then helped each other up to support their injured comrades.

"Boom! Boom!" Several loud explosions rang out, and new fireballs once again halted the pursuit.

The police were too busy to defend themselves, but some of the quick-reacting officers immediately changed their weapons and fired.

Bang bang bang.

Another round of firing followed, and Edwin could even clearly see the bullets hit their targets, causing the group to stagger. They ran faster and faster, disappearing into the darkness of the crisscrossing work sheds. Still, not a single one fell.

Inspector Edwin's gaze swept around the burning factory, the mess everywhere, and his men groaning in pain. Then he looked in the direction where the enemy had disappeared, as if he could see once again the corpse of the worker with the beast claws growing out of the Dane family's house.

A tremendous sense of powerlessness welled up inside me.

"Are they the same batch of monsters?"

It was supposed to be a simple protest organization among workers, how did it turn into a mutant alliance? Can't you give us some ordinary cases? Why is it all this kind of stuff?
(End of this chapter)