Mr. Rat of the Steam World

Chapter 81 I Have Nothing Lacked Now

"You can gain power by signing your name on it..." Lu Ran noticed something amiss: "This thing can't be... a relic, can it?"

Upon realizing this, Lu Ran's eyes gradually lit up. He remembered that Anthony had said that the most basic relics generate power through similar means of propagation, which seemed to fit the current situation perfectly.

But if it's the most basic level of contaminated relics... in theory, it should be similar to a balance coin, with a cost to use.

Lu Ran almost immediately thought of Wright's father, who had aged considerably.

"life?"

Lu Ran frowned as he scanned the workers in front of him, then suddenly seemed to notice something, and his gaze sharpened.

He noticed that, at some point, all the workers had a faint, newly healed scar on their right arms, the same spot where Norton had made the first incision on the first worker's right arm.

But that cut clearly only severed one person's arm.

"It happened before? No, that can't be such a coincidence!"

"So, there's also the option of splitting the cost equally!"

Lu Ran took a light breath, a hint of coldness appearing in his eyes.

"The power to recover didn't come out of thin air; it came from spreading out the damage, even at the cost of overdrawing on my body... And because I swore an oath not to betray you, I refused to reveal any clues even after being captured..."

So crossing out a name means stripping away the ability to share resources? No wonder the people who were caught also lost their recovery abilities... They're fucking beasts, these lunatics don't treat workers like human beings at all when they're causing trouble.

Lu Ran grumbled and cursed, but suddenly his mind changed, and his gaze became fixed on the joint letter.

"Ashes... For the sake of maintaining social stability, it's better to leave such sinful things to me."

……

The group chatted with increasing enthusiasm until late at night before reluctantly parting ways.

Their words were full of phrases like "Ashes protect us!", "Let those lackeys of the masters see our power!", and "Let's do it again! Do it even bigger!"

"Stay alert, wait for your chance!" Norton raised a hand to quell the commotion, his sharp eyes sweeping over the crowd, a barely perceptible, cold smile playing on his lips. "Disperse, and be careful. Remember your oath, never forget the will of the ashes! A new list is being drafted; strength needs wider proof!"

The workers responded excitedly in hushed tones, emerging one by one from the secret corner enclosed by tattered tarpaulins and wooden planks, gradually disappearing into the deeper shadows of Copper Wire Street in the evening.

Norton stood there, listening to the footsteps completely disappear. The excitement on his face quickly faded, leaving only coldness and exhaustion.

He walked to the corner, folded the blood-stained joint letter again, and was about to stuff it into the inner pocket of his clothes.

suddenly--

call out!
A faint, almost imperceptible whooshing sound came from behind, followed by what appeared to be a dark figure flashing by in the corner of my eye.

Norton's pupils contracted sharply, and he lunged forward almost reflexively!

pat!

A pebble hit the wooden wall behind where he had just been standing and bounced to the ground.

"Who?" Norton hissed sharply, his right hand already flashing behind his waist, drawing a gleaming dagger. He turned swiftly, leaning against the relatively sturdy crumbling wall, his sharp gaze sweeping across every corner of the dimly lit space like a hawk's.

The dim light of the oil lamp cast his shadow on the oilcloth and wooden planks, swaying constantly. But only deathly silence and his own slightly rapid heartbeat answered him.

Whoosh!
Another dark shadow flashed by, and Norton immediately scanned it, only to see complete darkness beyond his sight.

Lu Ran, hidden in the shadows, pondered the small stone in his paw.

Even illusions can't be seen through. His reaction speed and subconscious defensive movements don't seem like those of someone extraordinary. At most, he's just an ordinary person who has received professional training.

"puff!"

The next moment, there was a soft sound, as if something had been precisely knocked away.

Immediately afterward, the small, steady light of the oil lamp flickered for a moment, then went out completely without warning! Darkness instantly engulfed the entire narrow, hidden corner!

Norton's vision went black, and his heart sank!
"who!"

Almost at the same moment the light disappeared, a short groan of pain escaped Norton's lips! He felt as if something had struck his lower abdomen hard, and almost instinctively swung his knife forward, only to miss.

Hiss!

The next moment, a sudden chill and sharp pain shot through my ankle! It felt like something sharp had slashed at me.

"Damn it!" Norton cursed inwardly. Although the injuries weren't fatal, and even seemed like a joke, the feeling of complete uncertainty made him very uneasy.

Suddenly Norton quickly pulled a match out of his pocket.

Chi!

The match struck in the darkness, and a tiny spark suddenly ignited! Norton immediately tossed the flame toward the tarpaulin beside him!
call!
A small cluster of flames burst into flames instantly, quickly spreading into a dazzling ball of fire that dispelled the nearby darkness and illuminated Norton's disheveled figure.

Using the brief, flickering firelight, Norton immediately scanned his surroundings, only to spot a gray rat not far away, holding a petition signed in blood and tilting its head.

Wait, a gray mouse!?

One second he was wondering why there was a gray rat here.

The next moment, he watched in disbelief as the joint letter vanished from Gray Rat's hands.

"My stuff!" Norton's eyes widened, his shock instantly exploding! He looked around, instinctively grabbed a discarded steel pipe from the ground, and slammed it down hard on the motionless gray rat!

"That beast deserves to die!"

Strangely, the gray squirrel didn't dodge; instead, it nimbly turned around! Its tiny front paws shot out like lightning as it turned!

pat!

A very faint yet incredibly clear metallic clang echoed through the burning small space!
The momentum of the heavy steel pipe falling with tremendous force came to an abrupt halt!

Norton's fury froze instantly, then turned into an expression of even greater horror and bewilderment than when he had just seen the gray rat itself.

His gaze slowly and incredulously shifted downwards...

There stood the tiny gray squirrel. Its small hind legs supported its body, while its forelimbs were raised…

One of its small, gray-furred front paws actually caught the sharp end of the heavy steel pipe that was falling steadily, precisely, and firmly!

That scene was utterly absurd!

A gray squirrel, barely thicker than a steel pipe, effortlessly caught a powerful metal blow swung with all its might by the towering Norton with just one tiny paw!
Norton's mouth gaped open slightly, his face filled with disbelief: "This is unbelievable."

As for Lu Ran, some of his attention was focused on the system.

Use of contaminated relics.

Level 3 Group Physique → Level 4 Group Physique

At this moment, power, like wisdom, finally crossed the threshold and ushered in a qualitative leap.

It is now a creature the size of a gray rat, only a few centimeters long, but possessing the strength of a human... This is even more terrifying than the latter alone.

Lu Ran tilted his rat head, his beady eyes fixed on the disheveled Norton, and suddenly spoke.

"Why don't you take this opportunity to tell me what ashes are?"

Norton's blood seemed to freeze instantly as he stared intently at the motionless gray rat before him. A distinct, almost human-like mockery gleamed in its dark, beady eyes.

What chilled him to the bone was that the clear human voice from just moments ago was now eerily emanating from the mouth of the tiny gray rat.

Is it a talking gray mouse?
(End of this chapter)