Mr. Rat of the Steam World

Chapter 98 The Main Family

Bella, carrying a satchel and Lu Ran on her back, sped into the Baker City Industrial Zone, finally coming to a stop in front of the gate of the Morse Transportation Equipment Machinery Manufacturing Plant, which was marked with a cartoon gray mouse logo.

The factory was still brightly lit. It seemed that the bell for the end of the night shift had rung some time ago, and most of the workers had already left. Only a few day shift workers were leaving the factory one after another.

Several workers stared in amazement at the large white dog and the satchel on its back running towards them from the direction of the noble estate, and couldn't help but make a joke.

"First came the rats, then the cats, and now the dogs are here too. Our factory manager really likes small animals."

"But to be honest, it's not bad to have these little guys around while you're working. They won't bother you, and you can pet them when you're tired."

"Anyway, I've learned a lot here. I have to wear a gauze mask every day, and I also have to put a mini mask on my hamster."

"Haha, didn't you complain about it before? Now you treat it like a treasure every day?"

……

"Bella! Stop!" Lu Ran patted the side of the room with his little paws. Bella finally stopped, still wanting more, and excitedly stuck out her tongue: "We're here! Second Brother!"

"Alright, go play with the mice by yourself." Lu Ran nimbly leaped out of the bag and landed lightly. "I'll walk around and see how it goes."

"Okay!" Bella wagged her tail happily and darted into the factory. Jacob, who was guarding the gate, didn't stop her. Although he was not old, he looked much more mature.

At this moment, he focused intently on scanning each approaching figure, his finger quickly gliding across the list in the notebook, and then forcefully drawing a checkmark next to a name to indicate that the person had left the factory.

Lu Ran mingled in the shadows as the workers left the factory, silently observing everything.

He could see several gray squirrels following the hems of the trousers of passing workers, some of which were being carefully held in the palm of their hands.

"Hey, Ah Bao, see you tomorrow!" A young worker whispered to the gray mouse that was dozing on his shoulder, then put it down and quickly walked out of the iron gate.

"Squeak~" The little mouse, nicknamed Abao, perked up and waved happily.

Lu Ran nodded in satisfaction; it seemed the humans and rats were getting along quite well.

Even as he approached Jacob, he made no attempt to reveal his Sherlock Holmes persona. He simply stood by and observed for a while before quickly disappearing into the factory.

It should be a little before seven o'clock. Apart from the rats that are openly following the workers, most of the rats are still underground and have not come out to move around.

Lu Ran looked around and suddenly heard a creaking sound behind him.

As if the last worker had left, the factory gate began to slowly close inward along the black iron rails embedded in the cement below the door frame, creaking and groaning.

"Clang! Click—!" With an extremely dull metallic clang, the door slammed shut.

Jacob checked that the door was closed one last time before leaving quietly.

The next moment, the entire factory was enveloped in an unprecedented and overwhelming silence.

Fortunately, the silence only lasted a few seconds.

"Lord Lord!"

At this moment, several Sentinel Rats suddenly emerged from the shadows, looking at Lu Ran with surprise and delight.

Lu Ran nodded: "Are we going to notify the other mice to come out?"

“Yes.” Sentinel Mouse nodded.

Lu Ran smiled and said, "Then we can go together."

The factory was not completely silent. After a period of getting used to the machines, many of the mice were able to cooperate in operating them. So, after being informed in advance that there would be a night shift, the huge steam power source did not stop operating and continued to emit a low hum.

After all, stopping and restarting takes a lot of time.

Lu Ran followed the familiar path, and the patrolling sentinel rats immediately spotted him, squeaking excitedly as they swarmed over to salute him.

"Squeak! The boss is back!"

"Squeak! Hello, boss!"

Lu Ran nodded and followed the group of rats to the open space behind the factory. He thought he would have to shout, but the sentry rats simply found a red button near the ground and pressed it.

Jingle Bell--

A faint, seemingly underground, bell-ringing sound rang out.

Then, the silence was broken.

It wasn't a loud noise, but a dense, rustling sound, like a surging tide. Lu Ran looked towards the open space in the workshop, which was pitch black... First, a fluffy gray fuzzy thing poked its head out. Then, one after another, round little heads with big, black eyes popped out, looking around sleepily, their wet little noses twitching rapidly in the air.

"Squeak...squeak..."

"Let's get to work!"

The next moment, the grayish-brown tide surged out!

Countless gray mice of all sizes swarmed from each exit to their respective areas of responsibility.

Some of the mice passing by the workshop saw Lu Ran and waved excitedly.

"Hey boss~ Squeak!"

"Boss, boss, could you please ask those humans to wash their hands before touching your head?" a black mouse protested, raising a paw. "I was originally brown and white!"

"Squeak! Boss is back!"

"Boss, I'd like to change my lunch... *burp*"

……

Lu Ran looked at the swarm of mice rushing towards him with a mix of amusement and exasperation, and quickly shouted loudly.

"Alright, alright, line up to get your things before you start working... Ugh, who put their paw in my mouth?"

"Don't rush, those who need to do their work, just get to work. I've been here these past few days..."

For a moment, all that could be heard was the rustling of claws trampling on the concrete and metal steps. Lu Ran finally managed to break free from the swarm of rats and scanned the bustling factory with his beady eyes.

"Lord Lord!"

Good morning, boss!

"Boss, squeak!"

"Squeak~"

Upon seeing Lu Ran, the swarm of rats running by turned their gazes toward him, chattering incessantly. Some that were nearby even stopped, stood upright, and raised their tiny paws in greeting.

Lu Ran nodded repeatedly and responded with a wave of his paw, causing a small, joyful commotion among the rats before they continued running to their posts.

Soon, the low growl of the machine engine and the meshing of gears became the main melody, drowning out or blending in the squeaking of the rats.

Lu Ran didn't stay where he was. Instead, he moved with all four paws, quietly slipping into the shadows of the enormous machine to observe it up close. The scene that unfolded before him surprised even the instigator.

Beside the large steam press, a robust gray squirrel crouched on the edge of the control pedal. Several smaller squirrels surrounded it. One of them poked its head out, intently watching the scale pointer on the press, emitting soft squeaking commands.

Upon hearing the command, the burly mouse did not hesitate to forcefully push down on the heavy pedal with its hind legs! At the same time, several other mice immediately pounced on it, using their bodies or small paws to help secure the control lever on the other side.

"Oh!"

With a dull thud, the massive stamping hammer slammed down, precisely forging the metal blank below. Sparks flew! Once finished, the burly rats retreated, panting, and another group immediately took their turn, efficiently repeating the process.

The precision lathe's control panel. More precise control is required here. Several mice are using a ladder-like structure, one perched at the bottom, carrying a more agile one on its back.

"Squeak, let's form the head!"

The mouse, being carried on a lap, rests its front paws on the edge of the control panel, while its hind paws rest on its companion's shoulders for stability. Its tiny paws move the fine-tuning knobs quickly and precisely, its beady eyes fixed intently on a small piece embedded in the control panel.

As Lu Ran walked through the work areas, some of the mice would get tired and run to the ventilation vents to enjoy the warm air from the steam, or sneak to the dried fruit supply point to quickly nibble on a couple of corn kernels.

Of course, there were also some mice that seemed to be there during the day, making anxious gestures.

"Idiot! That's not how it works~ Squeak, I saw that human press this first during the day... Listen to me, don't do anything reckless!"

……

"It looks pretty good."

Lu Ran relaxed and left the workshop, quickly heading towards the underground of Territory No. 2.

He couldn't wait to see the experimental results.

(End of this chapter)