"Beep! Beep!"
After a series of shrill cries came the piercing sound of warning whistles from the train cars outside.
With a clatter, everyone in the office car followed Locomotive Chief Bob out the door. They saw dozens of Black Uniformed Men responsible for escorting the cargo running through several cars, their expressions grave.
"What's going on?" Bob asked the nearest Black Uniformed Man.
The man did not answer directly, merely pointing out the window. "See for yourself!"
Everyone immediately looked in the direction he indicated. Though they had been somewhat prepared, they still could not help but be startled.
On one side of the tracks, several hundred meters ahead and to the left of the locomotive, a pack of beasts was approaching with low growls.
The beasts were gray all over and resembled rats, but they were many times larger, as big as hunting dogs. Sharp teeth protruded from their mouths, faint saliva clinging to them, making anyone who saw them shudder.
What was most terrifying, however, was the number of these Strange Gray Rats. There were more than a hundred of them, like a charging wolf pack as they howled toward the locomotive. The wind blowing toward them carried a thick stench of rot and blood, like the breath of death.
At the sight, half the train crew's legs went weak on the spot. After all, they were not warriors but merely service personnel, people who only wanted to earn an honest wage. They had never wanted a life lived on the edge of a blade.
The remaining crew members had not held their ground out of courage either. They were simply clinging to a final shred of hope as they looked at Bob and asked, "Locomotive Chief, do you think these strange rats count as a small