Monster attack

Day by day passed, the further the track construction progressed, the more crucial the support of the train was in the development of the new railway. It was impossible to rely solely on laborers to move all materials from Suzaku station to the end of the new track. Therefore, the train needed to advance further in aiding workers with material issues for the new rail construction.

Ren, who initially worked as a material handler, transitioned to a worker assisting in laying train tracks. Due to a shortage of workers and challenging transportation, the construction speed was not as fast as usual.

On the 28th day of Ren's work, Ren who was deciding to join the mercenaries, approached Sasaki. He informed Sasaki about his decision to join the mercenaries.

"It took longer than I expected, but I'm still glad you chose to join my mercenaries. Perhaps you already guessed it, my mercenaries are sponsored by the Zoya Group; they are our superiors."

"I'm also very glad to follow you, Supervisor Sasaki."

"From now on, call me Chief Sasaki," Sasaki corrected Ren's words.

"Alright, Chief Sasaki."

Sasaki then gave instructions. "Alright, you can go back; meet me again before the workers return to Enzo."

Ren saluted Sasaki before walking away from Sasaki's tent. However, as he was about to leave, he heard Sasaki's radio suddenly make a sound.

[Fort Naraki to Supervisor Sasaki, we have received reports of a group of monsters that have managed to breach to the south; it is estimated they will arrive at your location soon. Please evacuate the workers and everyone in that area immediately.]

[Fort Naraki to Supervisor Sasaki....]

Sasaki immediately stood up from his chair, ordering Ren, who happened to still be inside Sasaki's tent, "Oh, Shit! Ren, quickly inform the workers to get into the train; we'll return to Suzaku station as fast as possible!"

"Yes, Supervisor Sasaki."

Ren quickly ran, shouting to the workers, "Monsters are attacking! Get into the train immediately!"

He kept repeating it. The workers knew that monsters could attack anytime, so as soon as Ren shouted, all workers threw their tools and ran into the train. Not only Ren, but the speaker inside the train also kept announcing the same thing. The train slowly started, waiting for people to enter the compartments.

Once everyone was estimated to be inside the compartments, the train began moving backward towards Suzaku station.

Meanwhile, Ren continued running from one compartment to another, trying to find Kiyoshi.

"Kiyoshi!"

He kept calling his friend's name until the last compartment, but Kiyoshi was not there. Ren soon realized that Kiyoshi was left behind. Without much talk, Ren squeezed through other workers towards the train door, under the gaze of others; Ren jumped out of the train.

Some people shouted in surprise at Ren's actions, but he didn't care; he immediately ran in a different direction from the train.

Once Ren was far enough from the train, he then activated the felis ignis mode and ran with all his might. Fortunately, he didn't have to run far because the train had just started moving a few moments ago. He then glanced left and right, relying on his keen vision to find Kiyoshi.

It didn't take long for him to spot Kiyoshi standing confused.

"Kiyoshi!" Ren shouted.

Kiyoshi was shocked to see the change in Ren's appearance. "R-Ren? What happened to you? Where are the others?"

"Sorry, I don't have time to explain." Ren immediately lifted Kiyoshi, placing him on his shoulder, and ran back south to catch up with the train, which might not be far away.

"Wait! Can you explain to me what's happening? H-How can you run so fast?"

"In short, monsters attacked, other workers were evacuated, and you were left behind. I decided to run and find you," Ren explained as briefly as possible.

At that moment, a three-meter-tall dog-like monster jumped, blocking Ren's path. The dog barked loudly, frightening Ren and Kiyoshi. Without hesitation, Ren changed his running direction to the west.

Although the west was also a paddy field area, just a hundred meters from where Ren was, there was a forest area that might delay the dog-like monster rather than heading east, where there were only fields.

The monster ran, destroying the fields while continuing to chase Ren. Occasionally, it also leaped far ahead, shortening the distance between them. Ren kept running as fast as he could, turning precisely whenever there was a tree blocking his path. His eyes continued to record all obstacles and hindrances in front of Ren.

Thanks to the felis ignis power, Ren was not only fast but also agile, with excellent vision.

However, Ren had no intention of testing his luck by fighting the dog-like monster. First, he had never trained to use his powers. Second, he was also carrying Kiyoshi; it would be challenging for Ren to fight while carrying him. These two factors made Ren continue his strategy of running from the monster's pursuit.

The dog-like monster ran without caring about obstacles and hindrances, crashing into trees and forcefully breaking them. It continued to run after Ren, destroying trees and bushes in its path.

As Ren glanced back at the monster, he accidentally stumbled on a rock, causing him to tumble while Kiyoshi was thrown forward, hitting a tree.

"Ugh," Ren endured the pain while slowly standing, realizing that the dog-like monster was now in front of him, only a few meters away.

Ren clenched his fists, preparing to fight. He couldn't avoid it because Kiyoshi was behind him.

As Ren prepared to fight, the sound of gunshots suddenly echoed. The monster turned back, seemingly intrigued by the gunshot noise. Ren squinted, seeing a woman running towards him very fast, several times faster than Ren just now.

Disturbed by the woman, the monster attempted to attack her. However, the woman jumped high while continuously shooting the dog-like monster with both pistols in her hands. She then landed in front of Ren, protecting the boy from the monster.

The monster's claws lunged at the woman, but she lowered her body and kicked the monster's chin, lifting it into the air. Then, the woman jumped onto the monster's face and aimed both her pistols at its right and left eyes, shooting them several times.

Shortly after, the monster stopped moving.

The woman holstered her pistols and walked towards Ren.

"Are you okay, kid?"