Raid

"Choo Choo Choo…"

The shrill whistle jolted awake the surrounding poor people and illegal immigrants, stirring them from their restless sleep in their makeshift shelters. They stirred, muttered curses under their breath, but then settled back, their faces etched with a weary resignation. They had no means of protesting such an act; their voices were unheard.

It was because the noble gentlemen, ensconced in their distant, opulent mansions, didn't live here. They didn't care about the train's blaring whistle; it was a mere footnote to their undisturbed slumber. On the contrary, if the train was damaged due to a lack of timely warning, then indeed, the noble gentlemen would be quite displeased, and that was a consequence to be avoided at all costs.

"Shasha…"

As the train's brakes screeched, a long, drawn-out metallic groan, its speed slowly bled away. The cacophony of the train gradually subsided, fading into the background, finally revealing the soft, persistent sound of raindrops hitting the ground, a delicate counterpoint to the industrial grind.

The weather was bad today; a relentless, drenching rain poured throughout Saint Denis, transforming the cobbled streets into glistening, empty thoroughfares. Pedestrians were nowhere to be seen.

After all, medical expenses were not cheap these days, so most people didn't dare to get sick; a bad cold could mean financial ruin.

"The train is carrying coal. Hurry and remove the tarpaulin, d*mn it!" A gruff voice cut through the rain. Before the train had even come to a complete halt, the armed guard responsible for escorting it emerged from a small, cramped room at the back of the train. He gestured frantically, his arm sweeping in wide arcs towards the waiting workers. "If this coal gets wet, it won't sell tomorrow, and then Mr. Cornwall will surely hold us accountable!" His voice was laced with an urgency born of fear of his employer.

Even at past midnight, a small, huddled group of workers, their faces drawn with fatigue, was still waiting there, their hunched figures outlined by the dim station lights, for Mr. Cornwall's invaluable trainload of coal.

The leader on duty at the train station tonight was Tommy Heidi, a portly man with a perpetually flushed face, his distant relation to the illustrious Heidi Family so remote it was almost mythical. He was the kind that couldn't be more distant, yet even so, he still managed to secure a coveted position as a train station leader thanks to the faint echo of the Heidi Family's name.

Seeing Mr. Cornwall's coal train finally approaching, Tommy, his large belly jiggling with each hurried step, waddled forward. He wasted no time, kicking out at the group of workers who were still patiently waiting for the train to stop steadily, his face twisted in impatience.

"Dmn it, this is Mr. Cornwall's coal! Why aren't you hurrying over there!" Tommy bellowed, his voice straining against the rain. He stomped his foot, his face reddening further. "Why are you dmn animals so lazy? I think I'm paying you too much!"

Under Tommy's fierce, albeit clumsy, kicks, the group of workers had no choice but to jog, their worn boots splashing through puddles, from both sides of the train station towards the slowly grinding train, preparing to unload the coal. Their movements were reluctant, but compliant.

However, just as they took their first weary steps, another, distinct train sound echoed from afar, a low rumble that vibrated through the tracks.

"Clang, clang, clang…" The familiar vibrations and rhythmic train sounds made the workers quickly stop in their tracks, their eyes widening in confusion, exchanging bewildered glances.

Tommy cursed loudly, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Dmn it, why is there another train? Wasn't there only this one tonight? How is the train schedule arranged? Dmn it!" He punched the air in frustration.

Despite his vehement cursing, the undeniable arrival of the second train forced them to halt their unloading operations.

A small group of people, the armed guards and the remaining workers, stood huddled under the train station's flimsy iron shed, their faces etched with anxiety, anxiously looking at the dark, impenetrable curtain of rain in the distance, waiting for the unexpected train to arrive.

"Dmn it, who is driving this train? Why isn't he blowing the whistle? Oh, sht!" Tommy ranted, pacing back and forth under the shed, wringing his hands. "I don't think this driver wants to work anymore!" He cursed, watching the faint glow from the train's headlights break through the darkness, impatiently jumping up and down, eager for the train to finally stop.

Finally, after a tense wait that seemed to stretch on endlessly, a long freight train slowly, almost silently, pulled to a halt on another track at the train station, its sheer size dwarfing the waiting men.

"Puff!" A sudden, loud whoosh of steam erupted from the train's front, a cloud of white billowing into the rainy night. Tommy, already fuming with indignation, immediately stomped towards the train's location, his heavy footsteps splashing, angrily heading towards the driver's cab to hold him accountable.

However, he had only taken two steps when he suddenly felt a prickling sensation on the back of his neck, a profound sense that something was amiss. He stopped abruptly, his body tensing, his head cocked slightly to the side.

"Ah! Why are there so many footsteps?" he muttered to himself, his eyes darting around wildly in the dimly lit station.

Listening to the sudden, unsettlingly chaotic sound of countless footsteps, a cold dread seized Tommy's heart, causing it to skip a beat as he stood frozen near the train's front. However, just as he registered the alarm, before he could even utter another sound, a dark, heavy steel pipe descended swiftly and silently, landing with brutal force on the back of his head.

"Bang!" A sickening thud echoed, and Tommy's eyes rolled back in his head as his large frame collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Then, the dense footsteps became even more chaotic, a swirling torrent of movement, and dark figures continuously leaped out from various train cars, seemingly endless, their movements fluid and practiced.

"Stand still, put down your guns!" A harsh, low voice cut through the rain, sharp and authoritative.

The armed guards who had just gotten off Mr. Cornwall's train had just begun to raise their guns, their hands trembling slightly, when they found themselves instantly surrounded. A tight circle of dark muzzles, gleaming menacingly in the faint light, was already aimed with chilling precision at various parts of their bodies – their chests, their heads, their legs.

"Hey, gentlemen, we surrender!" Several of Mr. Cornwall's armed guards, their faces pale with terror, almost immediately threw their weapons to the ground with a clatter, their hands shooting up in a gesture of absolute capitulation.

Under the terrified, wide-eyed gaze of both the armed guards and the bewildered workers, they finally saw the scene unfolding before them with chilling clarity.

They saw an army of armed guards, dressed in crisp, dark uniforms, continuously disembarking from the train before them. Each man carried a rifle with a practiced ease, their expressions serious and cold, their faces emotionless masks.

As the armed guards disembarked, large, menacing Maxim guns, already fully assembled, were efficiently carried onto specially prepared carriages placed on the flatcar in the middle of the train. The speed and precision of their movements were unnerving.

The entire train station was completely filled with armed guards continuously pouring out of the train, an unstoppable tide of disciplined soldiers, making Mr. Cornwall's armed guards almost wet their pants in sheer fright.

God, what kind of army is this? A silent, efficient machine.

The cooperation of these armed guards was extremely tacit, a silent ballet of trained precision, and their actions were incredibly swift, indicating beyond a doubt that they were well-trained, professional soldiers.

None of them spoke; there was no shouting, no idle chatter. They just tacitly assembled the Maxim guns, the metallic clicks the only sound, and then teams of men pulled the heavy guns, their silent footsteps splashing through the puddles as they rushed into the relentless heavy rain.

Looking into the distance, one could already see silent squads, like dark specters, rushing into the heavy rain, already standing guard at various intersections, their forms barely visible in the downpour. The train station and even the port, a vital artery of Saint Denis, were completely occupied by them within a few short minutes, without anyone even speaking a single word during the entire process.

"Whoosh…"

The heavy rain continued to fall, a relentless curtain. Teams of armed men rushed into the downpour, then seemed to fall into a deathly silence, their forms swallowed by the night. The workers responsible for transporting goods and several of Mr. Cornwall's armed guards stared with wide, unblinking eyes, their faces still contorted with terror. This ghost-like army seemed to appear suddenly, like specters from the mist, and then disappear just as quickly, melting away like ghosts into the dark, rain-swept curtain of the night.

They didn't know what they wanted to do, and they didn't even dare to imagine what they were going to do. They only prayed, their hearts pounding in their chests, that they could somehow survive this terrifying encounter and not be slaughtered like chickens by this mysterious, silent force.

However, what answered their unspoken pleas were only the cold, unyielding thud of steel pipes.

"Hmph!"

With muffled grunts and soft thuds, the entire train station was completely occupied by this ghost force, their control absolute and swift.

Meanwhile, the two powerful factions of families in Saint Denis, oblivious to the silent takeover, were still deep in their peaceful sleep, their dreams undisturbed by the violent dawn breaking in their city.