Chapter 03
The man sat down on the floor inside the elevator. Now he was in the middle of a conversation. He chatted with a cute girl who had been trapped inside the lift with him since this evening.
"Which downtown?" asked Yìngyuè. Her voice sounded excited.
This girl seemed very curious about what had happened. She'd asked many things to the man. She'd asked when he last met the friend who rented a room in this building. It was true that the man last met Sōngfēi, his friend, at a restaurant which was downtown. However, the girl's question also made sense.
The man realizes that it was inaccurate to call the meeting place downtown because it seemed as if there was only one downtown. This vast city was made up of some smaller towns. These smaller towns were also made up of even more miniature towns. This city was more accurately described as a group of well-integrated towns. Since there were many small towns, there are also many downtowns.
When he first arrived in this city, this city confused this man. There were several terms to describe the area here. Usually, outsiders did not understand these terms. People called this vast area a City. They divided the city into twenty-five smaller zones called Towns. Then each Town was divided into nine Boroughs. Each Borough comprised several Hoods. The number of the Hoods varied. Ranged from twenty to thirty in each Borough.
This city had also been integrated with other towns and villages around it. The integrated area was called Metropolis. Then this Metropolis was also surrounded by several other big cities and its satellite cities. The vast region that included the People called Metropolis and other large cities that surround it Megapolis.
"Píngyuán downtown," replied the man.
"Oh, the one near Yuèmíng," said this girl.
"Right," replied the man.
Píngyuán and Yuèmíng were the names of the boroughs that were part of a town called Gāolín. Gāolín was a town located right in the middle of this city. The man then continued his words,
"Sōngfēi said nothing about his new house. In fact, I don't think all of my friends realized that he had moved out of his old house."
"Yesterday, where did he call you from?"
"I don't know. Maybe from somewhere out of town. He called in a short time, so I didn't have time to ask anything. He only said that he was in danger. I don't know what this time he was involved in?"
"Has there ever been an incident that put him in danger?" asked the girl.
"There have been two incidents. Related to his passion for detective stories and mysteries. The first was when he held a mystery game. He held the game in an old house which many people considered as a haunted house. Later, maybe because their voices were too loud, the neighbors reported to the police, so the police came. My friend, Sōngfēi, explained he had received permission from the house's owner. However, when the police called the landlord who lived elsewhere, he stated he had given no permission. The person who permitted Sōngfēi was not the owner at all."
The man saw that the girl was listening to the explanation he gave. Not many young girls were willing to hear what he wants to say. At least in a normal situation. Or maybe because they were in not so normal situation, then this girl didn't have a choice.
"The second thing was when some debt collectors visited him. One of Sōngfēi's friends, a detective and mystery club member, borrowed some money from a financial company. Unfortunately, that person wrote Sōngfēi's name as his guarantor. Because he did not pay and instead disappeared. The financial company ordered the debt collectors to come directly to Sōngfēi. I still remembered that the atmosphere was tense. Many of the debt collectors were ex-convicts. So we were anxious about Sōngfēi's safety."
The girl nodded her head at the man's long explanation. This man felt something he rarely felt. This girl was very enthusiastic about listening to everything he said.
After a while, the girl's voice was no longer heard. Feeling that the girl had already fast asleep, the man sighed. He looked at the slim figure who was sleeping next to him. The girl amazed him. Supposedly, if a girl was trapped in an elevator with a stranger, the situation must upset her. And she most likely cried. But this girl was acting normal. Maybe she was used to experiencing extraordinary things like this in her life.
Remembering his own life. The man did not regret everything that had happened. When he'd decided to leave his hometown about two years ago, he was ready to accept all the risks that might occur in his wandering. He enjoyed his adventures on this journey so much.
Two years ago was the right time when his long lost little brother suddenly appeared in that man's life. For a long time, this man had wanted to feel another rhythm of life, but so far, he didn't get the chance at all because he couldn't leave his mother alone at home. This man loved his mother so much that for several decades he had always been by her mother's side.
After the little brother came home, this man felt that his opportunity had come. The little brother, who was a very successful business owner, will look after their mother. Therefore, this man did not hesitate to step into the outside world.
Over the past several decades, he had saved enough money because he had little daily expenses. His savings are enough to pay for his wanderings. Although, of course, he was always trying to save money. He didn't want to have to go home after only a few months of wandering because he ran out of money.
He'd never stayed too long in his wandering places, usually only a week or two before moving to another location. Sometimes he also worked part-time if he was bored. Usually, the part-time jobs available were physical jobs that didn't require specific skills. Such as washing dishes, peeling food items, and cleaning rooms in restaurants.
After arriving in this city one year ago, he decided to stay for a few years. Of course, from the beginning, he wanted to explore this city. Still, the original plan was to settle in this city after three or four years of wandering.
After settling in this city, a lot of things happened. It's a lot more than the things he had experienced in decades of living a monotonous life in his hometown. Yes, he quit the job he had been doing for decades and wandered because the daily routine bored him.
Suddenly the man remembered he had not had dinner. Amid his hunger, he regretted why he didn't eat before stepping into this building. Although this man often ate at a shop in a subway station, he noticed several places to eat on the way here, so he should have tried one of those places. Fortunately, he had quite a lot of lunch earlier, so he still had enough energy.
The man also remembered around ten o'clock this morning, he had fainted. After finishing his business at the station, he went to a mall. While using the toilet in the building, he was unconscious. After returning home, he realized that he had been unconscious for nearly four hours in the bathroom. This made him realizes that he should pay more attention to his health condition.
The man was trying his best to stay awake. He had told Yìngyuè earlier that he had slept soundly last night so that tonight he could open his eyes in case something happened. But over time, just like Yìngyuè, his eyes felt heavy, and his neck seemed unable to chisel the weight of his head. Only a few minutes after Yìngyuè fell asleep, the man had also been stranded in a dreamland.
This man was one of those who dreamed every time he slept. As well as this time. In his dream, the man seemed to stand in a large prairie. As far as his eyes could see, he could see only the expanse of green grass. The grass in the prairie was not too high, only the man's calf.
He felt this dream was so real. As if he was literally stranded on that prairie. He bent down and grabbed the grass growing there. His palm as if felt the slightly damp and sticky grass on his hand.
Although the sun was directly above his head, he did not feel the searing heat. The weather was very sunny. The temperature was like the temperature in early spring. The man hoped this pleasant weather would not suddenly turn into torrential rain that was fiercely pouring water on the earth's surface.
Like in his conscious state, the man felt hungry in his dream. He looks in all directions but could see nothing but the stretching grass, not even a single tree. The man hoped to find a tree that bore fruit so he could get rid of his hunger.
He walked long enough until the sunset almost came. Then he felt something strange. By evening, the temperature would drop. However, currently, the temperature had increased drastically. The man felt hot. The hunger that had tormented him now was increasingly piercing his stomach. Coupled with a thirst, which made his throat dry.
The grass that had previously decorated the earth's surface was no longer there. The man arrived in an extensive field. This field was a clay court. The length was about three hundred meters, while the width was about two hundred meters. What was strange was, there was a small brown building made of wood in the center of the field. With astonishment, the man continued walking toward the building. It turned out to be a small store. Up close, he could see that the store was selling candy. Little candy store on the prairie.
The man approached the candy store. Then, without hesitation, he went inside. Although he saw a lot of candies. The man did not see anyone there. The inner room was rectangular. In the direction opposite the entrance, there was a door leading to the room at the back. A moment later, the door opened. A figure emerged from behind the door and immediately stood face to face with the man. The man was surprised to see the person who had just arrived.
This girl again!
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