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 the cute girl. 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.