Chioujen did not immediately follow him. He was worried that, at that moment, his luck would end. In such a non-crowded situation, it would be odd for him to always be around that person. After the person was out of sight, Chioujen hastily got up from the bench and ran after him. Right in front of the platform, there was a stall selling hats and sunglasses. Without bidding, Chioujen instantly bought the two items and put them on right away.
Chioujen looked around for a while before finally finding the person with the dark green coat. The person seems to be heading towards the escalator. Luckily, he chose to use the escalator. If he took the elevator, Chioujen would definitely have a hard time guessing the person's destination. Several people had already started arriving at the station. They seemed to be construction workers who had to start work early in the morning. Chioujen caught up with the person while half running. Luckily, he was wearing shoes whose soles were not made of wood or other materials that made a loud noise when he stomped his feet on the floor. Chioujen had suspected that the person was going to take the Train Line 21, whose platform was exactly one floor below the Line 15 platform. He was already preparing to buy a ticket to enter the Line 21 platform when he saw the man in the dark green coat standing in front of the vending machine.
He just ate and drank! How could he is already thirsty again?
After getting the drink he wanted, the person forthwith left in front of the vending machine. This time, he walked back toward the escalator again. This made Chioujen a bit confused and worried at the same time. If he really intended to go down to a floor far below, he shouldn't have had to stop by that floor. Drink vending machines were available on every floor. He could directly buy a drink at the vending machine on the floor he went to. Chioujen was worried about the possibility that the person had already realized that Chioujen was following him. If that was the case, that person dropped by the floor they were on, only to confirm whether Chioujen had really followed him. Chioujen stood frozen, thinking about the possibility. But after a while, he decided to continue his action. Everything was already done. Had that person known, Chioujen would have been ready. Chioujen was sure that person wouldn't do anything dangerous.
While walking, the person did not look in any direction at all. He walked on without stopping at all. This made Chioujen even more confused. In the conversation he had heard earlier, that person had considerable experience observing or supervising people. If that was true, he would have known that Chioujen had been following him all along. Chioujen was worried that the person was deliberately letting Chioujen follow him for some reason. However, since he was determined to continue following that person, Chioujen could no longer retreat.
The person took the escalator to the lowest floor. If people want to go straight to the bottom floor, they usually use the elevator, not the escalator. Chioujen could only guess that the person might be afraid of being in an enclosed space like an elevator. That conjecture flashed through Chioujen's mind.
The bottom floor had several tenants. Because the most famous was Shindongchaang, many people think the bottom floor was identical to Shindongchaang. In fact, several other companies had opened businesses there. But after midnight like that, it was certain that no one was passing by there, so it was silent.
Chioujen strode discreetly. He didn't want to make a sound that would arouse suspicion. Such silence, even the faintest sound, might be heard clearly.
When Chioujen reached the bottom floor, he couldn't see that person anymore. Chioujen noticed his surroundings. There was hardly anyone else there. For a moment, his mind was stuck. He didn't know what to do next.
Chioujen sighed. Due to his careful steps, he lost track of that person. Maybe that person had come down there on purpose to outwit him. He pretended to go down to the lowest floor. But actually, when Chioujen couldn't see him, the person immediately returned to where he was before or went up to one floor above.
In his confusion, Chioujen just circled around in that place. Except for the Shindongchaang warehouse, all the business units there were locked, so it was almost impossible for anyone to enter any of the rooms used as offices or shops on that floor. But then Chioujen realized the possibility that the person was one tenant of the place there. If that's the case, that person could be hiding somewhere on the floor right now.
