In the center of the city of Sherun, there was a massive train station that served as the heart of the railroad network extending throughout the entire Balga Empire. The station had a stunning design that merged the old brick building with a modern building that used a lot of curved lines.
The interior had an impressively high, open ceiling, and lots of people were walking around. At the middle of the train hall, a massive advertisement monitor glowed brightly.
WELCOME TO SHERUN STATION. THIS STATION SERVES AS A CENTRAL HUB FOR ALL RAILROADS EXTENDING ACROSS THE EMPIRE. IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE, PLEASE APPROACH ONE OF THE STAFF MEMBERS WEARING THIS UNIFORM.
The screen showed a famous Balgan actress. She was wearing a station employee uniform and smiling. She was often used in Balgan propaganda.
Tsushima pulled Holy by the hand in front of the monitor, a hat worn low over her eyes.
“Keep your eyes on the floor. Don’t worry about your surroundings.”
Tsushima walked briskly as he led Holy by the hand, adjusting his pace to match her fastest stride as he scanned their surroundings.
Several men had been standing out to him for a while. Their movements were entirely professional as they tailed them. Tsushima didn’t know at which stage their location had been identified, but it was clear the circle of pursuers was gradually tightening around them.
“Pick up your pace. Watch your step,” Tsushima told Holy, hurrying even more.
They had less than thirty minutes left until the departure time of the train they were planning to catch.
From behind, three groups of pursuers were definitely closing in on them, blending in with the crowds as they cornered the duo.
Someone was undoubtedly observing from an excellent vantage point. Tsushima looked up and glanced around the inside of the station.
His eyes fell on the surveillance cameras mounted on brick pillars and metal beams stretching overhead.
“That must be it. No matter what we do, we’ll be cornered.”
The pursuers he could see were like hunting dogs chasing deer, deliberately making their presence known to Tsushima to push him and Holy ahead. There would undoubtedly be other people whose job it would be to take them down.
When Tsushima led Holy through the ticket gate, some men turned on their heels and disappeared into the crowd.
A switch.
Their pursuers had handed off the chase to their comrades positioned within the station ahead of time.
There had to be another person tailing them nearby. Tsushima quickly scanned his surroundings, and he spotted several individuals in the direction they were headed. Their gazes, which he could see through gaps in the crowd, were fixed directly on Tsushima.
“They’ve also figured out which train we’re taking?”
When they spotted Tsushima, they started coming toward him. He turned away, abandoning the proper route.
He passed by a kiosk and pressed himself against a silver-colored door a cleaner had just emerged from. It led to an employee hallway.
Pushing open the lightweight aluminum door, Tsushima entered the sterile, undecorated space. Sensing a presence from farther down, he stopped momentarily.
Someone emerged from around the corner of the passageway, but it was just a station employee. Tsushima immediately resumed walking at the same pace as before. When the staff member saw him, he walked up to Tsushima with a confused expression.
“Excuse me, but this is for staff use,” the employee said apologetically, but Tsushima closed the distance between them regardless. Faster than the eye could see, he wrestled the man to the ground and knocked him out.
He gently laid the staff member down on the floor and activated the radio attached to the man’s chest.
“Suspicious individuals detected. Employee Hallway 3-4, near the entrance. Requesting backup.”
Hearing responses from several people through the static, Tsushima once again proceeded ahead with Holy in tow. They heard the sound of the door behind them being forced open. It was the people tailing them.
Without looking back, Tsushima turned at the nearest corner, intentionally allowing their pursuers to get a look at him.
With their target in front of them, the men made to draw their guns. At that moment, employee reinforcements rushed in from another hallway, switching places with Tsushima.
“Suspicious people spotted! Securing.”
Tsushima heard the staff members communicating with each other, just as he had expected. They appeared to have spotted one of their colleagues collapsed on the floor and began seriously confronting the pursuers.
That could buy them some time. Following the map of the building he had memorized beforehand, Tsushima stopped in front of a specific room.
It was locked, so he burned through it and forced the door open.
“All right. You board the train I tell you. Use the crowds as much as possible on your way. Got it?” Tsushima instructed Holy, handing her a ticket. It was for a train to Balga Capital City.
Holy accepted the ticket and nodded before running off, the pattering of her footsteps echoing. Tsushima watched her leave, then hid himself inside the room he had just opened.