Foul Odor

"You can keep Aunt Yun's number." Liu Wenyin smiled faintly.

No need for that!

"I was joking. Actually, I wanted to ask another question."

Su Ze quietly put away his phone without the slightest embarrassment. Boldness, caution, and a thick skin were his motto.

"What question?"

"I heard Aunt Yun call you Dr. Liu earlier. You must be an expert in Evolutionary Science, right?"

As he asked, Su Ze kept an eye on Liu Wenyin and Aunt Yun's expressions. Both of them looked somewhat unusual—surprised and suspicious.

"How did you guess?" Aunt Yun, who had remained silent until then, suddenly spoke, effectively confirming Su Ze's words.

"Did I even need to guess? Other than Evolutionary Science, what kind of expert would be worth having a master like you personally escort them?" Su Ze subtly flattered Aunt Yun.

Ever since the Evolutionary Era began, the development of Evolutionary Science had always taken priority over every other field. It was the highest priority, humanity's hope of reclaiming dominance over Blue Star in the future.

Five hundred years ago, the War of Evolution ended, and human life returned to stability. In middle school classrooms, "Biology" textbooks were replaced by "Evolution" textbooks, and Evolutionary Science became the only core subject. That alone showed how much humanity valued Evolutionary Science.

It was precisely this emphasis that had allowed humanity to achieve one breakthrough after another in Evolutionary Science over the past five hundred years.

Liu Wenyin shook her head. "I wouldn't call myself an expert, but your guess is correct. I've always worked in Evolutionary Research."

Su Ze's playful expression vanished. Lowering his voice, he said seriously, "I have a question I'd like to ask. It should be related to Evolutionary Science."

"Go ahead." Liu Wenyin adopted an attentive posture.

"I want to know what circumstances would cause an evolver to give off a foul odor?"

"I don't know how to describe it. Anyway, it's not the kind of stench that comes from not bathing, but a smell that's hard to describe and unbearable... I wonder if you understand."

This question had been troubling Su Ze for quite some time... well, less than a week, actually.

It had only been exactly a week since he transmigrated here, and he had spent the first three days locked in a prison cell.

Yet during this period, he had encountered that nauseating foul odor more than once.

The first time it appeared was in Zhao Lingxiao's memories. The mysterious person from the mysterious organization that had made a deal with Zhao Lingxiao—a middle-aged man with a rainbow-colored explosive hairstyle—carried that foul odor.

The second time was in Pebble Prison. Su Ze smelled the foul odor on Zhao Lingxiao's corpse. Compared with the stench on that mysterious punk-haired man, Zhao Lingxiao's odor was faint enough to be almost negligible and could even barely be covered by pungent perfume, but it was undoubtedly the same smell.

The last time was two days ago, outside the hotel. The Old Man reeking of foul odor and his two subordinates fought Zhang Fantie, and all three of them carried an intense foul odor.

From this, Su Ze could conclude that members of the mysterious organization all carried a foul odor. But what he could not understand was how Zhao Lingxiao had come to have it.

Su Ze noticed that after he asked this question, Liu Wenyin and Aunt Yun's expressions became even more solemn.

"You've seen people like that?" Liu Wenyin asked.

"One or two."

"If you encounter them again, stay away from them. They're dangerous," Liu Wenyin said gravely.

"I've already seen that for myself." Su Ze pressed on. "I want to know what that foul odor is."

After a long silence, Liu Wenyin finally said, "The laws of every country strictly prohibit the production, sale, and absorption of extracts from humans. Do you know why?"

"To maintain social order, reduce internal human conflict, and protect young genius evolvers as they grow," Su Ze answered without hesitation.

Without legal protection, evolvers with top-tier skills like Su Ze would become prey for others. If someone killed him and turned him into an extract, it would be far more precious and useful than any S-grade extract.

"That's only one aspect." Liu Wenyin's gaze was deep as she stared at Su Ze. "In truth, after humans absorb extracts from their own kind, they contract a disease."

"A disease?" A flash of realization struck Su Ze, and he exclaimed, "So the foul odor is a symptom of the disease?!"

Liu Wenyin nodded and explained, "The Evolution Substance in extracts alters the absorber's body cells and rewrites their genes. Absorbing extracts from one's own kind is like cannibalism. It is a taboo engraved in the genes, and those who violate it develop a special disease that cannot be cured."

"Some people also believe it is a curse. They believe that absorbing extracts from one's own kind violates ethics and morality, and that it is the God of Evolution's punishment."

"The disease has only one symptom: a foul odor emitted from the body. The more extracts from one's own kind a person absorbs, the stronger the odor becomes. It cannot be concealed, making it impossible for them to hide among ordinary people. They can only stay away from crowds and hide in the shadows and darkness."

Hearing this, Su Ze finally understood where Zhao Lingxiao's foul odor had come from.

Zhao Lingxiao had absorbed Princess Zhuzhi's extract, which was why he had contracted the foul odor!

Liu Wenyin continued her explanation. "Those afflicted with the foul odor are called Tainted Ones. They are rejected by the world and wanted by the authorities. Tainted Ones themselves cannot smell that odor, so they often gather in groups and stick together for warmth."

So Tainted Ones can't smell the foul odor on themselves. No wonder I couldn't find any memories related to it in Zhao Lingxiao's memories... Su Ze recalled that Zhao Lingxiao had failed to notice the foul odor on himself for half a month after absorbing Princess Zhuzhi's extract. It turned out he simply could not smell it himself.

When Zhao Lingxiao died, he had sprayed himself with pungent perfume to cover the odor. He must have learned about the smell from someone else, but that had probably happened within the half month before his death, a period whose memories Su Ze did not possess.

Wait!

Su Ze suddenly realized a very serious problem.

Zhao Lingxiao had the foul odor. As Zhao Lingxiao's clone, could he have contracted Foul Odor Sickness too?

He might have already started stinking like Zhao Lingxiao, only unable to smell it himself!

No, no... Su Ze suddenly came to his senses. If he carried the foul odor too, then he would also be a Tainted One and should not have been able to smell the stench on other Tainted Ones.

But since he could smell the odor on Zhao Lingxiao and the Old Man, it meant he had not become foul-smelling.

Su Ze breathed a sigh of relief. He did not want to reek of that disgusting stench.

It seemed Foul Odor Sickness could neither be cured nor replicated. As a clone, he had not replicated the disease.

Through Liu Wenyin's explanation, Su Ze gained a little more understanding of the mysterious organization pursuing him. It was highly likely an organization made up of Tainted Ones.