The Scent of Blood

Chapter 22: The Scent of Fresh Blood

The quiet streets, which he had originally thought were "asleep," now revealed a different reality as he walked through them. From the surrounding buildings came a cacophony of hushed conversations, television programs, and mobile phone alerts; many people had not yet fallen asleep.

The street surface, which had seemed empty, now revealed itself to be teeming with life. In every corner, shadow, and gutter, insects and small animals were rustling and moving about.

Sounds that he would have needed to concentrate intently to hear just a few days ago were now impossible to ignore. These sounds, along with the various scents, had integrated into his sensory "database," becoming the foundation and experience he used to judge his surroundings.

Compared to his hearing, the sense of smell brought a much stronger sense of novelty and unfamiliarity, as many of the odors were ones he was encountering for the first time.

He needed to determine the sources of these smells, label them, and "upload" them into his "database."

Every adult possesses their own "database" of smells and sounds, which is what we call experience. It is like how one can instantly identify the smell of a fart in a crowd, or distinguish whether the footsteps upstairs belong to someone wearing high heels, slippers, or bare feet.

As for Xiang Kun, after his sensory organs had undergone a massive upgrade, he needed to "update" his database. Only then could his heightened senses truly serve a purpose.

Xiang Kun suddenly stopped in his tracks, gazing toward the corner of the street to the east.

It was 11:47 PM. At this hour, some streets remained bustling, while others were completely devoid of human presence.

The area he was currently in was relatively desolate. There were few businesses and even fewer residents. With many old buildings awaiting demolition standing vacant, pedestrians were rare after 10:00 PM, save for the occasional electric scooter delivering food passing by.

Xiang Kun had originally intended to head in that direction. The more silent and dark the area, the more sensitive his senses became. By filtering out the chaotic noises and smells unique to the city, he could conduct his targeted training more effectively.

But now, he hesitated. He had caught a whiff of something—the scent of fresh blood, and there was a high probability it was human.

It was only because of the incident a few days ago, where he had encountered the young couple being attacked downstairs, combined with his significantly improved sense of smell, that he could now distinguish between human blood and that of rabbits or chickens.

However, even now, locking onto that faint bloody scent from the myriad of odors in the air from such a distance, Xiang Kun could not be one hundred percent certain it was human.

If it were human blood, had some accident occurred over there?

Xiang Kun was in no mood to get entangled in any more trouble. The previous incident had happened right under his building, right before his eyes, and the victims were people he could consider acquaintances; he had no choice but to intervene.

But now...

If there was trouble in that direction, he could simply change his path. Since he didn't know what had happened, it wouldn't count as failing to save someone in distress, would it?

Besides, there might not even be anyone injured or bleeding there. Perhaps he had misidentified the smell, or it wasn't human blood at all? Or maybe someone was just playing around and accidentally fell and scraped themselves?

Thinking this, Xiang Kun took two steps in the opposite direction. But two seconds later, he let out a long sigh and headed toward the direction where he suspected there was human blood.

He knew his own personality; if he didn't go and check, the mystery of what had happened would linger in his mind, perhaps haunting him for months or even years. It wasn't that he felt guilty about missing a chance to save someone, but rather, it was pure curiosity...

The source of the blood scent was no more than thirty meters away. Xiang Kun sprinted around the street corner and saw a figure collapsed amidst a pile of construction waste by the roadside.

It really was a person?

Xiang Kun didn't have time to feel satisfied with the accuracy of his olfactory judgment. He pulled out his phone to dial 110 while scanning the surroundings, slowly approaching the fallen individual.

Based on his sensory capabilities, the assailant who had committed the stabbing was no longer in the vicinity.

Before long, the police arrived, followed by an ambulance. As the first person to discover the scene and report the crime, Xiang Kun was naturally kept behind by the police for questioning.

The officers who had just arrived simply confirmed his identity and asked about the process of his discovery and the report, then told him to wait for a moment.

After a while, a criminal investigator arrived. When Xiang Kun looked up, he saw a familiar face—it was Officer Chen, the same man who had handled the case of the young couple downstairs and taken his statement.

Officer Chen clearly recognized Xiang Kun as well; it was impossible not to, given his distinct characteristics.

"You know the victim? How did you let the perpetrator get away?" Based on Officer Chen's assessment of Xiang Kun's physical prowess, he assumed that even if the assailant had a weapon, Xiang Kun should have been capable of putting up a fight.

Xiang Kun quickly replied, "I don't know the victim at all. I was just passing by, heard a bit of a commotion, and came over to take a look..."

Officer Chen asked, "It's so late, where were you heading?"

Xiang Kun said, "Oh, I was planning to go to Fuxiang Street to get some barbecue."

"You still live on Huawen Street? You walked all the way here? That's quite a distance," Officer Chen remarked with suspicion.

"I didn't have anything to do tonight and wasn't in a rush, so I just walked to get some exercise," Xiang Kun said.

Officer Chen nodded and asked him to recount the entire process of hearing the commotion and discovering the victim once more. This time, however, the questioning was much more detailed than before.

In truth, Xiang Kun hadn't heard any commotion at all. By the time he smelled the blood, the assailant must have long since departed; otherwise, with his hearing, it would have been impossible for him to hear nothing.

But if he didn't say that, he couldn't explain his presence here. This area was far too remote; there was no logical reason for him to be here. Was he supposed to say he came here to relieve himself?

This time, Officer Chen did not take Xiang Kun back to the station for a statement. After the questioning, he left him a phone number and instructed, "We may need your assistance with the investigation later, so we'll contact you by phone. If you remember anything else, you can also call me."

Xiang Kun agreed and prepared to leave.

While answering Officer Chen's questions, he had observed other officers checking the ATM machine across the street. With his keen hearing, he had caught their conversation, learning that the victim had just withdrawn money before being attacked, and that the assailant had likely been tailing them from that point.

Xiang Kun had originally intended to return along his previous route, but after walking a few steps, he changed his mind. He suddenly had an idea he wanted to try.