The moment he stepped into the free clinic, Hancock instinctively covered his nose. It was not because of the strong smell of disinfectant, but because mingled with it were all sorts of foul odors he could not quite identify.
As a Black man who liked to keep clean, the things he always carried, besides his badge and gun, included antiperspirant. He paid close attention to managing his body odor.
And besides clothing and weight management, body odor management was one of the markers that distinguished social classes in this country.
In ordinary neighborhoods, large and extra-large obese people and cheap perfume mingled with all kinds of strange body odors were fairly typical features.
But in wealthy neighborhoods, or the financial and business districts of a city, besides proper attire and accessories such as expensive watches, a well-proportioned figure and high-end perfume were also important hallmarks of most successful people.
In places like that, even Indian immigrants with their odd skin tones rarely smelled of curry. High-caste Indians whose skin tones were indistinguishable from white people's, especially the women, looked several degrees more aristocratic.
Although most homeless people these days still seemed polite, everyone was striving to escape life on the streets, hoping to seize an opportunity to regain a stable home and a relatively steady job.
But those who came to a free clinic were clearly mostly ill, carrying an extra "debuff" compared with ordinary homeless people, and so could not pay too much attention to hygiene.
Passing through the corridor filled with constant coughing, even Nick began to feel a little unwell. He wondered whether, after getting into bed that night, he should give himself a punch as usual to enter a state of suspended animation, treating it as routine maintenance.
"Hello." At the front desk, Nick raised his