Translator: Atlas Studios
Editor: Atlas Studios
A human’s sense of smell is attributed to a special type of neuron in their nostrils.
Generally speaking, having more of these cells leads to a more sensitive sense of smell that can better differentiate more scents. For example, a human has about 5 million such cells, while a dog has up to 200 million. So dogs have a much stronger sense of smell than humans.
Xiang Kun had been pondering. He had grown muscles which gave him more strength. And his muscles were probably tougher than a normal human’s. They were as hard as steel when he flexed them. Evidently, there were significant changes in strength to his muscle fibers.
Thinking along the same line, might there be a change on his nose?
Might there be more neurons or better connectivity?
Or perhaps individual neurons were enhanced so that they functioned better than normal human neurons would?
There was no observable change to his nose on the exterior, so the latter seemed more likely.
If Xiang Kun had a medical background and relevant equipment, he would have gotten himself samples to research by now. After all, he had amazing healing abilities now, so there would be nothing to stop him from getting samples from himself.
He could probably even win a Nobel Prize or something with this.
…
It was August 2nd, more than a day since the stabbing incident on July 31st.
He continued with his training as he had scheduled yesterday. It was still day-time gym sessions and simply wandering on the streets at night, where he trained his hearing and sense of smell by adding more sounds and scents to his “database”.
Moreover, he vaguely felt that training at night seemed more effective.
But he still had to prove it later.
Ever since the chat with Officer Chen yesterday, in which he was notified that the suspect had been placed on the wanted list, Xiang Kun hadn’t put much thought into the case. In his opinion, there was no way the suspect could escape when the police had already identified him. He also couldn’t be bothered to verify whether the smell he had “collected” from the glove the night before really belonged to the suspect.
But just like how an intentionally seeded flower might not grow as well as when it was left to grow on its own, Xiang Kun chanced upon the suspect despite having no intentions to search for him.
To be more precise, he actually chanced upon the person’s smell.
It was past 6 PM and Xiang Kun had just left the gym and was walking along the path he had planned beforehand to gather sounds and scents. He suddenly identified a familiar smell.
He had scrambled through the bins and bore the atrocious smell to find the blood-stained gloves just to see if he was right two nights ago. It was a terrible experience he hoped to forget but, the smell of the glove had really stuck with him. Also, it wasn’t too long ago.
Xiang Kun instantly looked around for the suspect. From the smell, the man should be within ten meters!
Although he had focused on hearing and his sense of smell, Xiang Kun didn’t neglect his vision. He had been walking around at night, so he could now see much better at night. With other specific training, he was able to see moving objects better as well.
He skimmed through all the passers-by but didn’t find the suspect.
Soon, he could sense that the smell was dispersing. The suspect was moving away from him.
Xiang Kun frowned. He didn’t have a pressing sense of duty to capture the suspect. In fact, he wanted to keep a low profile so that he wouldn’t expose his abilities prematurely. Even if he could find the suspect, he would call Officer Chen instead. It was not necessary for him to act like a hero.
More concerning to Xiang Kun was that he hadn’t found the person through his sense of smell. He really felt incomplete and unaccomplished.
So he followed the scent and concentrated more to spot the suspect.
Ten minutes later, he finally saw a skinny, tanned man wearing sunglasses with yellow, slightly curly, puffy hair in front of a phone repair shop.
Xiang Kun couldn’t be 100% certain. The photos he had received from Officer Chen were just an ID photo and blurry images from CCTV cameras. And to be honest, the man he had identified looked pretty different. He was supposed to have straight, black hair according to the pictures.
Xiang Kun took a few steps closer and, given his perfect vision, he could now be certain that the yellow-haired man had exactly the same facial features and physique as described by Officer Chen.
Just as Xiang Kun fished out his phone and began reporting his findings to Officer Chen, someone called him from behind.
“Mr. Xiang!”
It took him by surprise. He turned around only to find Baona and the comely girl who had also accompanied her last time. They were walking over, each with a cup of juice in hand.
“Mr Xiang, who are you messaging? How did you not hear us when we called for you for so long?” the girl asked curiously.
Xiang Kun knew that he had been so focused on smelling and searching that he couldn’t really hear properly.
But he was more bewildered by the girl. He didn’t even know her well, so why was she talking to him in that manner?
Nonetheless, he had no time to respond to them. He quickly turned back to look at the suspect.
Maybe the girl was too loud and startled the suspect as well. The suspect also turned over in his direction.
So the two of them looked into each other’s eyes.
It was only for a split second, and Xiang Kun immediately turned away “naturally”, trying to act as if he was just looking around casually.
However, the suspect still seemed to have sensed something and quickly walked off.
“Damn it!” Xiang Kun mumbled and turned to Baona and said, “Contact you later!” He then quickly went after the suspect.
The streets were crowded. Some of the people were heading home and some were trying to find a place for dinner. A lot of people were moving around. The suspect was clearly experienced in running away. He swerved in the crowds and soon disappeared out of sight. He might even have hidden in a shop or an alley.
Xiang Kun had kept a distance with the suspect after spotting him so that the man wouldn’t realize that he was followed. Hence, Xiang Kun hadn’t managed to catch him quick enough.
If it was anyone else, they would have searched along the way or made a guess of where the target had run to. But Xiang Kun had already memorized his smell. There was no losing him.
Xiang Kun even had the time to send Officer Chen his location. Officer Chen, on the other side, was getting anxious. He directly called.