Chapter Twenty-Two: The Scent of Blood
The previously silent street, supposedly deep in "slumber", now seemed active with fragments of conversation, TV sounds, cellphone noises, echoing from the surrounding buildings. Many people were still awake.
The initially empty street now seemed full of life, with shadows lurking in every corner, hidden nook, and drain, home to numerous insects and small animals, rustling and moving.
Sounds that he would have needed to concentrate on hearing just days ago were now hard to ignore. These sounds, coupled with their corresponding smells, had seeped into his sensory "database", becoming guidelines and experiences for deciphering his environment.
Compared to the sense of hearing, the sense of smell brought about a deeper level of unfamiliarity and novelty. He sensed numerous scents that he had never encountered before.
He needed to determine the sources of these scents, to categorize them and integrate them into his "database".
Every adult has their own sensory "database", a collective repository of experiences. For instance, if one suddenly smells the stink of a fart in a crowd, they instantly know someone has passed gas. Similarly, one can discern the sound of high-heeled shoes, flip flops, or bare feet above them based on the footsteps they hear.
After the significant enhancement of Xiang Kun's sensory organs, he needed to "update" his "database". Only then could his heightened senses become truly effective.
...
Suddenly, Xiang Kun stopped in his tracks, looking towards the bend in the street.
At 11:47 PM, some streets were still bustling, while others were silent with hardly a soul in sight.
The area he was currently in was one of the quieter places. With few businesses or residents and several soon-to-be-demolished buildings standing vacant, the area was usually void of pedestrians after 10 PM. Only the occasional food delivery e-bike could be seen meandering through.
Xiang Kun was heading that way himself. The silent, shadowy places seemed to sharpen his senses, making it easier for him to exercise his new-found abilities by getting rid of the usual myriad of typical city noises or odors.
But now, he hesitated as he smelled something-- the odor of fresh blood, and most likely, human blood.
Several days ago, when a young couple was attacked in his building, he had gained the ability to distinguish between the smells of human blood, rabbit blood, and chicken blood, owing to his heightened sense of smell.
But right now, he could barely make out the faint scent of blood in the air from far away, and couldn't be a hundred percent certain if it was human blood.
If it was indeed human blood, could something have gone wrong over there?
Xiang Kun was not keen on getting entangled in another incident. The last time something happened outside his building, he stepped in, not being able to ignore the cries of people who were somewhat familiar to him.
But now...
If there was trouble in the direction he was going, he could merely change his path. Since he didn't know what had happened, it wouldn't be considered negligence, would it?
And besides, there might not be anyone injured or bleeding over there. Maybe he had smelled wrong, and it was not human blood? Or perhaps someone had just accidentally hurt themselves while playing?
With these thoughts in mind, Xiang Kun took a couple of steps in the opposite direction. But two seconds later, he sighed and turned towards where he thought he had smelled human blood.
He knew his nature; if he didn't investigate the matter, the curiosity would gnaw at his mind for months, maybe even years. It wasn't so much guilt over potentially missing out on the opportunity to save someone, it was more about curiosity...
...
The source of the smell of fresh blood was only some thirty meters away from Xiang Kun. As he dashed past the corner, he saw a silhouette sprawled amidst a pile of building debris by the roadside.
Was that a person?
Before Xiang Kun could even process the fact that he had accurately detected the smell of human blood, he dialled 110 while checking the surrounding scene, slowly approaching the prone figure.
But given Xiang Kun's sensory abilities, he knew that the perpetrator was no longer in the vicinity.
Soon, the police arrived, followed by an ambulance. As the first person to discover the scene and report it, Xiang Kun was naturally questioned by the police.
The first officer on scene merely verified his identity, and after getting a brief account of how he found the scene and reported it, asked him to wait.
A while later, a detective arrived. It was someone Xiang Kun recognized -- Officer Chen, who had recorded his statement and investigated the attack on the couple from his building.
Officer Chen clearly also recognized Xiang Kun: it would have been hard not to given how extraordinary his sensory abilities were.
"You know the victim? How did you let the perpetrator escape?" Given Officer Chen's assessment of Xiang Kun's abilities, he should've been able to confront the attacker—even if they had a weapon.
Xiang Kun hurriedly replied, "I don't know the victim. I happened to be passing by, heard a noise, and decided to investigate..."
Officer Chen queried, "Where were you headed at this hour?"
Xiang Kun replied, "I thought I'd stop at Fuxiang Street for some barbecue."
"You're still living on Huawen Street? That's quite a long walk from here, isn't it?" Officer Chen expressed surprise.
"Since I've nothing else to do tonight and not in a rush, I thought I'd take a walk," explained Xiang Kun.
Officer Chen nodded. He then proceeded to ask Xiang Kun about the entire process of how he heard the noise and discovered the victim again, this time in much more detail than the first policeman.
In truth, Xiang Kun had not heard any noise; by the time he picked up the smell of blood, the perpetrator had long gone. With his heightened hearing abilities, he would have surely heard something otherwise.
However, if he didn't put it this way, it would be hard to explain his presence in that area. The place was rather remote he had no valid reason to be there. Was he supposed to say he was relieving himself?
This time, Officer Chen did not take Xiang Kun back to the precinct for recording his statement. Once he had finished questioning him, he gave Xiang Kun his phone number. "We may need your help with the investigation, I'll get in touch over the phone. If you remember something more, you can also call and inform me."
Xiang Kun agreed and was finally ready to leave.
While answering Officer Chen's questions, Xiang Kun noticed cops on the other side of the street checking out an ATM machine. Thanks to his enhanced hearing, he could make out the conversations between the officers. He learned that the victim had withdrawn cash from that ATM before being attacked. The perpetrator may have been trailing the victim from there.
Xiang Kun originally planned to retrace his steps, but after walking a few steps, he changed his mind. Suddenly, he had an idea that he wanted to try out.