Chapter 22 - Chapter 22: Chapter 22 The Taste of Blood (1/2)

Chapter 22: Chapter 22 The Taste of Blood

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

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.