"You can have Mrs. Yun's number," Liou Wenxin said with a faint smile.
'There's really no need for that!'
"I was just kidding. Actually, I wanted to ask another question."
Su Ze silently put his phone away, not feeling the least bit awkward. "Bold, meticulous, and thick-skinned" was his motto.
"What question?"
"I heard Mrs. Yun call you Dr. Liou just now. You must be an expert in the field of evolution, right?"
As he asked this, Su Ze kept a close eye on Liou Wenxin's and Mrs. Yun's expressions, noticing they both looked a little strange—a mix of surprise and suspicion.
"How did you guess?" Mrs. Yun, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke, tacitly confirming Su Ze's words.
"Does it even need guessing? Besides evolution, what kind of expert would warrant protection from a master like you, Mrs. Yun?" Su Ze subtly flattered her.
Since the beginning of the Era of Evolution, the development of evolutionary science has always been prioritized above all other disciplines. It was of the utmost importance—humanity's hope for reclaiming dominance over Blue Star in the future.
Five hundred years ago, the War of Evolution ended and human life returned to stability. In middle school classrooms, "Biology" textbooks were replaced by "Evolution" textbooks, and evolution became the sole major subject, which showed just how much importance humanity placed on the field.
It was precisely this emphasis that had led humanity to make continuous breakthroughs in evolutionary science over the past five hundred years.
Liou Wenxin shook her head. "I wouldn't call myself an expert, but you guessed right. I've always been engaged in evolutionary research."
Su Ze dropped his playful expression, lowered his voice, and said seriously, "I have a question for you, and I think it's related to evolution."
"Go ahead." Liou Wenxin adopted an attentive listening posture.
"I want to know, under what circumstances would an evolver start to emit a foul odor?"
"I don't know how to describe it. It's not the kind of stench from not bathing, but an indescribable, unbearable odor… I don't know if you understand what I mean."
This question had been bottled up inside Su Ze for a long time… well, for less than a week.
It had only been a full week since he'd transmigrated, and he had spent the first three days locked in a cell.
However, during that time, he had encountered the nauseating stench on several occasions.
The stench first appeared in Zhao Lingxiao's memories. The mysterious man from the enigmatic organization who made a deal with Zhao Lingxiao—a middle-aged man with a wild, multi-colored, spiky hairdo—had reeked of that foul odor.
The second time was in Pan Shi Prison. Su Ze had smelled the foul odor on Zhao Lingxiao's corpse. Although the stench on Zhao Lingxiao was faint enough to be almost negligible compared to the one on the mysterious man—and could even be barely concealed with pungent perfume—it was definitely the same kind of smell.
The last time was two days ago, outside the hotel. The foul-odored old man and his two subordinates were fighting Zhang Fantie, and all three of them reeked of that intense stench.
From this, Su Ze could conclude that the members of the mysterious organization all carried this foul odor. But what he couldn't understand was, where did the stench on Zhao Lingxiao come from?
Su Ze noticed that after he asked this question, the expressions on both Liou Wenxin and Mrs. Yun became even more grave.
"You've met people like that?" Liou Wenxin asked.
"One or two."
"If you encounter them again, stay far away. They're very dangerous," Liou Wenxin said solemnly.
"I've already seen that for myself," Su Ze pressed. "I want to know what that foul odor is."
After a long silence, Liou Wenxin finally spoke. "The laws of every nation strictly prohibit the production, sale, and absorption of human extracts. Do you know why?"
"To maintain social order, reduce internal conflict among humans, and protect the growth of young, talented evolvers," Su Ze replied without hesitation.
Without the protection of the law, an evolver like him, with a full set of top-tier skills, would be a target for others to hunt. If he were killed and made into an extract, it would be far more precious and useful than any S-rank extract.
"That's only one aspect." Liou Wenxin's gaze was profound as she stared at Su Ze. "In truth, when humans absorb the extracts of their own kind, they contract a disease."
"A disease?" A flash of insight struck Su Ze, and he exclaimed, "So the foul odor is a symptom of the disease?!"
Liou Wenxin nodded and explained, "The Evolutionary Material in the extract modifies the absorber's cells and rewrites their genes. Absorbing an extract from one's own kind is like cannibalism—it's a prohibition written into our very genes. Violators contract a special, incurable disease."
"Some also believe it's a curse. Since absorbing extracts from their own kind violates all ethics and morals, some think it's a punishment from the God of Evolution."
"The only symptom of this disease is the foul odor emanating from their bodies. The more extracts they absorb from their own kind, the stronger the stench becomes, making it impossible to conceal. This also makes it impossible for them to hide among ordinary people, forcing them to stay away from crowds and conceal themselves in the shadows."
Hearing this, Su Ze finally understood where the foul odor on Zhao Lingxiao had come from.
Zhao Lingxiao had absorbed Princess Zhuzhi's extract and had therefore been tainted by the stench!
Liou Wenxin continued her explanation, "People afflicted with this foul odor are called the 'Polluted Ones.' They are rejected by society and wanted by the authorities. The Polluted Ones themselves cannot smell their own stench, which is why they often form groups and huddle together for warmth."
'So the Polluted Ones can't smell their own stench. No wonder I couldn't find any memories related to the foul odor in Zhao Lingxiao's mind…' Su Ze recalled how, for half a month after absorbing Princess Zhuzhi's extract, Zhao Lingxiao hadn't noticed the stench on himself. It turned out he simply couldn't smell it.
When Zhao Lingxiao died, he had doused himself in pungent perfume to cover the stench. He must have learned about the odor from someone else, but that would have happened in the half-month before his death—a period for which Su Ze had no memories.
'Wait a minute!'
Su Ze suddenly realized a very serious problem.
'Zhao Lingxiao had the foul odor, so as his clone, could I have also contracted the "stench sickness"?'
'I might be just like Zhao Lingxiao—I've stunk for a while now, but I just can't smell it myself!'
'No, that's not right…' A realization suddenly struck Su Ze. 'If I also had the foul odor, then I'd be one of the Polluted Ones, and I shouldn't be able to smell the stench on other Polluted Ones.'
'But since I could smell the stench on Zhao Lingxiao and the foul-odored old man, it means I don't stink.'
Su Ze breathed a sigh of relief. He really didn't want to reek of that disgusting smell.
'It seems the "stench sickness" can neither be cured nor replicated. As a clone, I didn't inherit the disease.'
Through Liou Wenxin's explanation, Su Ze gained a new understanding of the mysterious organization hunting him. It was highly likely a faction composed of the "Polluted Ones."