Scent Tracker Tracking Alex

More than two hours after Alex departed from the trash bin at the Safe Zone exit, numerous uniformed officers received orders and cordoned off the area.

Numerous Sequence Ability Holders gathered around, their faces filled with confusion and bewilderment as they discussed the incident. The theft of deity remnants from a trash bin—what an absurd tale.

An elderly man dressed in a coat, with a scarf wrapped around his neck and a cigar clamped between his lips, circled the trash bin. He had a European appearance but spoke Mandarin, the official language in the Safe Zone due to the predominance of Chinese residents.

"Roylena, your sequence has ascended, I hear. I'm told it grants you an even more powerful tracking ability, ten times superior to the chief's police dogs. Can you discern any scents here now?"

Roylena, a blonde female police officer beside him, shook her head. "No, there are too many divine scents here; human scents are completely obscured. Even with my current abilities, I cannot distinguish human scents amidst this. If I were to activate my skill here, I might faint from the overwhelming divine odor."

Olov displayed a hint of disappointment. "Well, what a useless skill. Being ineffective around deities will only bring us more trouble!"

"Yes, I agree. Unfortunately, I awakened as a 'Scent Tracker,' and there's nothing I can do to change it. Sequence Ability Holders like me are destined to only operate within Safe Zones."

Olov impatiently puffed on his cigar twice, flicked the ash into the trash bin, and then turned to the gathered Sequence Ability Holders nearby. "Who was the first to notice the issue with this trash bin?"

"It was me, Detective Olov! It's me, Hans Van, the deity hunter at the Haven Safe Zone entrance!"

At this moment, a man in a grayish-brown jacket approached, his hair somewhat disheveled and carrying a faint scent of alcohol.

It was the drunkard who had encountered Alex.

However, he was now completely sober, filled with tension in his expression.

After sobering up, Hans realized with shock that someone had stolen the deity remnants from the trash bin.

He had initially wanted nothing to do with this matter.

Whoever stole the deity remnants couldn't be normal; he dared not provoke them. After awakening his sequence, he only wanted to rely on his status as a Sequence Ability Holder to muddle through life in the Safe Zone.

Unfortunately, his hands were itchy, and he couldn't resist throwing an empty bottle into the trash bin.

There was no denying the fact that his scent was inside the bottle. If a 'Scent Tracker' activated their skill, they could quickly lock onto him, and he'd never be able to wash his hands of it.

To avoid police trouble, he reported the incident to the police first, hoping for leniency.

"Tell us how you found out," Olov prompted.

"Detective Olov, I had just had a few drinks with Bruce at the bar and was heading home. When leaving the bar, I grabbed another bottle of booze, intending to sip on it on the way back. As I finished drinking, I saw a trash bin nearby and thought of throwing the bottle in," Hans explained.

Roylena sternly reprimanded, "Hans, you're a Sequence Ability Holder. Don't you know that the trash bins near Safe Zone exits are only for deity remnants? They're collected for centralized disposal! You're interfering with the United Government's work!"

"I... I was too drunk to think about it," Hans stammered.

Alex had gambled right; it was Hans's clouded mind that had given him the time to escape. Otherwise, it might have been an entirely different story.

Olov seemed accustomed to seeing such unprofessional Sequence Ability Holders and didn't react with the same anger as Roylena to Hans's words. Instead, he waved his hand, "Roylena,. Let him continue."

"Yes, sir." Roylena looked at Hans, her eyes filled with indifference.

"I vaguely saw a figure rummaging through something in front of the trash bin, but it disappeared quickly. Of course, I'm not sure if anyone was there... because I was drunk," Hans concluded.

"And then?" Olov prompted further.

"Then I threw the bottle in, and at that moment, I heard the sound of the bottle hitting the empty trash bin. I thought it was already midnight, and the cleaners had taken away the deity remnants, so I went home," Hans continued.

"What time was it supposed to be?" Olov inquired.

"I... I was too drunk to know. After getting home, I passed out on the bed. "

"Being a 'Sleepless' sequence. I usually don't need to sleep. Even when drunk, I'll only sleep for at most two hours before waking up. When I woke up, I realized it was still afternoon. Remembering the empty trash bin, I felt something was off," Hans explained.

"And that's when you called the police?" Olov asked.

"Yes. Detective Olov, seeing as I voluntarily reported the incident and admitted my mistake, can I be excused from the punishment for throwing a bottle into the trash bin designated for deity remnants and delaying the investigation?" Hans asked hopefully.

Olov took another puff of his cigar and pondered for a long time.

While Olov was contemplating, Hans felt nervous and worried about the possible punishment.

Olov eventually exhaled and said to Roylena, "Inform the managers of other Safe Zone exits to keep an eye on the trash bins."

"Yes, sir," Roylena replied.

Hans, still present, eagerly asked, "Detective Olov, what about me?"

Olov, realizing Hans was still there, said, "Oh, I was thinking about the case. What did you want to say?"

"I wanted to ask if my voluntary report can cancel out my mistakes here. I've truly realized my problem, and I promise I won't do it again. Please give me a chance!" Hans pleaded.

Olov barely glanced at him and said, "Business is business. The Order Scale of the Police Department never tips in anyone's favor. You'll get your reward if you deserve it, and you'll get your punishment if you deserve that too."

"But..." Hans felt frustrated, thinking that despite his active reporting and cooperation, he was still going to be punished. How unlucky.

"Take him back to the police station," Roylena instructed the officers after receiving her superior's order.

"Yes, ma'am," they responded.

Hans looked dejected, cursing the person who had stolen the deity remnants.

After dismissing Hans, Olov continued to frown in thought. "Did one person commit this crime? Why on earth would someone steal deity remnants from a trash bin? It's more useful to steal some moldy wood for firewood than these useless things!"

Roylena added, "A similar incident happened at the Haven Safe Zone exit yesterday. I reported it to the chief, but unfortunately, it didn't garner enough attention. They only fortified the security at nearby Safe Zone exits. As a result, the perpetrator moved to a farther location to strike again."

Just then, Roylena's pager went off.

"Hello, go ahead. What? Okay, talk. Hmm, hmm, hmm. Alright, I understand. I'll inform Detective Olov," Roylena said.

Upon hearing his name, Olov knew there must be another case. He asked, "What's going on?"

"Detective, there's a burning warehouse two blocks away from here. Inside are three charred bodies," Roylena reported.

"Bodies? Charred?" Olov asked.

"Yes. And all three have crushed skulls, with their entire faces deformed. Moreover, two of them have fatal injuries. Due to the fire, I can't track the killer's scent," Roylena explained.

"Can we track the killer's scent from the crime scene?" Olov inquired.

"Probably not. The officers say the area is heavily trafficked, with mixed footprints, making the scent very chaotic," Roylena replied.

"Have we found the primary crime scene?" Olov asked.

"No. There are no signs of a struggle anywhere near that warehouse," Roylena said.

Olov smoked his cigar in silence.

Roylena continued, "Detective, something's not right here. What are the identities of these people with crushed skulls? And why did the killer hide their identity? I sense something strange."

Olov, an experienced detective, had already pieced together most of these questions shortly after hearing about the case.

"The identities of those three might be hard to ascertain, but whoever killed them is definitely a Sequence Ability Holder," Olov stated.

"Otherwise, it would be impossible to kill all three without leaving any traces of a struggle. The weapon used to crush their skulls was probably the killer's fist," Olov analyzed, glancing at the empty trash bin again and exhaling a ring of smoke.

"In my opinion, the timing of the incident in that alley coincides with the theft of the deity remnants from the trash bin. It's highly probable that it was the same." Olov conjectured.

Roylena furrowed her brows, "The same person? After stealing the deity remnants here, did they go two blocks away to commit murder and set fire to the warehouse?"

"Yes. The timing of these two events fits together like a key in a lock—too coincidental to be a coincidence," Olov replied.

"Secondly, I believe this person is unfamiliar with the affairs of Sequence Ability Holders," Olov added.

"Why do you think so, sir?" Roylena asked.

"Besides the crushed skulls, the bodies had other fatal injuries. It's likely the skulls were crushed after death. After crushing the skulls, the killer chose to burn the bodies," Olov explained.

"I suspect the reason for crushing the skulls was to prevent a 'Scent Tracker' from using their ability to read the memories of the corpses. However, the killer didn't know that the 'Gods-Eater's' memory-reading ability has limitations," Olov speculated.

"Once the brain undergoes pathological changes or loses its original biological structure, the 'Scent Tracker's' ability becomes ineffective," Olov continued.

"In other words, whether they crushed the skulls or not, burning the bodies to ashes would have prevented the 'Scent Tracker' from tracing them," Olov concluded.

Roylena looked puzzled, "Are you saying this basic knowledge about Sequences is unknown to them?"

"I can't think of any other reason for their unnecessary action. Besides, this thief has a meticulous mindset. They chose a chaotic area to interfere with your tracking and used fire to destroy evidence," Olov analyzed.

"They didn't commit the murder calmly but did so while escaping after stealing the deity remnants. This criminal, although ignorant, is definitely not careless."

"Their meticulousness is evident, and they wouldn't expose themselves by stealing the deity remnants without proper preparation. Their actions suggest they lack access to more information," Olov deduced.

Roylena tidied her slightly messy blonde hair and looked puzzled, "How could that be? Descriptions of Sequence Abilities are publicized in the Camp of God-Slayers, accessible to anyone with a phone or computer."

"No, no... There is who can't access it," Olov corrected.

"Who?" Roylena asked.

"The poor," Olov replied.