Jung arrived in a clearing not far from Eun Mei's house. He knew this was the location of the abduction since the militia still erected yellow tape crime barriers. But, in typical militia fashion, the place was unguarded. Jung stepped inside the tape line and looked around. Jung’s cheek muscles moved as he held his fist to the side, holding his anger in check.

The place clearly shows the sign of struggle and his skills in hunting, tracking, and pathfinding all mixed together to give him an uncanny view of what happened there. He knew that there were at least two men who jumped Eun Mei. One was kicked into a tree because of the synthetic fiber still left from the thick bark.

Most of the footprints are washed away since a day has already passed, and then the occasional rain happens in this spot to wash away more of the scent. But there are still chunks of disturbed dirt on the ground that show how fiercely Eun Mei fought off her attackers.

Jung smiled grimly. Eun Mei has always been a fighter.

Jung could see where they had exited, but the rain had erased any further traces of footprints or other clues to follow. What he could discern, though, was that the marks on the ground and the branches became smoother and more orderly, unlike the chaotic scene in the middle of the clearing. It seemed that when they left, they had either subdued Eun Mei or she had become unconscious, as there were no signs of struggle away from the clearing.

Or perhaps they had already killed her.

Jung shook his head, dismissing the disturbing thought. There was not enough evidence of blood anywhere, so hopefully they haven't killed her just yet. There were traces of blood, but they could have resulted from the struggle. Unfortunately, the water had contaminated them too much to be useful for an analysis.

He let his eyes roam the place one more time, with deliberate calmness. He can only help Eun Mei if he is concentrated and focused, panicking now will not help her.

But the moment he gets his hands on those bastards who dare touch Eun Mei, he'll-

A small patch of black plastic caught his eyes in the muddy ground. It was slightly buried, but its texture was simply not flowing well with the brown and green of the forest, making it slightly stand out and grabbing Jung’s observant, super-powered eyes.

Jung hurried over and grabbed the item. It was a pair of broken sunglasses. One of those cheaply made cloned items offered by the various underground black marketers. Jung inspected it closer. There was dried blood on the item, mostly covered now by dirt. But when Jung inhaled the scent within it, he was able to isolate all the dirt and grass smells from it and then concentrate on the blood. Having level 7 skill in smelling made him separate the scents and isolate the one he needed. One of the things he learned from the skill is that there are different scents for blood, and he used that capability just now ruthlessly.

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There is also a cracked portion on the left part of the sunglass, and if he looks at it under a microscope, he is sure to find some dried cells within it. But he didn't need to. The smell of the first blood came from Eun Mei, he was sure of it. The other was from someone else.

Someone familiar.

Where did I remember that scent?

As far as he could tell, one of the assailants was wearing those stupid sunglasses, and something hit it—an open palm, a knee, an elbow, or a forehead. Jung wasn't sure, but the blow went right through it. and there is blood on the other side of the glasses. That is why the item was left behind because it was cheap and already broken.

Jung could smell Eun Mei's blood and scent lingering on the outside of the glasses, but the inside was a different scent, and somehow he knew it. Where did I encounter that scent? He remembered that the smell was strong and ... the gym!

Jung closed his eyes again and tried to analyze what he remembered in the gym. No one from the regulars had that kind of scent, but then why does his brain keep coming back to that place? Is it a visitor or...

His mind was like a computer as he remembered every regular in the gym, placed their picture and every piece of data he remembered about them, and compared them with the miniscule data he had now on hand. He analyzed them one by one, then discarded them when they proved incompatible. Then he remembered every gym visitor, from solicitors to the old man’s visiting friends to the old lady hawking rice cakes. Jung remembered them all. Visitors… friends…

And then it struck him.

It was the asshole who tried to bully Bon Won in the gym. That combination of sweat, body odor, cheap perfume, the smell of faint fabric conditioner, and most importantly, the distinct group of pheromones that differentiate individuals via smell. All these gave Jung a profile until he was able to pinpoint the actual person that he snatched out of his eidetic memory.

He crushed the sunglasses in his left hand as he gritted his teeth. It took him a moment before the name of the guy came back to him. Now Jung needed to plan. He didn't know where the guy lives or hangs out, but one of his friends, the one whose face Jung smashed a barbell into, is normally seen in an abandoned house just outside the town. It is a known hangout spot for gangs, and Jung saw him there on four different occasions in the last two years.

Even with Jung's exceptional brain, he didn't know the names of all the townsfolk in Guanzu, but he certainly recognized most of their faces, at least those he had already interacted with even by a mere glance. Seeing Mr. Eyeglasses’ friend moving about in the town is normal; after all, he is a local, but most of the time they simply ignore each other and move on with their separate businesses.

At least now he has a clue and leads to pursue. Jung tossed the sunglasses away and started walking purposefully back to town. He was about to exit the area when his observation skill highlighted something in his peripheral vision, which drew him in. When he got nearer, he realized that it was a perfectly preserved footprint. The owner of the foot obviously swerved away from a mud puddle, and somehow the bushes around it kept the print intact despite last night’s rain.

Jung stared grimly at the distinct shoe pattern, for he knew it belonged to a familiar boot. A familiar boot he'd seen often in the clinic. Now he has two clues to work with.

Please.... Just wait a little bit more, Eun Mei. I'm coming.

Jung continued walking until the familiar trees of the forest swallowed him.