As soon as he returned to the slum area after a long absence, Dudian frowned slightly at the fishy and foul smell in the air. Now his sense of smell was far more acute than before. He could detect even the slightest odor, let alone this faint smell that ordinary people could perceive. To him, it was extremely pungent, and for a moment, he felt a bit nauseous and dizzy. This was a natural physical discomfort caused by the irritating smell.
Dudian slightly covered his nose and waited for his body to adapt. At the same time, he realized that an overly powerful sense of smell was also a fatal weakness in itself!
"In the future, if I encounter other hunters with such super senses, I can use this method to deal with them. Advantages can also be disadvantages. It seems that everything has two sides." Such a thought flashed through Dudian's mind. He got off the carriage and walked along the alleys of the street.
As the saying goes, "One who stays in a latrine for too long no longer notices the stink." As Dudian stayed longer, the discomfort in his body gradually subsided. Instead of going directly to Meishan Orphanage, he followed a small path and came to the garbage dump he had visited three years ago.
As he got closer, the strong smell of decay and stench became stronger. When he arrived at the garbage dump, Dudian suddenly saw that the several garbage mountains that had been piled up here before had actually been leveled. There were still garbage residues on the ground, and a new garbage mountain had been piled up. He couldn't help but feel disappointed. Although he had expected that the garbage here would be cleared, he didn't expect it to be removed so quickly.
"I heard that there was a plague in the slum area last year, infecting a lot of people. Now that the 'Black Death Season' is about to come again and the temperature is rising, I guess this pile of garbage was cleared not long ago." Dudian was a bit regretful. If he hadn't been selected for the scavenger special training three years ago, relying on the remaining energy of the freezing chamber in the garbage dump, he might have been able to learn a lot of knowledge, much more than what he learned during the special training. But at that time, he simply didn't have the ability to resist and could only follow the arrangement, just like the conscription in the old era. Without a strong background, one had to serve.
"My freezing chamber was also taken away. It's very likely that someone saw it during the transportation. As long as the news leaks, with the intelligence networks of various consortia and the military department, they shouldn't let the freezing chamber stay outside. After all, such a metal chamber object looks extraordinary just from the outside. Maybe it has already been transported somewhere and is being secretly studied. Fortunately, I didn't leave my photo in it, or it would have been a big trouble." Dudian thought secretly in his heart.
At this moment, he suddenly smelled some approaching odors, and his face immediately turned cold.
This was the advantage of his sense of smell. He could detect it in advance before his eyes saw it.
He turned around and saw two ragged middle-aged men and a young man coming out of the alley behind. The three of them were faintly surrounding him from three different directions. They were holding wooden sticks, rusty machetes, and dirty black stones, staring at Dudian sinisterly and approaching step by step.
"Kid!" The middle-aged man with disheveled hair growled in a low voice, "If you know what's good for you, hand over the money and clothes on you!"
"Three refugees." Just by looking at their attire, Dudian knew their identities. Even in the slum area, they were at the very bottom. Refugees were equivalent to vagrants, homeless, and their bodies had more or less accumulated excessive radiation. Even if they wanted to do hard labor, there were very few places willing to accept them, for fear of affecting the health of others.
"Aren't you going to kill me?" Dudian smiled faintly.
The three of them exchanged a glance. From the fine fabric of Dudian's clothes, they could tell that Dudian wasn't from their slum area. So they just wanted to rob him of his money and leave. Once they killed someone, especially someone from the residential area, the tribunal would most likely intervene in the investigation, which they were afraid of. However, they didn't expect that this kid not only didn't show the slightest fear on his face but instead seemed to be fearless.
"Kid, cut the crap. If you keep talking nonsense, I'll cripple you!" The middle-aged man gritted his teeth and shouted.
Dudian's figure flashed, and he suddenly rushed out.
Bang, bang, bang!
Just as the middle-aged man said, Dudian really didn't want to waste words. With just one encounter, he knocked the three of them to the ground. He was about to ask them about the whereabouts of the garbage dump when he suddenly thought that if the freezing chamber had been taken away by the military department or other forces for investigation, they might send people to keep an eye on this place and find out who had placed the freezing chamber in the garbage dump.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but be secretly alarmed and felt a bit lucky. If he had asked, it would have been like falling into a trap. He immediately gave up the idea, kicked the middle-aged man, and shouted, "I'm asking you, how do I get to Meishan Orphanage? I'm lost."
The middle-aged man was filled with horror. He couldn't understand how such a young lad could have such terrifying speed and strength. However, just as the residential area regarded the commercial area as mysterious and desirable, the residential area was also extremely mysterious to the slum area. He didn't dare to think too much and quickly said, "Go out from this road and turn left. After passing two streets, turn right. Then you can just ask anyone and you'll know."
Dudian snorted coldly and turned to leave. Of course, he knew the way to Meishan Orphanage. He just wanted to use the other person's mouth to explain the reason for his presence here. If there were really any forces secretly observing this place or thinking of investigating it later, they wouldn't suspect him.
"The energy of the freezing chamber has already been exhausted. And without an improvement in the overall scientific and technological and industrial level, it's simply impossible to research anything useful from it. So let them have it. However, this is the only thing my parents left me. If I find out who took it in the future, I must get it back." Dudian thought secretly in his heart.
After walking for more than ten minutes, he arrived in front of Meishan Orphanage. This orphanage located by the small hillside was still in a dilapidated state. Three years had only made it look even more aged.
From a distance, Dudian saw a slightly plump woman in front of the gate, who was cleaning the sparse lawn in front of the orphanage.
"Aunt Delia." Dudian called out.
The middle-aged woman turned around in surprise and looked at Dudian in confusion, saying, "Who are you?"
"Dudian." Dudian smiled.
Delia's face was filled with shock. There weren't many children in the orphanage, and in just three years, she hadn't forgotten that boy. Moreover, among the children she had met, that boy with overly fair skin had indeed left a deeper impression on her. She couldn't help but look Dudian up and down, and the outline of his face immediately overlapped with her memory. She said with joy, "Dean? You're back? How are you getting along with your parents?"
"Pretty well." Dudian smiled slightly and said, "I'm back to see Barton, Joseph, and the others."
Delia was taken aback for a moment and said, "Joseph is still in the orphanage, but you won't be able to see Barton. He was sent to Colin Mine last year."
Dudian frowned slightly. He remembered Barton's age. He should have just turned thirteen years old. Even if he was to be sent to the mine, it should have been during this year's "Black Snow Season." However, since things were already like this, there was no point in talking more with Delia. He immediately said, "I see. I'll go to the mine to find him later. I also trouble Aunt Delia to call Joseph, Clune, and Barry out. I want to redeem their household registrations."
Delia couldn't help but be stunned. Then she quickly frowned and said, "Dean, did you secretly take your parents' money? Don't be silly. Moreover, even if you have money, you can't redeem Barton. He has already been registered as a slave. Only nobles can lift his slave registration."