Chapter 387 - TESTING THE SAMPLE (2/2)

Inside the office, Hina turned to Akira with a serious expression.

”I finally managed to test the compound. I could not do it immediately because I had an overly enthusiastic ȧssistant who was set on helping me adapt to the institute.” Hina said as she opened the door to the inner lab.

”It was not an urgent matter. I understand.” Akira responded as she followed Hina.

Each doctor's domain was divided into an office and a separate laboratory. Moreover, the facilities in both sections were quite advanced, and the institute granted their doctors full autonomy over their labs, as long as they did not push the boundaries too far.

”The sample was not too much, but I have managed to analyse the product. I am not sure if my findings will help you.” Hina said.

”Anything you tell me could go a long way.”

”I can see you already had some idea on the type of drug it was.” Hina lifted a brow when she saw that Akira did not react.

”If I had told you my information, you would have begun the investigation with a lot of ȧssumptions.” Akira looked at her apologetically.

”I am not complaining. The investigation was quite interesting. It even gave me some insight into my coma patients research. I know you already understand the pharmacology of cathinone class psychostimulants, so I will not bore you with the details.” Hina said.

”I know you want to see the potential effects of the consumption of the compound.” She led Akira to the far corner of the large lab, where there were some cages with white mice.

Akira joined Hina next to the cages, but she could not find anything unusual about white mice. However, there were three covered cages, separate from the rest. Hina opened a small box near the cages and took out a small needle with some fluid after putting on gloves.

She picked a cage with a lone mouse and placed it on a bench, separate from the rest.

”As you can see, this is a normal and healthy mouse. I used the sample to prepare a solution for the test. You will understand the effects of the compound shortly.” Hina said.

She took the mouse out of the cage in her gloved hands and whispered 'thank you' before injecting it with the compound. It was her strange habit since she began her research career. She could not deal with the volume of white mice killed every day for research.

Then, her professor explained to her young teenage self that every mouse's sacrifice meant that countless lives might be saved. He told her that she should thank the mice for allowing her to learn and help people.

She quickly placed the mouse back in the cage and closed it. She stepped back and stood next to Akira.

”Watch!” She said.

The mouse did not react for a few seconds. However, it became agitated shortly after. The small creature exposed its teeth and claws aggressively. It ran from one side of the cage to the other, hitting the walls and clawing everything with strange snarls.

”What happens after a while? That level of energy cannot be sustained.” Akira asked.

”That was my original thought too,” Hina said before uncovering the three cages.

In each cage, there was a thin and emaciated mouse. The bony bodies were twitching irregularly despite the condition.

”Psychostimulants do not have a sustained effect on their consumers. This variant is unusual because the brain activity of the mice remains elevated even after the physical energy in the mice is exhausted. Simply speaking, the compound allows the brain to remain alive, even when the body is not providing energy to sustain it. It essentially changes the brain chemistry.” Hina sighed.

”I know you are often involved in some strange investigations. If someone is circulating this type of drug, they need to be apprehended as soon as possible. I cannot say much because the sample was too small for more testing.”

”But I will also let you know that the concentration of the compound is significantly higher than other similar compounds. If it is available in large masses and is consumed by people, I cannot predict the outcome for the world. This is the kind of stuff that changes everything.”