New Target
Henry left the Continental Hotel and got into his old Cadillac. However, he didn't leave immediately but stayed in the car, using his Kryptonian Super Hearing to secretly observe the Continental Hotel's reaction.
There's no way around it; I'm just too scared of that rich girl's petty tricks in Los Angeles.
Upon hearing this, it was clear that the trouble he was in was caused by that young lady again. Fortunately, people in New York are quite reasonable; at least their methods don't sound as rough as those in Los Angeles.
Henry was quite surprised after hearing Winston Scott and Charon's conversation. He had to admit that their attitude was indeed to his liking.
I hate people who pretend to be familiar with someone they don't know, and who try to force you to buy something. It's like they think that if they do you a small favor, you owe them a huge debt of gratitude.
If it's truly based on mutual benefit, Henry certainly wouldn't rule out cooperation. His own needs might be fewer, but they weren't entirely nonexistent.
But there's no rush to build a relationship.
Actually, considering the difficulties John Wick might encounter in the future, maintaining his identity as a Continental Hotel service provider might be a better option if he were to seek his help.
But trying to befriend someone by casting a wide net wastes your time and might even involve helping people you despise. That's why Henry decided to cut his losses and not go back to the old ways of the Tinkerer.
After all, the main purpose at that time was to hone his medical skills and judgment; not to harbor a compassionate heart and take it upon himself to save all living beings.
Perhaps he hasn't encountered enough cases yet, and most are still involving knife and gunshot wounds. However, for Henry, this is already a breakthrough from zero to one. If he encounters any more difficult or complicated cases, he has an 80% to 90% confidence that he can cure them.
The reason Henry was thinking of Catherine Hepburn's situation. What If...? her erratic behavior wasn't just a childish attempt to get attention, but rather caused by an illness, then it was what people commonly call dementia.
Dementia is a general term that encompasses various classifications, from different types of symptoms to onset and causes. Generally, it refers to cognitive and functional impairments caused by brain aging, which falls into the category where surgery cannot help.
In other words, of the four major medical specialties—surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics—not to mention the latter two, Henry's background was limited to surgery. His knowledge of internal medicine was only theoretical, based on his reading of medical books.
He possessed a Super Brain, but due to a lack of experience and confidence, he missed the golden opportunity to save Ms. Hepburn. Although her life ended perfectly, it would be a lie to say that he had no regrets.
Now that she's with another Hepburn, will she experience the same regret again?
The idea of extending lifespan and restoring youth is too horrifying. Even if Henry could do it, he would never want to. This kind of medical technology would ultimately be controlled by a few and would never be available to the majority.
Even if it's only used on those close to you, isn't that still a form of arrogance towards life? What's the difference between yourself and those powerful and wealthy people you despise—those who might control the technology to prolong life?
But Henry wasn't so averse to the idea of curing his illness and allowing him to live a healthy and dignified life. Or rather, he was tired of always being called by other names and treated as someone else.
Once or twice, it might be considered amusing. But spending so much time with Catherine Hepburn, being treated as someone who was no longer there, and having her recount the regrets of a certain period, only brought Henry a deep sadness.
Perhaps every story Catherine Hepburn recounts would be considered sensational to outsiders. But too much of it can be overwhelming, and hearing too much of this kind of talk only evokes sadness and heartache for the elderly woman's mentally unstable state.
Dementia is currently incurable, but mild to moderate cases can be managed with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors to prevent it from worsening. So, could we explore treatment methods along this line of thought? Or should we explore alternative approaches?
With a plan in mind, Henry turned the car key, and the engine started smoothly and quietly, without any unusual vibrations inside the car. Although the old Cadillac still had the original exterior, Henry had actually made quite a few modifications to the interior.
On the drive back to Turtle Bay, Henry thought about the medical books he had read, including those about the Kree and Skrull alien technology.
When researching those two alien technologies, the focus was primarily on the technological creations. However, Kree scientist Mar- Will's knowledge also included a portion of medical technology. The Skrulls encyclopedia contains an entire category of such technologies.
But all of these alien technologies posed a common problem for Henry: what exactly did those technical terms refer to? Could they be found or synthesized on Earth, or at least be replaced?
There were also three vials of Eternals blood samples, which he sealed in his Undersea Laboratory and hadn't touched.
It seems that research in this area needs to begin.
Incidentally, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors are controlled substances in the United States. This is because a major category of these drugs is classified as chemical weapons, specifically as neurotoxic organophosphorus compounds, which are even more toxic than VX nerve agent.
In short, on the drive back, Henry had already come up with five or six plans, as well as two medical plans involving extraterrestrial technology.
It's impossible to conduct direct human trials, and it's certainly not possible to use Catherine Hepburn as a testing ground to see which drugs are more effective.
So, we still need to start with guinea pigs?
Another question is: go it alone? Or find someone to partner with?
To become a legally marketable drug, it needs approval from the United States. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
This requires proof of the product's safety and effectiveness, that the manufacturing process complies with regulations, and detailed product documentation and clinical trial data. The entire set of documentation must be complete, with periods measured in years or even decades.
Therefore, developing a new drug takes a long time, but it also ensures the drug's safety and reliability.
However, the elderly woman beside him didn't seem to have that much time to wait; moreover, finding someone to cooperate with would tie his hands and feet. The only advantage was that once the drug research was completed and the final clinical trial verification stage was reached, it could be put into actual human trials.
After weighing the pros and cons, Henry decided to go it alone. Once he achieved results and truly wanted to benefit the majority, he could directly negotiate a patent partnership with a pharmaceutical company. This group naturally had a way to shorten the process.
Until then, let's not let conventional technology slow down our research. As long as we don't conduct human experiments, there are no Moral issues to consider, only whether we have enough funding.