"An astonishing discovery!" Medical examiner Harper seemed rather excited when he saw Nick again.
"The state lab found an extremely complex intermediate metabolite in the victim's blood. They believe she inhaled some previously undiscovered compound neurotoxin before her death, one that not only has some hallucinogenic effects but also acts as an aphrodisiac.
"They're hoping to obtain some of the original sample for further analysis. This could be a major biological discovery."
And then unlock genuine 'chemical bliss' at the touch of a button, right? Nick shook his head, speechless.
People in this country were always particularly interested in this sort of thing. Doctors would preach about the dangers of antibiotic abuse while prescribing patients large quantities of painkillers, dressing it up with the claim that all they needed to do was relieve the pain and let the body's own immune system fight the disease.
Contrary to popular belief, in this country, not just ordinary people or the average middle class, but even those generally considered wealthy could not escape being harmed by unscrupulous doctors prescribing painkillers.
In Friends, an American TV series Nick had loved in his previous life, Matthew Perry, who played Chandler, had become addicted to painkillers after a jet ski accident.
The famous actor had reportedly spent around nine million dollars trying to get clean, only to drown in his own bathtub at fifty-four following a drug overdose.
These days, Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin, was still riding high. An ordinary person could go to a hospital, spend a few minutes complaining to a doctor about back pain, and walk away with a prescription for an entire bottle containing at least two hundred painkillers.
For that reason, Nick had long since cultivated relationships with the Chinese owners of small Chinese supermarkets and even convenience stores