Xiao Xian took the so-called A-substance and sniffed it under her nose.
Zhang Yi also joined in the fun and sniffed it as well, "It’s odorless."
"Natural products are naturally odorless," the beauty consultant thought, as these A-substances were much easier to profit from than the cosmetic surgery projects and beauty packages she sold.
"Can we buy some to take back? Even one bottle is fine," Xiao Xian asked Zeng Xuerou, who was the oldest among the three and of course seemed the most capable of purchasing.
"Sure," Zeng Xuerou did not refuse and generously agreed.
"It costs three thousand for such a tiny bottle, and you actually bought two. That’s such a waste," Zhang Yi thought to herself, feeling that her modest savings were insignificant compared to Zeng Xuerou.
"You’re also drooling over it; how can one bottle be enough for two mouths," Zeng Xuerou also knew how to joke around. If this A-substance was really as effective as the consultant claimed, undetectable even by drug tests, then once it hit the market, let alone three thousand, even thirty thousand would have many takers.
"Then I’ll try it now, see if it really works," Zhang Yi opened the bottle eagerly and tilted her head back, ready to drink it all.
"Go ahead and drink it if you’re not afraid of vomiting, diarrhea, or leg cramps. I’m not sure whether this thing is natural or not, but one thing is certain, there’s not a single bit of plant-based ingredient in it. No seed essences, no seaweed extracts," Xiao Xian let Zeng Xuerou buy the medicine not because she approved of these bottles, but because she was unsure about the ingredients.
"Take a bottle to the place where we get the drug tests done in the morning, we need to pick up the analysis of the hangover medicine anyway," Zeng Xuerou seemed to have grown accustomed to her role as the leader among the three.
The analysis report came out in the afternoon. The results stunned Zeng Xuerou; everything Xiao Xian said turned out to be true.
"The patches contained large amounts of nightshade and Sour Jujube Seed, with a slight mixture of flour. Long-term use can lead to dependency," this was the analysis of the hangover medicine.
The result for the A-substance was more complex: "The substance is mixed with fluids from certain animals, exact components yet to be determined, functions similarly to hormones. The stability of these hormone components varies greatly and can stimulate cellular activity depending on the body’s cellular activity. However, due to the unstable synthetic components, the effects generally only last for two weeks. If taken in high concentrations over a long period, it can cause drowsiness, dormancy, or even shock. Once this substance enters the body, it diffuses into cells and decomposes automatically, making it difficult to detect whether it was used or consumed, hence it poses great danger."
Such startling analysis results even prompted persistent inquiries from the lab staff about where Zeng Xuerou obtained this drug.
Fortunately, Zeng Xuerou had the foresight not to use her real name and contact information.
"That’s scary; it’s completely different from what the beauty consultant described," just thinking about it sent chills down Zhang Yi’s spine. She was about to pour it into her mouth; it seems one really shouldn’t randomly consume things in the future.
"However, one thing the research institute didn’t mention is that this bottle of solution must have been repackaged. Its effects and side effects should be lesser than what Wang Ke purchased, otherwise how could Wang Ke start showing symptoms of sleepiness; the drug concentration she purchased must be much purer than the solvent we have," Zeng Xuerou, with her meticulous mind, speculated that the beauty salon must have diluted and repackaged the solution to make money.
"What do we do now? Should we confront Wang Ke directly? But with her personality, even if warned, she’d probably ignore it and might even curse at us," Zhang Yi, despite disliking Wang Ke, couldn’t bear to see her fall victim to unscrupulous drug dealers, being on the same basketball team.
"I will talk to her about it. As for this matter, just pretend it never happened," Zeng Xuerou weighed the pros and cons, and from both a personal and school perspective, she had to put a stop to Wang Ke’s consumption of the A-substance.
Among senior students, especially those in their last year of middle and high school, many parents, aiming to ensure their children perform well, would take them to get injections of amino acids and other physical enhancement drugs before major exams, unaware that physical fitness cannot improve overnight through injections. Meanwhile, Wang Ke and her parents had stepped into an even more dangerous misconception.