Chapter 190: Cannibalism

Since the incident with Adam, Henry had been slightly wary of Castle, fearing he might have ulterior motives. However, Castle's subsequent behavior, characterized by his relaxed attitude and apparent lack of desire for personal gain, had completely dispelled Henry's concerns.

Interestingly, Castle seemed to have more in common with Henry's adoptive son, Abraham. They often collaborated and shared interests, even going so far as to quietly sell off Adam's collection and split fifty million dollars from the sale. Castle even let Abraham pick a few items from Adam's collection. These actions, and Castle's tendency to stay out of Henry's personal affairs unless absolutely necessary, convinced Henry that Castle truly had no designs on him.

As a result, if Henry were to list the people he trusted most in this world, Castle would rank just behind Abraham.

Seeing Castle's serious expression now, Henry immediately recognized the gravity of the situation. Without hesitation, he picked up the phone and called Detective Joe Martinez, who was currently at the police station, asking her to come to his office right away. He also informed her that the death of Bill Sayles, the victim brought in today, might be part of a much bigger problem.

Detective Joe Martinez's precinct was conveniently located just above Henry's office. She and her official partner, Hansen, took the elevator down and arrived within minutes. Once Joe arrived, Castle, who already knew her well, began to explain earnestly to the puzzled trio: "I don't know if you noticed, but there's a significant discrepancy between the deceased's age and his physical condition. This mismatch is due to the fact that he had been taking a substance known as 'Rejuvenation Elixir'. Henry, I believe you have performed an autopsy on him. Did you find anything unusual in his stomach?"

Henry nodded: "Yes, I did find some strange substances in his stomach, but I haven't yet identified them. Why?"

Castle smiled mysteriously: "Have you examined his brain?"

Henry: "Of course. That was why I looked so puzzled when you arrived. The deceased's brain looks like that of a centenarian. There are evident amyloid plaques, and he seemed to have been suffering from Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's diseases. This man had the body of a 30-year-old in peak condition, the age of someone in their 60s, but a brain that's over a hundred years old. It appears as though something had severely eroded his brain."

Castle nodded and addressed the now-alarmed Joe and Hansen: "Exactly. All of this is a result of the deceased taking the Rejuvenation Elixir."

Detective Martinez was curious as to why Castle was so concerned about this case and the victim: "Why are you so invested in this case, Castle?"

Castle, feigning exasperation, replied: "Because the people selling this Rejuvenation Elixir sent the promotional pamphlet to my mother, and she was about to buy this crap to try it out! When I found out, I asked around and learned that Henry had just received a body of someone who had taken the elixir. I rushed over to warn Henry and you. This elixir is being aggressively marketed to the elderly and wealthy in Manhattan. Imagine the potential for widespread illness if many people start taking it. It could lead to a severe public health crisis."

Hansen, skeptical of Castle's claims, expressed his doubt: "Castle, this sounds a bit far-fetched. We don't even have a definitive cause of death yet. How reliable is your information compared to Henry's findings?"

Henry, unlike Hansen, took Castle's warning seriously. He frowned, considering Castle's points. Noticing Hansen's dismissive attitude, Henry spoke up: "Hansen, Rick's information might be more accurate than you think. The body has only been here for a short while, and many tests haven't been conducted yet. However, Rick is correct in noting that the widespread promotion of this elixir could have serious consequences. I haven't had the chance to investigate why the deceased's brain is in such a state, but Rick's input provides a valuable perspective. Let me conduct a detailed examination of the brain tissue before we dismiss his concerns."

Detective Joe Martinez decided to mediate: "Alright, Hansen, let's wait for Henry's detailed examination results before jumping to conclusions."

Henry quickly called for his assistant Lucas, who had been nervously wandering the hall. Lucas hurried over to help Henry with the examination of Bill Sayles' brain tissue to determine the cause of its deterioration.

Castle, initially confused by Hansen's skepticism, soon understood. Hansen likely perceived Castle as trying to meddle in their investigation. Smiling to himself, Castle chose not to argue. After all, his goal was not to interfere directly but to expedite their investigation. The real mastermind behind the Rejuvenation Elixir was the so-called doctor's assistant and girlfriend, Sasha Savchenko, from Ukraine.

Sasha had been able to obtain the pituitary glands from deceased individuals thanks to her brother, Anton Van, who worked as a body transporter for various morgues and medical examiner offices. Anton had stolen several bodies from under Lucas's nose, leaving him anxious and fearful of losing his job if the thefts were discovered.

As Joe, Castle, and the increasingly impatient Hansen waited, Henry soon completed the initial analysis. He returned with a grave expression and handed the preliminary report to Joe, saying with concern: "Joe, it appears Rick was right. I found an extremely rare prion in the deceased's brain. This prion, much like how tuberculosis can be transmitted through infected cow's milk, can be transmitted to humans through the ingestion of infected tissues. It's not a typical bacterium or virus but a simple protein particle that might not be detected without specific tests."

Joe and Hansen looked at the report in confusion, not understanding the technical medical jargon.

Castle kindly simplified Henry's explanation for them: "Henry is saying that this prion can only be transmitted by ingesting infected tissue. In layman's terms, if you get infected by this prion, someone else would have to eat your tissue to get infected. In other words, this Rejuvenation Elixir contains human tissue. To put it plainly, those taking the Rejuvenation Elixir are essentially eating human flesh!"

Joe and Hansen were horrified by Castle's straightforward explanation. They turned to Henry for confirmation, who nodded reluctantly: "Yes, Rick is correct. The only way this prion can spread is through ingestion. Since the deceased was infected, it indicates that the Rejuvenation Elixir he took contained human tissue, likely from someone's infected pituitary gland."

The revelation was shocking. Joe and Hansen had come expecting a routine case but now faced a grim reality: they were dealing with widespread cannibalism. The thought that many people were unknowingly consuming human tissue was terrifying.

Hansen couldn't help but wonder with a dark sense of humor if the people eagerly consuming the Rejuvenation Elixir, hoping to regain their youth, would be horrified enough to vomit if they learned they were eating pituitary glands.

The prospect of dealing with such a disturbing case weighed heavily on Joe and Hansen. This was no longer a simple homicide but potentially the start of a massive public health crisis, just as Castle had warned.

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