Synthesizing insulin would indeed be the best method.
Isn't that obvious?
Natural insulin...
No matter how much we get for free from the slaughterhouse, how could the cost compare?
But it's better not to dream impossible dreams.
'In the original history, successful synthesis was achieved... in the 1970s, and it became commercially available in the 1980s...'
That's over 100 years away.
If I knew the structural formula of insulin, it might be much faster, but unfortunately, I'm a clinician and a surgeon.
How would I know that?
"Ugh, the smell of blood."
Anyway, I came to the slaughterhouse with Dr. Liston.
Well...
It goes without saying that it was a complete mess.
In an era where even hospitals for people are a disaster, how good could a place where animals are killed be?
If you imagine the worst of the worst in your mind, you could say it was barely tolerable.
There's really... no need to come and see this, okay?
Absolutely don't.
"Ah... damn it."
"God damn it."
Both Liston and I couldn't help but swear.
Ah, I didn't swear; Liston did.
"How did... you come?"
The worker smoking a cigarette in front of the slaughterhouse seemed equally bewildered.
Dressed not in rubber but in simple cloth covered in blood, he was still holding a knife.
It should be terrifying...
But strangely, I didn't feel that way.
With Liston by my side, nothing is scary.
"We came by carriage."
"Huh?"
"Just kidding. It's Liston. I'm a doctor... you probably know, right?"
Look at this ego.
Of course, you should know me—that's the vibe.
"Ah... Liston, who's always with the Asian... I didn't recognize you, boss."
But he does recognize him.
"Boss Pyeong, hello to you too."
And he recognizes me too...
Something feels a bit off.
Boss...?
What does that mean?
As I tilted my head in confusion, Liston naturally nodded.
"Since you know me, you're quick."
"Yes, yes. By any chance... what brings you here? We do get bodies here, but most are corpses, so they might not be very useful."
"Ah, it's not that."
"Then are you sending someone here?"
"Ah... No, I don't kill people."
"Haha."
And then the conversation continued naturally.
Liston was smiling ambiguously at the slaughterer—I guess you could call him that.
Anyway, he stared at the blood-soaked man and continued speaking.
Surprisingly, the slaughterer wasn't intimidated and just listened.
'Well... it's not really surprising.'
When you think about it.
To do this kind of work in a place with poor security like London, you probably have to be tough.
He's likely connected to various gangs.
That's why he talks about killing people so casually.
It's a bit strange that they firmly believe we're part of their circle, but...
I guess we can figure that out later.
"We'd like to get some cow pancreases. Is that possible?"
"Huh? Pancreas? That's a part that's a bit... unpleasant to eat."
"It's not for eating; we urgently need it for something."
"Surely it's not for use as poison, is it?"
"Medicine, it's medicine."
"Aha. Whatever it is... just a moment. I need to ask as well."
"Go ahead."
The atmosphere is good.
It seems like we can get it for free, just like that.
"Huh? Dr. Liston and... Mr. Pyeong are here?"
While Liston and I were looking around, the blood-soaked man ran off somewhere.
There were cows mooing, and they all seemed to sense their fate, their eyes filled with tears.
It was understandable.
Their friends are just... huh? Hanging there...
Moreover, traces of their friends are scattered everywhere.
"Should we reduce our meat consumption from now on?"
"Yeah, that might be good. This..."
Would meat from such a place even be fresh?
It probably wouldn't be.
Even if it was fresh, it probably wouldn't be from the moment it died.
The old Liston would have said, "So what?" and eaten it, but not anymore.
He's become obsessed with sterilization.
So both of us were shaking our heads.
"How disrespectful. To the greatest gang in London..."
"That's what I'm saying. If you had contacted us in advance, we would have prepared a proper welcome."
As we stood there, we soon realized that the reaction we'd vaguely heard earlier but ignored was serious.
A black suit...
But the man wearing the suit, which didn't look very formal despite his attempts, was hurriedly following the blood-soaked man.
Something was stained on his suit, and it was clearly blood.
Cow blood, perhaps?
I hope so.
"Well, well! I never thought the renowned Boss Liston would grace us with his presence. I hope we haven't committed any discourtesy?"
He looked genuinely intimidating, but he bowed 90 degrees as soon as he arrived.
Well...
Anyone would do the same for Liston.
This man isn't just intimidating in appearance; he's actually terrifying.
"Ah, right. Your name is?"
"Josh."
"That's a good name."
"If it's alright, may I also greet Boss Pyeong?"
"Oh, sure. Good. He's my cherished junior."
"As expected. Hello, Boss Pyeong!"
But...
Why me?
As I stood there bewildered, the blood-soaked man chuckled.
"The story about you making those two notorious bastards wear dresses, mocking them thoroughly, and finally taking their lives... I heard that and was utterly impressed. Probably every tough guy in London fears you now."
"Ah... that. Haha."
This is absurd.
Wasn't that done to save people?
But if I say that, I'd be wronged.
So I laughed and added a brief explanation.
"That was just an experiment."
"Wow... conducting experiments on those infamous guys... impressive."
He stopped there.
These guys already have such a strange conviction.
"Anyway, we have a request."
"Anything. It would be an honor."
"Can we have all the leftover pancreases from the slaughtered cows?"
"Huh?"
"Is it not possible?"
"No, is that all? We can even get human pancreases for you!"
"No... let's think about that later. For death row inmates."
"Aha. Yes. This is just the beginning."
The man in the suit rubbed his hands together, his eyes gleaming.
Lunatic...
What does he take us for?
We're real doctors.
Doing our best to save people.
Well, I won't deny that we might seem a bit strange at times.
But truly, everything I do is really... all to save people.
"Since you're here. Hey, guys!"
When the suited man shouted, everyone who was scattered around working...
That is, everyone who was slaughtering cows came running over.
"Boss Liston here wants the pancreases. No, no. Not yours. You guys are really loyal, huh?"
There was a brief commotion.
And then what happened?
What happened?
We managed to get an enormous amount of pancreases.
"There's so much."
"Exactly. This..."
"With this much, wouldn't it last Lord Jamie a lifetime?"
"Hmm..."
It's my first time seeing a cow pancreas too.
Probably because it's a large animal, the pancreas was quite big.
Well, just grilling the stomach alone provides more than one person can eat, right?
The quantity is substantial?
I think I'm getting a bit poetic?
"What are you thinking about?"
"Rhyme. No. No... I was thinking it probably won't work."
"Why?"
"Won't this rot?"
"Even if we dissolve it in water, will it rot?"
"Probably... yes?"
I'm not really sure about the structure of insulin, to be honest.
But...
Since this isn't an era with refrigerators, how long could the shelf life possibly be?
No, would it even have a shelf life?
There's a high chance that we can only use it on the day it's made, or if we're lucky, the next day.
Well... we'll have to experiment to see how long it can last.
But unlike Liston's expectations, it won't be all rosy.
How do I know?
While diabetes treatment underwent a dramatic change due to insulin development... not all diabetic patients benefited from it.
'Testing is also a problem.'
Can we really diagnose based on whether ants are attracted to urine or not?
Eventually, we need to check blood sugar...
Then we need to discuss when to measure blood sugar for accuracy and what levels constitute a diagnosis.
When you think about it, this is...
Huh?
Diagnosing and treating a single disease is no ordinary task, I tell you.
"Anyway, let's go quickly."
"Right. By the way, your reputation has become quite impressive. You must be proud."
"Is... being famous among gangs something to be proud of?"
"I am. Think about it. Life becomes much more convenient."
"In what... what way?"
"While you're with me, have you ever had to wait to get in anywhere?"
Wait?
Restaurants?
Clothing stores?
Huh?
"Never, right?"
"It's all thanks to my reputation. Probably even if you go alone from now on, it'll be the same."
"Oh... that's good."
"Not only that, but you can buy things at a permanent discount."
"Oh."
"Depending on the situation, they might even just give them to you."
"That's a bit..."
That's extortion, man.
Thinking back, I did contribute a bit during the arsenic incident...
But that was to save people, so what could I do?
Selling everyday items made with arsenic was wrong in the first place.
It's not my fault.
"Ah, but there are downsides too."
"Like what? Do the police arrest you?"
"Huh? The police are on our side? Many of those guys over there are close with the police? What are you talking about? Gangs are the closest to the police."
"Uh... then what?"
If the police turn a blind eye and ordinary people fear you...
Aren't you effectively in power?
Thinking it's awesome, I asked, and Liston rolled up his sleeve.
An overwhelming muscle and a scar came into view.
"There are guys who want to take me down and make a name for themselves. It's died down lately... but you're a rising star, so they might dream nonsense too."
"Someone attacked you?"
"Yeah."
"What happened to that person?"
"Don't you remember? There was a scar here."
"Ah... huh?"
"You dissected him."
"Ah."
This is insane...
"It was a legitimate duel. Legally lawful."
"Ah, yes, yes."
"But do you actually know how to fight? Given your temper, you'd probably be good."
"No, I can't..."
"Just a bad temper?"
"Actually, my temper is fine too..."
"That's a bit dangerous. Get a gun or something. Stick with me as much as possible."
"Alright... I understand."