Chapter 7: A Little Pill Better Than Viagra

"I like this world."

For instance, coffee tastes amazing," Bruce said, a smirk forming on his lips as he stretched out joyfully.

The personal tailor, Gennaro Solito, meticulously took his measurements, muttering to himself every now and then, "Mr. Lee, your physique is incredibly standard. Initially, I was worried you might be too skinny."

A good fit is the most crucial aspect of a suit. If it doesn't fit right, no matter how clean or upscale the outfit, it will still look messy to others. But when it fits, even if it's not the latest fashion, it portrays your personality in a neat and sleek manner. Getting a bespoke suit from a regular store is quite a challenge, which is why most elites opt for custom-tailored suits.

Under the constant sunlight, Bruce's body continued to become stronger. Gone was the frail figure from before, now replaced by a harmonious, elongated physique. Hidden beneath the clothes were robust muscles that were hard to notice.

The master tailor was a kind-hearted man, charming, and at 68, still full of life. With silver hair, he was both professional and meticulous. A tailored suit is a genuine masterpiece, more art than science. Some suits require four or even five fittings, including the selection of fabric, cuff length, buttons, pocket placements, and lining. It's a time-consuming process.

However, it was clear that Mr. Solito was an expert in his field. After discussing various styles and noting Bruce's preferences, he quickly settled on a design. High-quality tailoring and excellent service come at a price; suits from Gennaro Solito never cost less than $1600.

Bruce ordered three suits for a total of $9600. He generously wrote a check for $10,000, leaving the tailor shop amidst Solito's warm farewells. The custom suits would be ready in three weeks, which was quicker than usual, probably due to Bruce's generous tip and pleasant demeanor.

Though not cheap, it didn't matter. The almost $500,000 in cash he took from drug dealers and thugs wasn't easy to spend.

After leaving the tailor's, they crossed two streets to arrive at a large car dealership. Bruce walked ahead with ease, followed by Marcus and Gus. Both wore sunglasses and Gucci suits, looking exceptionally tall and formidable, especially Gus, who was another formidable character.

Their size was intimidating. Marcus stood over 190 cm, while Gus towered at 206 cm, weighing over 300 pounds. With their cold expressions, they resembled two roaming tyrannosaurs, ready to hunt at any moment.

The sight of them made many pedestrians avoid them, but a tall blonde saleswoman eagerly approached with a gleam in her eye. Even though Bruce was in ordinary casual wear, anyone with personal bodyguards signified a high-potential customer.

"Hello, sir, I'm Annie Eddie. How can I assist you today?"

Under Annie's guidance, Bruce toured the spacious car dealership, basking in her attentive service. Judging from her attentiveness and seductive glances, she'd probably throw herself at him if given a chance. But Bruce had other plans for the day.

Regrettably, Bruce shook his head, his attention settling on a black Mercedes SUV. Considering the size of Marcus and Gus, he needed a car with ample space.

Annie quickly introduced the car: the Mercedes GL63_AMG, with a 5.5t__410kw turbocharged engine and a 0 to 100 km/h acceleration in 4.9 seconds.

As Bruce listened with a smile, his phone rang. After answering, an excited voice exclaimed, "We did it! I can't believe it... Mr. Lee! ... I've synthesized it!"

"Calm down, Sammy," Bruce interrupted. "Take a breath and explain."

"Oh, sorry, sir. I've successfully produced the active ingredient of the drug. Preliminary tests show it's unbelievably perfect!"

"Good. Prepare all the necessary data, and wait for me at the lab. I'm on my way."

Bruce hung up the phone and turned to Annie, "How much for this car? Can I get it right away?"

Annie was taken aback for a moment and then nodded. "Yes, Mr. Lee, this car is only $113,000, and we have it in stock."

Bruce, satisfied, pulled out his checkbook and quickly signed a check and handed it over.

"This is yours, beautiful Annie."

Annie's face broke into a wide smile. When she heard Bruce say he was leaving, she thought the deal was likely off. But things turned around quickly, and she had never encountered such an easy customer, one who didn't even need a test drive and handed over a big order.

Bruce finally enjoyed the convenience of money. All the paperwork was handled by the enthusiastic staff, while the beautiful Annie was charmed by him, blushing and giggling, seemingly unaware of the passing time. Soon they were escorted out, where a brand-new car was waiting for them at the entrance. As Annie handed him the keys, she gave him a sultry look and slipped her business card into his hand, her delicate fingernails gently brushing his palm. "At your service anytime, Mr. Lee."

What a great start, thought Bruce, looking with interest at her swaying figure.

The streets weren't congested at this time, and the brand-new Mercedes glided smoothly and quickly along. Soon, the three of them arrived at the New York University College of Engineering.

A three-story lab stood secluded and peaceful, nestled among the trees. Bruce led Marcus and Gus straight to the third floor, where a middle-aged man with a scruffy beard was bustling about, looking both anxious and excited. His messy, nest-like hair and sunken eyes clearly reflected his terrible mental state, and he emanated a strong, unpleasant odor, as if he hadn't taken care of himself in ages.

Bruce was not repulsed by this typical unkempt engineering nerd look. Instead, he opened his arms in delight. "Sammy, my friend, I hope you have good news for me."

"Oh! You wouldn't believe it!" Sammy, excited, rushed over and gave him a big hug. "Come and see!"

As a PhD in Biomedical Engineering at New York University, Samson Bell's primary research was in pharmacology and medicinal chemistry, with significant expertise in biochemistry, making him an authority. His excitement indicated a significant breakthrough.

"Come and look, these results are simply astounding!" He pointed at a series of numbers on the computer screen, excitedly babbling, clearly eager to share his joy with Bruce. "After the successful synthesis of the drug, we tested it on seventeen male rats. All of them showed a significant increase in cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) levels, resulting in varying degrees of erection. Three even ejaculated directly!"

Without giving Bruce a chance to respond, Samson excitedly dragged him to another computer.

"What's even more amazing is that these rats are all healthy, showing almost no adverse reactions. So we decided to proceed to the second phase and test it on humans. We chose three subjects from a group of volunteers for the initial trial. All three had severe sexual dysfunction, and no available drugs or treatments had worked for them. Guess what happened?"

Bruce obligingly wore an expectant expression, looking eager. "Don't keep me in suspense, Sammy, our drug worked on them, didn't it?"

Samson was pleased with his response and laughed heartily. "Worked? No, no, you're wrong. It made them real men! All three patients had a full sexual experience within half an hour of taking the drug. Both their reactions and the duration exceeded our expectations. We succeeded!"

However, he seemed to quickly realize something and awkwardly reined in his ecstatic expression. "I'm sorry, you succeeded. Your drug is amazing."

"No, no!" Bruce shook his head seriously. "We succeeded. I merely provided the initial sample. Without your high level of expertise and experience, we wouldn't have seen such astonishing results."

Sammy rubbed his hands together, looking both excited and somewhat embarrassed, unsure of how to respond. Unbeknownst to him, Bruce was already grinning ear to ear inside. I love these tech geeks! Yes, that's the word, tech geeks.

Indeed, after realizing the importance of money in this world, Bruce began thinking about "legal and legitimate" ways to make money. Soon, he set his sights on pharmaceuticals. Every high-ranking demon was an experienced potion expert, let alone Mephisto, a lord who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years.

He decided to start by targeting erectile dysfunction, commonly referred to as impotence. According to statistics from the World Health Organization, approximately 10% of men worldwide suffer from sexual dysfunction, a market worth billions of dollars.

Currently, most of this massive market is held by Pfizer, one of the world's largest research-based biopharmaceutical companies. Pfizer's most famous and well-known best-selling product is the anti-impotence drug Viagra.

Viagra, formally known as sildenafil citrate tablets viagra, comes as a light blue diamond-shaped film-coated tablet. When the film coating is removed, it reveals white crystalline powder. These little blue pills firmly hold more than 60% of the anti-impotence drug market, occupying an absolute dominant position.

However, there was a significant difference between the abyss where he fell and the world he now inhabited. Bruce found it hard to gather the necessary ingredients to concoct the ideal compound.

He could only use a potent concoction mixed with simple drugs for the Blood Surge Nissinor (a potion that enhances demon combat abilities by boiling the blood) to create a crude potion sample. This was clearly not enough to achieve his ambitious money-making plans.

So, ten days ago, he went to Samson Bell with a weakened version of the Blood Surge Nissinor potion. Through simple mental projection, he successfully persuaded him to test new drugs on his behalf. This professional tech geek indeed gave him a pleasant surprise. In just three days, he synthesized a stable version of the potion, and the testing progressed rapidly. Successive trials achieved the desired results, and success was clearly within reach.