Though Eric believed in "relying on oneself," when it came down to it, he realized he needed to think things through carefully. After some reflection, Eric decided to first try calling the police to see if they could help. If that didn't work, he'd have to take matters into his own hands.
That evening, Eric found an excuse to leave the apartment complex and used a public phone to call the police. Unsurprisingly, without revealing his identity and only claiming that he suspected the upstairs tenant of being a criminal, the operator didn't take him seriously. The woman on the other end, sounding exasperated but polite, assured him, "We are here to protect everyone's safety. We'll send someone to patrol the area."
Eric knew these were just empty words. The chances of the police actually sending someone to check were slim. The police force was limited, and without solid evidence, they wouldn't deploy officers based on an anonymous tip. Plus, since Eric didn't want to reveal his identity, the police had no reason to treat this as a priority.
It wasn't that Eric didn't want to report the situation under his own name, but he feared that the man upstairs might have connections and find out who had reported him. If the tenant truly harbored ill intentions, he could act quickly. By reporting anonymously, even if the man became suspicious, with so many residents in the complex, he wouldn't necessarily guess it was Eric.
Playing the role of a "concerned citizen" had yielded no results, and Eric was left feeling frustrated. After all, this was a small town with limited resources. Without concrete evidence, the police wouldn't take an anonymous tip seriously.
Since the police wouldn't be of help, Eric discarded the idea of relying on them. He'd have to handle this himself. He decided that after taking the man down, he'd search for evidence. If he found any, he could then call the police. If not... he rubbed his forehead, thinking he could make some noise, perhaps causing a scene. As a "hot-blooded young man" trying to help the police catch a criminal, he could always apologize later if he went too far.
This way, at least the police would be forced to take notice. Whether the man was good or bad, he'd come under scrutiny. If he turned out to be innocent, Eric could just offer compensation and an apology—no big deal. But if the man was a criminal, Eric might even be rewarded.
With this plan in mind, Eric felt much more at ease. He began carefully planning how to take down this mysterious tenant.
---
That evening, Eric continued his workout in the backyard, but his eyes frequently darted toward the second-floor window. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him.
*He's observing me!* Eric concluded, growing more certain that the man upstairs had his sights set on him.
In truth, it was a lucky guess. Jackson had indeed been watching Eric for a while, but he had his own matters to attend to and hadn't been observing for long.
The next morning.
As Eric prepared to leave for school, he once again ran into Jackson, who was carrying breakfast. Yesterday, Jackson had pretended not to know Eric, so he hadn't greeted him. But now that they'd met the previous night, Jackson, wanting to maintain his "harmless tenant" image, smiled warmly and greeted Eric.
The greeting only made Eric more suspicious. *"No one acts friendly for no reason—he must be up to something!"* Eric thought.
If Jackson knew what Eric was thinking, he'd feel utterly wronged. If he greeted Eric, the boy thought he was plotting something. If he didn't, Eric would probably think he was pretending not to recognize him.
When you suspect someone, everything they do seems suspicious. That was exactly how Eric felt at that moment. He had already decided that Jackson was up to no good, so everything the man did reinforced his suspicions.
Eric became even more determined to strike first. He began formulating a plan in his mind.
---
That morning, Eric appeared to be focused on his studies, but in reality, his mind was racing with ideas on how to carry out his plan. The moment his morning classes ended, he dashed out of the classroom at lightning speed. His deskmate, Peter, watched him go and marveled, "Man, he's in great shape," feeling a twinge of envy.
At lunchtime, Eric returned to school just in time, his pockets filled with mysterious items.
Knocking out someone, especially someone who might be a knight, couldn't be done with ordinary sleeping pills or tranquilizers. Those substances took too long to take effect, and knights had stronger resistance, meaning regular drugs would hardly work. Using a large dose would only make the target suspicious.
For an ordinary student, this would be the point where they ran out of options. But Eric wasn't ordinary.
During his lunch break, Eric visited a few adult shops, spending 400 yuan on three small bags of knockout drugs. According to the shop owner, these drugs were extremely potent. The owner even suggested that Eric buy some aphrodisiacs as well, but Eric dismissed the man's sleazy suggestion with disdain.
The drugs Eric bought primarily worked to paralyze the nervous system, much faster and stronger than regular sleeping pills. According to the owner, just 5 milliliters would be enough to make an average person drowsy. Eric, however, had bought a full 50 milliliters. Considering that Jackson might be a knight, Eric planned to use ten times the recommended dose, ensuring that even a knight would be knocked out.
To be safe, though, Eric decided to test a portion of the drug first to avoid any unintended consequences, like accidental death.
---
Next, Eric began thinking about how to get Jackson to ingest the drug.
Through observation, Eric noticed that Jackson didn't eat out but preferred to buy takeout and bring it home. Jackson likely didn't want people noticing his large appetite, as eating that much could draw suspicion.
Given Jackson's habits, Eric had a rough plan forming. He would use his status as a neighbor to lower Jackson's guard.
---
All day long, Eric continued refining his plan. Even after school, he was still thinking about how to execute it. Once he got home, he locked himself in his room and mixed the drug into a small bottle. Afterward, he changed into a long-sleeved jacket to hide his intentions.
When Eric emerged from his room, Amy looked at him in surprise. "Eric, why are you wearing such a heavy jacket? Aren't you hot?"
It was April, and while it wasn't summer yet, the temperature wasn't exactly cold either. Seeing her brother dressed so warmly, Amy wondered if he was sick.
Eric hesitated for a moment, realizing that his outfit might raise suspicion. He smiled and said, "I just felt a little cold earlier."
"Are you sick?" Amy asked, concerned, stepping closer to feel his forehead. After confirming he didn't have a fever, she relaxed a little.
At dinner, Eric told his parents that he wasn't feeling well and might need to take the morning off the next day to rest. Martha and Tom asked him a few concerned questions. Eric reassured them that he was fine, just a bit tired, and they didn't press the issue further, only reminding him to see a doctor if needed.
Martha had initially planned to take the day off to care for her son, but Eric quickly turned down the offer, insisting that it wasn't necessary. Seeing that he wasn't seriously ill, Martha relented. Before bed, she slipped him 100 yuan, telling him to take a taxi to the hospital if needed.
Once everything was in place, Eric felt a sense of relief. Now, all that was left was to wait for the right moment to put his plan into action.
---