Testing the Waters

Stay alert, Eric told himself. It was better to overthink things and scare himself than to be caught off guard and lose his life without knowing what hit him. Being careless and dismissing danger would be true foolishness—and might lead to a sudden, untimely death.

If the man upstairs harbored no ill intentions, that would be ideal. But if he did, it was much better to be prepared than caught off guard.

To Eric, determining whether the man was dangerous wouldn't be too hard. All he needed to do was find out if the man was a knight. After all, in modern society, knights were a special class, and the idea of a knight living in seclusion was almost unheard of. And who would choose to "hide" in a run-down apartment in a shabby complex?

Once he confirmed whether the tenant was a knight, he could start drawing conclusions. Even if he was wrong, there was no harm in being cautious.

Eric forced himself to calm down. Though he had been unsettled earlier, he now reasoned that he wasn't in any immediate danger. If the man upstairs truly intended to harm him, there'd be no need to rent an apartment and observe him. Eric was just a regular high school student, and it would be all too easy for a knight to kill him.

Since there wasn't any immediate danger, Eric decided to probe further and confirm the man's identity. After all, buying a dozen buns for breakfast wasn't enough to draw conclusions—some ordinary people had big appetites too.

The entire day, Eric kept his thoughts to himself, occasionally making casual inquiries among his classmates to gather more information. By the time school ended, he had come up with a rough plan.

Although Eric wasn't a knight yet, his experience of being reborn had given him a level of maturity far beyond that of other high school students. Outwardly, he was still a teenager, but inside, he was almost thirty.

After school, Eric hurried home. Since there were no early dismissals today, Amy had beaten him home, and their mother, Martha, was busy in the kitchen.

As soon as he entered the house, Eric headed to the bathroom, then wandered around the backyard. Amy, who was watching TV, was puzzled by her brother's odd behavior. Lately, Eric had been acting stranger and stranger.

"Eric, what are you looking for? Did you lose something?" Amy asked curiously.

Eric smiled, trying to appear casual. "I don't have enough money to lose anything. Don't overthink it." Then, raising his voice slightly, he called out toward the kitchen, "Mom, is the guy upstairs still home?"

Martha's voice came from the kitchen, "Why are you asking about the tenant upstairs? They only just moved in recently."

Eric took the chance to explain, "I noticed some water leaking from the bathroom ceiling. I think it might be from them using their shower."

Martha responded casually, "These old apartments always have problems like that. If it's not too serious, there's no need to worry."

"It's better to give them a heads-up, though, before it gets worse." Eric said as he walked out of the house. "I'll go talk to the guy upstairs, just in case."

Martha didn't think much of it and nodded, "Alright. I saw him bring some things home this afternoon, so he should be there."

Nodding in acknowledgment, Eric made his way up to the second floor, ready to test the new tenant.

Standing in front of the reinforced door, Eric took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. He knocked gently on the door.

There was silence inside, as if no one was home. Undeterred, Eric knocked again and raised his voice, "Hello, I'm from downstairs. Is anyone home?"

After a moment, the door behind the reinforced one opened. A middle-aged man—Jackson—stood there, frowning slightly but quickly plastering on a friendly smile. "And you are...?"

"Hello, sir. I live downstairs. My mom told me the landlord rented out the apartment upstairs, and I just noticed some water leaking from our bathroom ceiling. I think it might be coming from the pipes in your place. I wanted to see if it's an issue on your side," Eric explained, feigning awkwardness.

Jackson's brow furrowed for a moment before his smile returned. Not wanting to attract attention, he laughed it off, "I just moved in, so I'm not too familiar with the place yet. But I'll be more careful next time."

"No worries, it's an old problem." Eric waved it off but then casually added, "Would it be alright if I came in to check? It might be the main pipes, and if that's the case, we'll need to call maintenance."

Jackson's brow tightened again, but he quickly nodded. "Sure, come in. If it turns out to be on my side, I'll have it fixed."

"Thanks!" Eric replied politely as he stepped inside the apartment.

Once inside, Eric glanced around. The room was just as he expected, still furnished with the basic rental setup. The curtains on the balcony were half drawn, letting in very little light. For a man living alone, keeping the curtains drawn in the middle of the day seemed a bit odd.

However, Eric didn't let anything show on his face and remained calm. He walked toward the bathroom, making casual conversation, "You're home early, sir. I thought you might not be back yet."

Jackson responded dismissively, "I just moved to town and haven't found a job yet, so I'm staying home for now."

"Oh, what kind of work do you do? My dad works at the ceramics factory on the outskirts. They're hiring right now. I could ask him to recommend you if you're interested," Eric continued, keeping up the small talk.

Jackson forced a chuckle, growing more impatient. "No need, I've got something lined up already."

Noticing Jackson's growing impatience, Eric dropped the conversation and pretended to focus on inspecting the pipes. He checked around the bathroom carefully, as if he were genuinely investigating the leak. After a few moments, he sighed in relief and said, "Looks like it's not the main pipes. Probably just old plumbing. Sir, you might want to keep an eye on it when you shower—using a basin to catch water might help."

Jackson nodded, though he was clearly irritated. Still, he maintained a polite demeanor. "I'll be sure to do that."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Eric thanked Jackson and left the apartment.

Back in his own home, Eric sat deep in thought. From the brief conversation and his observations, he was now almost certain that Jackson was a knight.

Although knights appeared no different from ordinary people on the outside, certain details could give them away. During their conversation, Eric had paid close attention to Jackson's hands. The man's palms were covered with thick calluses—clearly not the result of regular labor but rather from years of martial training.

Combined with Jackson's large appetite and strange behavior, Eric was convinced: Jackson was a knight, and likely not a good one.

*What should I do?* Eric felt a wave of anxiety wash over him.

He could be certain that Jackson wasn't just some ordinary tenant but a dangerous figure hiding in plain sight. Living directly below Jackson, Eric was constantly at risk.

Should he call the police? Without concrete evidence, they might not take him seriously. Seek help from someone else? But who could he turn to? William King had already left town, and others might not be able to offer any real help.

After much thought, Eric gritted his teeth and made up his mind: *Strike first!*

Though still uncertain, Eric knew that waiting passively would only leave him vulnerable. If danger was really imminent, it would be too late to react. Better to take the initiative than to be caught defenseless.

"Knights may be strong, but they're not invincible," Eric reminded himself, trying to boost his confidence. "Jackson doesn't know that I'm onto him yet, so I still have a chance."

If Eric were a martial artist, Jackson would likely be more cautious. But as far as Jackson knew, Eric was just an ordinary student—nothing to worry about.

Little did Jackson know that while he hadn't yet made his move, Eric was already planning his own.

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