The real life of an American police officer: Winning over others with virtue

Chapter 196 The Mischievous Child
The moment Eric decisively shot the dog, the entire room fell silent, save for the faint groans of pain.

The three boys who had been standing there, intending to attack Eric, now looked at Eric with fear in their eyes, as if they had seen something terrifying.

Two thoughts were left in my mind: He actually had a gun! He actually dared to fire!
This guy is an even more lawless demon king than them!
The three boys instinctively backed away in fear, trying to get away from Eric; some even turned and ran.

But Eric seemed to sense all their thoughts and said calmly.

"You'd better not run, trust me."

In the eyes of the three boys, the terrifying demon king revealed a pair of dazzling white teeth.

"You don't want that dog's fate to happen to you, do you?"

These words, though spoken lightly, seemed to freeze them in place, pinning their feet firmly to the sandy shore, preventing them from moving an inch further.

"What...what do you want to do?" The boy in the hat asked in fear.

His voice was still trembling slightly.

"It's not about what I want to do, but what you all want to do," Eric said calmly, slowly putting away the Staccato 2011 P pistol that had put so much pressure on everyone present, and returning it to its original position.

Then, looking at the three boys who looked terrified, he said calmly.

"Sit down, sweetie."

Under the pressure that filled the air, the three boys lost their previous arrogance, swallowed hard, and obediently sat down.

Seeing this, Eric then began to prepare to deal with the two boys who were still groaning.

Compared to the three boys who were sitting obediently on the ground, these two were actually the most ruthless.

The one who stabbed someone with a knife was the one who was more seriously injured.

Eric glanced at him and saw the guy clutching his broken wrist, curled up like a shrimp, covered in sand, looking utterly pathetic.

Eric curled his lip; in his opinion, the guy deserved it.

This guy's first target was the kidney area.

Compared to other areas where the effects are different, this area focuses on causing instantaneous intense pain and shock, rather than being absolutely fatal immediately.

In other words, stabbing the kidney area will cause the person's vision to go black instantly, putting them into a state of shock and causing them to lose the ability to move immediately, but it will not kill them instantly.

This spot isn't particularly difficult to hit, and a precise shot doesn't necessarily require a professional, but Eric recalled the precise look in his opponent's eyes when they made the shot, and his gaze turned cold.

The angle and technique of that strike were so skillful; this guy must have done this kind of thing quite a few times.

And it's very likely that they'll habitually spare people's lives, enjoying the pleasure of toying with and torturing them... This judgment flashed through Eric's mind in an instant.

This guy is probably the most twisted one in the gang.

Of course, this is just a guess, but considering the system tasks, Eric thinks this guess is pretty close to the truth.

He ignored the self-inflicted wound and let the other man savor his pain. Eric's gaze returned to the boy kneeling before him, clutching his thighs and knees and groaning.

This guy's role is probably that of the brains of the gang, responsible for making plans and giving orders.

He was the one who instructed Ronald to deliberately harass Jenny, thus igniting Steve's anger.

However, looking at the other person's somewhat dull expression, which was far from the level of a brain's intelligence, Eric frowned slightly, and a new idea flashed through his mind like lightning.

Is someone secretly guiding this guy?
Thinking of this, Eric squatted down, ready to proceed as planned, to ask the other party what their plan and purpose were, how many times they had done this before, whether someone had sent them to harass them, or...

at the same time.

Steve and Jenny, standing behind, looked on with expressions of pity.

It felt good and comfortable to have someone punish these wicked boys.

On the other hand, to them, these boys are still children after all. They may seem a bit bad, but they don't deserve such severe punishment.

However, before Steve and Jenny could do anything, Tifa walked over from the other side, holding a cell phone in her hand. When she reached Jenny, she seemed to know what they were thinking and casually tossed out a sentence.

“You are good people, but your thoughts will cost you your lives. They are children, that's true, but their purpose in coming here is not pure. They came for us. Eric has his reasons for doing this.”

Upon hearing this, Steve and Jenny were completely bewildered. They couldn't understand how a few little kids could have cost them their lives.

Seeing the expressions on their faces, Tifa, who was studying psychology, naturally understood what they were thinking, and she was speechless.

Because these two people were unaware that they were being targeted, and today's harassment was just the beginning.

That's why Eric resorted to a brutal approach, hoping to use these naughty children as bait to lure out the demons and monsters lurking behind them.

After all, the scariest thing is not being targeted by someone, but being targeted by something you don't know.

But Tifa was too lazy to explain in detail to them, as it couldn't be explained in a few words. She simply sat down in front of Jenny, ignoring any other thoughts the two might have, and calmly continued.

"This matter is of great importance and will be taken over by the FBI. We ask that you remain silent and cooperate with the investigation."

After Tifa finished speaking, she took out her FBI badge from her pocket and unfolded it in front of the bewildered Jenny, and then continued...

"So, is there something you want to tell us?"

Jenny's eyes widened suddenly as she stared at Tifa in disbelief, her expression saying, "How did you know?"

Tifa smiled and said, "We saw the fear and unease in your eyes, which is why you came to stay with us and didn't dare to go into the river."

There was also a sense of relief and comfort after seeing us, which means you definitely have something you want to tell us.

As soon as he finished speaking, Steve's mind flashed with the image of Jenny's pale face when she saw the painting, and he blurted out:

"Is there something wrong with that painting...?"

Tifa raised an eyebrow, looking at Jenny and then at Steve, like a caring older sister or a listener ready to offer her opinion, and smiled:
"What painting?"

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With Tifa working together, Eric took charge of Jenny's side, while crouching down, still looking down at the groaning guy in front of him.

"Quiet down, save your energy. That blow was aimed at the numb veins in your leg."

As soon as Eric spoke, the boy in charge seemed to hear the devil's whisper. He tried to shrink back in fear, but felt all his strength drain away and couldn't move. He could only look at the smiling Eric with terrified eyes.

The suffocatingly low pressure and heavy aura emanating from the man seemed to have vanished, leaving only an almost gentle illusion.

But the pain in his knee told him that this man was still a terrifying demon king!

"It's okay, I know you don't understand, I can explain it to you so you don't think I'm going to kill you."

"That tingling nerve is the common peroneal nerve. It's responsible for letting you lift your foot and controls the sensation on the outside of your calf and the top of your foot. So if the common peroneal nerve gets hit hard, it can cause a concussion," Eric said with a smile, his mind drifting back to McCall's interrogation techniques. Although his interrogation skills were only at level 1 (beginner), he figured they should be enough to handle these boys.

In his view, the most important aspect of interrogation is to continuously increase the pressure on the other party and break down their psychological defenses.

"So all these sensations and functions of yours are temporarily on strike. This excruciating pain, this feeling of not being able to lift your leg, is its protest."

Ignoring the other man's terrified gaze, Eric extended his index finger and gently tapped the spot where he had just been hit with the stick, specifically the back of the fibula's neck.

The boy who was in charge immediately pulled his leg back as if he had been branded with a hot iron, gasped in pain, and stared at Eric with eyes full of fear, frustration, pity, and a desire to cry.

"You...you're dead! You're dead!" he threatened, enduring the excruciating pain.

Faced with this blustering but cowardly threat, Eric simply smiled slightly.

"How does it feel? Does your entire outer leg, down to the instep, feel like it's being electrified? Numb and painful, like it's on fire, or like it's being pricked by countless needles? Your toes are completely out of control, and you can't lift them up, right?"

"Remember how you felt just now, remember the feeling of your feet dragging on the ground."

"Next time, if there is a next time, I'll be a little bit off-center and I'll use a little bit more strength."

"Your fibular head will shatter into pieces with a snap, and the tendon will break off along with it."

"At that point, it won't just be a concussion from sleeping for a while; it could mean never waking up again."

"Then your leg will always make you walk like a cripple, your toes will always drag on the ground, and it will hurt terribly on cloudy or rainy days. Even the best doctor can't fix it back to normal."

As Eric spoke, not only the three boys who were sitting there obediently swallowed hard, but also felt a chill run down their spines.

Even the boy who was directly facing Eric was instantly covered in sweat, his shirt soaked with cold sweat. He didn't want to become a cripple!
"Don't worry, you're lucky this time. You ran into me. Your bones aren't broken and your tendons aren't severed. I'm just letting your nerves rest for a while."

Eric said, pressing his finger lightly on that spot again, causing the boy in charge to let out a piercing scream. He then slowly continued:
"It can take anywhere from a few tens of minutes to a few hours, or at most a day or two. The burning and electric shock sensation will gradually subside, the feeling will return, and you'll be able to lift your leg again. If you're lucky, there won't even be any soreness left."

Eric withdrew his hand, staring at the dominant boy whose psychological defenses seemed to be crumbling and who was now crying, and applied the final pressure:

"So think carefully before my patience runs out, whether you want to answer my question."
I'll give you time to think it over. I'll count to three. After that, it's up to you whether you choose to keep your leg or be disabled for the rest of your life.

And let me tell you, I have plenty of money. Even if your parents sue me afterward, I can guarantee I'll get away unscathed. At worst, I'll just have to pay you some money.

"I'd gladly pay you to be crippled for life? Ha, I'd be more than happy to."

Eric, knowing when to stop, calmly said, "One..."

Before the words could even be uttered, the boy who had been in charge, his voice trembling with tears, gasped, "What do you want to ask?"

Upon hearing this, Eric smiled; he had finally succeeded in knocking on the door.

“Very good, that’s a smart choice.”

Eric paused, glanced at the knife-wielding boy who seemed to have fainted from the pain, and said.

You're smarter than him!

The boy who was in charge glanced at his companion and felt a pang of sadness, like the saying "a rabbit mourns a fox's death." He became even more heartbroken, clutching his leg as large tears streamed from his red eyes.

Eric ignored him and beckoned to the three boys sitting obediently on the ground, signaling them to come over.

These three terrified guys are perfect lie detectors; let's see how they react when answering each other's questions.

Thus, this stretch of lakeshore presents two distinctly different scenes.

On the left, Tifa is attentively listening to Jenny's anxious outpouring; on the right, Eric begins his interrogation, even taking out his phone and turning on the recording function.

"My first question is, did you know they were coming here?"

The boys answered, "Yes."

"My second question is, did you not know we were here?"

The answer was: "Yes".

"My third question is, did you come here for them?"

The answer remained: "Yes."

"Fourth question: Are you deliberately harassing them?"

"Yes."

"The fourth question is, are you all ready..." Eric said calmly, looking at the wavering eyes of the boys.

"How do you want to torture them?"

The question made the boys visibly hesitate; none of them answered immediately. Until Eric's cold gaze swept over them.

Finally, the group stammered out the word: "Yes."

They really are mischievous kids… Eric narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched their evasive and shifty gazes.

"Fifth question: Has this been done more than once or twice?"

This question made the group of troublemakers even more hesitant, and their breathing became heavy.

“Confessing voluntarily will be good for you,” Eric said in a strangely gentle tone.

"You have no choice in answering this far. Even if you don't say it, I already know what the answer is. Now I just want to hear you admit your mistakes. You are still young, and it's not too late to change."

A real man should be courageous enough to take responsibility and correct his mistakes promptly.

Of the three sitting boys, one finally broke down completely, crying out:

"Damn it! Brooke forced me to do it! He made me stab them with a knife, saying that only by doing so could we be one, otherwise they would stab me to death!"

"Fuck! Shut up, Cartman!" Brooke growled through gritted teeth, "You were fucking enjoying it too!"

Eric glanced expressionlessly at the boy in charge, who was gritting his teeth.

This guy really knows how to locate the brain.

Recalling the mission's title: [Resolve the sins lurking in the darkness of this place]
These kids were definitely more than just one or two criminals; no wonder the mission was triggered the moment they appeared.

“Okay, Cartman,” Eric turned to the first boy who had broken down:

"Now, tell me, what 'good deeds' have you all done?"

(End of this chapter)