Chapter 186


    In the dark of the night, the moonlight''s soft glow illuminated the beach.


    While Catherine caught a few fish, Jonathan started a campfire.


    On the surface, it appeared as if they had gathered on the beach for a pic. s, the looming threat


    of death lingered in their hearts.


    The fish cooked quickly. Although they had no seasoning, the fish smelled fragrant and tasted


    delicious.


    Jonathan handed one to Catherine, then Lesley and Elijah. Finally, he took one for himself and began


    eating.


    Since Catherine had caught eight fish in total, there was enough for two each.


    Hence, they moved the four remaining fish to the side while they ate.


    While they were tucking in with gusto, Simon suddenly appeared and started walking toward them.


    Jonathan quickly shouted for Catherine to get to her feet.


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    He dared not let his guard down for even a second around Simon. We may have set the time and ce


    for our fight, but what if Simon breaks his word? I''d better be cautious. It''s not like I can reason with him


    after I''m dead.


    Lesley and Elijah remained seated as they gazed at Simon warily.


    Under the faint moonlight, they could see that Simon was d all in ck. He radiated a cold and


    intimidating aura.


    Simon approached slowly and stopped about three meters away from them.


    He cast his gaze over the grilled fish they had set aside, then turned toward Jonathan abruptly and


    asked, “Could you give me one of them?”


    He focused his attention all on Jonathan because, in his eyes, only Jonathan was his opponent.


    Jonathan was momentarily stunned, but he quickly replied, “Sure. No problem.”


    He reached out to grab one of the fish and tossed it toward Simon.


    Simon caught it deftly, then continued in an aloof tone, “As soon as the sun rises, it''ll be time for us to


    fight to the death and see who walks away alive. Nheless, there''s no deep-seated grudge between


    us, so I don''t see why we can''t sit and talk now.”


    With that, he sat down without waiting for a response.


    By doing so, Simon was as good as dead letting his guard down and exposing his weaknesses.


    If Jonathan and Catherine had chosen to attack him at that moment, he would most likely end up dead.


    However, Simon''s actions also showed his sincerity.


    Jonathan was slightly taken aback. Naturally, he had no intention of attacking Simon.


    Jonathan was someone who returned the respect he received in kind. He would not retaliate unless


    provoked, and when he did, he would make sure the other party paid dearly.


    After a short pause, Jonathan and Catherine sat down cross-legged.


    Simon ate silently and quickly finished his fish. Turning to Jonathan again, he asked, “May I have


    another?”


    Jonathan reached for a second fish and tossed it at Simon without saying a word.


    Once again, Simon caught the fish deftly and finished it just as quickly.


    Jonathan shot him a somewhat bitter smile and said, “If you want more, I''m afraid that''s all we have.”


    “I''ve had enough,” Simon answered coolly.


    Jonathan and the others continued eating.


    In the end, Elijah and Lesley only had one fish each as they wanted to leave the two remaining fish for


    Jonathan and Catherine.


    Not bothering to stand on ceremony, the couple promptly ate the rest of the food.


    Jonathan felt much better after satisfying his hunger.


    After a while, he nced at Simon and said, “I don''t think you''re here simply to eat grilled fish, am I


    right?”


    Elijah and Lesley also looked at Simon curiously, wondering what the true reason for his visit was.


    Previously, Jonathan and hispanions had always thought of Simon as a ruthless and bloodthirsty


    murderer.


    At that moment, they finally saw that he was also a regr person just like themselves.


    Suddenly, Simon asked Jonathan, “From your perspective, what kind of person am I? Do I seem like a


    good person or a bad person?”


    Jonathan could not help thinking that was a strange question.


    Is he a bad person? He did everything in his power to kill all those people earlier. That means he


    should be considered a bad person. However, he was only following thepetition''s rules, so how


    does that make him a bad person? Then, does it mean he''s a good person after all? It doesn''t seem


    like it either.


    “Why do you ask?” Jonathan enquired after shooting Simon a nce. When thetter said it was


    merely a random question, Jonathan responded, “Do you care what others think about you?”


    “Not at all. I was just curious,” Simon replied.


    “Well, I think you''re a good person,” said Jonathan.


    Dumbfounded, Simon did a double take. “Oh? Why?”


    Jonathan exined, “How does one define whether a person is good or bad? Is someone who does


    good deeds a good person? Is someone who does bad things a bad person? Within the food chain, the


    animals eaten by humans will surely think of us as bad people. Vicious, ruthless, and downright evil.


    But to humans, the animals are merely a food source, and they don''t think they''re bad people for


    ughtering the animals.”


    “Hmm, that''s an interesting way of looking at it,” Simon mused.


    Smiling faintly, Jonathan added, “That''s why I think you''re a good person. At the very least, you''re


    someone who follows your heart. Therefore, you''re a good person to yourself.”


    “What about you? Do you think you''re a good person or a bad person?” Simon asked.


    “I''m not a good person. I think of doing many things, but I can''t because I''m bound by my conscience.


    To myself, I''m not a good person,” Jonathan replied with a bitter smile.


    After a brief pause, he continued, “But why should that matter to me? A good person or a bad person, a


    gentleman or a viin. Thesebels mean nothing to me, and I don''t care what others think of me.”


    “You''re a man with a clear conscience, an open and honest gentleman. Indeed, you''re not one to care


    about what others think,” Simon dered.


    Jonathan merely smiled as he listened to Simon''s urate description of him.


    They fell silent for a long time. Finally, Simon remarked, “I never imagined there woulde a time


    where we''d be sitting together and having a heart-to-heart talk.”


    Simon''s eyes usually looked like cold, ck ice. But now, it seemed as if the frostiness in his eyes had


    melted a little. “I never had any friends. This is the first time I''ve talked so much to someone,” said


    Simon.


    Jonathan smiled. “Well, it seems I should feel honored, then.”


    “Would you be interested in listening to my past?” Simon asked.


    The question took Jonathan by surprise. Indeed, he was deeply curious about Simon''s past. And since


    Simon was willing to open up, it was only natural that Jonathan was interested to hear it.


    While Elijah and Lesley also looked simrly intrigued, Catherine seemed indifferent.


    She merely continued sitting quietly next to Jonathan like an obedient wife.


    Memories flooded Simon''s mind as he began recounting his past. “Ever since I can remember, I grew


    up as an orphan on a deserted ind. There was an organization on that ind called Heavenly


    Rebirth Alliance. They took in orphans and trained them to be assassins. I was the best among


    my peers and heavily favored by the higher-ups. That was also the reason why I received extremely


    harsh training. When I was six years old, I had a bulldog as a pet named Coco. At the time, Coco was


    my sce andfort through the tough training, numerous scoldings, and countless beatings. I would


    hold Coco at night, and it wouldfort me and lick my injuries. You could say we relied on each


    other.”


    Simon paused before saying, “I''m sure you can imagine what happened after that. When I was nine


    years old, a Heavenly Rebirth Alliance instructor told me to kill Coco with my own hands. He said that if


    I didn''t do as he said, he''d slowly torture Coco to death. I had no choice but to kill Coco. However, that


    wasn''t the cruelest part. They locked me up in a cage with Coco''s corpse for a month. During that time,


    I had no water or food. Hence, I had to eat my dead dog''s raw flesh to survive.”


    Although Simon spoke without showing any emotion, Jonathan and the others could imagine how cruel


    and torturous it would have been for a nine-year-old to grow up in that environment.


    Simon continued, “Surviving at the Heavenly Rebirth Alliance meant that one had to behave like an


    unfeeling brute. One could not talk about one''s feelings, show weakness, or resist. Another thing worth


    mentioning is the person who attended to our daily needs. She was a beautifuldy, and we called her


    Ms. Lambert. She treated me particrly well, but I didn''t dare to get too close to her for fear that the


    Heavenly Rebirth Alliance would ask me to kill her. However, I was only nine years old at the time. As


    time passed, my feelings toward her deepened. She was the only person who had cared for me and


    smiled at me. She was like a mother to me. I even told her that I''d take her away from that ce when I


    was older and much stronger.”


    There was a hint of tenderness in Simon''s voice as he spoke.


    It was clear he had formed a much deeper attachment to her than Coco.


    In fact, Jonathan could tell that Simon relied on her. It''s like a son''s love for his mother. It also


    resembles the affection between two lovers. Since he grew up in such an unhealthy environment, it''s


    hardly surprising that his view of love is somewhat warped.


    “When I was eighteen years old, Ms. Lambert died. I killed her,” Simon uttered.


    Jonathan, Elijah, and Lesley stared at him in shock.


    Elijah could not refrain from asking, “Why? Did the people from Heavenly Rebirth Alliance force you to


    do it?”


    “She begged me to kill her.” An indescribable look of pain shed across Simon''s eyes.


    Everyone was puzzled when they heard that.


    Simon exined, “My instructor called me over, gave me a dagger, and told me to kill Ms. Lambert. I


    was dumbfounded when I heard that. I threw down the dagger and swore that I wouldn''t obey his


    instructions. I red at him with bloodshot eyes and told him to kill me if he dared. He merely gazed at


    me coldly without saying a word. That night, I returned to my room and saw Ms. Lambert.”


    Even after so many years, Simon''s face still twisted with pain at the devastating memory. “I saw ten


    burly men taking it in turns to defile Ms. Lambert. They sneered at me when I tried to stop them and


    kicked me hard. After what felt like ages, the men finally left. I went to check on Ms. Lambert and found


    her covered in bruises. Sobbing, she begged me to kill her.”


    “Kill me! Kill me!” Simon squeezed his eyes shut with a pained look, then opened them again. “Those


    were herst words to me. There was so much pain and desperation in her voice. Hence, I strangled


    her to death. I held her cold body in my arms and cried the entire night. The next morning, I wiped


    away my tears. I told myself I could never have feelings for anyone ever again and that I''d never shed


    another tear for anyone else.”


    Jonathan, Elijah, and Lesley could not help feeling sorry for the cruel ordeal Simon had to endure in the


    past.