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Catherine had an indifferent demeanor and was free from desires. It was pretty challenging for the others to get rid of her. No matter how dangerous the move was, she could always handle it calmly. She had a similar state of mind as Jonathan's Great Emperor Seal, but still, her attacks were lacking in ferocity.
Nevertheless, Catherine's incessant attacks had caused Simon a headache.
At the same time, Jonathan seized the opportunity to use Shadow Step and blocked Simon's path from behind. He swung out his leg and gave the latter a Blade Kick.
Having strength up to two thousand five hundred kilograms, he exerted a powerful force in every punch and kick.
Simon was never an easy person. When Jonathan and Catherine constantly attacked him, he swiftly stepped diagonally forward, swept away Catherine's attack with his golden brass knuckles, dodging beneath her arms.
It was Drunken Move, his ultimate skill to save his life.
After Simon escaped, he fled in the jungle's direction without looking back. He knew he would not have the chance to win against the two today.
If he were to continue the fight, he could have lost his life.
It was never easy to tackle Simon when he had decided to escape. Even if Jonathan unleashed all his power, it would still be hard for him to take Simon's life.
Therefore, Jonathan and Catherine did not continue to hunt him.
‘When Simon escaped to the edge of the jungle, he noticed that Jonathan and Catherine did not continue to go after him.
Immediately, he paused and turned around to face Jonathan and Catherine.
Since no one could get the upper hand, the situation turned into a deadlock.
If both parties continued to be at an impasse, none of them would be able to complete the mission. Eventually, all of them would be eliminated from the game.
Before entering the jungle, Simon cast one last look at Jonathan.
He did not utter a word throughout the process, as though he was a grim reaper who only collected souls silently.
Jonathan heaved a sigh of relief after Simon left.
Holding Catherine's hand, he stroked her cheek with his injured hand and smiled. “Catherine, you're amazing.” Catherine, still expressionless, did not show a tiny hint of joy on her otherwise cold face after Jonathan complimented her. Somehow, Jonathan could feel the peace in her heart.
“She likes me to compliment her!” he assumed inwardly.
Shortly after, Jonathan and Catherine walked to the side of Lesley and Elijah and sat cross-legged.
“Jonathan, it seems there's nothing Simon can do about you now.” Elijah was slightly excited.
“But there's nothing we can do about Simon either.” Lesley sighed.
“Simon is one with great wisdom. I'm afraid that he will ‘come up with another evil plot soon,” said Jonathan in a low voice.
“I'm not worried about this, though. If you and Ms.
Catherine do not wish to fight, there's no way Simon can harm you. So do the other way around. If both sides continue to be in an impasse, no one will benefit from the situation,” said Lesley.
“It's fine if we can't end Simon and remain in a stalemate like this. We'll face another difficult problem between all of us, including you and your wife, Jonathan.” Elijah suddenly spoke.
Lesley was taken aback, as he had never thought about what would happen after that. Now that Elijah mentioned it, Lesley could not help but feel upset.
Jonathan could not help but take a glance at Catherine.
Still, the lady was expressionless, as if nothing would put her in a difficult position.
In truth, Jonathan was unsure of what was running on her
mind. Co After all, an emotionless like her was not dumb and knew the rules of the game.
Jonathan did not dare to imagine what might have happened after they took Simon's life.
The more he thought about it, the more his head hurt. Thus, he decided to stop thinking about it.
Since they had known each other for a long time, there was no better ending than having Simon end their lives.
However, this was just an absurd thought of Jonathan's.
Soon, it was nightfall.
In the dead of night, a bright moon was hanging in the sky.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThere was a chill in the air following a drop in the temperature.
Such a scene would remind one of a line of poetry, “As the bright moon shines over the sea, from far away you share this moment with me.”
It was a poem about missing loved ones.
Suddenly, the faces of Jessica, Yasmin, Jennifer, and Winnie came to Jonathan's mind. He had thought of Polly and Mabel and reminisced about the days in Smealand with Kieran and the others.
Apart from that, he had remembered his master.
The world worked in mysterious ways. Jonathan's life had changed tremendously in just one month, and he was stuck on Ophidian Island at the current moment.
While Jonathan was feeling upset, Simon suddenly showed up The man, dressing in black, exuded a cold and menacing aura under the moonlight.
It was as though he was a devil from hell, sending a chill down one's spine.
Upon seeing that, Jonathan and Catherine immediately stood up. They dared not take it lightly.
Simon, however, did not take the initiative to attack them this time, but he approached slowly and stood about ten meters away from them instead.
Both parties stared at each other from afar.
Finally, Simon parted his lips and mumbled in his usual icy cold tone, “I've thought of different strategies this afternoon, but soon, | realized that | could never stand a chance against both of you. | must admit that | can't finish all of you off.” He then lifted his head to look at Jonathan before adding, “However, you guys can't take my life either!” Jonathan looked at Simon and frowned. “What are you doing here then?” Simon gave Jonathan a cold glare as he replied, “I know that you do care about Elijah and Lesley's lives. And if | want to take their lives now, both of you won't stand a chance to protect them at all.” Unfortunately, what Simon said was the truth.
Not to mention Jonathan and Catherine would be away to
search for food. Even if they had kept Elijah and Lesley under guard, Simon could still take the latter's lives.
Elijah and Lesley would never stand a chance to survive once Simon threw a few snakes while launching the attack.
Once again, Jonathan frowned. “What exactly are you trying to say?” Simon replied, “Since | can never stand a chance against both of you, it also means that Elijah and Lesley no longer have any value to me. Thus, they should die.” Jonathan's pupils constricted instantly.
Although Elijah and Lesley were upset, they could do nothing.
In a deep voice, Jonathan said, “If you want to take their lives, you could have done it earlier. | believe you've had ‘something else on your mind for bringing this up now.” Simon answered calmly, “You're right. Let's make a deal. I'll spare the two of them if you accept it.” Jonathan asked, “What kind of deal?”
Simon answered, “Six days later, it'll be the last day of the elimination round. I'll give you six days to recuperate. After six days, I'll remove the golden brass knuckles to have a fair fight with you. If I win, I'll end your life, your wife's, Elijah's, and Lesley's, and become the winner of this elimination round. You can take my life if you win. As for others, whether you want to take their lives has nothing to do with me anymore.” Jonathan fell silent upon hearing that.
He did now know whether he should accept the deal.
If he did not, Simon would end Elijah and Lesley on the spot.
This was definitely not a joke.
Moreover, accepting the deal was the only way to resolve the impasse. If the stalemate continued, it would benefit none of them.
Jonathan pondered for a moment before he agreed, “All right, I'll accept the deal.”
Eagerness and hope glinted in Simon's eyes. “Good to hear that. You have my word!” With that, he turned around and entered the jungle in the blink of an eye.
After Simon left, Elijah and Lesley heaved a long sigh of relief, feeling they had journeyed to hell and back.
“Thank you, Jonathan,” said Lesley earnestly.
Jonathan flashed him a smile but did not say anything.
“Jonathan, what're your chances of winning the battle against Simon after recovering from your injury?” asked Elijah.
As a Nascent Soul expert, Simon had a greater cultivation level than Logan, whom Jonathan had met earlier.
Fortunately, Jonathan possessed the power of Haemocore.
His cultivation had also reached middle- stage now. He was no longer the powerless person as when he faced Logan.
As such, when he heard Elijah's question, he pondered for a while before answering, “Fifty-fifty.” “Fifty-fifty? I'm afraid that Simon thinks he has an eighty
percent chance of winning the battle.” Lesley could not help but smile bitterly, deducing that Simon would win the battle.
Jonathan did not deny it and repeated what he had said earlier, “Let's do our best and leave the rest in God's hands.” “I only hope that Simon does not achieve a breakthrough and advance to Celestial Soul over the next few days.
Otherwise, you won't stand a chance against him anymore, Jonathan.” Lesley sighed.
“It's useless to think about all of that now. Instead of hoping Simon does not achieve a breakthrough, I'd rather intensify my cultivation and see if | can advance to the final stage of Nascent Soul.” As soon as his words fell, Jonathan sat cross-legged with his eyes shut.
“Great Emperor Seal, Syllable Power, integrate!” Jonathan commanded them inwardly, trying to gather the broken-down vigor and reform it into Force.
As the syllabic power traversed inside his body, he could feel the broken-down vigor flowing in the blood. However,
he had no better way to refine it.
Jonathan understood that it would be better not to rush for now.
After all, he had advanced himself in a short time.
That was a critical part of the middle stage of Nascent Soul.
During the refining process, his blood would be purified to enhance his power for another time.
Hence, he must wait for the right time to refine the broken- down vigor, and there were no shortcuts.
Jonathan sighed inwardly, knowing that it was impossible for him to break through to the final stage of Nascent Soul in six days.
The only thing he could do now was to solidify his cultivation, condense the blood, and strengthen the power of Haemocore.
Five days had passed in the blink of an eye.
During those five days, Jonathan continued to search for food with Catherine.
He did not dare to remain separate from Catherine, as he was worried that Simon would break his promise and harm Catherine. If anything happened to her, he could never forgive himself.
Nevertheless, Jonathan usually meditated after having fruits but not tonight.
As the battle with Simon would begin the next day, he decided to reward himself and preserve his strength to keep himself in his best state.
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 picnic. Alas, 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.
He dared not let his guard down for even a second around Simon. We may have set the time and place for our fight, but what if Simon breaks his word? I'd better be cautious.
It's not like | 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 clad all in black. 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. Nonetheless, there's no deep-seated grudge between us, so | 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.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmAfter 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 | 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 glanced at Simon and said, “I don't think you're here simply to eat grilled fish, am | right?” Elijah and Lesley also looked at Simon curiously, wondering what the true reason for his visit was.
Previously, Jonathan and his companions had always thought of Simon as a ruthless and bloodthirsty murderer.
At that moment, they finally saw that he was also a regular person just like themselves.
Suddenly, Simon asked Jonathan, “From your perspective, what kind of person am 1? Do | 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 the ‘competition'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 glance. When the latter said it was merely a random question, Jonathan responded, “Do you care what others think about you?” “Not at all. | was just curious,” Simon replied.
“Well, | think you're a good person,” said Jonathan.
Dumbfounded, Simon did a double take. “Oh? Why?" Jonathan explained, “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 slaughtering the animals.” “Hmm, that's an interesting way of looking at it,” Simon mused.
Smiling faintly, Jonathan added, “That's why | 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. | think of doing many things, but | 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 villain. These labels mean nothing to me, and | 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 declared.
Jonathan merely smiled as he listened to Simon's accurate description of him.
They fell silent for a long time. Finally, Simon remarked, “I never imagined there would come a time where we'd be
sitting together and having a heart-to-heart talk.” Simon's eyes usually looked like cold, black 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 | 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 similarly 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 | can remember, | grew up as an orphan on a deserted island. There was an organization on that island called Heavenly Rebirth Alliance. They took in orphans and trained them to become assassins. | was the best among my peers and heavily favored by the higher- ups. That was also the reason why | received extremely harsh training. When | was six years old, | had a bulldog as a pet named Coco. At the time, Coco was my solace and comfort through the tough training, numerous scoldings, and countless beatings. | would hold Coco at night, and it would comfort 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 | was nine years old, a Heavenly Rebirth Alliance instructor told me to kill Coco with my own hands. He said that if | didn't do as he said, he'd slowly torture Coco to death. | 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, | had no water or food. Hence, | 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 beautiful lady, and we called her Ms. Lambert. She treated me particularly well, but | didn't dare to get too close to her for fear that the Heavenly Rebirth Alliance would ask me to kill her. However, | 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. | even told her that I'd take her away from that place when | 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 | was eighteen years old, Ms. Lambert died. | 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 flashed across Simon's eyes.
Everyone was puzzled when they heard that.
Simon explained, “My instructor called me over, gave me a dagger, and told me to kill Ms. Lambert. | was dumbfounded when | heard that. | threw down the dagger
and swore that | wouldn't obey his instructions. | glared 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, | 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 itin turns to defile Ms. Lambert. They sneered at me when | tried to stop them and kicked me hard. After what felt like ages, the men finally left. | 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 her last words to me. There was so much pain and desperation in her voice. Hence, | strangled her to death. | held her cold body in my arms and cried the entire night. The next morning, | wiped away my tears. | told myself | 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.