"I don't understand. Since there is already a Simon, why create another one? With … that child's marksmanship, she can become a hero. Why borrow an irrelevant identity? "
"Not just one." The female doctor took another puff of her cigar.
"What?" Zhang Heng frowned.
"They didn't create just one Simon. They found four people, and all of them were experts. Three of them were snipers, and one of them was a submachine gun user. All four of them masked their faces and shared the same identity. That was equivalent to four layers of insurance. Together, they created the legend of the greatest sniper in human history — Simon." "He was everywhere.
"He is everywhere, a wandering ghost on the battlefield, the most reliable comrade, the White God of Death that the Soviets fear at the mention of, the undefeatable legend of the battlefield, inspiring millions of Finnish people and soldiers … Well, to be more precise, there are actually only three Simons, because one of them died not long after the war started, so the legend doesn't have much to do with him. The other one was also killed by the Soviet machine gunners last month."
"What about the real Simon? Does he know about these things?"
"It doesn't matter anymore. He responded to the call to join the army last October. During training, he jumped on a grenade to protect his comrade. If that didn't happen, this plan wouldn't have come into being. However …" Margie flicked the lighter in her hand repeatedly. It was obvious that she was a little anxious. "Now that the war is over, there are only two Simmons left in the world."
"The person who came up with this plan should have foreseen this situation, right?" Zhang Heng asked.
"Yes. After the war, there was supposed to be a fair fight for the remaining people. At least … they could use the guns in their hands to decide their final fate. But now, something has happened."
"What situation?"
"The last two people left are the child and the submachine gun user. The latter was shot by a dummy grenade during a raid the day before yesterday. He miraculously survived the surgery, but someone leaked the news. After that, reporters from all over the world rushed to the hospital, where he announced his identity."
A look of helplessness appeared on the female doctor's face. "Actually, I can understand why he would make such a decision. That child is the strongest among the four of them, and he has suffered such a serious injury. If the two of them were to fight, they would have almost no chance of winning."
"So you plan to abandon her now?"
"We don't have any other choice. Now that things have come to this, we can only play along with that guy and help him cover up the loopholes in his lies."
Zhang Heng stared at Maggie for half a minute.
"If you want me to believe what you're saying, you should first explain why a British volunteer in the guerrilla group would know these obviously highly classified things, right?"
This time, it was Maji's turn to be silent. "I lied to you before. I did grow up in England, but my father is Finnish and he is a high-ranking officer in the military. I was the one who came up with this plan. I personally went to recruit them. I wanted to witness the birth of a legend with my own eyes. That's why I came here with you. Ah Ji was sent by the military to protect me."
Maggie looked a little annoyed as well. She stood in front of the window in the same posture as when they first met. She crossed her arms and looked out of the window.
Zhang Heng suddenly understood what she was worried about at that time. She must have realized that it was difficult for her to maintain the same feelings for all four of them during her time with Simon. This made it impossible for her to remain neutral.
"At the end of the day, we are all mortals. I do care about the child, and I even had the thought of secretly killing the other candidates. However, the war wasn't over yet, and I didn't know if she could survive. In my position, I couldn't take risks, especially after the second candidate died. Besides, the final rule was indeed in the child's favor. I didn't expect what happened after that."
"Now that you realized that you can't do it yourself, you want me to help you solve this problem?" Zhang Heng's gaze fell on the pistol on the table. "But why didn't you let her go? You know that child. You should know that she doesn't care if she becomes a hero or not."
"I'm the one who came up with the plan, but I'm not the one who carried it out." Maggie held the cigar between her fingers. She didn't even notice the ash falling on her pajamas. "I do have a say in this matter, but not all of it. Strictly speaking, my job ended after the recruitment. What happened after that was my personal decision. I can't change what happened, and I can't change the final decision from the top." Maggie held the cigar in her hand.
She paused for a moment before continuing, "The child trusts you. That's why I decided to tell you all this. You can send her off personally. This is the last thing I can do for her. I heard that there's a beautiful lake in the northwest. Maybe we can go fishing there after everything is over."
The female doctor finally finished what she wanted to say tonight.
"I don't have a choice in this matter, do I?" Zhang Heng didn't hesitate, grabbing the pistol on the table.
… …
Maggie's back was facing him, and she remained silent.
Zhang Heng didn't stay any longer. He had asked all the questions he wanted to ask. He then got up and walked out of the second lieutenant's house, heading towards Simon's cabin. Before he left, however, he thanked the female doctor.
The guerrillas' camp was exceptionally quiet tonight. Even Ojeda, who liked to lean against the kitchen door to look at the stars, wasn't around. However, the entire camp was brightly lit, with kerosene lamps hanging outside every cabin.
Zhang Heng didn't turn his head to look at the direction of the distant forest. Instead, he put the pistol in his sleeve and knocked on the door with his other hand.
Perhaps it was because the female doctor didn't like to carry her keys with her, Simon wasn't surprised to see someone visiting her so late at night. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Zhang Heng standing outside.
After that, Zhang Heng grabbed her by the collar and pushed her to the ground. The two fell into the cabin together. Simon, however, didn't resist at all. She just lay on the ground and stared at Zhang Heng quietly. Her face was flushed.
Everything was just like what the female doctor said. If trust could be quantified, Simon's trust in Zhang Heng would be at the maximum.
Zhang Heng sighed. All he needed to do now was to pull out the pistol hidden in his sleeve and shoot the girl in the heart. Then, everything would be over.
However, he didn't do it. Zhang Heng searched through his barren Finnish vocabulary, but he couldn't find the word 'betrayal'. In the end, he looked into Simon's eyes and said, "Trust me."
After that, Zhang Heng moved his gaze away from the girl's chest and quickly looked around the room. With Maggie's intelligence and means, Zhang Heng believed that since she had hinted to this extent, it was impossible that she wasn't prepared.
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