"By the way, how is the investigation into the traitors in the camp going?" Flandre Scarlet recalled Alina's previous efforts to investigate the traitors.
"To be honest, there hasn't been much progress. Yesterday, everyone else in the town was ordered not to go out, and our people stationed at various locations didn't find anyone sneaking out..." Alina answered with a hint of discouragement. She had been monitoring the situation in the village all day yesterday but hadn't found a single trace of the mole.
"There's no need to be in such a hurry. That mole has been with us for so long without being discovered, which means they must be an extremely cautious person. The other party is likely still hiding among us and needs further screening." Talulah comforted Alina from the side.
After all, it was already late when Talulah and the others returned yesterday, and Buldrokkas'tee didn't return until the early hours of the morning. At that time, even if the mole noticed something was wrong, it would have been impossible for them to take any action.
"So, it's likely the other party will only make a move today?" Alina reacted instantly.
Talulah nodded. "Exactly. That's why I've arranged for some trustworthy people to screen the few roads leading out of the settlement. If the other party is truly impatient, they will definitely show their hand."
Hearing Talulah's words, Alina recalled what she had seen in the village during the day. Indeed, while things seemed relaxed because everyone was celebrating yesterday's great victory, the screening for leaving the settlement was even stricter. The ordinary Infected simply assumed this was out of concern that someone might accidentally leak information, so no one questioned it. Only those with ill intentions would feel dread and fear because of it.
Flandre expressed that this kind of thing was easy to solve; no matter how calm someone with ill intentions might act on the surface, they would certainly be afraid deep down. Therefore, their internal emotions and fluctuations upon hearing relevant news would definitely be different from others. Coincidentally, yesterday's news hadn't been announced yet.
So, Talulah could gather everyone in the afternoon to announce the news. Perhaps Flandre could use the different reactions of the people there to spot the clues and catch the culprit.
"That's a good idea. And even if you don't find anyone, Flandre, we can still 'beating the grass to startle the snake' and scare them out. The other party will definitely go to confirm the truth of such news. When that time comes..." Talulah said excitedly.
"When that time comes, leave it to us! We can't help you with much else, but the three of us have some skill in this area. Perhaps we can help you catch a big fish." The one who spoke was a Shadow Guard.
After arriving here, they had naturally become Talulah's bodyguards. Although Talulah said it wasn't necessary, the three Shadow Guards said this was the task Wei Yenwu had given them. Yesterday, they had originally planned to go west with Talulah to fight, but Talulah said at the time that the enemies outside weren't scary, the internal ones were most important, so she assigned the three of them to Alina. Although they had gained nothing yesterday, the strength and experience of the three were beyond doubt.
"Good. If we find a target, don't startle the snake first; we need to confirm if there's only one or many. Three uncles, I'll leave the tracking and screening work to you when the time comes." Talulah looked at the three and said.
The three nodded. All three sent here were proficient in the Ursus language, so this kind of work wasn't difficult. Moreover, the structure of the Reunion Movement was simple, and they weren't worried about extra trouble arising during the investigation.
"Alright, then Alina, go and arrange to call everyone to the square for a big meeting at two in the afternoon. People's hearts have been a bit unstable lately, so we need to use this victory to help everyone regain their confidence." Talulah gave Alina the instructions.
"What about me?" Flandre Scarlet raised her hand and asked.
"Little Flandre, don't you need to prepare? Don't be fooled by the Reunion Movement's small size; there are still a lot of people when they gather." Talulah reached out and poked Flandre Scarlet's forehead.
"Ugh... fine. Take me to the square, I'll set up a magic circle. It'll make things easier later." Flandre Scarlet thought about it and agreed.
The Reunion Movement had several thousand people, large and small, all told. Although not everyone would be present for the 'big meeting' in the afternoon, the number would still be significant. With so many people, trying to accurately find one person was not a simple task, even with magic. So, preparing in advance was very necessary.
After being taken to the square, she began to think: what kind of spell would allow her to find the 'bad guy' immediately?
"Detect Alignment"? That didn't seem right. After all, looking at the Reunion Movement's situation, except for Chaotic Evil and Neutral Evil people, almost all other alignments were likely present. Those bad guys would probably be of the Chaotic Neutral type, which was also the most common type among the Infected. Trying to judge and find a target from that spell was simply impossible.
Soon, after picking and choosing, Flandre Scarlet's eyes lit up when she saw a spell.
"Emotion Amplification: Amplifies the target's current emotions"
The simpler the description, the more powerful the effect—this was perfectly demonstrated by this spell. As an Enchantment-type spell, specifically a suggestion-type spell within the psychology control school, it was usually used in various special social situations. The key was that this spell was very simple. Flandre Scarlet quickly inscribed it together with runes that expanded the range of influence and then installed it in the square.
At two o'clock, people began arriving at the square one after another. As for those who didn't come, there would naturally be people to conduct screenings. Once the crowd had settled, Talulah's gaze swept around before she spoke loudly.
"Fellow compatriots, I have gathered everyone here today to announce some good news. I'm sure you have all noticed that yesterday evening and this morning, we brought back a lot of weapons and equipment from outside. Everyone has had many speculations about this. Now I am telling you, your guesses were correct."
"They all came from the Ursus Patrol. Just yesterday, the Ursus Patrol attempted to attack our settlement from three routes. Among them, the eastern route was blocked at the outermost perimeter by Lord Patriot, unable to advance an inch. While the two Patrol units from the north and west were successfully wiped out by us."
"In this battle, we lost eleven comrades. Now, let us first observe a minute of silence for them..."
A minute later, Talulah continued speaking.
"In these two battles, we wiped out a total of over two hundred lackeys of the Patrol. We captured nearly two hundred sets of clothing, of which about one hundred and seventy are intact, slightly damaged, or repairable. As for weapons, there are almost two hundred complete sets of standard Ursus Patrol weapons..."
Just a moment ago, everyone was still sad and afraid. Although losing eleven warriors wouldn't severely damage the Reunion Movement's strength, it would still significantly lower everyone's morale. Many people were worried about whether they would need to relocate again. But the words Talulah blurted out next immediately left them dumbfounded.
"Wait, Leader Talulah. I don't mean to question you, but how many Patrol members did you say we wiped out yesterday?" Someone couldn't help but ask in shock.
"The exact number hasn't been fully tallied, but we recovered a total of two hundred and twelve sets of Patrol clothing. So the number of enemies will only be more than this, not less."
After Talulah finished speaking, the crowd erupted into discussion. Mainly because this was too hard to believe. The Reunion Movement actually managed a casualty ratio of twelve to two hundred and twelve against the Ursus Patrol. If they had this kind of strength, how could they have been chased all over the place by the Patrol?
"Compatriots, perhaps you find it hard to believe, but words can be faked, while objects cannot. The Patrol wouldn't send over two hundred people in this weather to take off all their equipment for us and then run back naked! This is a great victory for our Reunion Movement. After this battle, even the enemies to the east have retreated."
"Cheer, for we have successfully taken root here. Losing so many people at once will also severely damage the Patrol's strength. I will have our people closely monitor the Patrol's situation. Next, everyone work hard to reclaim the wasteland. Let's strive to harvest a batch of grain before the next winter arrives; that is what we should do. The Reunion Movement will surely lead our Infected brothers and sisters to live on in peace. Ura!"
"Ura!" Talulah's words sent everyone into a state of excitement and exhilaration. Coupled with the influence of the spell, the emotions of the people on the field were rapidly stirred up.
The team assigned to watch the crowd quickly found several characters with abnormal expressions, and on the night after the meeting ended, their information was placed on Talulah's desk.
"Eight people in total. Among them, the Levi Brothers are veterans who have followed us from the original base all the way here. The other six are three couples: the Valens, the Milos, and the Theodores."
"These eight people showed obvious fear and disbelief upon hearing Talulah's news. Our people are already secretly watching them; as soon as anything suspicious is found, they will report back immediately." The one who spoke was Red.
After returning to the Reunion Movement, he had also entered the core circle and become an officer. During the time Frostnova was incapacitated, he was responsible for the security of the settlement and the protection of the doctors from Rhodes Island. It was only because manpower was needed this time that he was transferred back.
Talulah looked at Red. "Thank you for your hard work!"
"It's no trouble. Getting rid of these black sheep is what we should do." Red expressed that he admired the current Talulah. While having the warmth to accept the Infected, she could also be ruthless towards those who betrayed them. Although he didn't know exactly what had happened to cause such a great change in her, he had to say it had made the Reunion Movement's cohesion even stronger.
"Then it's time for us three brothers to take the stage, right?" The three Shadow Guards hid their faces under their Black Raincoats, took the information on those few people, and left the room.