If these two had been willing to follow her obediently to see Talulah, given how long they had been with the Reunion Movement, at most they would have been detained for labor reform. Though they would have lost their freedom, they would have been guaranteed to survive.
But the two chose the most violent resistance.
This also saddened Alina deeply, as she believed she had never wronged her brothers in the Reunion Movement. But why were these people so determined to cut ties with them? Alina couldn't understand; compared to those Reconnaissance Squads, her side was the one helping them. She had even helped the Levi Brothers several times before, so why would they treat her this way?
After standing up, Alina was extremely heartbroken. Seeing the others instinctively step back at the sight of that pile of human skin made her even sadder.
"Don't be afraid, Alina. Being strong isn't your fault!" Flandre Scarlet patted her shoulder with a mature expression, her words nearly breaking Alina's composure.
"Alright, I'll explain this to Talulah. Let's go!"
Having someone carry the skin-only Levi brother and the headless Levi brother, the group walked back to the office. Their team was the slowest to return. Buldrokkas'tee and Red, who chose to break down the doors, had already tied up and brought back the two groups who happened to be sleeping.
The two captured couples initially wanted to put up a desperate fight. Then, after seeing the skin-only Levi brother, one woman fainted from fright. The other headless Levi brother also shocked everyone else, revealing that the Reunion Movement's leadership truly would kill—and it was Alina, who usually seemed the gentlest and kindest, who had done it. This left them all trembling like sieves.
Talulah was actually quite shocked as well. She knew the Levi Brothers had somewhat hot tempers, so she specifically sent Alina, thinking that since Alina had interacted with them before, she might persuade them to give up resistance. But she never expected to get back two corpses.
One of the corpses, flattened to almost skin and bones, she immediately recognized as the result of Alina's Pale Touch at maximum output, while the headless one... was probably Flandre's handiwork. After questioning those involved and a few members who went along, it was exactly as she suspected, yet completely unexpected. The Levi Brothers had been so resolute; if Alina hadn't had means to protect herself, she might truly have been harmed by them.
Thinking this, Talulah felt no regret at all when she looked at the two corpses.
"Hmph, stubborn fools, they deserved to die! As for you few, Captain, I leave it to you to pry open their mouths!"
If Talulah had previously harbored thoughts of making them change their minds, now, whether they lived depended on whether the results satisfied her. The Captain had been worried that Talulah would personally interrogate these prisoners, giving them a chance to collude. But now that it was handed over to him, unless they could read each other's minds, once he broke through one person, no one could hide anything.
"Understood, leave it to me!" Buldrokkas'tee stood up, his massive frame making the few prisoners tremble uncontrollably. With a wave of his hand, the Shield Guards entered and took them away separately. "By tomorrow morning, I guarantee the results will be out."
After everyone else had left, Talulah walked over to Alina. "You weren't hurt by the Levi Brothers just now, were you?"
Alina shook her head. "I was really startled at the time, and then I accidentally used my ability instinctively..."
Talulah reached out and took Alina's hand, completely unafraid that she might turn her into a dried-up husk. "It's really not your fault; in that situation, I would have instinctively fought back too. On the contrary, I'm glad—at least this incident proves that Alina, you truly have the ability to protect yourself."
Faced with Talulah like this, Alina felt a bit embarrassed and fidgeted. "I understand, Talulah... It's very late now, I'll take little Flandre back to sleep... Let's talk about anything else tomorrow!"
She pulled a somewhat confused Flandre Scarlet and hurriedly left the office.
"Why run?" Flandre didn't understand.
Alina couldn't articulate her complex feelings, so she just ruffled Flandre's head. "Flandre is still little and doesn't understand; you'll know when you grow up!"
Flandre pouted. "That's the same thing my sister says!" After saying this, she curled up into a ball on the bed like a Wool Ball and declared she was unhappy, so she wouldn't talk to Alina tonight.
Seeing Flandre like this, Alina's lips curved into a smile again. She hugged the curled-up Flandre, closed her eyes, and peacefully fell asleep.
The next morning, Alina woke to see Flandre building blocks by the table.
"Sister Alina, hurry up and get up; there seems to be news over there!"
Alina immediately jumped up and quickly dressed. "Let's go! I want to see what conditions the Ursus people offered them to make such a choice."
They soon arrived at the office, where Buldrokkas'tee was explaining the information obtained from the six survivors. They were indeed Infected, but they had other family members—parents, siblings, or children. The Ursus Patrol had controlled their families, forcing them to act as spies.
"Weren't the Levi Brothers with us for a long time... How did they become their people?" Alina asked.
"It was their parents," Buldrokkas'tee explained. "The Milo Couple and the brothers were from the same village. After discovering them, the Milos contacted the Reconnaissance Squad to control their parents, then used that to threaten the brothers. Milo told them that if they informed us, their parents would be killed."
It was only then that Alina understood their desperation. To the Levi Brothers, Alina's words meant their parents were already as good as dead. Having no way to strike at the Ursus military, they lashed out at what they perceived as the "weaker" leadership of Reunion. They simply never expected that Alina, nor the little Flandre accompanying her, possessed such overwhelming strength.
Confusion and anger vanished from Alina's eyes. If the Ursus military captured her loved ones, would she make a different choice? She no longer had the heart to pursue the matter.
Talulah turned to the Captain. "Are there others in the camp like them?"
Buldrokkas'tee shook his head. "No. Everyone knows the Reconnaissance Squad is the mortal enemy of the Infected. Unless forced, no sane person would collaborate with the devil."
However, Talulah could not simply forgive them. Their betrayal had exposed the movement's coordinates. They decided to detain the traitors until next spring, when the movement could finally relocate.
As for their labor, it was deemed impractical. To guard six prisoners while they worked would require too many guards and food supplies. It was more efficient to simply keep them locked away with minimal supervision.
With the traitors handled, Talulah began assigning next tasks. Flandre, noticing she was left out, jumped forward.
"What about me, what about me! Flandre is very capable!"
As Talulah hesitated, Buldrokkas'tee stepped forward. "During this rest period, Yelena's Yeti Squad's hunting has been severely affected; prey has decreased. Since Flandre Scarlet wants to help, why not let her participate in hunting? She can fly, so scouting animal herds is more convenient for her than for us!"
Everyone turned to Flandre. "What do you think of the Captain's suggestion?"