Familiar Faces

He pressed inward with his thumb. The resistance against its pad vanished in an instant.

Crack.

With a dull snap of bone, the seagull's neck twisted and broke. The Undead Seagull twitched once, then went completely still.

Xia Lun lowered his dark eyes and stared expressionlessly at the seagull in his hand as thoughts surged through his mind.

He had always assumed he heard seagulls so often because the island had so many of them. Now, it was clear those cries were no coincidence.

Undead Seagulls were the same kind of Undead as Ghouls and Stitched Monsters. Someone was controlling them!

In other words, he kept hearing seagulls because a hidden mastermind had been using Undead Seagulls to watch him all along!

Xia Lun's heart sank.

He still lacked experience in battles involving Secret Arts. It had never occurred to him that common seagulls could serve as the mastermind's eyes.

"Stay calm. Don't rush." He took a deep breath and muttered, "I wasn't even sure the person controlling the Undead existed. Now I know they do. That turns one unknown into a known."

Cold air flowed into his nose. Xia Lun closed his eyes and felt it pass through his throat and fill his lungs. Its cool, gentle touch eased his agitation.

A moment later, he opened his eyes again.

Whoever the mastermind was, their actions had to serve a purpose. So far, those actions came down to three things.

Gravely wounding the Brigadier General, killing the Gunner, and watching him.

The mastermind must be closely tied to the truth behind this Scenario. I can try to work out who it is.

Familiar faces flashed through Xia Lun's mind.

Was Delis the mastermind? In favor of that theory, she was a deranged Cultist in reality, so she might also be