PFC Chapter 4246 Possession by Evil Spirits (26)
Chapter 4246 Possession by Evil Spirits (26)
Chapter 4246 Possession by an Evil Spirit (Twenty-Six)
Binger's statement was indeed too brief. The agent could easily imagine the complex power struggles that had unfolded during that incident.
First of all, the town of Daxi Valley was already not as prosperous as it used to be back then. Even if no clues were found in this instance, it can be inferred from the era that circuses were already struggling to maintain their performances.
In the mid-20th century, due to economic development, ideological liberation, and the introduction of modern technology into homes, traditional forms of entertainment had already become unpopular. Furthermore, circuses were involved in issues such as animal protection and the protection of the disabled, making them highly opposed by left-wing figures of the time. Under the influence of various liberation movements, circuses were almost universally condemned. Forget performing; they were even spat on in the street.
Young people stopped watching, so there was no need to keep it running. Part of the town's popularity came from the circus tours. The town's natural scenery is actually quite ordinary; its iconic waterfall isn't particularly magnificent, and Utah has many other scenic spots. Therefore, when the circus's business faltered, the town naturally cooled down.
Against this backdrop, it's natural that some people would set their sights on this place. In the eyes of politicians and capitalists, everything must have value. Since it can no longer generate enough tourism revenue, it naturally needs to be put to other uses.
Great Valley Town is rich in water resources, with the entire town situated on an extremely complex and extensive underground water system. Because of this, factory owners and politicians in Westville plan to connect their factory wastewater pipes here—or rather, directly discharge it into the area's groundwater system. Since Great Valley Town's water supply relies primarily on groundwater, this will inevitably cause tap water pollution.
Cults operate similarly. In the heyday of circuses, cults secretly engaged in human trafficking and kidnapping to rapidly expand a town's population, providing labor for the service industry. These remote towns had little to no child protection laws, and child labor was legal. As long as they had enough children, they could raise them for a few years and have them ready to work. It was a guaranteed profit for them.
As long as there is a sufficient labor force and the town remains popular, the tax revenue from tourism can continuously provide income and political achievements for local officials. This is why the government not only fails to crack down on cults but also allows them to develop unchecked, even turning a blind eye to human trafficking cases involving circuses.
However, as the circus model became outdated, the town gradually declined, providing little income and becoming a truly remote place. The value of these cult members diminished accordingly. What use is it to raise many people or maintain tight control in a corner that nobody cares about? The town had no usable resources; the locals couldn't generate any wealth. For politicians, it was just a worthless burden.
When they learned that one of the few tourists knew their secret, they almost without hesitation abandoned the cult members and orchestrated a poisoning attack, killing most of the town's inhabitants, in order to bury the secret completely.
It sounds absurd, but this kind of thing is actually quite common within the federal government. Water pollution, air pollution, food contamination—how many are mere coincidences, and how many are genuine conspiracies? Could a former FBI agent not know this?
In a purely capitalist society, everything is weighed. What has value can exist, while what has no value must disappear as quickly as possible, preferably without getting in anyone's way. Human life is no exception.
So the most absurd part of this story isn't that the politicians used methods to silence them, nor the methods they employed. The strangest point is that Binger fought back before he died. How did he know what happened after his death?
Of course, the fact that he's standing here in this state indicates there's definitely some kind of supernatural phenomenon. It wouldn't be surprising if he were a ghost seeing this. But what about the spiritual world? Do those cultists really possess some kind of mystical ability?
The agent voiced his question. Binger sighed and said, “That’s the most troublesome part. Remember what I told you? The leaked substance contained a special excitatory neurotransmitter. This stuff rapidly accumulated in the bodies of the people in the town, keeping their minds in a state of extreme excitement, eventually causing some unknown mutation that led them to construct a cult-like fantasy world in their minds when they died. I haven’t studied enough, so I can’t figure out exactly what happened. That’s why I came to you. I want you to understand what really happened back then, and how I should destroy this world. I don’t want my enemies to be able to live well in their idealized paradise.”
"So you really did die at their hands? But if you were burned to death, where did your bones come from?"
“I’m not going to be stupid enough to wait for them to burn me alive. It’s just that I’m too young to run away. So…”
"So what?"
“I had my mother kill me. She strangled me and then buried me. I guess that was revenge for her.” Binger gave a bitter smile.
"This has caused her great harm," the agent stated bluntly. "She's gone insane now... Wait, is your mother dead or alive?"
“She’s alive,” Binger said. “I know you might find it hard to believe, but she has a special constitution. Neither the stimulants nor the later slow-acting poison could kill her. Now she is the only resident left in the town.”
The detective sighed; this outcome was not unexpected. When he first met Linda, he noticed that although the girl was somewhat eccentric, she possessed a peculiar vitality, completely different from the aura of an evil spirit.
“That guy also wanted to know what really happened to my mother. They believed that by figuring out this secret, they could return to the real world. So, they manipulated my grandmother, who had already died, and kept her by her side, hoping for a turning point.”
"And what's the story with your grandmother? Her family must be well-off, so why did she marry into this family?"
“Living in this kind of environment, no one can guarantee they won't be brainwashed. Even if she's a rich girl, I can often sense her pain…”
“Stop,” the agent said. “No. You mean Aunt Kane died with the people of the town, and before that, she was alive, just brainwashed. But you also said that your biological grandfather, Berger, was a smart man with a modern education. But he was originally from a small town, and only had the opportunity to go to the big city because he went out to preach. How did he receive an education in the big city?”
Bing looked bewildered. The agent gently shook his head. This little guy, though clever, had never left a small town in his life; he probably had no idea what a big city was like.
The detective continued, "This cult is clearly against modern education, so Berger probably hadn't received any formal education when he left the town. To learn modern knowledge, he'd have to start from scratch. Some basic knowledge is manageable; he can learn it by listening to the radio and reading books. But when it comes to STEM subjects, that's definitely not something he can figure out through self-study."
"You said you learned your knowledge from listening to the radio, so you must have a tape recorder at home. To be able to build a tape recorder and successfully receive channels under such tight surveillance requires a certain level of radio knowledge. This kind of thing is not something an illiterate person from a small town could figure out through self-study."
"You mean, someone is helping him?"
The agent nodded and said, "We need to get this guy a place in college, even a community college isn't easy. After all, he has no educational background, he probably can't even recognize all the words. Secondly, we need to cover for him during this time, since missionaries usually don't act alone. And we also need to cover his living expenses in a big city. You probably can't imagine how much it costs to take time off to study in a city like New York. This is definitely not something Berg can afford on his own."
Binger looked thoughtful, and after a long pause, he said, "I vaguely heard things about my grandmother from my grandfather. They were very much in love before they got married, but..."
"I suspect that the person who helped your grandfather was your grandmother. And if that's the case, it proves that your grandmother wanted to help your grandfather break free from religious control. Such a person shouldn't fall into a trap so easily. You're right, in this kind of environment, very few people can avoid being brainwashed. But why did your grandmother come to this kind of environment?"
"Assuming she really is a rich girl from New York and has fallen in love with your grandfather, they could easily live in New York. After all, your grandmother could easily support him. Besides, rich girls like that usually wouldn't want to move so far away. If her family objected, they would be even less likely to let her marry alone in such a remote town, right?"
“But I don’t understand,” Bing said, shaking his head. “If she didn’t marry into the family willingly and then get brainwashed, then what happened?”
"You mean the evil spirits in the town are a collection of mental entities created by the mental mutations of the Mormons after they were killed? But I think the evil spirits already existed while you were still alive. They were behind all the tragedies that followed."
“Perhaps so,” Bing said, “but the mental mutation must be true, because I also drank a lot of lake water, and after I died, my consciousness did not dissipate, but turned into a ghost and witnessed everything that happened afterward.”
"But the evil spirit dwelling in the spiritual world is too powerful. I can't deal with it, and I don't know how to resolve that strange world. Thank goodness you came. It would be best if you could uncover the truth, but if not, I have only one wish: to take my mother away."
"Of course, I won't let you help for nothing. Most of the cultists' assets have been taken by the politicians in Westville, but they're not entirely shrewd; they've set up secret safe deposit boxes in banks in other major West Coast cities. I know the details of these safe deposit boxes. I'll give my mother a portion, enough for her to live on for the rest of her life, and the rest is yours. How about it?"
The agent remained silent. Bing thought he was dissatisfied with the terms. Just as he was about to say something, the agent said, "As far as I know, accessing this kind of safe requires a warrant. Where did you get your warrant?"
"The certificate isn't with me, but with my mother. To be precise, she herself is the certificate. Because my great-grandfather, old Berg, was a star performer in a circus and also a high-ranking member of the sect. He was involved in preparing the safe back then."
"Old Berg?"