The days of being a spiritual mentor in Meiman.

Chapter 4254 Possession by an Evil Spirit (Thirty-Four)

“Let’s go through the timeline again,” Bruce began. “He said, ‘We can divide this whole thing into three phases. One is when the circus was still very popular, which was during old Berg’s youth. It was during this time that the circus began kidnapping people, laying the foundation for the town’s later population explosion.’”

"Then comes the middle and old age of old Berg. By this time, the circus can no longer perform, and the town begins to decline. But because of the town's previous fame, some tourists still visit. At this time, cultists begin to attack and imprison these tourists."

"Finally, after old Berg died, Linda's father, Berg, grew up and married Aunt Kane. Then, Linda gave birth to Bing. Subsequently, in a complex political struggle, the town was completely destroyed."

“There’s a question,” Kate said, one hand on her hip. “Did old Burgh live to see Aunt Kane’s wedding?”

"We don't know, because we couldn't find his grave in the cemetery. It's actually quite strange. Old Berg was a sect leader when he was alive. Why wasn't he buried in the local cemetery?"

“What I’m saying is, if it really was old Berg who possessed the doll and then replaced Aunt Kane, why would he do it? It wouldn’t do him any good.”

Kate held up her finger and said, "First of all, if he wanted his son to return to the small town, he would absolutely not allow his son to have any contact with such a rich girl. Because the risks of doing so are very high. Secondly, assuming that the women in the Kane family really have fertility problems, then old Berg would be even less likely to agree. As you said, he even married a prostitute for the sake of the sect back then, how could he allow his son to marry someone like that?"

“That is indeed a suspicious point.” The agent nodded and said, “Since he can possess the doll and come into contact with Aunt Kane, he could have just killed her and been done with it. You can tell from old Berg’s marriage that he is a ruthless person who is ruthless to others and to himself. He can sell everything he has for personal gain, even his own marriage, let alone his own son’s.”

“And another thing,” Kate added, “Linda’s situation is also very strange. You see, the purpose of their cult isn’t genuine belief, but profit. And what is their purpose in profiting? Isn’t it simply to ensure their descendants’ continued wealth and prosperity? Even if evil spirits are immortal, they have no reason to target their own descendants. It won’t bring them any benefit.”

“Perhaps he’s a psychopath,” Bruce said. “Aunt Kane said the elders raped Linda, and he might have been one of them. Some people have a morbid obsession with incest, and maybe old Berg was one of them.”

“I still feel something is off. It seems the Berg family isn’t doing well: Aunt Kane either died young or went insane, Linda was also driven insane by persecution, Bing died young, and Berg died young. The evil spirit doesn’t seem to be a member of this family; rather, it seems to be a sworn enemy of this family.”

“There’s another question,” the detective began. “What role did the evil spirit play in this groundwater contamination? If it existed all along, surely it would know what the mayor and the councilors of Westville are up to, right? How could it not know?”

“Why does he absolutely need to know?” Binger asked. “If they wanted to keep it from him, he probably couldn’t do anything about it.”

Everyone looked at him, Bingle wondering what he had said wrong. Only Kate picked him up and patiently explained, "What secrets could someone with the ability to possess others possibly keep from him? Even if those politicians are tight-lipped, they still have families and children. Even if they are well-protected, what about the factory owners? With such convenient abilities, it's impossible for them not to know if there's an investigation."

Bing shook his head and said, "I think you overestimate him. I thought the evil spirit appeared after I died because there were no unusual occurrences before the town was destroyed. I think he may have tried to investigate and resist, but it didn't work."

“This is a bit beyond what some people can comprehend,” Bing said after thinking for a moment. “While his abilities are powerful, to use them effectively requires matching wisdom and knowledge, and most importantly—he needs to have the vision to back it up. I don’t think he can single-handedly contend with the entire Westville municipal government; that’s too difficult for an ordinary person from a small town. Especially since he hasn’t even been to school.”

“That makes some sense,” Bruce said. “Maybe that’s the curse of knowledge. What seems easy to us can be very difficult for others. Even dealing with a small city government isn’t so easy.”

The agent agreed with Bingo's point. As the saying goes, a fool with superpowers is still a fool. It's like using cheats in an online game; cheaters have a very obvious characteristic: their skills are inhuman, and their awareness is also inhuman.

Many people don't understand what game awareness is. Simply put, it's the judgment made about the current situation based on the understanding of the game, and the decision made based on that judgment to determine what to do next. In fact, it reveals a person's intelligence more than just simple gameplay.

Players who use cheats to reach a rank beyond their capabilities, leveraging the superior skills provided by external programs, will find their lack of game sense becomes glaringly apparent. This manifests as: killing someone and then wandering aimlessly, unaware of the current situation or their expected actions; or having impressive stats but failing to win because they completely lack strategic thinking and the ability to snowball small advantages into victory, ultimately resulting in a crushing defeat.

Throughout history, the fates of countless heroes have demonstrated that politics is not something that can be accomplished simply by having superpowers. Some individuals possessed superhuman strength and military command abilities, yet they still met tragic ends.

Even in the world of American comics, such examples abound. Many superheroes, unable to outmaneuver politicians, have become pawns in various conflicts and are ultimately discarded.

Even highly intelligent people may not be able to navigate politics successfully. Because politics requires more than just intelligence; it demands many other things. A person must simultaneously possess excellent emotional and intellectual intelligence, strong observational skills, the ability to make sound judgments, and the capacity for patience. They must also be able to set aside pride, endure hardship, and be born in a favorable era with a certain amount of luck to truly thrive in politics.

Some might think that certain politicians don't seem to meet this standard at all. But that's just appearances, because playing the clown to make people laugh is one of the basic skills of a politician. The key is whether he has actually obtained enough benefits—not what he promised, but what he truly wants.

In short, this is something that just anyone can figure out. Even if someone has the talent, it still requires decades of experience. That's why there are very few members of Congress from small towns; even if there are, they are often deliberately pushed into positions as targets by certain individuals, and they have very little control over their own lives.

It's precisely because places like Daxi Valley are too small, too isolated, and too underdeveloped that they simply lack the environment to cultivate politicians capable of navigating large-scale battles. Even the most brilliant talents, if left here, will find it difficult to break free.

This means that even if it's old Berger or anyone else, as long as he remains trapped in the town, it will be difficult for him to use his wisdom to intervene in matters at a higher level.

Take the issue of tap water pollution, for example. Even if one could possess someone, there are many nuances to consider. First, one must possess someone to investigate the matter. This person's status cannot be too high, otherwise it might be seen as sending a signal, potentially worsening the situation; but it also cannot be too low, otherwise one would be easily killed, wasting time.

Ideally, you should find someone connected to the industry who has legitimate access to emissions or water supply-related matters. Even after possessing that person, you can't directly approach politicians. Firstly, they're all shrewd and know exactly what you're up to; going to them to perform would be like walking into a trap. Secondly, such a lucrative opportunity is being watched closely by competitors, and any slip-up could lead to being exposed and ruined, rendering all your efforts futile.

Such infiltration takes time. It requires careful analysis of the characters, understanding of the timeline, meticulously piecing together the truth of the whole affair, and identifying the most crucial figures before proceeding to the next step.

Once the investigation is complete, the next step is to find a way to stop it, which is even more difficult. Because any mistake or oversight in the previous step could turn it into a Pacific Ocean explorer.

Even if the previous step was perfect, all sorts of unexpected situations may arise, and all efforts may be in vain.

This is not an exaggeration, because all the political system construction undertaken by the federal society over the years has been aimed at preventing this situation. And after so many years of continuous optimization, it is basically possible to ensure that no one can find out anything, even if you are the person involved, you will not be able to know even the slightest thing besides what you already know.

It's like a strange rule: this enormous, man-eating monster, once it detects anyone making a sound that doesn't belong to them or knowing things they shouldn't know, will send that person into its powerful stomach at top speed and digest them completely.

The agents were well aware that the real-life events that occurred in Utah were horrific enough to serve as the inspiration for many American horror films. However, these events failed to generate any international buzz, precisely because America's digestive system is so efficient; from living beings to excreted waste, it only takes a single winter night.

He also understood that if the evil spirit really tried to stop him, the only reason he was still alive was because his superpowers were truly strong. Otherwise, he would have suffered the same fate as Yorgias.

Thinking of this, the detective suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He looked at Bing and asked, "How did old Berg die?"

"Why do you ask this suddenly?"

“I just thought of one possibility,” the agent said. “Old Berg has no grave in his hometown. Could it be because he didn’t die here at all, but somewhere else? And everyone who knew about it was threatened and silenced. So, as the leader of the sect at the time, Old Berg died without a tombstone or grave, a miserable end.”