Ben's words were indeed too brief. The agent could easily imagine the complex negotiations that took place back when the accident happened.
Initially, during that era, Big Creek Town was already not what it used to be. Even if clues weren't found in this particular scenario, considering the time period, it could be deduced that during that era, it was already difficult for the circus to perform.
In the mid-20th century, due to economic development, ideological liberation, and various modern devices entering households, traditional entertainment modes were already unpopular. Furthermore, issues involving animal protection and the protection of disabled individuals linked to circuses faced significant opposition from the left-wing individuals of that era. Under the influence of various liberation movements, circuses were widely criticized. It was so severe that just walking down the street would warrant spitting from onlookers, let alone performing.
Young people no longer enjoyed it, and so there was no necessity to continue. A part of Big Creek Town's allure came from circus tours. The town's natural scenery was rather average, and the iconic waterfall wasn't particularly majestic; there were places with better scenery in Utah. Therefore, as the circus performances declined, the town naturally cooled down.
Against this background, naturally, some would set their sights on the town. In the eyes of politicians and capitalists, everything must have value. When it no longer brought substantial tourist revenue, it needed to serve another purpose.
Big Creek Town is rich in water resources, sitting on an extremely complex and immense underground water system. Therefore, factory owners and politicians from Siv City planned to connect their waste discharge pipes here. Or rather, discharge directly into this area's underground water system. Big Creek Town mainly relied on underground water for its water supply, which would definitely cause tap water pollution.
The cultists acted similarly. During the times when the circus was popular, the population trafficking and kidnapping carried out by cultists in secret could quickly expand the town's population, providing labor for service industries. This remote town, lacking child protection laws, allowed child labor to be legal. As long as enough children were born, they could work after a few years. For them, it was a surefire profit.
As long as there was sufficient labor and popularity, the town could continually provide revenue and political achievement to local officials through tax income from tourism. Hence, the government not only did not crack down on the cultists but also turned a blind eye to the circus-related human trafficking cases.
However, as the circus model could no longer keep up with the times, the town gradually declined, unable to provide much income, transforming into a truly remote place. Accordingly, the value of these cultists decreased. In a corner where nobody cared, no matter how many were born or how tightly it was controlled, what was the point? The town had no valuable resources; locals couldn't generate money. For politicians, it was nothing more than a tasteless chicken rib.
Once they knew that among the few tourists, someone had uncovered their secret, without much hesitation, they abandoned the cultists, plotting a poisoning incident that killed most of the people in town.
Sound ridiculous? Yet, such things are not uncommon in the Federation. Water pollution, air pollution, food pollution, how many are coincidences, and how many are real conspiracies—is something any former FBI agent would understand.
In a purely capitalist society, everything is weighed on scales. What has value can exist; what lacks value must disappear as quickly as possible, preferably without getting in anyone's way. Human life is no different.
Therefore, the most absurd part of this story is not the politicians' decision to silence people, nor their method of doing so. The strangest point lies in the fact that Ben retaliated before his death. But how did he know about things after his death?
Of course, the fact that he stands here in this state indicates that there must be some paranormal activity involved. Becoming a ghost and witnessing events wouldn't be surprising. But then, what about the Psychic_Battlefield? Could it be that those cultists really wield some mysticism skills?
The agent voiced his doubts. Ben sighed and said, "That's the most troublesome part. Do you remember what I told you? In the leaked substance, there was a special excitatory neurotransmitter. This substance rapidly accumulated in the bodies of townspeople, keeping their spirits in a state of extreme excitement, eventually leading to a certain unknown mutation. As a result, when they died, they constructed a world from the cult fantasy with their spirits. I haven't learned enough yet, so I can't figure out what exactly happened. This is also why I sought you out. I hope you can understand what exactly happened at that time, and how I can destroy this world. I certainly don't want my enemies to still live comfortably in their ideal Heaven."
"So you did die at their hands? But if you were burned to death, where did the bones come from?"
"I wouldn't be foolish enough to wait for them to burn me to death. But I was too young to run away… so…"
"So what?"
"I had my mother kill me. She strangled me and then buried me. In a way, she avenged herself." Ben revealed a bitter smile.
"That must have hurt her deeply," the agent stated bluntly. "She is now insane… Wait, is your mother alive or dead now?"
"She's alive," Ben said, "I know it's hard to believe, but she has a special constitution. Neither the stimulant nor the subsequent slow poison managed to kill her. Now she is the only remaining resident of the town."
The agent sighed. This result was not unexpected for him. When he came into contact with Linda, he discovered that although this girl seemed a bit erratic, there was indeed a unique vitality about her, completely different from the feeling of evil spirits.
"That guy also wants to know what's really going on with my mother. They believe that if they can figure out this secret, they can return to the real world. So, they manipulate my long-dead grandmother, waiting by her side, anticipating the turning point to come."
"What's with your grandmother? Her family background seems pretty good, why did she marry here?"
"Living in such an environment, no one can guarantee they won't be brainwashed. Even if she is a rich girl, many times I can feel her pain... "
"Stop," the agent said, "That's not right. You mean Aunt Kane died with the people in the town, before that, she was a living person, just brainwashed. But you also said that your blood-related grandfather, Berg, was an intelligent man educated in modern times. But he was originally from a small town and only had the chance to go to a big city because he went out for missions, so how did he get an education in a big city?"
Binger showed a bewildered expression. The agent gently shook his head. This little guy, though smart, has never left the town his whole life, he probably doesn't understand what a big city is like at all.
The agent continued: "This cult is clearly against modern education, so when Berg left the town, he probably hadn't been to school. To learn modern knowledge, he'd have to start from scratch. Some basic knowledge is alright, he could listen to the radio, read some books, and still learn. But if it involves some science and engineering knowledge, that's definitely not something you can understand through self-study.
"You say your knowledge was learned from listening to the radio, then you must have a recorder at home. To build a recorder under such strict surveillance and successfully receive channels, requires some radio knowledge. This kind of thing doesn't seem like something an illiterate person from a small town can understand through self-study."
"You mean, someone helped him?"
The agent nodded and said: "This person would have to help him get an enrollment slot, even a community college isn't that easy to get into. After all, he has no educational background, he probably can't even recognize all the words. Second, he also needs to cover for him during this period, after all, missionaries generally don't act alone. And he has to bear his living costs in the big city. You might find it hard to imagine how much it costs to study full-time in a city like New York. This is definitely not something Berg can afford on his own."
Binger showed a thoughtful expression, after a moment, he said: "I vaguely heard from my grandfather about some things about my grandmother. They were very loving before marriage, but..."
"I suspect that the person who helped your grandfather is your grandmother. And if that is the case, it proves that your grandmother was trying to help your grandfather break free from religious control. Such a person should not easily fall into a trap. You're right, in such an environment, few people can avoid being brainwashed. But why would your grandmother come to such an environment?
"Assuming she really was a rich girl from New York, and fell in love with your grandfather, then they could have lived in New York altogether. After all, your grandmother could certainly afford to support him. And such a rich girl generally wouldn't want to travel far away. If the family opposed it, her family surely wouldn't let her marry alone to such a remote small town, would they?"
"But I don't understand," Binger shook his head, "If she didn't willingly marry, and then got brainwashed, what actually happened?"
"You mean, the current evil spirits in town are a psychic fusion generated after Mormons were killed. But I think the evil spirits already appeared when you were still alive. Everything that happened afterwards was manipulated by it."
"Maybe so," Binger said, "But the psychic mutation should be real, because I drank a lot of lake water too, and after death, my consciousness didn't dissipate but transformed into ghosts, witnessing everything that happened after.
"But, the evil spirits entrenched in the psychic world are too powerful. I can't deal with it, and don't know how to resolve that strange world. Fortunately, you guys came. If you can get to the truth, that's best, but if not, I have only one wish, to take my mother away.
"Of course, I won't let you help in vain. Most of the property of these cultists has been taken by the politicians of Siv City, but they are still a bit cunning, having prepared some secret safety boxes in banks in other big cities on the West Coast. I know the information on these safety boxes. I will give a portion to my mother, ensuring she has enough for the rest of her life, the rest will go to you guys. How about it?"
The agent remained silent. Binger thought he was dissatisfied with the terms. Just as he was about to say something, the agent said: "As far as I know, a voucher is needed to extract such a safety box. Where'd you get the voucher?"
"The voucher is not with me, but with my mother. To be precise, she herself is the voucher. Because my great-grandfather, also known as Old Berg, was once a circus star performer and also a high-ranking member of the sect. He was also involved in the preparation of safety boxes back then."
"Old Berg?"