"Let's deduce the timeline once more from the beginning," Bruce began, "He said, 'We can divide the whole matter into three time phases. One is when the circus was still popular, which is in Old Borg's youth. At that time, the circus began kidnapping people, laying the groundwork for the town's future population explosion.'"
"Then there's Old Berg's middle and old age. By then, the circus could no longer perform, and the town began to decline. But due to the town's previous fame, some travelers still visited here. At this time, the cultists started attacking and imprisoning these visitors."
"Finally, after Old Berg died, Linda's father, which is Borg, grew up and married Aunt Cain, and then Linda gave birth to Binger. Subsequently, in a complex political gambit, the town was entirely destroyed."
"There's a question," Kate said, one hand on her hip, "Did Old Berg live until Aunt Cain got married?"
"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, how could he not be buried in the local cemetery?"
"What I'm saying is, if Old Berg really possessed a puppet and then replaced Aunt Cain, why would he do that? It brings him no benefit."
Kate extended a finger and said, "Firstly, if he wanted his son to return to the town, he absolutely wouldn't allow his son to have any contact with such a rich girl, because the risks are high. Secondly, assuming the women of the Kane family really have fertility issues, Old Berg would be even more against it. As you said, he married a prostitute for the sect, how could he allow his son to marry such a person?"
"This is indeed a suspicious point," the agent nodded, "Since he can possess a puppet and reach Aunt Cain, he could simply kill her and be done with it. From Old Berg's marriage, we can see he's ruthless to others and himself, willing to sacrifice everything for profit, even his marriage, let alone his son's."
"Moreover," Kate continued, "Linda's case is also odd. You know, their aim in heresy is not truly believing but to seek profit. So what's their purpose of seeking profit? Is it not for their descendants to remain wealthy eternally? Even if the evil spirit is immortal, he has no reason to target his descendants. It brings him no benefit."
"Maybe he's a psychopath," Bruce said, "Aunt Cain said the elders raped Linda, he could be one of them. Some people have a morbid pursuit of incest, maybe Old Berg was like that."
"I still feel something's off. Looking at it now, Borg's family didn't fare well: Aunt Cain either died early or went mad, Linda was persecuted into insanity, Binger died young, Borg died prematurely. The evil spirit doesn't seem to be part of this family, rather like they have a feud."
"There's another question," the agent said, "What role does the evil spirit play in the underground water pollution incident? If he's been around, he shouldn't be unaware of what the mayor and Siv City's congressman are up to, right? How could he not know?"
"Why does he have to know?" Binger asked, "If they intended to keep it a secret from him, he wouldn't be able to, would he?"
Everyone looked at him, not understanding what Binger said incorrectly. Only Kate picked him up and patiently explained, "What's the kind of secret that could be hidden from someone who has infinite possession abilities? Even if those politicians are tight-lipped, they still have family and children. Even if they are well-protected, what about the factory owners? With this convenient ability, as long as he investigates, there's no way he wouldn't know."
Binger shook his head and said, "I think you're overestimating him. I thought the evil spirit appeared after I died, precisely because there was no abnormal phenomenon before the town's destruction. I believe he might have attempted to investigate and resist, but it didn't work."
"This is somewhat beyond a few people's perception," Binger pondered and said, "His abilities are indeed powerful, but to utilize them well also requires matching wisdom and knowledge, and most importantly — a broad vision. I don't think he can single-handedly fight against the West City Government, it's too difficult for a small-town ordinary person, especially since he hasn't attended school."
"That's reasonable," Bruce said, "Maybe this is the Curse of Knowledge. Things that seem easy to us might be very difficult for others. Even for a small city's government institution, it's not easy to deal with."
The agent also found Binger's words to be sensible. Still, as the saying goes, an idiot with superpowers remains an idiot. Just like cheating in online games, cheaters have a very noticeable trait: their operations are incredibly precise, but their awareness is incredibly poor.
Many people don't understand what game awareness is. In simple terms, it's the judgment made based on understanding the game regarding the current situation, and determining the next steps based on this judgment. It's actually more revealing of a person's IQ than mere operations.
Cheating players, leveraging the advanced operations provided by external programs, reach a ranking not belonging to them, and this lack of awareness becomes quite apparent. It's like: after killing someone, they wander around aimlessly because they don't understand the current situation or know what to do; or their performance looks good, but they can't win the game because they completely don't understand how to manage or turn a small advantage into a win, ultimately losing significantly.
Throughout history, the experiences of countless heroes have shown that politics isn't something you can navigate just because you have superpowers. Some individuals possess personal combat power and military command skills that are far beyond human capabilities, but ultimately still meet tragic ends.
Even in the American Comic World, examples of this are abundant. Many superheroes end up in various conflicts because they cannot outwit politicians, serve as pawns, and are discarded once they are no longer useful.
Even highly intelligent individuals do not necessarily succeed, as politics requires more than just intelligence. A person must possess outstanding dual IQ, strong observational skills, courage to make decisions, endurance, as well as the ability to put aside one's ego, endure humiliation, and be lucky enough to live in a good era, in order to thrive in the political arena.
Some might feel that certain politicians do not meet these criteria at all. However, this is merely an illusion, as playing the Joker to entertain is one of the fundamental skills of a politician. The key is whether they have obtained enough real benefits—not what they promised, but the benefits they truly wanted.
In conclusion, this matter is not something just anyone can figure out. Even if one has the talent, they still need decades of practice. That's why there are hardly any Congressmen from small places; they're used as scapegoats by others, with little they can decide for themselves.
That's because places like Big Creek Town are too small, too isolated, and too backward, lacking the environment to cultivate politicians capable of fighting in the big leagues. Even the most talented genius would find it hard to break out of such a place.
This leads to the situation where, no matter if it's Old Borg or anyone else, as long as they remain trapped in the town, it's hard for them to use their wisdom to interfere with higher-level matters.
Take the issue of water pollution, for instance; even possessing someone requires great consideration. You must first possess someone to investigate the matter, and this person's status cannot be too high; otherwise, it might be seen as sending signals, causing the situation to worsen. But it can't be too low either, or the person might be crushed outright, wasting time.
It's best to find someone related to the industry, who can legitimately access people involved in discharge or tap water matters. After possessing this individual, going straight to politicians isn't advisable. Not only are they sharp enough to see through your intentions, but approaching them directly is akin to walking into a trap; especially when everyone in the industry is keeping an eye on this lucrative opportunity, showing the slightest sign will be your undoing.
Such insidiousness requires time. One must meticulously trace the connections, understand the timelines, unravel the truth layer by layer, and locate the key person in the event before proceeding with further actions.
After clarifying, one must find a way to stop it, which is even harder. Any mistake or slip-up in the previous step could result in becoming a Pacific explorer.
Even if the previous steps are flawless, various unexpected situations could still arise, ultimately resulting in failure.
This is not exaggerated; the Federation's political and institutional establishment over the years has been solely focused on preventing such situations. After years of optimization, it's essentially at the point where no one can uncover anything, and even if you're part of the affair, you won't know a single detail beyond what you already know.
It's akin to a strange tale of rules; this vast, monstrous Beast will track down anyone who utters even an unfamiliar sound or knows something they shouldn't, and its predatory organs will swiftly consume them, digesting them until nothing remains.
The agent knows well that the real events in Utah are shocking enough and are prototypes for many American horror films. However, these events failed to stir any international reaction due to America's extremely efficient digestion system, transforming living people into waste in just one winter's night.
He also understands that if the Evil Spirit truly tried to stop it, the only reason he's still alive and well is because his superpower is truly strong; otherwise, he'd be receiving the same treatment as Ye Ge.
With this thought, the agent suddenly had a revelation. He looked at Binger and asked, "How did Old Borg die?"
"Why the sudden question?"
"I just thought of a possibility," the agent replied, "Old Borg doesn't have a grave in his hometown. Could it be because he didn't die here but elsewhere, and everyone who knew about it was threatened and silenced? Thus, Old Borg, who was the sect leader at the time, ended up without a tombstone or grave, dying in misery."