The sound of machines running echoed in the factory facilities, roaring water flowed through giant pipes, and the pungent smell of chemicals filled the air, making it nauseating.
Agatha stood by the protective railing and glanced down at the buffer pool below. She saw the filthy liquid rolling and surging in the huge reservoir, with bubbles and strangely colored lights emerging from time to time. Nauseating like the stomach acid of a giant beast.
A manager with thinning hair and a light brown coat stood behind the young gatekeeper, with a nervous look on his face and one hand subconsciously pulling on the button on his chest.
"Drainage from the north area of Oak Street and around Cemetery No. 4 is gathered here," the management staff reported carefully while paying attention to the gatekeeper's expression. "After receiving the order, we have cut off the surrounding drainage as soon as possible. The pipelines were connected, and the alarm devices of each buffer pool were checked, and no signs of desecration and contamination were found..."
Agatha listened silently, and after a while she suddenly asked: "How is sewage usually treated?"
"How to deal with it?" The manager was stunned for a moment and quickly answered, "First, use high-pressure steam to purify the possible blasphemous contamination in it - you know, those sewage have been in contact with humans and flowed in the dark pipes, so it is inevitable It will become a carrier for something. After steam purification is sedimentation and filtration, what you see is the sedimentation tank. Then comes the second steam purification. After this purification, part of the water will be sent to the factory for recycling, and the other part• ••••Discharge into the sea.”
Agatha nodded slightly, and then asked: "How long does it take for the sewage discharged from the north area of Oak Street to flow here?"
"It depends on the circumstances, but generally no more than two hours," the manager replied.
"How long does the sewage stay here?"
"The water in the sedimentation tank is replaced every seventy-two hours." The manager raised his hand and became increasingly nervous under the gatekeeper's questions. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, but still answered accurately, "Purification and There are strict regulations on the inspection process and it will not be shorter than this time.”
Agatha nodded slightly, and at the same time, she quickly calculated in her mind the time when the "counterfeiting incident" occurred in the house and the time of sewage treatment. She said thoughtfully: "In other words, if that thing can really If it escaped through the drainage system, it should still be here now..."
"Your Excellency, gatekeeper," the manager wiped his shiny forehead again, and finally couldn't help but asked out of curiosity, "What happened...? Is there pollution spreading through the sewage system?"
"...This situation cannot be ruled out," Agatha glanced at the manager, and then looked at the guards in black who were collecting samples and testing facilities not far away, "But based on what we have tested so far, , everything is normal here."
"Yes," the manager showed a somewhat forced smile, "Every link here has alarm devices to detect possible blasphemy contamination. There are also three resident priests in the treatment center, and they will also test water samples every day... …”
"Resident priest?" Agatha seemed to suddenly think of something and turned her head, "How many resident priests did you just say there are here?"
"Three••••••Three," perhaps because Agatha's tone suddenly became a little scary, the manager stuttered subconsciously, "Is there any problem?"
"You can only have two priests here - there are strict regulations on the number of resident priests in municipal facilities at all levels. Where can you get the third one?"
The manager's expression was stunned for a moment, and then a layer of visible sweat appeared on his forehead, and a look of nervousness and fear appeared in his eyes.
Upon seeing this, Agatha immediately raised her cane and put it on the other person's shoulder, forcing the "fear" from his mind. At the same time, she said with a serious expression: "Listen, you must stay calm next - go and get all the people stationed there." We have brought all the priests here, just say that the gatekeeper needs to know more about the situation and don’t show other emotions, do you understand?”
The manager's mood quickly calmed down a lot, but there was still some tension left. He nodded hurriedly: "Yes, Ming... understand... I'll go right away."
Agatha nodded and put away her cane, but when the other party was about to leave, she
But then he remembered something and said quickly: "Wait, not just the resident priest—call everyone here."
The manager turned around and was startled: "Everyone?"
"Everyone," Agatha repeated in a deep voice, and then asked worriedly, "Has anyone left this processing center since yesterday?"
"No!" the manager replied immediately. "When we received the order, it was exactly fifteen minutes before the shift change. Everyone who worked here stayed."
"Very well, bring them all - just say it's a necessary inspection, be more relaxed and don't arouse suspicion, and go ahead."
The balding manager turned around and walked away quickly, calming down his emotions as he walked. Agatha stood motionless by the buffer pool until she watched the other person disappear behind a door not far away. Only then did she raise her hand to signal to the surrounding guards who had noticed the movement.
The nearby black-clothed guards immediately took action, placing hidden runes in the open space around the buffer pool, sprinkling essential oils and crushed incense powder at intersections and pipes, and standing in specific positions to make a still. Inspecting what the facility looks like.
Agatha raised her cane while the guards were moving, and slowly drew a triangular outline of about two meters on a side around the area where she was standing. Then she stood in the center of the triangle, holding her cane in both hands, and waited calmly. With.
Not long after, footsteps came from the direction of the gate. The manager returned to the factory where the buffer pool was located, and a large group of people followed him.
Among them were three priests wearing robes of the Church of Death and wearing holy symbols.
More than a dozen processing center employees came to Agatha under the leadership of the manager. They lined up in a loose line and nervously greeted the "gatekeeper" in front of them. The three resident priests came from the side of the line. Come forward and salute Agatha in accordance with the etiquette and status of the clergy of the Church of Death.
Agatha ordered the three priests to spread out, and then her eyes slowly swept across all the faces.
She sensed a sense of inconsistency.
Although she didn't see any suspicious expressions or actions, and although she didn't feel anything amiss, Bartok's blessing had allowed her to confirm the existence of a sense of disobedience - hidden in the breath of these people. , hidden in their heartbeats, even in the shadows they cast on the ground.
Agatha blinked, confirming again that everything she saw was normal, and she understood.
Sure enough, there is cognitive interference - and even when I, the "gatekeeper", am personally present, this cognitive interference still exists.
Is it just because you are brave? Or is it because they don’t understand the power of the gatekeeper? Or •••…this cognitive interference is not controlled?
Agatha slowly turned her head and her eyes fell on the three priests.
A dozen staff members aside, one of the three priests must be fake—but which one?
"Chanting Bartók's name," Agatha said slowly, "let the Lord of Death look upon us, and enable us to discern what is false in this world."
"In the name of Bartok, Lord of Death," a priest said immediately, "May you watch us...
Then the second and third priests immediately spoke: "In the name of Bartok, the Lord of Death..."
Three voices sounded one after another, like echoes.
Agatha frowned.
Being able to recite the name of God means that they are not "fake" made of mud, nor are they heretical cultists. Otherwise, the violent conflict of beliefs will be enough to tear apart their sanity.
But how is this possible? Are all three pastors real?
Agatha's thoughts were flowing instantly, but her expression remained calm. She nodded to the three of them: "Next, I need to do some necessary tests, please understand."
As she said that, she reached out to her left eye and a vivid eyeball immediately jumped out of her eye socket and landed accurately in her hand.
Agatha held up this eyeball and "looked" at the three priests opposite.
The figure of the first priest came into her eyes. A skinny old man wearing Asian clothes.
Wearing a linen robe, a chain as black as ink extends from under his ribs. The deep hound at the end of the chain is raising its head towards this side, and the filthy energy of blasphemy in its mouth is quickly gathering and taking shape!
heresy!
How dare you stand here so openly!
Agatha's expression changed slightly, but she had been prepared. The moment the Deep Hound opened its huge mouth, her figure had already moved aside. At the same time, the cane in her right hand had been raised, with a pale flame on the end of the cane. Burning.
However, just when she was about to ignite the heresy, another low and obscure sound of chanting a curse suddenly came from the side.
The eyeball in Agatha's left hand turned suddenly. The next second, she saw a young man with yellow hair and a high nose raising his hands to her. Behind him floated a gray figure that seemed to be condensed from mist. Black planktonic jellyfish.
That's the second "pastor."
A feeling of dizziness hit her. Just as Agatha was about to stabilize her body, she heard the third spell reciting.
A pale woman raised her hand towards this side from the edge of her field of vision. Next to the woman was a cat made of bones and fog.
That was the third priest.
All pastors are fake.
Roars and sounds of fighting came from all directions.
The moment the three Annihilation Cultists launched an attack, the surrounding defenders reacted and tried to support them. However, they also encountered their enemies.
The dozen or so "staff members" brought by the management had a fierce fight with the nearby guards in black.
In the corner of Agatha's eye, she could see the slime-like filth on the body surface of those "staff" breaking apart after being hit.
Only the thin-haired manager ran to a nearby pipeline and screamed helplessly and horrified.
There is only one "human" in the entire sewage treatment center.
