September 19, 342, 10:00 AM.
Twelve hours had passed since the major earthquake last night.
In those fifteen hours, seismic activity remained high, with hundreds of aftershocks, large and small.
Many people had died in the earthquake.
And the death toll was still rising.
But for the people of Jiangcheng, besides the earthquake, they were focused on another matter.
"Did you hear? Governor Han was attacked by terrorists from the 'Dragon God Cult' yesterday and is gone!"
"And, this 'Dragon God Cult' is in cahoots with the 'Apocalypse Mall' in City F. They knew the catastrophe was coming long ago, so they hoarded supplies in advance, but deliberately didn't tell anyone..."
In the crowd, someone whispered furtively.
"Governor Han is really gone? No wonder he hasn't come to the resettlement point to express condolences for so long after the earthquake."
"Is this 'Dragon God Cult' crazy? Why did they attack Governor Han?"
"Attacked Governor Han? Knew about the catastrophe in advance but didn't say anything? This 'Dragon God Cult' is too detestable!"
"Exactly! In the more than a year since the catastrophe began, how many people have we lost in all these natural disasters?"
The crowd began to discuss animatedly.
But some people questioned those speaking, "How do you know all this?"
The person who had been speaking furtively said proudly, "I have an acquaintance in the Governor's Mansion, I know the inside story!"
"You know Song Pinxuan, the inventor of the 'Rice Worm,' brain-computer interface, and quantum communication, right? He's also involved with the 'Dragon God Cult' and has been arrested for investigation."
Hearing this, the person who had just questioned asked, "What's Song Pinxuan's relationship with the 'Dragon God Cult'?"
"Didn't they say that Song Pinxuan was the first to discover this earthquake, informing the authorities in advance so we could prepare?"
The person who was speaking furtively said with a knowing look, "You don't know about this..."
"Didn't I say earlier? The 'Dragon God Cult' made preparations before the catastrophe. They knew there would be a shortage of research materials after the catastrophe, so they hoarded a lot of research materials in advance."
"What Song Pinxuan developed was actually just a step away from completion before the apocalypse, and had even been successfully tested in the laboratory. Any scientist, given enough research materials, could bring these research achievements to fruition."
"Coincidentally, the 'Dragon God Cult' hoarded research materials in advance and used them to bribe Song Pinxuan. Song Pinxuan was also able to develop these 'Rice Worms,' brain-computer interfaces, and quantum communication before other scientists because of these research materials."
"Otherwise, would you really think Song Pinxuan is some kind of genius?"
"Each of his scientific research achievements could be the culmination of a scientist's entire life's work! How could he, at such a young age, achieve so many epoch-making research results in just one year after the apocalypse? He just took the final step..."
"And his so-called early discovery of an impending earthquake was also learned from the 'Dragon God Cult'!"
Hearing this person speak so plausibly, many believed him.
"That's not right, didn't you say earlier that the 'Dragon God Cult' had ulterior motives and didn't tell anyone about the natural disaster? How would they tell Song Pinxuan?"
"Moreover, why would the 'Dragon God Cult' give research materials to Song Pinxuan? Out of so many researchers, why didn't they give them to someone else? Why didn't they develop them themselves?"
At this point, the person who had questioned earlier continued to ask.
The person speaking furtively said with a look of disappointment that he couldn't be reformed:
"Didn't I just say? The reason the 'Dragon God Cult' didn't reveal the impending start of the catastrophe and only hoarded supplies was because they had ulterior motives!"
"They hadn't said anything before because the time wasn't right. This time, they leaked the news about the earthquake in advance, and look, Governor Han was attacked!"
Hearing this, everyone seemed to understand.
Seeing that everyone believed him, the person was very proud.
Finally, he said, "As for why the 'Dragon God Cult' wanted Song Pinxuan to develop these technologies?"
"Firstly, these research achievements were originally accumulated by official research institutions, and they could only find someone from official research institutions to ultimately develop them."
"Secondly, it has something to do with Song Pinxuan's background. I can't explain this to you in detail, you wouldn't understand if I did..."
Meanwhile, it wasn't just in this one place.
Mysterious individuals were appearing in many parts of the Jiangcheng shelter.
Because everyone was wearing protective suits, and it was after the major earthquake, no one knew these people's true identities.
Nor did they know why they were able to move around freely despite the current controls.
Soon, rumors about Song Pinxuan, the "Dragon God Cult," and the "Apocalypse Mall" spread throughout the Jiangcheng shelter.