Rock Fortress used to be a red wine estate. It covers a vast area, and the three main buildings are large. At the moment, not a single one of them is fully occupied.
Aside from little Jimmy's family of three sharing a room, and the three girls—Calista, Leah, and Maya—each having their own room, everyone else shares two people to a room.
That evening, inside Rock Fortress.
After spending the entire day surveying the terrain, Elena and her four students gathered in the room she shared with Ming.
They crowded around a table covered with hand-drawn diagrams and notebooks filled with data, practically vibrating with excitement.
They were still dusty from fieldwork, but every pair of eyes shone brightly.
"The flow of Black Bear Creek is definitely enough! During the wet season it might even exceed our expectations!"
Ben excitedly tapped a set of river measurements with his pencil.
"Look at the water level markers here and the estimated flow rate!"
"The key is the elevation drop," Kevin said, pointing at the contour map.
"From the intake point we selected to the base, the vertical drop exceeds one hundred fifty feet, about forty-five meters. That gravitational potential is perfect."
"And the preliminary water quality results are better than expected," Ming added.
She held several bottles filled with creek water up to the light.
"Look. The turbidity is low, the pH is normal. Heavy metals and microbial indicators still need further testing, but as source water the baseline quality is excellent."
Meanwhile, Aleksei had his head down over a sketch, rapidly calculating something while muttering in a mix of Russian and English about turbines and rotational speeds.
The discussion was lively.
Professor Elena could hardly hide her excitement. She slapped the table.
"Excellent. The initial feasibility is even higher than we expected. Looks like we'll be pulling an all-nighter tonight. We need to refine the preliminary plan so tomorrow we can conduct a second survey. We'll measure the pipeline route precisely and evaluate the geological conditions for a dam site."
"As for possible small hydro turbine parts, we should ask the patrol teams to keep an eye out in nearby waterways during their normal routes."
Her gaze swept over the young faces full of energy.
"Kevin, Ben. You two handle the precise route survey plan for the pipeline and compile the materials list. Aleksei, continue calculating the theoretical output and the key component parameters for the power generation section."
Ming immediately spoke up.
"I'll draft the purification process and equipment list. We'll prioritize it like we used to."
Elena smiled.
"Exactly. I'll compile everything and write the overall proposal."
"Yes, Professor!"
The four students answered in unison and immediately dove back into the drawings and data like they had been injected with adrenaline.
Ming stood up energetically and headed for the door.
"I'll grab everyone something to eat. Tonight we'll just snack while we work."
For these college students who had struggled to survive in the apocalypse for so long, being able to use their knowledge again and work toward a clear goal brought them a sense of achievement that was far more energizing than a hot meal.
...
Meanwhile, in the base dining hall and communal area—a large open room converted from the estate's former wine cellar—the atmosphere was lively in a completely different way.
People sat around several long tables eating a simple dinner: thick bean soup, baked flatbread, and a little pickled vegetable.
The newcomers naturally became the center of attention.
Merle sat with his heavily bandaged arm hanging at his side, the stump still aching faintly. Using his left hand awkwardly, he speared a piece of flatbread while continuing to talk nonstop.
"I gotta say, this place actually looks pretty damn legit."
He grinned, flashing his signature crooked smile, and looked at the three nursing-home survivors at his table.
"You three idiots got lucky. You managed to grab onto a pretty thick thigh."
After a few days of rest, Guillermo and the others looked much better.
Felipe swallowed his food and nodded.
"Yeah. Just being alive and having a safe place is already good enough. I heard the work here is pretty well organized?"
He looked toward Tom and Joey, who were drinking soup nearby.
Joey wasn't much of a talker, but Tom loved to chat. He set down his spoon.
"You bet. Rock Fortress is basically split into a few groups right now."
He started counting on his fingers.
"First there's Miss Norton's own team. That's the spearhead. They don't move often, but when they do it's serious business. Like this trip to Atlanta to bring back Dr. Jenner."
"Then there's the patrol team," Tom continued.
"They mainly cover this area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, all the way east to Blackberry Ranch. They clear scattered walkers, check traps and warning lines, and keep small raider groups from sneaking in. Mostly the mercenaries handle that."
"Then there's the reconnaissance team," Mira added.
"They go farther out, mainly around Knoxville, scouting the situation and finding resource locations. Also mercenary work."
"And the search team," Martha continued.
"They head out to collect supplies based on recon reports or places people already know about. Food, tools, everything. It's the most profitable job but also the most dangerous. If they run into other survivor groups, there might be a fight. Mostly handled by mercenaries too."
Joey pointed toward the unfinished barbed-wire fence around the estate.
"The people building the defenses earlier were temporarily pulled from those teams. Aside from those field groups, everyone else stays in the base."
"Most of the women handle cooking, sewing, and cleaning. The rest of us guys farm, carry supplies, do odd jobs, and learn construction work. Oh, and Tom's son takes care of the animals. Everyone's got their role."
Little Jimmy nodded enthusiastically.
"I take really good care of them!"
Mira laughed and rubbed his head.
Guillermo's eyes lit up as he listened. He used to be a security guard at a nursing home, so this kind of structured organization felt perfect to him.
"Patrol team. I like that."
He could practically imagine himself patrolling the mountains with a rifle on his back.
Morgan added, "I can farm or do odd jobs. Patrols too."
Duane eagerly raised his hand.
"I can take care of the animals like Jimmy!"
Felipe exchanged a glance with his cousin Miguel.
Felipe scratched his head.
"I'll stick to what I know best. I saw there's a small clinic here. Dr. Evans probably can't handle everything alone, so I could help there. Miguel's quick on his feet. He could join the transport group or help with farming."
His personality was cautious. Staying inside the relatively safe base suited him better.
Miguel nodded.
"I'm fine with anything. Just tell me where I'm needed."
Merle suddenly burst out laughing.
"Ha! One wants to be a guard dog, the other wants to be a babysitter. Pathetic."
He pointed his fork at Guillermo.
"Patrols? With that skinny body of yours, don't let the walkers drag you away like a snack."
Then he looked at Felipe.
"And you think it's safe inside? If someone sneaks in someday, people like you without guns will be the first to die."
Guillermo flushed red.
"You—"
Felipe simply shook his head helplessly.
Merle ignored them and licked his lips, a wild glint flashing in his eyes.
"If you're gonna do something, join the search team. That's where the real action is. Go out, grab the good stuff. Whoever's tougher takes more. That's what a Dixon should be doing."
He grew excited and instinctively tried to slam the table with his right hand.
Then he remembered.
His right hand was gone.
The sudden movement of the stump sent a sharp wave of pain through him.
"Fuck!"
Cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.
The pain snapped Merle back to reality. Looking at his empty right arm, anger and frustration surged through him.
He grabbed a cup of water with his left hand, gulped it down, and slammed the cup onto the table.
"Damn it," he muttered.
This time he wasn't mocking anyone else.
He was cursing himself.
"Gotta train this damn left hand… and fast."
Guillermo and Felipe watched him in silence, unsure what to say.
(Base mercenaries: 23 total
Leah Squad: Carver, Mike, Bossie, Turner, Jenson, Ethan, Danny, Wells, Ancheta, Saed, Edmund, Gavin, Rory, Mikey
Rickson Squad: Hank, Maya, Leon, Jonathan, Murphy, Zhou, Thompson)
...
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