The woman with glasses noticed Calista's assessing gaze, as well as the natural respect Joey and Tom showed her. She immediately understood that the leader of Rock Fortress had returned.
She set down the rake in her hand, brushed the dirt from her clothes, and walked over on her own.
Several young people instinctively stopped working and followed behind her.
"Hello," she said, extending her hand, her voice calm and clear. "I'm Elena Ross, Assistant Professor of Hydraulic Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. These are my students: Ming, Kevin, Ben, and Aleksei."
Elena introduced them one by one: the petite Asian girl, the two sturdy American boys who looked well suited for physical work, and the tall, quiet Russian young man.
The students glanced at Calista. Seeing that the girl in front of them looked even younger than they were, their curiosity outweighed any nervousness.
Elena continued explaining.
"When the virus outbreak began, I was leading them on a routine field study at the reservoir inside the park and several tributaries of the Little Tennessee River. We ended up stranded in the mountains and survived for a while by foraging berries."
"Do you know Mr. Howard? He's also a professor at the University of Tennessee."
Elena shook her head.
"By the time I started teaching, Mr. Howard had already retired."
"Did you find your way here yourselves?"
"Walkers eventually appeared in the mountains too. Several students died. The rest of us fled to Blackberry Ranch, but it had already fallen. We thought we were finished… then your patrol found us."
Calista sighed inwardly. This group had been quite lucky.
Blackberry Ranch had only been added to the patrol routes after she decided the area would become part of her future territory. Otherwise, they would never have survived long enough to be rescued.
Still, the fact that Rickson allowed them to stay meant they weren't the kind of useless people who just screamed and ran.
Joey added from the side,
"I heard they passed Rickson's test. Right now they're mostly handling internal logistics and odd jobs. Kind of a probation period."
Calista studied Elena and her students carefully.
A hydraulic engineering professor?
An idea immediately began forming in her mind.
That profession was perfect.
Especially for their mountain base, which relied heavily on spring water and urgently needed a stable, clean water supply system.
Earlier, Calista had people try to stabilize Rock Fortress's backup generators and spring-water system, but they lacked experience and the results had been limited.
These people had arrived at exactly the right time.
The four students looked young, but their eyes were bright. There was still a sincerity there, untouched by the harshness of the world. They had potential.
"Welcome to Rock Fortress, Elena. And all of you," Calista said, her tone softening slightly.
"I'm Calista Norton, the person in charge here. The rules are simple: work and loyalty in exchange for protection and food.
Rickson has already approved you, so you have my initial trust. I hope this place can become a new home worth protecting for you."
"Thank you sincerely for taking us in, Miss Norton," Elena replied politely. Her eyes brightened, her tone carrying the sincerity and practicality of an academic.
"I noticed that Rock Fortress currently relies on generator units for electricity?"
Calista raised an eyebrow slightly. This professor clearly had something in mind.
"Yes. It's not very stable yet. The water system isn't either," she admitted openly.
Elena's eyes lit up as she seized the moment.
"I have some experience in this area, particularly with long-term utilization and purification of nearby water sources, as well as evaluating the potential for small-scale hydroelectric generation. My students and I should be able to offer some professional advice."
"Very good. I'm especially interested in the hydroelectric evaluation you mentioned. Organize your ideas today, and tomorrow we'll discuss it in detail."
Calista nodded, quietly weighing things in her mind.
The potential value of this unexpected professional talent might actually exceed that crude blood analyzer they had worked so hard to obtain.
The wildfire vaccine research might fail, and Calista didn't hold high hopes for it.
To be honest, and a little selfishly speaking.
The original reason she and Leah sought out Dr. Jenner was simply to monitor the experimental vaccine inside her body and deal with any possible side effects.
But stable, clean water and electricity were essential for survival.
...
The next morning, the thin mist in the mountains had not yet fully cleared. The air was crisp, filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees.
After briefly inspecting the base's defenses and the morning watch posts, Calista sent someone to bring Professor Elena Ross.
The patrol reported that Elena and her students had already gone to the main building early in the morning and were waiting near the hall Calista had turned into a command center.
"They're already here?"
Calista rubbed her cold, numb hands. As soon as she turned into the corridor of the main house, she heard rustling from inside.
She pushed the door open.
Elena was spreading a rolled-up map across the table. The four students were crowded around it, their backpacks scattered across the floor.
"We just arrived," Elena said, pushing up her glasses. The lenses were slightly fogged.
"The kids heard we were going to discuss water diversion and rushed over before they even finished breakfast."
Calista smiled faintly and walked over, helping flatten the map.
It was an old map of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, its edges worn and curled. Several blue dots had been circled in red pen.
These were water sources gradually marked by patrol teams.
"Let's get straight to business," Calista said, tapping the map lightly with her finger.
"Elena, I'm sure you already understand the general situation at Rock Fortress. Right now we rely on mountain springs and a few shallow wells. That's enough for the short term."
She frowned.
"But in the long run it's unstable. Especially if the population here keeps growing. And our electricity depends entirely on fuel generators. They're loud, and getting fuel is difficult and dangerous."
Ming quickly moved her thermos aside and leaned closer.
"I tested the water samples again yesterday. Something looked wrong. There's probably a dead animal decomposing upstream."
She spoke quickly, her voice carrying the soft accent typical of an Asian girl.
"It would be great if we could find a clean running water source."
"That's exactly why I called you here."
Calista traced several winding blue lines on the map.
"There should be reservoirs in the mountains, and a few tributaries of the Little Tennessee River nearby.
Out of these water sources, which one would be best for us? Something we could divert water from.
And while we're at it, could we set up a small generator? It doesn't have to be big for now. Just enough to power lights and charge equipment.
If we could even manage stable hot water for everyone to take showers… that would be even better."
"Miss Norton," Elena said after a moment, lifting her head and pushing up her glasses.
Her voice carried firm professional confidence.
"That's an excellent idea. And it's absolutely feasible.
The Great Smoky Mountains are extremely rich in water resources. That gives us a tremendous natural advantage."