Before Hank had even finished speaking, Professor Martin Sorensen had already pushed forward. "How is Howard now?"
"Mr. Howard is currently the head of Rock Fortress's agriculture team, and Mrs. Howard manages our internal affairs. They're both in good health."
"And Elena?"
"She and her students are in charge of our water management projects."
The work that followed moved with remarkable efficiency.
Hank gave Calista a brief report through his communicator.
The UTK Safe Zone currently had sixty-seven survivors.
Among them were eight teachers and researchers, including:
Professor Martin Sorensen, biochemistry, specializing in organic synthesis and toxin analysis.
Dr. Caitlin, materials science, specializing in polymers and composite materials.
Benjamin, electrical engineering lecturer, proficient in circuits and renewable energy systems.
Rodriguez, assistant professor of agricultural and environmental sciences, familiar with crop cultivation and soil management.
The other four were specialists in mechanical engineering, basic medicine, library and information science, and physics.
The remaining fifty-nine were surviving students from various departments, both undergraduates and graduate students, covering engineering, biology, medicine, agriculture, chemistry, art, and several other fields.
Their greatest asset was that they had preserved almost the entire core collection of the main library, along with most of the equipment and research materials from several key laboratories.
Bossie and Jenson stood guard on the perimeter.
The rest of the team began distributing the high-energy compressed food, multivitamins, and basic medicine they had brought, while also giving emergency treatment to the injured.
The UTK students organized themselves and continued packing under the direction of several teachers.
They had clearly started preparing as soon as they received the message.
Box after box of books with category labels, hard drives wrapped in moisture-proof bags, carefully dismantled and packed microscope components, spectrometer lenses, precious chemical reagent samples… all were carried out from the basement and hidden rooms one after another.
Even some of the medical school's laboratory animals had survived: one crab-eating macaque, three beagles, ten rabbits, and three cages of white mice.
"These are backups of nearly twenty years of experimental data from our College of Agriculture, as well as partial genetic material indexes from major global crop seed banks. Please be very careful with them." Rodriguez solemnly handed several sealed boxes to the soldiers.
"These engineering manuals and materials databases may be useful to you." The teachers and students from the engineering department carried out more boxes.
Professor Sorensen stayed beside Hank, checking the list of the most important supplies and confirming it again and again. "Everyone is here. We've checked the list repeatedly.
Aside from those who couldn't get inside at the very beginning, and those who later went out searching for supplies and never came back… everyone else is here."
Just then, a student keeping watch at a second-floor window suddenly called out in a low voice, "Professor Sorensen! Movement near the woods to the east! There are several figures moving around at the edge of the trees. That group is back!"
The atmosphere tightened instantly.
Hank immediately signaled for everyone to stay quiet, then quickly went to the window and took the binoculars the student handed him.
Sure enough, at the edge of the woods about three hundred meters away, several ragged figures holding sticks and clubs were sneaking glances in their direction.
Professor Sorensen's face went pale, and he whispered, "A small group of wanderers from a nearby community. Like hyenas. Every now and then they come near the edge of campus looking for something to take. We drove them off a few times before with homemade bows and arrows."
Hank watched them for a few seconds. There were about five or six of them, poorly equipped, and they seemed more like they were spying than preparing to attack.
But with the relocation about to begin, any uncertain factor had to be dealt with.
"Jenson." Hank pressed the radio.
"Two behind the crooked tree. Three hiding beside the abandoned gardening shed. One archer, the rest with melee weapons," Jenson reported calmly.
"Drive them off. Do not pursue. Avoid getting drawn into a fight," Hank ordered.
"Understood."
Almost the moment Hank finished speaking, everyone from UTK heard a faint, muffled whoosh from the distance.
Immediately after, beside the tree where the raiders were hiding, an abandoned ceramic flowerpot shattered with a sharp crack.
The watchers were clearly frightened out of their wits. They scrambled back behind the tree and no longer dared show their heads.
A few seconds later, they turned in panic and fled into the depths of the woods, disappearing from sight.
The whole thing could be summed up in one word: professional.
The UTK teachers and students stared in stunned silence.
Before, dealing with those harassers had required everyone to go on alert, shout warnings, and risk exchanging a few rounds of crude arrows. Now… one sound so faint it was barely audible, and the problem was solved.
Professor Sorensen let out a long breath of relief. When he looked at Hank again, there was not only gratitude in his eyes, but a real sense of security.
"Thank you. Thank you so much. With you here, we really can leave in peace."
This brief incident did not cause panic. Instead, it gave the UTK survivors the most direct possible understanding of the strength of the new home they were about to join, making their decision to relocate even firmer.
All important supplies were loaded, and everyone boarded the vehicles.
Hank placed the UTK vehicles in the middle, with his own convoy guarding the front and rear.
Engines roared. Many people looked silently through the windows at the outline of the buildings fading farther and farther behind them.
This place held their youth, their studies, their research, and countless memories, but the apocalypse had destroyed everything.
After several hours on the road, when the convoy finally passed through the last mountain pass and the orderly scene of Blackberry Ranch came into view, the vehicles filled with uncontrollable crying and cheering.
Outside the gates of Blackberry Ranch, Mr. and Mrs. Howard, Elena, Anna, and the others, who had received the news and had been waiting since early on, were already watching anxiously for them.
The vehicles stopped, and the doors opened.
"Martin!"
"Howard!"
The two old professors stumbled toward each other and embraced tightly, pounding each other's backs as tears streamed down their faces, too choked up to speak.
Elena was also surrounded by her students and old colleagues, greetings and sobs blending together.
Calista stood a short distance away, quietly watching the deeply moving reunion.
Leah stood beside her. "Looks like the pickup went smoothly. They brought back even more than we expected."
"Knowledge, and the people who preserve knowledge, are equally important. Once they pass assessment, they can fill positions in the different functional teams."
Calista's gaze swept over the sealed boxes being carefully carried down from the vehicles, then settled on the group of scholars hugging and crying.
Leah looked at Martin Sorensen and whispered in Calista's ear, "A biochemistry professor. Do you think Dr. Jenner needs an assistant?"
Calista shook her head. "Dr. Jenner's research requires the highest level of secrecy. Once we take the chemical plant in Block D, we'll have Sorensen stay at the industrial park and conduct research there."
Leah nodded.
...
A week later, all UTK survivors had completed quarantine one after another and officially settled into the specially designated "Academic Zone" at Blackberry Ranch.
They placed the first batch of organized book catalogs into the library, and each person's list of specialties was submitted to Calista.
The library and information science teacher took over for Jim, becoming responsible for managing the base's books and materials.
Jim now had more time to teach the children full-time.
The foundation of the base's civilization had grown even stronger.
...
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