After settling the more than 130 survivors outside, Calista gathered everyone in the command center of Rock Fortress's main house to review the operation.
Aside from those on guard duty outside, as well as Hank and Leon who hadn't yet recovered, nearly all the mercenaries were present. Mr. Howard, Evans, and Professor Elena were there as well, with their unfinished tasks temporarily handed off to others.
Everyone looked exhausted, but even more than that, there was a strong sense of excitement and high morale.
"All right, let's hear the reports," Calista said, her voice slightly hoarse, traces of walker blood still staining her clothes.
Maya and Leah reported on the rescue operation and the cleanup and escort process.
Rickson gave a detailed account of the intake:
"At the moment, there are 134 people in the temporary camp. Based on Evans's initial examination, malnutrition is widespread.
Seven are seriously injured and require ongoing treatment, and two have fevers of unknown cause. They've already been isolated.
Food consumption is massive. Our stockpiles, combined with the supplies we seized, are enough to cover basic needs for about two years. Water is sufficient for now, but in the long run, the pressure will be significant. We're also severely short on tents and cold-weather supplies."
He paused, then added:
"On the upside, we seized a large amount of weapons and equipment from Lorenzo, so our firepower is more than sufficient. Also, those National Guard soldiers were a huge help.
Without them, maintaining order and settling everyone would've turned into chaos. Sergeant Miller and Corporal Wilson are very capable, and their men follow orders well."
When all the reports were finished, the room broke into warm applause.
Everyone looked toward Calista, their eyes filled with admiration and trust.
This operation was nothing short of a miracle.
They had faced an enemy far larger than themselves, one capable of producing its own weapons, and not only won, but achieved a complete victory with zero casualties.
They destroyed the enemy stronghold, captured its leader, rescued more than 130 enslaved survivors, and seized a large quantity of supplies.
And at the heart of it all was Calista's seemingly crazy yet incredibly effective Whisperer Plan.
"Calista, how does your brain even work?" Carver scratched his head, his face full of undisguised admiration and amazement, with a hint of boyish bashfulness.
"I thought the plan was completely ridiculous at the time… who knew… it actually worked."
Ethan smiled and nodded, his eyes particularly bright as he looked at her.
"Seriously, it's unbelievable. Calista, you've exceeded everyone's expectations again."
Leah looked at her younger sister, who remained composed despite being surrounded by praise, a flicker of pride passing through her eyes.
This was her sister.
In just three months, she had grown from a delicate, sheltered rich girl into an outstanding leader of a post-apocalyptic base.
Calista herself was thrilled. A blush spread across her face, and her smile was almost impossible to suppress. She practically wanted to jump onto the table and bask in everyone's admiration.
No, no, no. That won't do.
Calm down, Calista. You're a leader. You need to carry yourself properly. Stay composed.
After forcing down her surging emotions, Calista raised a hand to stop the praise.
"Everyone, victory is only temporary. We have more urgent problems to deal with."
She pointed out the window.
"One hundred and thirty-four mouths to feed, water, clothe, and treat. Our supplies won't hold out forever."
The excitement in the room cooled slightly as reality set in.
"And," Leah added, as always the calmest among them, "we took down Lorenzo, but there's no guarantee there aren't survivors who'll come back for revenge. We need to strengthen our defenses, maybe even expand them."
"And those prisoners," Rickson said, frowning, "especially Lorenzo. He's not someone easy to handle. Keeping him locked up is going to cause trouble sooner or later."
Calista nodded inwardly. Lorenzo had his own way of thinking. Breaking him in would take time.
But she had never expected him to become a loyal, obedient subordinate anyway.
As long as he didn't cause trouble and could provide the formulas and expertise for her future weapons production line, that would be enough.
She already had a plan. Lorenzo needed to experience the grind of a 007 work schedule.
Keep him so busy he wouldn't have the time or energy to stir up trouble.
And if he refused to cooperate, then she'd deal with him decisively.
Besides, Ancheta already knew the basic ammunition formulas. If necessary, she could always wait for Eugene later.
She said to Rickson, "Leave them be for now. Let them cool off and wear down a bit, so they don't start causing trouble when we actually need them."
After some discussion, it became clear there were many problems, and none of them were easy to solve.
But after such a decisive, zero-casualty victory, everyone's morale was high. Instead of being discouraged, they actively began discussing solutions.
"Supplies aren't a problem in the short term. We just need to increase our search efforts. Once this batch of corn is harvested, we'll assign more people to farming," Mr. Howard said.
"I also know the locations of several farms and warehouses we used to work with. We can try our luck there, though I wouldn't count on much."
"You stockpiled enough medical supplies before the apocalypse, but I need more people to help care for the patients," Evans said.
"I can lead a team to keep reinforcing the defenses," Ancheta added, patting his chest. "We still have plenty of materials."
"The search team can head out again tomorrow," Maya volunteered.
Calista listened carefully to each suggestion and nodded.
"These are all urgent matters. But we also need a longer-term plan."
Her gaze shifted to Professor Elena, who had been sitting quietly to the side.
"Professor Elena, we paused the water diversion project earlier because of the upcoming battle. Now it's time to restart it. A stable water source, and potentially electricity, are critical for our future."
"We've already completed the survey of Black Bear Creek," Professor Elena said, handing over a prepared draft plan.
"What we're lacking now are specific materials and equipment, including large-diameter pipes, turbine core components, generators, cables, transformers, and so on. The search teams will need to focus on locating these."
"Then we'll adjust the search priorities," Calista said, looking at Rickson and Maya.
"While searching for food and medicine, prioritize the items on Professor Elena's list."
"Understood."
The meeting continued for some time, covering detailed arrangements for personnel rotations, security deployment, prisoner management, and resource allocation.
Despite the immense challenges, the core members of Rock Fortress displayed an unprecedented level of unity and confidence.
Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction.
They had defeated a powerful enemy. For now, there were no major threats within the Knoxville area. They had gained an unexpected increase in population and reputation, and their long-term development plans were back on track.
When the meeting ended and everyone dispersed, Calista remained alone in the command center, standing in front of the map.
Her gaze eventually settled on the temporary camp outside.
Dim campfires flickered, and the voices were gradually fading.
One hundred and thirty-four people…
How was she going to truly settle them?
It wasn't just about feeding them. It was about integrating them, turning them into a new source of strength rather than a burden.
And Rock Fortress simply couldn't hold them all. Nor did she intend to bring so many people into the fortress all at once.
This sudden population boost was both an opportunity and a serious challenge.
Calista stroked her chin.
It looked like her long-planned secondary base, Blackberry Ranch, could finally be put into motion.
...
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