Leah looked at her sister, who carried herself like someone born to command, and smiled knowingly.
She had known all along that Calista would never be content with carving out one safe corner and staying there.
Rickson rubbed his bald head and grinned. "Now that's more like it. What's the point of just grabbing supplies? Taking the people and the land with them, that's how you build a real life!"
Calista returned to the head of the table, pressed both hands against its surface, and leaned forward slightly.
"Everyone, Spring Harvest isn't only about harvesting machines and factory grounds.
"We're going to harvest Knoxville's remaining resources, harvest the hearts of the people struggling in its ruins, and more importantly, harvest control over Knoxville's future.
"This is expansion. Rock Fortress will not stay trapped in the mountains forever."
She paused. "The official operation is set for next week. Over the next two days, each group will refine its plan, adjust personnel, and inspect equipment. Gwendolyn, you, Hank, and Jonathan will draft a contact strategy as soon as possible.
"I want the Throat-Slasher Gang and the Scavengers, before our large-scale operation even begins, to think not of resistance, but of the chance they finally have to live another way."
The meeting continued late into the night.
The plan was examined again and again, and the details were constantly refined.
When everyone finally accepted their orders and dispersed, they looked at the blond figure still reviewing the final proposal under the lamplight, and each of them understood something clearly. Calista was no longer just the "Boss" who led them in survival.
Her eyes were already fixed on something farther away.
Rock Fortress's ambition had officially begun to show its edge.
...
The prelude to the Spring Harvest operation had already begun.
The infiltration groups were set to enter the industrial park two days in advance. Their objective was to quietly seize and secure several key positions before the main assault began.
Those positions would serve as launch points for the attack, fallback cover, and possible contact zones for negotiations.
A week later, on the route Rock Fortress had to take to reach Knoxville Industrial Park.
A two-story red-brick fire station stood quietly beside the road.
It was only eight hundred meters from the outer edge of the park, making it an ideal first forward outpost.
The advance squad was responsible for establishing this stronghold. Gavin led the team, which included Mike, Ethan, Danny, and five former National Guard members.
"Guys," Gavin whispered from the trees across from the fire station, "we're not here to start a fight. We're here to establish communications. Keep it quiet."
Deputy team leader Corporal Frank Wilson nodded.
He was the first to reach the side of the fire station. He moved along the wall, pressing his ear to the brick as he listened.
A few seconds later, Wilson gave a hand signal. There were walkers inside, but from the sound of it, not many.
Mike followed close behind, gripping a pistol fitted with a suppressor.
The two of them moved to either side of the half-open roll-up door.
Through the gap, they could see at least three walkers staggering around inside, all dressed in tattered firefighter uniforms.
Mike took a cola can wrapped in thick cloth from his waist.
He tossed it lightly, and the can rolled into the station.
"Clink…"
The crisp sound was especially sharp inside the empty fire station.
Several walkers turned at the same time and shuffled toward the noise.
Now.
Corporal Wilson and Mike slipped inside at the same moment. The rest of the team followed quickly behind them, forming overlapping lines of fire.
The suppressed pistols made soft puffing sounds.
The heads of the walkers that came into view burst open one after another in sprays of foul blood, and the team members who had been ready dragged the bodies away at once.
"First floor clear," Mike whispered.
"Check the vehicles and equipment," Gavin said, striding in. His flashlight swept across the two fire trucks parked in the garage bay.
One was a heavy aerial ladder truck. Its tires were flat, but the body was intact. With a tire change, it could still be used.
The other was a small water tender. To their surprise, the key was still in the ignition.
Mike climbed into the cab of the water tender and tried to start it.
The engine coughed several times. Thick black smoke belched from the exhaust pipe, but it still shuddered to life.
"Quarter tank of fuel left," Mike said, checking the gauges. "Battery's a little weak, but it runs."
Gavin's eyes lit up. "That's good stuff. We'll have Henry fix it later and drive both of them back to base."
The team had already moved into action.
Three people checked the second floor and, once they confirmed it was safe, set up an observation post. Another three began arranging defenses.
They used the traffic cones and barrier tape already inside the fire station to set up an outer warning zone, mounted suppressed rifles at the second-floor windows, and cleared their fields of fire.
Mike found even more supplies in the fire station's storage room.
There were full crates of emergency lights, unopened fire hoses, and even an intact diesel generator with several sealed barrels of fuel.
"This place can serve as a staging point for the harvest operation," Mike said. "If we have wounded or need a temporary rest stop, it's much safer than being out in the open."
Gavin rubbed his hands together in satisfaction. "Good work. Danny, set up the communications relay and signal the follow-up team. First outpost established, secure, usable vehicles on site."
An hour later, as dusk fell, the abandoned fire station had quietly become a fully functional forward outpost.
From the observation position on the second floor, they could clearly see the outline of the industrial park. A shortwave radio antenna had been set up on the roof, maintaining stable contact with Rock Fortress.
More importantly, the water tender that could still start was parked in the garage, ready to move at any moment.
Ethan stood at the second-floor window, observing the industrial park eight hundred meters away through binoculars. Into the radio, he said, "First outpost is in position. Infiltration group, you're clear to move."
After receiving the signal, Maya's group quietly left through the fire station's side door and moved toward the east side of the park.
With the fire station serving as their rear support point, their advance became much steadier.
...
Maya knelt on one knee behind an overturned cargo truck, her night-vision goggles glowing faintly green.
She raised her right hand, spread her five fingers, then slowly closed them. Target spotted. Prepare to engage.
Behind her, Lieutenant Welles adjusted the firing angle of his suppressed rifle.
Michonne held her blade in a reverse grip, with Shane on her left, his breathing steady.
They all stared at the shadow wandering between the factory buildings fifty meters away.
It was a walker. Just one. It wore a tattered security uniform and was already badly decayed.
Maya waited until the walker turned behind a pile of scrap bins, then suddenly brought her arm down.
Michonne moved.
The instant the walker came around the other side of the scrap bins, she raised her katana. The blade drove diagonally upward from beneath its jaw and into its skull.
The walker only had time to let out a faint "huh" before collapsing limply to the ground.
Michonne caught the body and slowly lowered it flat without making any unnecessary noise.
"Threat One cleared," Maya whispered into her headset.
"Team Two copies. Continue advancing," Edmund replied through the headset, his voice just as low.
His group was now crouched on the eastern edge of the industrial park, facing an isolated single-story building.
It had once been the guardhouse for the freight entrance. The location was concealed but offered a good view, allowing them to observe the side of Block B's core area and a wide stretch to the south.
Edmund's group was responsible for this position.
...
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