Leo and David made a different choice.
They volunteered to apply for the Rock Fortress Defense Force.
At the recruitment office, facing Maya, who was in charge of the initial screening, the two of them were in completely different states of mind.
Leo's eyes burned with eagerness, desperate to prove himself. "Ma'am! I'm strong, and I can run fast! I want to receive training, protect the base, and protect my sister!"
He hoped to wash away the stain of his earlier impulsiveness and gain a foothold as quickly as possible in a more positive way.
David had become much more subdued after the blow he had suffered.
He looked at Maya and honestly stated his purpose. "I need direction. Fighting, keeping watch, I have some experience with those. I don't want to be powerless like I was before."
He wanted to regain some sense of control, even if it was under strict discipline.
Maya looked them over. "You want to become combat personnel? Strength and motivation alone aren't enough. The Defense Force isn't make-believe. Obeying orders comes first, and training will strip several layers of skin off you.
Right now, most of our members come from special forces units or the National Guard. The few remaining members are far better than ordinary people in a fight, each with their own strengths.
I'm guessing neither of you has had any proper military training, right?"
Leo had just opened his mouth when Maya predicted his answer. "Boy Scout training and school drills don't count."
Leo shut his mouth awkwardly.
Just when both of them thought they had no chance, Maya tapped the table. "Leo, rein in that recklessness. David, keep your temper under control.
You want to try? Fine. You start with the most basic recruit training.
There are no points during training. We'll put it on credit first, then deduct it once you earn points. Fail, and you can go haul bricks at the construction site."
Neither of them backed down.
They had no special skills. In the Norris camp, they could serve as the main fighting force, protect their companions, and search for supplies. Here, they could only do manual labor.
For David and Leo, joining the Defense Force was not just about getting a job. It was a change in identity, the best way to integrate into this powerful system, and the fastest path to earning respect.
Marcus was assigned to Rickson's administrative system on a trial basis.
Rickson gave him a rather challenging position: logistics coordinator for new and old residents.
That meant Marcus had to handle the most tedious matters, and the ones most likely to cause conflict: tracking labor points, distributing basic supplies, arranging living areas, and so on, especially between the new and old residents.
He had been the leader of the new residents before, and he was well trusted among the Norris group.
But at the same time, he was now a member of Rock Fortress and carried the heavy responsibility of coordinating between old and new residents. It was not an easy job.
Friction soon appeared.
When the greenhouse harvested a rare batch of leafy greens, how to distribute them became a sensitive issue.
Some of the "old residents" of Blackberry Ranch inevitably grumbled in private.
"We worked so hard to build this base. Why should these newcomers get to share the fresh food we grew so soon?"
"Can the work they've done compare to when we built the defenses back then?"
Marcus keenly picked up on this mood.
He did not avoid it. Instead, he strictly followed the point-based contribution rules and used his past experience coordinating the community to patiently explain the rules to the new residents.
Marcus emphasized that "you only get returns after you contribute," calming the dissatisfaction among the new residents over their smaller shares. At the same time, he would also explain to the old residents at the right moments how irreplaceable the new residents were in positions like water conservancy and construction, tactfully asking for their understanding.
Once, over the distribution ratio for a batch of fresh potatoes, several old residents came to argue with Marcus.
Marcus did not get angry. Instead, he took out detailed labor records and distribution regulations, explaining point by point why Defense Force patrol members and the heavy laborers at the water conservancy worksite received priority rations.
"I understand how everyone feels," Marcus said sincerely, "but rules are the foundation of the base's survival.
Making sure the people in the most critical positions have the strength to work ultimately benefits all of us. Please trust the fairness of the rules, and look at how hard Knox and the others are working on the base's water and electricity."
His impartiality could not completely remove all resentment, but with Rickson's clear support, it effectively kept the friction within controllable limits and prevented it from escalating into conflict.
Overall, the integration process was steady and effective.
The new blood began to play a role in various fields.
The end of winter often hid the harshest challenges.
Just as everyone in Rock Fortress was gradually adjusting to the new rhythm brought by the "Cold War Bricks" and the increased population, a rare spell of terrible weather arrived without warning.
It was a gray, gloomy afternoon, and the sky hung so low it seemed about to press down on the walls.
At first, it was only sleet, tiny ice crystals mixed with rain pattering down with a rustling sound.
But very soon, the temperature plunged. The moment the rain touched any surface, it froze into a clear, hard shell of ice.
Freezing rain!
More troublesome than a blizzard.
The walls, watchtowers, rooftops, and roads, everything was being wrapped in a thickening layer of ice at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Watch your step! Slow down!"
"The watchtower is iced over and too slippery. Going up and down is dangerous!"
"There's a strange noise coming from the roof of Warehouse No. 3. There may be a load-bearing problem!"
Bad news came one after another.
Outdoor work nearly ground to a halt. People had to walk with extreme caution, and one careless step could send them sprawling.
The defensive facilities were badly affected. The sentries had difficulty moving along the walls, and their sightlines were also obstructed by the ice coating.
Anxiety brought on by the weather began spreading through the base.
Just as the management was urgently discussing countermeasures, a voice came from among the new residents.
The experienced construction worker found Rickson, who was checking the infrastructure on site, and pointed directly at the worst-iced main roads and the warehouse roof making strange noises.
"Mr. Rickson, shoveling it hard like this is too inefficient, and it can damage the road surface.
When we ran into this on construction sites before, we used coarse salt. When we couldn't get salt, we mixed wood ash from stoves with sand and scattered it over the ice.
That speeds up melting, prevents slipping, and won't hurt the ground. As for that roof," he looked up,
"people need to get up there immediately and use wooden poles to knock off the icicles around the key load-bearing points to reduce the weight. Otherwise, it really might collapse."
His suggestion was simple and direct. Rickson thought it over, then immediately adopted it.
The kitchen took out part of its stored coarse salt, and the logistics staff gathered a large amount of charcoal ash and sand. They mixed it according to the construction worker's method, then the residents quickly scattered it across the main paths and around key sentry positions.
Sure enough, the ice soon became rough and was no longer as slippery as a mirror.
At the same time, a team of bold, agile people, including several young people from the former Norris community, carefully climbed onto the frozen rooftops under the construction worker's direction and the protection of veteran members, with ropes securing them in place.
They used long poles and wooden mallets wrapped in rags to carefully clear the icicles hanging from the eaves and load-bearing beams.
Every large chunk they knocked down made people breathe a little easier.
The construction worker and his method made a major contribution in this sudden crisis.
Some of the old residents who had previously complained about newcomers sharing resources could not help muttering in private after seeing the roads open again, "Well, they're not all freeloaders."
...
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