She Quit Her Family and Found Herself novel Chapter 221

"Boss!" Zane caught up with Mr. Miller. "Are we seriously wasting our time babysitting this bunch of amateurs? I'd rather be out helping the locals plant their fields!"

Mr. Miller’s face was stony. "You think I want this? You know this is a priority under the Tech for Uplift Initiative. If they can send a woman here just to pad her resume, imagine the kind of backing she has. Our funding is tight enough this year; what if they cut us off? The elementary school still hasn't been repaired."

Zane fell silent. This was the frustrating reality of working at the grassroots level.

They couldn't afford to offend anyone, yet everyone seemed to walk all over them.

"I know you're mad. I'm mad too," Mr. Miller sighed. "Just humor them until these VIPs leave."

Zane scoffed angrily, turning to glare at Hulda Atherton and her team trailing behind them.

"He's glaring at us again! Seriously, my temper..." Abby Corbett raised her water bottle, half-tempted to chuck it at Zane’s head.

She stopped herself only because it was her last half-bottle of water.

Mr. Miller led Hulda's group up the mountain. Along the way, they passed locals heading down, all of whom greeted the two officials warmly.

It was clear they were well-loved by the community.

For the rest of the hike, Mr. Miller and Zane stayed quiet, simply leading the way.

Hulda was silent too. She constantly checked the specialized device in her hand, occasionally looking up at the sky or down at the terrain.

Halfway up the mountain, Mr. Miller and Zane glanced back, only to see her crouching by a fissure in the rock, touching and examining it.

"Tsk, what a tourist. Watch her pull out her phone for a picture," Zane grumbled.

The very next second, Hulda indeed took out her phone, snapping photos of the crack from every angle.

"She's actually taking pictures." Zane let out a bitter laugh. "Look, boss. We've officially become tour guides."

On the other hand, Dr. Lynch's expression grew solemn. "Director Atherton, did you notice something?"

Knowing lives were at stake, she spoke up. "Just trust our director! Get those people out of there before it's too late."

Dr. Lynch also looked urgent. "She's right. Please listen to Director Atherton and evacuate them immediately, or the consequences will be more than you can handle!"

Seeing the grave expressions on the entire research team's faces, Mr. Miller's own demeanor shifted to something more serious.

He looked at Hulda. "In your professional opinion, what are the odds of a landslide?"

"Seventy percent," she replied flatly.

"And if nothing happens?" he asked.

She didn't flinch. "I'll take full responsibility."

Mr. Miller stared at the houses below in silence for a long moment. "Alright. Zane, put the word out. Get our people here immediately and start mobilizing the evacuation."