Administration and Recovery
The Avatar returned to Kunshan Village, travel-worn, through the morning mist that had yet to lift.
On this expedition, he had obtained a total of six usable Class Change Stones and seven that had already been used.
But Wang An did not intend to bring out that many. It would be too conspicuous. Instead, judging by the difficulty he had encountered on the expedition, he brought out one Class Change Stone and three meteorites that had already been used.
That way, the company would have something to show for the expedition without drawing too much attention.
Wang An estimated that the other company's exploration team had obtained only two or three, so the difference would be slight and would not attract notice.
When he had left the area affected by the powerful magnetic field, he had already contacted Xu Feng, who had stayed behind, by satellite phone.
Xu Feng immediately went to the village entrance to meet him.
When they returned to the Kunshan Village committee, there were three armed police officers there in addition to the committee members.
On the way, Xu Feng had already told him what was going on.
Apparently, the state had now sealed off the major meteorite concentration zones across the country.
The major military regions had dispatched troops to guard and patrol them.
At the same time, the state had established the Special Resources Administration and Recovery Department.
Its regulations stipulated that meteorites from this meteor shower were special resources. Private trading was prohibited nationwide, and they could only be sold to the Special Resources Administration and Recovery Department at a reasonable price.
The three armed police officers were stationed in Kunshan Village and patrolled its surroundings every day.
They drove away or killed mutated creatures, but did not venture deep into the forest.
They were also responsible for registering and managing all exploration teams entering the mountains.
Over the past few days, Xu Feng had registered the exploration team formed by Changnan Interstellar Exploration Technology Co., Ltd. in accordance with the relevant regulations. Wang An was the captain, and he was responsible for logistics and support.
One of the fully armed officers walked over and spoke to Wang An.
"Comrade, in accordance with the Special Resources Exploration Management Regulations that have been issued, we'll be recording what you saw and heard, as well as what you obtained on this expedition.
"Report everything you obtained, and we'll submit it to the Special Resources Administration and Recovery Department.
"Designated personnel will recover these resources and provide corresponding funds to support the development of civilian exploration organizations."
Hearing this, Wang An nodded. He set down his gear while holding his backpack.
With a serious expression, he said to the officer,
"Our company fully supports the state's relevant policies. What I obtained on the expedition is right here."
He patted the backpack and said,
"Let's go inside and make the record."
One of the officers inspected the gear he had just taken off.
The other two officers entered a meeting room in the village committee building with Wang An.
The younger officer set up two cameras to record the proceedings.
The older-looking officer said,
"We're now recording the details of your exploration team's expedition.
"Please provide a detailed account of the number of team members, their equipment, the organization they belong to, and what they experienced and obtained."
Wang An had no objection to any of this.
As for professional exploration teams that dared enter the dangerous mountain forests,
the state would naturally not take them lightly or allow them to do as they pleased.
The corresponding registration and management measures would gradually be put into effect, and oversight of the companies and their employees was proceeding at the same time.
As for his experiences, Wang An only reported the bamboo viper he had encountered and how he had found the four meteorites.
There was no need to mention his fight with the Wild Boar King.
They naturally knew that an exploration team could not possibly recount every experience.
But learning about the numbers, types, and various abilities of the mutated creatures in the area from the exploration team was a gain in itself, and would help them prepare to deal with them in the future.
After registration was complete, Wang An took the four meteorites out of his backpack and said to them,
"Our company is fully cooperating with the state's recovery policy. Please contact the Special Resources Administration and Recovery Department to recover these meteorites."
Hearing this, they nodded, acknowledging Changnan Interstellar's ready cooperation.
They then measured, registered, and photographed the meteorites before uploading the information and requesting their recovery.
Once the whole procedure was complete, they said to Wang An,
"Mr. Wang, personnel from the Administration and Recovery Department will arrive in one hour.
"You and your team members may move around Kunshan Village, but please do not leave.
"The meteorites will stay here under dedicated guard, so there's no need to worry."
Wang An nodded without saying anything.
Instead, he found the village chief and paid a little money to wash up at a villager's home.
He had spent the past eight days scrambling all over the forest and had hardly washed. After he finished cleaning up, he had lunch with Xu Feng.
The exploration team had brought plenty of supplies and kitchen utensils. So they did not eat at a villager's home, but cooked for themselves. That was how Xu Feng had been getting by these past few days.
As Wang An ate, he told Xu Feng about his experiences in the mountain forest over the past few days, though of course he only mentioned a few inconsequential things.
After they finished eating, an armed vehicle was already parked in the village committee square.
Four people had come in total: a recovery officer, a driver, and two soldiers serving as escorts.
The recovery officer took four cases out of the vehicle, apparently to hold the meteorites.
Wang An was called over for the final registration and transfer of funds.
"Mr. Wang, the department has assessed these four meteorites according to their actual value.
"Your company will receive 1.3 million in funding. The money will be transferred to your company's account within one to three business days."
To be honest, he was a little surprised by the price. Calculated that way, a usable Class Change Stone was worth one million.
The used ones were worth one hundred thousand apiece, which was fairly high. Just because one had previously sold for the high price of over three million did not mean every buyer could afford that price.
Only truly wealthy tycoons could afford that. If the state wanted to recover them, it could have offered a few tens of thousands or simply demanded they be handed over, and there would have been nothing anyone could do about it.
The state was probably encouraging and supporting civilian exploration teams. The country was so vast that having the military scour it inch by inch would not be cost-effective. And in the deep mountains and dense forests, there were all kinds of mutated venomous insects, venomous snakes, and miasmic fog, while some areas could even interfere with the brain's sense of direction.
That was why it had introduced such a policy, sealing off the various concentration zones and stationing troops in the meteorite impact areas.
It directly managed and registered the exploration teams that entered, recovered their meteorites, and provided substantial funding to encourage civilian participation.
It was a way of guiding the new craze for meteorite exploration in a positive direction. Policy prohibited private individuals and organizations from trading them, giving the state a monopoly on their recovery. At the same time, the state would not let these exploration organizations work for nothing.
By sealing off and dividing the exploration zones, it could prevent social unrest caused by the enormous profits from meteorites from spreading to villages and cities.
It was a good start.
Finally, the recovery officer invited Wang An into a small room to talk.
When they were alone, the officer asked a question.
"Captain Wang, are you a class holder?"
Wang An's heart skipped a beat.
He thought the man had somehow seen that he was a class holder.
Before he could speak, the officer continued.
"Whether you're a class holder or not, you can take a look at this website."
"You collected four meteorites on your own, which has already proven your extraordinary ability. The state needs talented people like you right now."
As he spoke, he sent a link to Wang An's Avatar's phone.
After the recovery officer and the armed vehicle left, Wang An and Xu Feng packed up their things and returned to Changnan.