Ready to Set Out

Two days later.

Having just finished practicing the Refining Qi into Spirit technique, Wang An sat in the villa, eating the Fivefold Nourishing Paste he had made over the past few days.

Meanwhile, Wang An's Avatar had finally received the goods ordered earlier at the company.

There were files, scrapers, grinding tools, saws, chisels, vernier calipers, micrometers, and other tools, as well as composite carbon fiber sheets, new composite nylon material, eccentric cams, alloy materials, optical sights, and other materials and components.

Carrying these tools and materials, the Avatar went to a specially partitioned workshop.

The compound crossbow's blueprints had long since been completed.

The Avatar started with the limbs, first using the alloy material to make the rail and the mounting holes for the other components.

Next came the trigger, sear, and other mechanical parts. The rear stock and grip were handled last.

The composite carbon fiber sheets were fused and pressed into the bow body.

Once all the components had been finished, they were assembled.

The Avatar still had to test and calibrate the first compound crossbow, identify its problems, and repeatedly refine it to improve its precision.

At the same time, the Avatar had to make a batch of high-quality carbon arrows with low wind drift. Only after all the refining was finished did the [Mechanic] class meet the requirements for taking it up.

The main body immediately took out the Class Change Stone and successfully took up the [Mechanic] class.

[Mechanic]

Function: improves the ability to learn precision operations, making it easier to find a learning method suited to oneself.

Skill: Enhanced Perception, improves perception of minute dimensional, form, and positional errors.

After successfully taking up the class, the Avatar immediately used the new skill to refine the compound crossbow's deviations once more, improving its precision.

Final testing showed that its standard-ring accuracy was roughly 60-70 meters, with an effective range of 85 meters.

Its draw weight reached around 140 pounds, making it far more powerful than the compound bow Wang An was still having custom-made.

However, both weapons had their advantages and disadvantages.

The compound crossbow was powerful and accurate, but slow to load.

In an unexpected situation, it would basically only allow one shot.

There would be no time for a second, and compound crossbows were strictly regulated in various countries, so they could only be used in private.

The compound bow, on the other hand, had the advantages of a faster rate of fire, convenient portability, freedom from regulation, and easy availability.

Wang An decided to make several more and keep them in his space in case of need.

On the morning of the 18th, outside the gates of Changnan Interstellar.

Exploration team leader Wang Quan, the Avatar, logistics coordinator Xu Feng, and reserve members Chen Yanshan and Liu Tingquan were carrying out the final loading of equipment and supplies.

Seeing that the loading was nearly done, the Avatar said,

"Xu Feng, start checking the supplies. Get ready to leave."

Xu Feng immediately put down what he was doing and replied, "Understood."

The four auxiliary personnel outside the official roster were Chen Zhenhua, Hu Jun, Li Guohua, and Mo Yuemei.

They were rather excited. For more than a week, they had come in for training almost every day and had grown somewhat numb to it. Now it was finally about to begin.

The company had specifically rented a truck to transport the supplies.

Besides the off-road vehicle the company had already bought, two SUVs for the four of them to ride in were also parked nearby.

Once Xu Feng finished checking and signaled that everything was in order, the exploration team prepared to set out.

Wang An, Manager Hu, purchasing officer Zhang Xiaofeng, and intelligence analyst Yang Xu were also there to see them off.

This time, Mount Huaiyu was farther away than Kunshan, where they had gone last time. It would take about two or three hours to get there.

At ten in the morning, the exploration team entered the Mount Huaiyu area. Half an hour later, they reached the entrance to Huang Village. The information had already been gathered.

The exploration team stopped at the entrance to Huang Village, where the Administration and Recovery Department had set up a supply camp.

The four vehicles entered the camp only after being inspected by a patrol unit, then parked in their designated campsite.

A uniformed staff member came out of a camp bearing the Administration and Recovery Department's sign and asked, "Do you have a reservation? Which exploration team are you from?"

The Avatar opened the exploration declaration on the phone, showed it to the staff member, and said,

"We're the exploration team from Changnan Interstellar. We've already filed our declaration and made a reservation."

The staff member nodded, tapped on the phone, and said,

"All exploration team members, please take out your identification. I'll verify your entry permits."

And so, after completing a series of registrations and permits,

the Avatar gathered everyone and said,

"Today, we'll mainly be gathering information and familiarizing ourselves with the surroundings. Xu Feng, you handle the logistics.

"Chen Yanshan, Liu Tingquan, you two come with me to gather information on the other exploration teams."

"As for the four of you, Chen Zhenhua, Hu Jun, Li Guohua, and Mo Yuemei,

"set up our camping tents and get used to the surroundings here."

"Finally, we'll meet back at camp at six. Dismissed!"

Everyone had their assignments, so they scattered and got busy with their respective tasks.

The camp was fairly large, with room for seven or eight exploration teams.

The Avatar looked over at the other exploration teams. Most had four or five vehicles arranged in a circle, with several tents in the middle. Logistics personnel left behind could occasionally be seen coming and going inside.

The Avatar, Chen Yanshan, and Liu Tingquan each went to ask an exploration team about the situation, planning to return and compare what they learned.

The Avatar arrived at a relatively large campsite with two trucks and four off-road vehicles. Judging by its size, there were at least seven or eight people, possibly more than a dozen.

Walking in, the Avatar saw a young man preparing food.

The Avatar went over, offered him a cigarette, and asked,

"Brother, I'm Wang Quan. Our exploration team just arrived. What team are you with? You've got quite a large setup."

The young man handling the ingredients replied,

"Brother, just call me Zheng Hao. We're the exploration team from the Chen Martial Arts School.

"Our school has several hundred formal disciples, so of course we're large."

Seeing that he was rather proud of his martial arts school, Wang An gradually followed his lead and learned a little about the recent situation of the exploration teams.

He gradually learned that the Chen Martial Arts School had sent twelve people this time.

Zheng Hao and another of his junior brothers, being the youngest disciples, had been left there to handle logistics.

The others had already gone into the mountains to explore.

Wang An also learned that there were three other exploration teams here. One was a professional exploration team hired by the Zhengyi Celestial Master's Mansion, and another had been formed by the Chunhe Aluminum Group itself.

The last team was the strongest. It was an exploration team specially formed from outstanding soldiers selected from the military, and now belonged to the Administration and Recovery Department's Special Recovery Squad.

It was said that they not only recovered meteorites but also hunted mutated creatures.

They often brought the corpses of mutated creatures out of the mountains. They had already been here for more than ten days.

Seeing that he had asked about enough, Wang An exchanged contact information with Zheng Hao and returned to camp.

Chen Yanshan and Liu Tingquan had also returned and reported the information they had gathered to Wang An.

Chen Yanshan was tall and thin. Back in his hometown, he often gathered wild honey, and he climbed rocks and traveled through the mountains as though walking on level ground.

Later, as the mountains grew increasingly dangerous, he stopped doing it and went looking for work. He was attracted by Changnan Interstellar's hiring requirements and high pay, and the job still involved entering the mountains and forests he knew so well.

The team had weapons, complete equipment, and ample supplies.

Unlike him, when he gathered wild honey alone, fighting single-handed was extremely dangerous.