Returning, Leaving, Joining

When they returned to the southern end of Huang Family Village and saw the troops on patrol, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

They came back in a sorry state. Almost everyone's clothes had been slashed open in several places, with some of the cotton padding exposed, and they were covered in dust and grime.

The Avatar and several of the coaches were somewhat on edge, their eyes carrying a hint of ferocity and killing intent. Chen Yanshan and Liu Tingquan were still somewhat pale, clearly not yet fully recovered from their exhaustion.

Seeing the exploration team return, the soldiers grew curious and asked about their journey.

Mo Yuemei was the most enthusiastic of the group. She eagerly boasted to them about the extraordinary experiences they had had along the way.

"Oh, let me tell you, our trip was really full of danger!"

She spoke of their great battle with the white-haired monkey king, their ambush on a large wild boar, their escape from the herd led by the wild boar king, and finally their battle of wits and courage against the pursuing herd, killing until the boars no longer dared attack. She told it all so vividly that it sounded like a martial arts novel.

Several of the soldiers stationed there said they didn't believe a group so small had the strength to stand against a herd of wild boars.

"Comrade, you're really making things up as you go. Don't tell me you found next to nothing and are blaming it on the mutated creatures. I'm telling you, other exploration teams do that all the time. Your story's a bit old."

Mo Yuemei grew a little angry, but couldn't find a way to argue back. Apart from the captain, the rest of them really could only run, and even then they might not all have escaped.

While Mo Yuemei told several soldiers about their experiences,

the group entered the station to have their items checked. Most importantly, they needed to verify their haul and report it to the Administration and Recovery Department.

Before long, an armored transport drove over. The Avatar and a Management and Recovery Bureau staff member who got out of the vehicle verified their haul: the Class Change Stones and meteorites being turned in for recovery.

"Captain Wang, your company's exploration team obtained a total of two Class Change Stones and six meteorites this time. The total recovery payment is 2.6 million yuan, which will be transferred to your company's account within one to three business days. Please confirm and sign."

The recovery worker was also somewhat surprised by the exploration team's haul. In fact, it was the largest haul any of the civilian exploration teams here had brought back from a single operation.

Other exploration teams came back with injuries every time, and some had even lost arms or legs. Several more had been unable to go on because their injuries had become infected. Their hauls kept getting smaller: three or four meteorites per operation, and any Class Change Stones had already been used.

He recalled the news the special squad had brought back earlier. By now, most Class Change Stones had basically been gathered up by powerful mutated creatures.

This was especially true of creatures that lived in groups. These mutated creatures were usually smarter and stronger than others of their kind. By leading and directing their groups, they continually gathered the Class Change Stones in their own lairs.

This had made Class Change Stones much harder to obtain. Now, aside from officially organized exploration teams, only a small number of top exploration teams in the country were still capable of obtaining them consistently.

Moreover, some large organizations had already begun training combat-class professionals of their own. They had those who could take a class join exploration teams and use the Class Change Stones as soon as possible.

Of course, this was very dangerous, but there would always be people who disliked working within the system and sought to develop on their own.

That was human nature, and it couldn't be avoided.

At that thought, he grew somewhat worried about the department's Special Recovery Squad. Although the firepower of their current military crossbows and light rifles was still enough to deal with those mutated creatures, the creatures were constantly growing stronger.

As for why they didn't use large-scale artillery bombardments to sweep them out, they had actually tried that at the very beginning, but the results had been far from satisfactory.

The moment the mutated creatures heard explosions or gunfire, they would quickly scatter and flee.

Failing to kill the mutated creatures quickly could also drive them into human settlements, causing loss of life and property among the surrounding residents.

And now, Class Change Stones were being allocated primarily to research professionals.

There was no helping it. For a country, improving its research capabilities was always the first priority in maintaining its lead and competitiveness.

Their country had learned early on the weight of the sayings "Those who fall behind will be beaten" and "Science and technology are the primary productive forces."

Perhaps this was also part of the reason the state had not forcibly conscripted civilian professionals. Some combat-class professionals were more effective at carrying out certain operations, but they were a minority after all.

The Avatar immediately confirmed and signed. As for their experiences along the way, the exploration team needed to return to the camp at the entrance to Huang Family Village to register and record them.

The Avatar took everyone back to camp after their seven-day race between life and death.

The first thing everyone did was go wash up in the showers built by the Management and Recovery Bureau, washing away the exhaustion, tension, and everything else from the past six or seven days. Then they returned to camp and slept soundly.

That afternoon, the Avatar received a package in the mail. It was the top-of-the-line 100-pound compound bow Wang An had previously asked Coach Chen to have custom-made for him. Wang An had tested it himself, and the bow's maximum draw weight might have reached 120 pounds. It could be said to represent the highest level of current civilian technology.

That evening, the exploration team held a party at their camp. Everyone was delighted, and it swept away the gloom of the past few days.

Chen Zhenhua raised his glass in a toast to the Avatar, the exploration team's captain.

"Thank you, Captain. If it weren't for you, we'd at least have lost arms or legs."

The others followed suit, standing and raising their glasses together.

"To the captain!"

The Avatar stood up calmly, looked at everyone, and said,

"To courage!"

Everyone voiced their agreement.

"To courage!" eight voices echoed.

At the end of the party, Chen Zhenhua, Hu Jun, and Li Guohua held their glasses and spoke to the Avatar.

"We're sorry, Captain. We're going back tomorrow."

As soon as they said it, everyone fell silent. Mo Yuemei also looked torn, but she did not join them.

"You haven't wronged anyone. You joined our company's exploration operation, and as captain, I protected you. Now your operation is over. Returning to your normal lives is the right thing to do."

"There's no need to feel guilty. We're all human, with families, loved ones, and friends. You've been away so long that your families must be worried."

"It's only natural that you should return to your lives and work. Our exploration squad makes its living specifically by searching for meteorites. I believe you already understand very well the hardships and dangers involved."

"So there's no need to say anything more. We all understand."

The next day, the twenty-fifth, after everyone saw Chen Zhenhua, Hu Jun, and Li Guohua off, Mo Yuemei chose to stay.