As a newly established main city just four months ago, the Eighteenth District still has some beasts roaming around, though their numbers are small and most are hidden.

Jiang Kai didn't want to waste time searching for these scattered beasts and headed straight for the edge of the Safe Zone.

After exiting the south gate of the main city, it takes about half an hour on foot to reach the edge of the Safe Zone.

From a distance, Jiang Kai saw a large number of people moving around.

Countless camps were densely distributed, ignoring the terrain.

On the foothills, the mountainside, the mountaintop, along the roads, by the lakeside, roughly estimated, there might be over ten thousand camps spread out, forming a strip over fifty meters wide and several kilometers long.

Jiang Kai couldn't help but recall what Brother Xia said, the real pioneering army isn't inside the main city!

This was just the pioneering team on the south side of the Eighteenth District. The entire Eighteenth District is located southwest of China City, and their task is to expand the territory southwestward. What Jiang Kai saw was just the tip of the iceberg of the Eighteenth District's outer defense line.

"This is the pioneering of Ghost Star!" Such a grand scale made Jiang Kai feel a surge of excitement in his heart.

It wasn't until this moment that he truly felt the grandeur of developing Ghost Star!

With excitement, Jiang Kai walked into the last Safe Zone.

Up close, Jiang Kai observed more information, things that weren't available online.

In one camp, a young lady was helping a teammate treat injuries. The teammate had three deep, bone-revealing scars across his chest, slashing diagonally to the right waist.

While the young lady was treating the wound, the burly man bit down on a short stick to avoid making noise.

Other teammates in the team were waiting for treatment.

In another camp, a well-equipped team of a dozen people was busy setting up a new camp.

One young man placed a sign in front of the camp, which read "Xuanyuan Guild—Shura Squad Camp."

It was then that Jiang Kai noticed that every camp had such a sign.

Like house numbers, most of the formats were the guild name first, followed by the squad name.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

There were passable areas between the camps, where people from several camps were meeting, seemingly conducting some kind of trade.

Besides the team members, there were also soldiers in military uniforms patrolling between the camps.

They were likely military personnel responsible for security management here, while also keeping an eye on the surrounding beasts.

After all, for humans, this was not only the last Safe Zone but also the frontline!

In the Safe Zone, there were evenly distributed buildings, many in number, about the size of a shantytown grocery store, just a few square meters, and over two meters high.

The buildings were square, with a door frame facing north but no door, guarded by someone. On the south side of the house, there was a square window.

Through the window, one could vaguely see something like a large crossbow inside.

Besides those small buildings, there were larger houses every now and then, with signs reading "Pioneering Trade · Emergency Supply Station."

The Supply Station had a window on each side, responsible for "trade" and "supply," respectively, with guards on either side and dedicated personnel inside.

Jiang Kai noticed that in some camps, team members were holding a map, discussing adventure routes.

But Jiang Kai didn't have such a map in his hand.

Thinking of this, Jiang Kai went to a Supply Station.

This Supply Station was labeled "Station 27."

The trade window mainly dealt with common items obtained during adventures. People would sell common items here, and although the prices weren't advantageous, it saved a lot of trouble.

The Supply Station provided essential combat items.

Maps were likely sold at the Supply Station, so Jiang Kai went to the supply window.

Two burly men stood on either side of the supply window, merely glancing at Jiang Kai without any other actions.

Inside the window sat a woman in her twenties, with an ordinary appearance, who was organizing numerous cards on the table.

She quickly noticed someone at the window and looked up, "Hello, what do you need?"

"A map."

"Alright, 50 Star Coins."

Jiang Kai extended his left hand, and the woman slid her watch over Jiang Kai's watch, completing the transaction with a beep.

"The map information has been sent to your watch. The current map includes four roughly explored areas: Deer Chase Ridge, King’s Valley, Taiping Mountain Path, and Ash Plains. There is no map information for other areas yet. If you don't have enough strength, it's advised not to enter."

Jiang Kai nodded, "Thank you, I understand... By the way, do you have card pouches here?"

"Yes, what size do you need?"

"Could you introduce them?"

The woman was initially a bit impatient, but seeing Jiang Kai's young age, she softened her tone.

"A small card pouch can compress 500 item cards into the thickness of one card, priced at 200 Star Coins. A medium one can compress 1,000 cards, priced at 2,000 Star Coins. A large one can compress 5,000 cards, priced at 20,000 Star Coins."

"All card pouches have an automatic sorting function and can identify your requirements when extracting cards."

"Young man, I see it's your first time outside the Safe Zone. Actually, unless you're part of a particularly strong high-level team, you won't really need a card pouch. Hunting a dozen beasts in one hunt is already good, and carrying a few item cards doesn't take up much space." The woman kindly advised.

Jiang Kai thought about it; the automatic sorting function was something he needed. Previously, holding over a hundred cards, he couldn't find the Shadowless Wolf's corpse card, which was quite embarrassing.

It's best to have a card pouch ready.

With 470 Star Coins left, Jiang Kai gritted his teeth and said, "I'll buy a small one."

Seeing Jiang Kai not taking her advice, the woman didn't say anything further. After receiving the money, she handed a small cloth pouch to Jiang Kai.

"Place the card pouch in a convenient spot, it can merge with your clothing, and you can also remove it at any time."

Jiang Kai nodded and placed the pouch on the right sleeve.

The pouch emitted a faint glow, sinking at a visible speed, eventually merging with the sleeve.

Soon, Jiang Kai's right sleeve had a rectangular seam, with a small number "0" displayed in the center.

In addition, Jiang Kai purchased some outdoor equipment, like flint, a water bottle, and three pieces of jerky, spending 50 Star Coins.

After obtaining new cards, Jiang Kai pressed them against the sleeve, and the cards disappeared automatically, with the number on the sleeve changing to "5."

Leaving the Supply Station, Jiang Kai took out 10 Watch Cards from his pocket, all looted from stowaways, along with Nine Tribulations Chasing Death, and placed them in the card pouch.

The card pouch's number changed to "16."

With preparations complete, Jiang Kai took a deep breath, ready to leave the Safe Zone.

Suddenly, someone called out to him from behind.

"Little Brother, Little Brother!"

Jiang Kai turned around in surprise and saw a tall, skinny man waving at him.

"Come over here, I have something for you!"

Jiang Kai frowned. The man had a sharp, monkey-like face, with the most noticeable feature being his meticulously groomed mustache, resembling two brush tips.

Jiang Kai looked around, and it seemed there was no one else nearby.

"Little Brother, come over, it's something important, you'll regret it if you don't!" The man raised his eyebrows, looking particularly eager.