Southwest of Dawn City, about a hundred kilometers from the city center.

There is a relatively large border checkpoint here, with a platoon from the Dawn City Guard Team stationed.

One hundred kilometers northeast is Dawn City, and eighty kilometers southwest is the Daqing Mountain Prison Base.

This is the first border checkpoint on the southwest side of Dawn City, blocking the main road, where passing vehicles are subject to inspection.

An off-road vehicle rumbled over.

The front license plate of the off-road vehicle was gone, but the rear plate remained, indicating it was from the southern region.

The vehicle had been modified, with a huge steel beam affixed to the front, not only to prevent collision but also to ram zombies.

The dark bloodstains on the steel beam showed that this vehicle had reached here through countless thrilling moments.

The vehicle was also equipped with a machine gun on top, and there was a trailer at the back, carrying fuel, food, and other supplies.

Such vehicles were common after the apocalypse; adventurer squads usually returned in this state after bloody battles, though vehicles with southern plates were rare in this area of Dawn City.

Rare, but not nonexistent. After all, there were many out-of-town vehicles before the apocalypse, and those in better condition, once modified, ended up like this.

The vehicle approached the border checkpoint, gradually slowing down.

The man in the front passenger seat looked up in surprise at the sizable checkpoint.

The checkpoint was grandly constructed, with towering gate towers ten meters high, accommodating vehicles passing in both directions. Atop the gate towers was a row of corridors with observation windows, machine gun slits, and even the ominous sight of black gun barrels, deterring any with ill intent.

In the middle was a horizontal bar, speed bumps, and even a courtyard alongside with sentinels on duty.

Seeing a vehicle approach, several guards from the checkpoint came out, leading two large wolf dogs, signaling the vehicle to stop.

The man in the front passenger seat nervously touched the 54 pistol at his waist, hesitant to draw it.

The two men in the back seat were also tense; one held a rifle, the other a five-shot anti-riot gun, yet neither dared make a move.

Because those soldiers looked fierce, wearing bulletproof vests and helmets, wielding squad machine guns, clearly indicating formidable combat capability.

Though the four of them were armed, their best weapon was merely a Type 56 rifle; a direct confrontation was clearly not in their favor.

They were even certain that any slight movement would result in the heavy machine guns mounted on the gate towers instantly obliterating them.

"Brother Wang, what should we do?"

The man in the front passenger seat was called Brother Wang, the leader of the team.

He hesitated for a moment, glancing at the golden characters on the gate tower: "Dawn Army Border Checkpoint... If they call themselves an army, they shouldn't be like bandits, right? Their attire seems formal enough, so they probably won't rob or kill."

"But... But we have a corpse of a Mutant Wolf in the back of our vehicle. If they discover it, they'll surely be tempted."

Brother Wang chuckled bitterly, "The situation is beyond us; if it comes to that, we have to accept it. Remember, we are journalists, not here to fight to the death; we're here to gather all kinds of information within the Empire and relay it back. Gathering information is our duty. Let's get out and see what's going on."

Brother Wang got out of the vehicle first, followed by the others.

A few soldiers opposite them approached, some holding their guns cautiously watching these foreign adventurers.

The leading soldier had a different military rank from the others; he appeared to be a squad leader.

Standing in front of Brother Wang and his team, the squad leader saluted, "Hello, this is the jurisdiction of Dawn City. Where are you coming from?"

Brother Wang had a prepared response, "We're coming from the south and want to find a thriving place to rest a while, buy some things, and exchange some supplies."

"Okay, what's in the vehicle?"

"Just... just some food and supplies. Is there anything prohibited here?"

"Please open the tarp for inspection. As long as there are no chemical or infectious items, it's fine. Dawn City allows the carrying of weapons, as long as you don't use them in the city."

Brother Wang and his team had no choice but to nervously open the tarp.

Inside were indeed some good items, such as several barrels of 95-grade gasoline, some kitchenware, some rice, vacuum-packed foods, and even a frozen stiff Mutant Wolf's corpse.

While the soldier inspected, Brother Wang and his team were extremely nervous, knowing that Mutant Beast Meat was very precious. They had only encountered a lone Mutant Wolf by chance, leading to this valuable gain.

They hadn't even dared to eat it themselves, planning to find a bustling place to trade it for something.

They had passed the Daqing Mountain Prison Base earlier, but there were almost no official residents left there; it had become a temporary resting point for adventurers. Everyone's gazes seemed malicious, and they dared not linger, choosing to continue forward, hoping to find a prosperous town for rest and resupply.

As the soldier checked, Brother Wang suddenly asked, "Sir, can we film with a camera? We don't mean anything by it; I just want to document things."

The soldier glanced at him, "Sure, it's not prohibited here, nor in the city."

"Great, I'll start filming then, you continue."

The soldier rifled through the Mutant Wolf's corpse while Brother Wang's companions nervously sweated.

Unexpectedly, the soldier wasn't interested in the Mutant Wolf's corpse, which they deemed precious; he merely let a nearby large dog sniff it.

"Xiaohai, come over here and sniff, check if there's any contraband in the car, especially anything carrying the zombie virus."

The dog, larger than a Mutant Wolf, came over and sniffed carefully.

After circling the area, it returned to the soldier and wagged its tail.

"Alright, no contraband found in the check; you may proceed."

The team exchanged incredulous glances.

They were let through so easily, with no fuel deductions nor difficulties, and they didn't even care about the precious Mutant Wolf.

Brother Wang was also incredulous, "Sir, no fees?"

Saying so, he pulled out a stack of colorful bills from his pocket.

The soldier glanced at it, "What's this?"

"This is the New Coin, don't you know?"

"New Coin? Where is it issued?"

"It's... it's issued by Jiangzhou Base City, established by Grand Duke Zheng Jinnan, and it's been out for almost three months now."

The soldier waved his hand, "It's not used here. Inside Dawn City, we trade with gold and silver, and residents can earn contribution points which can also be used as currency. You outsiders can exchange goods for gold and silver."

"Oh, oh! I see. Well then, how much longer until we reach Dawn City?"

"From here, it's 100 kilometers northeast."

Having said that, the soldier signaled for the gate to be opened for them to pass.

Brother Wang and the others returned to the car, and they smoothly passed through the checkpoint.

As they passed by the large compound, they even saw an armored vehicle inside.

"Oh my! Brother Wang, did you see that? An armored vehicle! Even in Jiangzhou, only the regular army is equipped with such weapons, yet they're here even at a border checkpoint."

"Brother Wang, this Dawn Army seems a bit high-class. Do they not care about Mutant Beast Meat? Do they not know its powerful effects?"

"Perhaps, after all, they are a bunch of backcountry bumpkins living in the border area. They don't even know about the New Coin, let alone Mutant Beast Meat."

Even the well-informed Brother Wang nodded, "That's possible. They're probably just lucky and found a huge stash of military weapons. Maybe they don't even know about terrifying creatures like King Kong Zombies. However, dealing with such unworldly people is quite a headache. Our Mutant Beast Meat might not receive acknowledgment and won't sell for a good price."

"So what should we do? We can't just let them taste-test it, right? Sigh, really don't want to deal with these hillbillies, such a bother."

"I wonder how many Mutants there are over there? Brother Wang, you're a Level 1 Mutant, you should be treated well over there, right?"

"I must say, their military discipline seems quite good. It doesn't look any worse than ours in Jiangzhou."

The group was complaining as the car continued forward.

Before entering the checkpoint, the road was all ice and snow, making travel very difficult.

However, after passing the checkpoint, the roads were cleared, clean, and free of snow, making travel much more comfortable.

Just as they were admiring the excellent cleaning work, they saw several vehicles parked by the roadside.

Several people were sitting on the car trunks smoking, and just from their appearance, you could tell they were an Adventurer Squad.

Brother Wang quickly had the car stop, and he got out holding a camera.

Once he was out, he immediately felt uneasy.

He was a Level 1 Mutant, and against ordinary people, he had a huge psychological advantage, especially at close range, even if the others were armed.

But he never expected that all six people sitting or standing here were Mutants!

Especially the leading girl; she looked really beautiful, but she was actually a Level 2 Mutant!

A Level 2 Mutant, even in Jiangzhou, is a big deal.

Unexpectedly, she seemed to be just the leader of a survivor squad here.

His psychological advantage disappeared instantly, and his hand holding the camera shook a little.

The danger in the post-apocalyptic world isn't just zombies; there are also these adventurers. Murders and robberies have never stopped since the apocalypse began.

Moreover, he was planning to film them, which might be considered offensive.

Just as he was unsure of what to do, the beauty who wasn't smoking but chewing gum spoke up.

"Hey! You guys are from out of town, right?"

"Ah! Yes, yes... How could you tell, beautiful?"

"Your coats don't fit. Fortunately, the temperature raised a bit these days, or you guys might've frozen to death."

Brother Wang looked at the mink coat he found, and indeed it was a bit large.

"Beautiful eyes, indeed we are from out of town."

"Came to Dawn City for business?"

"Yes, we have something to sell."

"What is it? Let me see; I'll buy good goods."

"It's the carcass of a Mutant Wolf..."

Brother Wang hesitated for a moment but decided to speak up since these few seemed a bit too formidable to provoke.

"Mutant Wolf? Let me have a look."

After looking at the Mutant Wolf, the beauty directly asked, "The goods are passable. How do you plan to sell it?"

Brother Wang originally wanted to say New Coin, but remembering the earlier experience, he promptly changed his question, "What's the purchasing power of gold and silver around here?"

The beauty briefly explained, and Brother Wang immediately had a suitable psychological price.

"The whole wolf for sale, asking ten kilograms of gold."

This time, before the beauty could respond, a tall Mutant holding a heavy machine gun beside her laughed.

"Bumpkin, you think Mutant Beast Meat is such a rare commodity? Ten kilograms of gold for just one Mutant Wolf? You'll never sell at that price in Dawn City. Sister Xiao Man, let's go. Stop wasting time with these out-of-town bumpkins."

The leader, called Sister Xiao Man, nodded and glanced at Brother Wang, "I know you came from a small place and lack knowledge. Once you're in Dawn City, you should keep a low profile and avoid making jokes like this."

After saying this, the members of the Mutant Squad got into their vehicles and drove towards Dawn City.

Meanwhile, the out-of-town people who were filled with a sense of superiority were now looking at each other.

Things seemed different than they had imagined.

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