Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

The world was a frozen wasteland, the biting wind piercing to the bone.

Under the starlit night, the group from the Great Xia camp trudged laboriously westward.

The distance from Cave Number One to Cave Number Four was actually less than two thousand meters.

Yet, this short distance of less than two thousand meters took the hundred-plus people from the Great Xia camp a full two hours to traverse.

The main reason was the snow accumulation in Redwood Ridge, which was shockingly thick.

Upon exiting the cave, even the thinnest layer of snow was more than half a meter deep.

In the thicker areas, it was even five or six meters, and several of the strong young men leading the way had already fallen down the snow slopes, resulting in bruised faces and swollen noses.

When encountering thicker snow, the group had to stop, relying on the strong young men at the front of the line to force a path through before they could continue.

Secondly, the weather was cold, and visibility at night was poor.

Considering the children in the group, Xia Hong could only deliberately slow down the pace.

Although the pace was slow and many people were injured, they ultimately arrived safely.

Cave Number Four was located on the west side of a small earthen slope, its entrance concealed by a dense covering of leaves, now covered with a layer of snow and even adorned with small icicles.

Some of the children in the group were already shivering with blue lips, so Xia Hong grabbed a stone axe and quickly chopped open the entrance, hastily organizing everyone to enter.

This cave was about a hundred meters square, even more spacious than the previous one.

Upon entering the cave, Xia Hong first started a fire, then instructed Xia Chuan to lead people to reseal the entrance.

This puzzled Xia Chuan somewhat, as the temperature was higher at night than during the day, and cold beasts were not as active, so there was generally no need to seal the cave.

However, he soon understood.

"Everyone, gather around, I have something to say!"

Xia Hong gathered everyone around him, then pointed to the fire and solemnly said:

"The most important thing for the camp right now is this fire. This fire has a deterrent and lethal effect on strange creatures, but it will also attract cold beasts, so from now on, whether it's night or day, you must seal the cave entrance when entering or exiting, understand?"

The scene of the fake Xia Ding being reduced to ashes in the previous cave was witnessed by everyone, and they now deeply believed in Xia Hong's words, nodding in agreement.

"Chuan, how much food do we have left?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Chuan's expression immediately turned somewhat somber, and he replied: "We have about seven hundred catties of crystal fruit left, and only sixty catties of cold beast meat."

Everyone instantly became worried upon hearing this number.

Of course, this included Xia Hong.

In such a harsh environment, farming was naturally out of the question.

Perhaps it existed, but the current Great Xia camp certainly didn't have access to it.

The staple food for the Great Xia, including all the camps around Redwood Ridge, was a fruit that grew on a tree called the Ice Acorn.

The fruit was about the size of a fist, with a crystalline outer skin and a soft, glutinous interior, with a hint of sweetness, each weighing about half a catty.

Normally, two fruits a day were enough to barely sustain a person.

Seven hundred catties sounded like a lot, but it wasn't enough for 154 people.

Even if they were frugal, giving each person only one fruit a day, these seven hundred catties would only last for less than ten days.

As for cold beast meat, perhaps some giant camps could use it as a staple food, but in the Great Xia camp, cold beast flesh was considered a strategic resource, like wood.

Cultivation for humans in this world relied on cold beast flesh.

Previously, Xia Ding had implemented a rationing system in the Great Xia camp.

Each member of the logging team received one catty per day.

And those between the ages of fifteen and eighteen received half a catty every three days.

That was the official policy, but in reality, it wasn't the case.

Because the camp had too little cold beast flesh.

At least during the month that Xia Hong had transmigrated here, he had only seen Xia Ding bring back one cold beast, a Bone-Spike Frost Wolf, and it was still a juvenile, weighing only a hundred catties.

In a situation of scarcity, the camp's cold beast flesh was actually prioritized for the offspring of the logging team members.

Xia Ding and Xia Chuan had also been able to receive some before.

But Xia Chuan had given his cold beast flesh to Xia Hong, claiming that his brother was about to break through to the logging level.

This was why Xia Hong had developed such a deep affection for Xia Chuan in just one month.

Don't underestimate the fact that they were brothers.

This was a world where death could come at any moment.

Cold beast flesh, a strategic resource that could enhance strength, was no exaggeration to say that it was equivalent to life.

Yet Xia Chuan was willing to give it to him, which showed how pure and kind-hearted this younger brother was.

Just as Xia Hong was pondering, Xia Chuan walked from the back of the group to the fire, carrying a mass of deep blue flesh.

The flesh of cold beasts was blue.

Xia Hong's expression faltered slightly, but he quickly realized what Xia Chuan wanted to do.

"Everyone, I won't beat around the bush. My brother is the strongest, and he's only a little bit away from the logging realm.

I propose that we give all sixty catties of cold beast meat to him. If he can break through sooner, our camp's safety will be guaranteed.

What do you all think?"

As expected, Xia Hong had guessed correctly.

He subconsciously wanted to refuse, but after thinking about it, he didn't open his mouth.

Although it was a bit selfish, Xia Chuan's words were indeed correct.

But human nature was still complex. After Xia Chuan finished speaking, a deathly silence fell, and no one spoke.

Especially the offspring of the former logging team members.

"Hong, we trust you, but can you swear that after breaking through to the logging level, you won't abandon us and leave on your own?"

The one who spoke was a burly young man.

Yuan Cheng, with a straightforward personality and no scheming intentions.

His father, Yuan Gang, was second only to Xia Ding in strength in the camp.

Xia Hong's mind flashed with information about the other party, and he didn't answer immediately, but turned his gaze elsewhere to observe the reactions of others.

"Now is indeed the time to concentrate resources to help Hong improve his strength."

"But that flesh was bought back by my father risking his life."

"Without logging-level combat power, we can't even collect wood. Once these three trees are burned out, we'll freeze to death."

"I think we should give it to Hong."

"That's right, give it to him."

… … … …

Only the offspring of the former logging team members spoke.

From this, one could basically see the ecology of the former Great Xia camp.

Xia Ding and the logging team members were at the top, responsible for searching for resources and also deciding on the distribution of resources in the camp.

Then their families and offspring were second-class, enjoying priority resource privileges and having a certain say in camp affairs.

And everyone else was third-class, waiting for the distribution of resources.

Xia Hong cleared his thoughts and gently pressed down with his hand.

Everyone immediately closed their mouths upon seeing his gesture.

Obviously, Xia Hong's performance during the previous camp attack and leading them to move had established a certain prestige in their hearts.

"Cheng, if I want to leave, I'll still leave even if I swear, so I can't guarantee anything to you…"

Xia Hong paused after responding to Yuan Cheng, then continued in a heavier tone:

"Trust is the cornerstone between us. I'll only say one thing: if you're willing to give me this piece of flesh, I'll repay you tenfold or a hundredfold someday in the future.

If you're willing to give it to me, express your opinion now.

If you're not willing, I won't say anything and we'll continue as before."

After Xia Hong's voice fell, the cave first fell into silence.

But soon, there was the first voice:

"Hong, I believe you."

Then came the second, the third.

"I also believe in the leader."

"I, Yuan Cheng, am willing to give my cold beast flesh to Hong."

"That's right, only if the leader becomes stronger can we continue to live."

… … … …

Voices of support and trust rose and fell in the crowd.

A smile also appeared on Xia Hong's face.

Taking the mass of cold beast flesh from Xia Chuan's hand, a trace of determination gradually emerged in Xia Hong's eyes.

"In this extremely cold doomsday environment, only a camp that trusts each other and is sincere with each other can truly survive. Strength will come sooner or later."