[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-endless-winter-my-camp-infinitely-upgrades":3,"chapter-endless-winter-my-camp-infinitely-upgrades-endless-winter-my-camp-infinitely-upgrades-chapter-88":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Endless Winter: My Camp Infinitely Upgrades",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2266514,4425,"Chapter 88: The Animal Trap","endless-winter-my-camp-infinitely-upgrades-chapter-88",88,"\u003Cp>Given the dangers of the Great Xia’s relocation, for the next two nights, as Huang Zhao and Da Chuan’s camps moved in, Xia Hong took all twenty-six Foundation Establishment cultivators with him for safety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, nothing happened over those two consecutive nights, and by dawn on the third day, all 427 people from both camps arrived safely at the valley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as Xia Hong returned to the valley, he handed over all merger duties to Xia Chuan and hurried straight toward the smelting furnace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the furnace, a half-meter-long circular saw-toothed trap glowed crimson red; seven silver-white forging patterns had already appeared along its flanks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Hong picked up a polishing stone beside him and continued the hammering he had left unfinished the previous night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang… Clang… Clang…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half an hour later, Xia Chuan arrived with a somber expression, accompanied by Yuan Cheng, Luo Yuan, Huang Yong, and Hong Gang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Leader, the count is complete. After merging both camps, our total population is now 902; excluding you, there are 36 Foundation Establishment cultivators; between thirteen and thirty years old, there are 302; under thirteen, there are 392. According to our previously established meat distribution rules, excluding the leader, the camp’s monthly cold-beast meat consumption is approximately…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Chuan paused here, his face growing even heavier, then continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just over twenty thousand jin!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this number, Luo Yuan, Huang Yong, and Hong Gang all fixed their gazes on Xia Hong’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just over twenty thousand jin meant at least fifteen cold beasts, by conservative estimate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fifteen cold beasts per month—that’s one every two nights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how you looked at it, this was impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Hong’s earlier boast about the four-tier meat distribution rule was doomed to fail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had helped count the numbers just now, so they already knew this figure; though they didn’t believe Xia Hong could possibly achieve it, they still wanted to see how he’d react upon hearing it himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone, including Xia Chuan, expected Xia Hong to show shock, disbelief, or even embarrassment upon hearing the number.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang… Clang… Clang…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Xia Hong showed no expression at all—he kept focused on hammering the circular saw-toothed iron ring, only turning his head to nod at Xia Chuan when he paused: “Alright, I understand. Go rest now. Get good sleep during the day; we’ll go hunting at night.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Chuan opened his mouth several times but held back, seeing Xia Hong absorbed in forging; Luo Yuan and the other three exchanged glances, clearly stunned by Xia Hong’s calm reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could he really do it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Impossible!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Yuan shook his head internally—he didn’t know what the others thought, but he knew the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Ge’s camp previously had five Excavation Establishment cultivators and over thirty Foundation Establishment cultivators—far stronger than Great Xia’s current strength. Even then, they managed at most seven or eight cold beasts per month, and only because their weapons were fully equipped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, Great Xia has barely a dozen weapons total, and Xia Hong is the only Excavation Establishment cultivator. Even seven or eight cold beasts would be a major problem, let alone fifteen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Hong may be strong, but no matter how strong, could he outmatch five Excavation Establishment cultivators?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What on earth gave this new leader such confidence?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Yuan didn’t leave. Instead, he stared at the circular saw-toothed iron ring in Xia Hong’s hands for a moment, then couldn’t help speaking: “Leader, you’re forging a trap, aren’t you? It won’t work…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Xia Hong look up, Luo Yuan continued: “Luo Ge’s camp tried setting traps before, but cold beasts don’t move at night—setting them is useless. During the day, they sometimes step on them, but these traps can only wound them; capturing them is impossible. And those cold beasts are smarter than each other—without a human as bait, they’ll never take the bait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You could use a person as bait at night, but cold beasts don’t move at night; you can’t set bait during the day, so they won’t bite. Even if one accidentally stepped on it, with no one nearby, it would escape—and might even drag the trap away with it, leaving you with neither beast nor tool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Hong understood Luo Yuan’s words perfectly, but he gave no reaction. However, Xia Chuan beside him suddenly seemed to realize something—he stared at the trap, his eyes flickering with sudden interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry. I have a plan. Go rest. I’ll call you when night falls. Also, for tonight’s logging team, Huang Yong and Hong Gang will lead and organize.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his warning ignored, Luo Yuan could only leave reluctantly. Huang Yong and Hong Gang also went to rest. Only Xia Chuan stayed behind, waiting until Xia Hong finished forging the trap before approaching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Hong exhaled deeply, gazing at the ten silver-white forging patterns along the trap’s flank—finally, a faint smile appeared on his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big brother, it’s only two hours until nightfall. Rest for a bit. I’ll prepare the torches and wake you when night comes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Xia Chuan’s words, Xia Hong knew he had understood his plan. He nodded, placed the trap down, and lay down beside the furnace to rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two nights of constant travel, plus nonstop forging of the trap—he was utterly exhausted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had to go hunting tonight; he couldn’t afford to skip rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Hong understood why Luo Ming had left—he knew how hard it was to be a leader, especially in a weak camp, where the leader must give more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logging, hunting, forging, mining—for Great Xia now, the only thing Xia Hong could truly let go of was logging. The other three tasks not only had to be done by him, but only he could do them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without dedication and sacrifice, no one could be a leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was true of Great Xia now—and it had been true of Luo Ge’s camp too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Giving up is human nature. Besides, Luo Ming had held on for so many years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just hold on a little longer. Once the cold-beast meat supply catches up, things will improve immediately!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Hong rubbed his swollen arms, silently cheering himself on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This rare moment of rest didn’t last long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Night soon fell again. When Xia Hong awoke, Xia Chuan and the other eleven were fully armed and waiting for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Hong looked around the camp and didn’t see Huang Yong or the others—he frowned in confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Xia Chuan hurried forward to explain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Leader, Hong Gang and Huang Yong have already taken the rest of the team out to log. Mu Dong said we need Jinlin trees for the new huts, so they took all ten saws with them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Hong nodded, remembering the logging task. Now he didn’t have to worry about it—he felt a slight easing in his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gazing at the pitch-black sky beyond the wooden huts, he waved to the group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Hong led the way. The thirteen of them slipped out of the valley’s cave entrance under cover of night, walking out before the eyes of everyone in camp, heading toward Redwood Ridge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you think the leader’s promise—that everyone gets cold-beast meat—is real or just talk?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How could it be real? He’s just saying it to calm us down, exaggerating. If he could really hunt that many cold beasts, why would Great Xia have agreed to merge with us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s true. He’s only just reached Excavation Establishment. Even Luo Ge’s camp never managed everyone getting cold-beast meat—how could Great Xia?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t ask for daily rations. I’d be happy with one or two jin per month.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>………………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the newcomers who had just merged in, the original Great Xia logging team’s reserves mostly stayed silent, quietly polishing their strength or helping Mu Dong and others carry wood to train.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even when they heard others’ chatter, they offered no explanations—only smiled and said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1316,"2026-06-19T20:30:15.201Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","585049880de1c6b2fe06a88c7e49f8fd02a19a7930b5fa2d16867fbd70dbfba9","endless-winter-my-camp-infinitely-upgrades-chapter-89","endless-winter-my-camp-infinitely-upgrades-chapter-87",521,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fendless-winter-my-camp-infinitely-upgrades-cover.jpg"]