Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

222: Chapter 143: Getting a Bargain and Being Malicious [Triple-Length Chapter]_2 222: Chapter 143: Getting a Bargain and Being Malicious [Triple-Length Chapter]_2 The contribution points rental collected for the broadsword and Iron Core Bow is more of a symbolic gesture since there aren’t many people in the Earth-digging Realm at the camp.

“Is everyone ready?”

However, with Xia Hong’s voice echoing from the hallway, the laughter instantly ceased, and everyone turned to look in that direction.

Xia Hong, carrying a Double-edged Giant Axe and holding an Iron Core Bow, with a Yi Blade tucked at his waist, still dressed in a black cloak and wearing black Beast Skin Boots, slowly descended the stairs.

Interestingly, Xia Hong’s physique among the members of the Hunting Team isn’t particularly remarkable.

Yuan Cheng, Luo Yuan, Zhao Long, and a few others are all noticeably more robust than him.

Yet, to everyone at that moment, Xia Hong, walking down the hallway, seemed several times larger than all of them.

It felt as though there were invisible currents swirling around him, creating an inexplicable sense of oppression.

And as he got closer, this oppressive feeling grew deeper and stronger.

It seemed to make even breathing difficult…

“Are you all deaf?”

Xia Hong’s thunderous voice reverberated in their ears, jolting everyone to attention, and they all replied in unison, “Ready!”

Xia Hong nodded, his gaze slowly shifting to Xu Ning and Lin Kai at the edge of the crowd, a smile appearing on his face.

“Let’s go!”

“Yes, Leader!”

All seventeen of them nodded in agreement, fully armed and following Xia Hong’s lead as they departed the camp and plunged into Redwood Ridge.

Once in Redwood Ridge, Xia Hong led the group straight to the north.

The faces of the seventeen people showed varying degrees of excitement.

They all knew that this outing might not be primarily hunting; the main goal was to patrol the northern territory to see if the people from Mirror Immortal Camp had crossed the border recently.

The memory of He Meng’s aggressive stance during the Rodent incident was still fresh, and the members of the camp’s Hunting Team never had any fondness for Mirror Immortal Camp.

They were eager to encounter them.

The territory previously delineated by Lu Shang Camp was only about five hundred meters to the north.

In this five hundred meter outer region, Xia Hong ordered the members to spread out to quickly search it.

Those who returned one after another reported their findings.

“There are signs of activity in several places.”

“The number of Low-level Cold Beasts on the outskirts has noticeably decreased; they must have been hunted.”

“Several trees have also been cut down; it must be people from Mirror Immortal Camp.”

…

The reports were not unexpected to Xia Hong.

But realizing that the words he had Yuwen Dao bring back were completely ignored by the people of Mirror Immortal Camp, his expression darkened noticeably.

“I found signs of a large group heading inward on the west side, quite fresh, probably just an hour or two ago!”

Once Luo Yuan’s final words fell upon his return.

Xia Hong immediately turned to look inside towards the west, speaking in a deep voice:

“Let’s go in and see just how capable these people are!”

Hearing the anger in Xia Hong’s deep tone, everyone’s expressions became more solemn as they quickly followed him toward the west, into the depths of Redwood Ridge.

The traces of activity on the outskirts were clear enough to discern that the Mirror Immortal Camp’s Hunting Team had over twenty people, about the same as last time.

But the deeper they went into Redwood Ridge, these traces became increasingly faint, and eventually, they completely disappeared.

“The snow inside is too thick, the temperature too low, the density of Cold Beasts is high, and it seems they’ve intentionally covered their tracks.

We can’t find them!”

After delving about one thousand three hundred meters in, and finding they could no longer trace the others, Xia Hong looked further west, his brow slightly furrowed.

On previous hunting trips, apart from the first time when chasing Snow Mane led them unintentionally four or five kilometers deep, he mostly kept hunting within a 1500 meter radius.

At this current position, the 1500 meter range should generally be visible.

Even if unseen, the size of Intermediate Cold Beasts could give them away if they were being hunted.

Placing an ear to the ground might catch some noise.

But here, there was nothing at all.

There was only one possibility…