Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely-Chapter 123 - 110 Must Take Action Immediately

"Run!"

In such a predicament, there was no other choice left.

Though the Cloud Mist Teng Jiao looked terrifying, it was still a low-level Cold Beast; the individual power of the Rodents wasn’t strong either, and though seven or eight was a considerable number, without an ambush, they were not much of a threat to the three of them.

The key was, if they didn’t run now, half an hour would pass. ƒгeewebnovёl.com

Xia Hong clearly felt his head starting to feel dizzy, and the temperature was dropping faster and faster, indicating that dawn was not far off.

As soon as he gave the order, the three of them simultaneously raised their swords and charged in the direction where there were only two Rodents.

The six Rodents on the other two sides reacted quickly, rushing over to try and block the three from escaping, but before they could move, the Teng Jiao above them moved first.

Whoosh...

A huge tail descended from the sky, smashing towards the three.

Xia Hong didn’t need to look up; just the sound of the wind from the descending tail made him realize how terrifying the Teng Jiao’s strength was. He directly abandoned the two Rodents in front of him and dodged sideways before the tail fell, holding his sword firmly.

Boom...

The giant tail of the Teng Jiao struck the ground, sending snow flying ten meters high. Although Xia Chuan and Luo Yuan dodged to the sides at the last moment, they were still sent flying over ten meters by the sweeping strike that followed.

Splutter...

Though they quickly got up after landing, both spat blood, clearly having their organs injured by the terrifying force of the Teng Jiao.

Unlike the two, Xia Hong not only dodged the impact of the Teng Jiao’s giant tail, but his sword even cut into the tail of the Teng Jiao. Taking advantage of the Teng Jiao’s final sweep, he withdrew his sword.

A deep cut over a meter long appeared on the Teng Jiao’s tail.

"The strength exceeds mine, should be over twenty-five thousand pounds, but its defense is average. Iron weapons can injure it!"

Xia Hong took a deep breath, a hint of delight on his face.

When the Teng Jiao’s giant tail descended earlier, he hadn’t attacked proactively but held his sword horizontally in the air. The wound on the Teng Jiao’s tail was caused by its own inability to stop its strength, and the final sweeping strike was obviously a reflex from being wounded by the sword and feeling the pain.

"Leader, the Rodents’ movements have slowed!"

"Indeed, they’re no longer as agile as before."

Meanwhile, from the other side, good news came from Xia Chuan and Luo Yuan.

The reason they were hit by the Teng Jiao’s sweep earlier was that they blocked the two incoming Rodents for Xia Hong. Both Rodents were now marked with cuts inflicted by their swords.

With the usual speed of Rodents, the two of them shouldn’t have managed to injure them.

Xia Hong turned to look at the cuts on the Rodents, then glanced around at the other eight Rodents. He noticed that their crimson pupils showed a clear dazedness, and their movements were indeed much slower than before, and he realized instantly.

"The poisonous mist from the Teng Jiao affects the Rodents more than it does humans!"

Whoosh...

Just as he finished speaking, the sound of the wind came again. Xia Hong hurriedly led the other two quickly southward, toward the place where the Rodent group had chased them earlier and finally stopped.

"Properties counteracting each other; these two types of Cold Beasts are indeed natural enemies. Fortunately, neither of them is particularly strong on their own. As long as we can deal with the Rodent group, escaping safely is not an issue."

Seeing the toxic mist restrain the Rodents, Xia Hong immediately made a decision. The Teng Jiao, though powerful, was of limited threat to them. Escaping wasn’t an issue; the Rodent group was currently their biggest obstacle to survival.

The large group of Rodents underground, whether they retreated or not, if they brought the Teng Jiao over, it was the safest bet. If they could instigate a fight between the two sides, that would be ideal. Even if they couldn’t, if they could scare away the Rodent group, they could survive.

The Teng Jiao, enraged by the earlier blow, was clearly very hateful towards Xia Hong. Seeing the three of them escape, it didn’t hesitate to circle around from the trees to chase after them.

Of course, during the process, it didn’t forget to swoop down and swallow the eight nearly-unconscious Rodents on the ground.

Whoosh... Whoosh... Whoosh... Whoosh...

The trees of Redwood Ridge were unusually thick and tall, and the Teng Jiao didn’t need to land but instead leveraged the trees to chase after the three, closing the distance quickly in just a short time.

"The underground is moving; it worked. The Rodent group is retreating!"

As they fled, passing near the area where the Rodent group had stopped earlier, Xia Hong could feel the movement indicating the Rodents were retreating underground. Though he dared not stop, a smile gradually appeared on his face.

"Throw the torch!"

On Xia Hong’s command, Xia Chuan immediately understood. While running, he ignited a torch and threw it forcefully in the direction the Rodent group was fleeing.

Almost the moment the torch ignited, the movements underground ceased abruptly, and the Teng Jiao pursuing from behind had its pupils suddenly contract as its body halted sharply.

"It’s working, run quickly!"

Once again, Xia Hong couldn’t help but marvel at the immense attraction that a torch had on Cold Beasts.

The Rodents had chased them from the northern slope of the mountain two kilometers to this place, and even after encountering the Teng Jiao, they were unwilling to retreat, showing their intense intent to kill them. Similarly, the Teng Jiao, after being wounded, would certainly harbor strong enmity towards him.

And yet, both sides, upon seeing the torch, immediately stopped, making it their sole target.

Xia Hong didn’t dare look back anymore. Even if a fight broke out between the Teng Jiao and the Rodent group, he didn’t have the courage to return to take advantage.

Surviving the night would already be a miracle.

Turning back now would be courting death, a joke risking their lives.

"Take the two Rodent carcasses and hurry back to camp!"

The three frantically ran, carrying the two Rodent carcasses from earlier, and finally reached the camp just before dawn.

The newly built wooden house was nearing completion, with only the interior work left. During the day, with the light source blocked, they could continue working, so besides those resting on rotation, a few were still working inside the wooden house.

However, most people were still hiding in the temporary shelters.

The disheveled appearance of Xia Hong and the other two upon returning stirred panic among those in the camp, and everyone gathered around with worried expressions.

Bang...

Upon entering the wooden house, Xia Chuan and Luo Yuan immediately set down the two Rodent carcasses, called for people to handle them quickly, and followed Xia Hong to the Iron Refining Furnace.

Several women from the camp immediately came up with the Golden Sore Powder and Shredded Soft Skin to treat the three’s wounds.

Luo Yuan had blood at the corner of his mouth, four or five claw marks on his left arm and chest. They had already been treated with Golden Sore Powder and were healing, though still bloody, and his back was bruised badly, with several collapsed bones visible, making his injuries the most serious;

Xia Chuan had a sunken back, blood at the corner of his mouth, and several scratches on his arm, making his injuries the lightest in comparison;

The worst was Xia Hong. Although his injuries weren’t as severe as Luo Yuan’s, with three deep claw marks on his waist and several dangling pieces of flesh, they had been treated with Golden Sore Powder and were already healing.

The main problem was his face, with a three to four-inch long scar with the flesh turned outward, looking alarmingly sinister.

The three not only had severe injuries but their faces were also noticeably reddish, and their pupils somewhat dilated, showing signs of poisoning. While the others might not know, those from the former Rogel Camp, like Zhao Long, immediately recognized it as the toxin from the Cloud Mist Teng Jiao.

Furthermore, seeing the big swords they brought back, not only with nicks but also large areas of worn edges, one could imagine the perilous situation the three had encountered in the past hour.

Let alone the women treating their wounds, who were all wiping away tears, even the other onlookers had faces filled with worry and fear. Some of the younger ones even burst into tears, but the adults, worried about disturbing Xia Hong and the others’ rest, covered their mouths to prevent them from making noise.

"Chuan, what’s the situation?"

"What happened to the leader?"

"Is the leader going to be okay?"

...

The first to regain consciousness among the three was Xia Chuan. Seeing Xia Hong and Luo Yuan still resting with their eyes closed, the others immediately gathered around, asking what had happened.

"Don’t make noise yet, wait for the leader to wake up and speak."

Xia Chuan shook his head, motioning for the others to be quiet.

Half an hour later, Xia Hong’s distracted pupils gradually returned to normal, the reddish color on his face faded, and he fully recovered consciousness.

"Are the two Rodents taken care of? Quickly bring them over for me to see!"

The first thing Xia Hong did upon waking was to ask about the two Rodents.

Xia Chuan immediately ordered them to bring over the handled Rodents.

"Leader, there isn’t much meat on the Rodent, only 287 pounds. The internal bones weigh 120 pounds. The two gnawing teeth alone weigh 20 pounds and are very hard. The remaining 100 pounds of internal bones are like the previous Cold Beasts, can only be ground into powder. Additionally, its fur is very soft, providing much more warmth than other Cold Beasts."

The value of Cold Beasts isn’t just in their meat. The fur can be used to make writing scrolls, clothing, and various leather products. Some internal bones can be powdered for medicine, and certain key parts can be used for other tools, among other things...

Earlier, to maximize the use of hunted prey, Xia Hong had already assigned the task of handling Cold Beast prey to the Craftsmen Workshop.

After handling the Rodents, the results were reported by the workshop master Mu Dong.

Upon hearing Mu Dong’s report, Xia Hong touched the silver Rodent skin. Although his eyes brightened, the light quickly faded.

However, upon seeing the azure Rodent meat and the two thirty to forty centimeters gnawing teeth, Xia Hong’s eyes regained their brightness, and his face was filled with delight.

"Leader, did some strong enemy appear?"

"How did you get hurt like this, was it a powerful Cold Beast?"

"Leader, let us go with you tonight, and fight that Cold Beast. With so many of us from Great Xia going, we won’t be afraid of it!"

"That’s right, fight the Cold Beast. Even if I have to use my teeth, I’ll bite a piece of meat off of it."

...

The people around suddenly started speaking one after another. Xia Hong was taken aback when he noticed their expressions transition from panic and worry to indignant, shouting to fight the Cold Beast. He immediately felt a wave of warmth in his heart.

He, Xia Chuan, and Luo Yuan were basically the strongest in Great Xia right now.

Even if the three of them were like this, these people in the camp understood that even if they went to fight, it would still be a dead end.

Yet even so, seeing him injured like this, they set aside their initial fear and worries, instead showing a fierce determination.

If not for their high recognition of him as their leader, this group of hundreds wouldn’t react like this.

"A bunch appeared on the northern slope..."

Xia Hong didn’t hide anything and directly spoke about the Rodent group.

Since the people in the camp were trustworthy, he decided to tell them, and his upcoming plans also involved using the people from the camp.

When Xia Hong finished explaining the Rodent situation, everyone in the camp fell silent, worry spreading over their faces.

Xia Hong felt it too. He pondered slightly, then raised his head to look straight at everyone:

"The northern slope is only two kilometers from the valley here. If discovered by that group of Rodents, everyone in our Great Xia Camp will surely meet a dead end, so we must quickly come up with a plan—either drive them away or guide them away. And we must act immediately. The longer we delay, the worse our situation becomes..."