Chapter 7: Camp Morale

Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

The frozen wilderness was bitterly cold, with piercing winds howling through the night. Under the starry sky, the people of Great Xia Camp trudged westward with great difficulty.

The distance from Cave No. 1 to Cave No. 4 was less than two kilometers. Yet this short journey took the hundred-plus members of Great Xia Camp a full two hours to complete. The main obstacle was the astonishing depth of snow covering Redwood Ridge. Even the shallowest snowdrifts outside the caves measured over half a meter deep, while thicker accumulations reached five to six meters. Several strong men leading the way had already tumbled down snowy slopes, emerging battered and bruised.

Whenever they encountered particularly deep snow, the group had to stop completely while the strongest men at the front forcibly carved out a path before they could proceed. Additionally, the extreme cold and poor nighttime visibility further hampered their progress. Considering the children in their group, Xia Hong had no choice but to deliberately slow their pace.

Despite the slow progress and numerous injuries, they ultimately arrived safely. Cave No. 4, located on the western side of a small hill, had its entrance concealed by dense foliage now covered in snow and small icicles. Some children's lips had already turned blue from the cold. Seizing his stone axe, Xia Hong swiftly cleared the entrance and hurried everyone inside.

This cave measured roughly a hundred square meters - more spacious than their previous shelter. After entering, Xia Hong immediately started a fire before instructing Xia Chuan to reseal the entrance. This puzzled Xia Chuan since nighttime temperatures were higher than daytime and Frost Beasts were less active, making sealing usually unnecessary. But he soon understood why.

"Everyone gather around - I have something important to say!" Xia Hong called the group together, then pointed solemnly at the fire. "This fire is now our camp's most crucial resource. While it can deter and harm Abominations, it also attracts Frost Beasts. Therefore, from now on, whether day or night, we must seal the entrance whenever entering or exiting. Understood?"

Having personally witnessed the fake Xia Ding being reduced to ashes in the previous cave, the group nodded unanimously, fully convinced by Xia Hong's words.

"Chuan, how much food do we have left?" Xia Hong asked. Xia Chuan's expression darkened as he replied, "About seven hundred fifty pounds of crystal fruit remains, but only sixty pounds of Frost Beast meat."

Hearing these numbers, everyone immediately grew anxious - Xia Hong included. In this harsh environment, farming was impossible - or if it existed, Great Xia Camp certainly had no access to it. Like all human camps around Redwood Ridge, their staple food came from ice-fruit trees bearing fist-sized produce with crystalline skins, soft interiors, and a sweet taste - each weighing about half a pound. Two fruits could barely sustain an adult daily.

Seven hundred fifty pounds sounded substantial, but divided among 154 people, it wouldn't last. Even rationing to one fruit per person per day would exhaust their supply in under ten days. As for Frost Beast meat - while some massive camps might use it as regular food - in Great Xia Camp, it was as strategically vital as firewood.

In this world, humans cultivated strength by consuming Frost Beast flesh. Xia Ding had implemented a rationing system where lumberjack team members received one pound daily, while those aged fifteen to eighteen got half a pound every three days. Officially. In reality, with their camp's extremely limited Frost Beast meat supply - Xia Hong had only seen Xia Ding bring back one juvenile Frost Beast (a bone-spike frost wolf) weighing barely over a hundred pounds during his month here - priority went to lumberjack team members' offspring.

Both Xia Ding and Xia Chuan had been entitled to rations, but Xia Chuan had given his share to Xia Hong, claiming his brother needed it to break through to the Lumberjack level. This selfless act in a world where survival was uncertain and Frost Beast meat equated to life itself had deeply moved Xia Hong, strengthening their fraternal bond.

As Xia Hong reflected, Xia Chuan emerged from the back carrying a mass of azure meat to the fireside. Frost Beast flesh was blue. Xia Hong momentarily froze before realizing Xia Chuan's intention.

"Let's be frank," Xia Chuan addressed the group. "My brother is our strongest fighter, barely short of the Lumberjack level. I propose giving him all sixty pounds of Frost Beast meat to help him break through sooner, ensuring our camp's safety. What does everyone think?"

Xia Hong had anticipated this. Though tempted to refuse, he remained silent. While seemingly selfish, Xia Chuan's logic was sound. Yet human nature proved complex - dead silence followed Xia Chuan's proposal, especially among former lumberjack team members' children.

"Hong," spoke up a brawny young man named Yuan Cheng - straightforward and guileless, whose father Yuan Gang had been second only to Xia Ding in strength. "We trust you, but can you swear that after reaching Lumberjack level, you won't abandon us?"

Instead of immediately answering, Xia Hong scanned the room, gauging reactions.

"Resources should indeed be concentrated to strengthen Hong now."

"But that meat was earned by my father risking his life!"

"Without Lumberjack-level combat power, we can't even gather firewood. We'll freeze when these three logs burn out."

"I think we should give it to Hong."

"Agreed, let him have it."

Only former lumberjack team families voiced opinions, revealing Great Xia Camp's former hierarchy: Xia Ding and lumberjacks at the top controlled resource distribution; their families enjoyed privileges and decision-making power; everyone else passively received allocations.

Organizing his thoughts, Xia Hong raised a calming hand. The immediate silence showed his established authority from leading them through the attack and relocation.

"Cheng," Xia Hong finally responded, "if I intended to leave, no oath would stop me, so I can't promise that..." He paused, then emphasized: "Trust is our foundation. I'll only say this - if you entrust this meat to me, I'll repay you tenfold, hundredfold someday. Those willing, declare now. Those unwilling - no hard feelings, we'll continue as before."

Silence. Then:

"Hong, I believe in you."

A second voice, then a third:

"I trust our leader too."

"Yuan Cheng will give his Frost Beast meat to Hong."

"Only by making our leader stronger can we survive."

Supportive voices swelled. Smiling, Xia Hong accepted the azure meat from Xia Chuan, determination kindling in his eyes. "In this frozen apocalypse," he thought, "only a camp built on mutual trust and sincerity can truly endure. Strength will come in time."