Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely-Chapter 182 - 133: Natural Trench

On the western side, deeper into the Redwood Ridge.

About a hundred meters away from the group, there stood a towering giant tree with a diameter of over twenty meters. Due to the distance, only a vague outline could be seen.

The tree was estimated to be over a hundred meters tall, currently trembling slightly. It was because a colossal creature was climbing up its trunk.

Despite the distance, Xia Hong could clearly see from the outline that the colossal creature was about seven or eight meters long, with a robust body and two shiny tusks visible even in the night.

"Snow Mane?"

"Is it a Snow Mane?"

"Snow Mane!"

...

Upon seeing the colossal creature, the Hunting Team immediately recognized its identity.

A Snow Mane over seven meters long!

Gulp...

Everyone instinctively swallowed a mouthful of saliva before shifting their gaze to Xia Hong at the front.

Though Xia Hong’s face showed delight, there was a hint of nervousness in his heart.

The delight was because, after searching the entire night, they finally found an Intermediate Cold Beast, and it was alone. This proved that not all Cold Beasts lived in groups like the Long-tailed Rodents.

This made the task of hunting Intermediate Cold Beasts significantly easier.

The nervousness, however, was purely due to the size of this Snow Mane.

A Low-level Snow Mane was at most four meters long, let alone its body size.

Even from a distance of a hundred meters, the size of this Intermediate Snow Mane was twice that of the largest one he had hunted before.

The Snow Mane’s strength was not weak among Cold Beasts. An adult Snow Mane had a minimum impact force of over ten thousand pounds, already the most terrifying Cold Beast Xia Hong had ever hunted.

And that was just a Low-level Snow Mane.

This one was an Intermediate!

After searching the entire night, with the thought of Intermediate Cold Beasts lingering for so long, when one truly appeared before him, Xia Hong was not as excited but quickly calmed down.

There was no choice; with that size, not calming down was hard.

"Can we use the old method to try?"

Yuan Cheng straightforwardly suggested while pulling out a torch.

Everyone, including Xia Hong, showed a hint of interest on their faces.

But soon, Xia Hong glanced around and shook his head, speaking firmly:

"Judging from the distribution of Intermediate Cold Beasts, it’s impossible unless we find a second Intermediate Cold Beast elsewhere and use the method of attracting rodent swarms by placing torches along the way, to lead it here."

Upon hearing this plan, everyone immediately shook their heads in denial.

The rodent swarm was one thing, but they knew nothing about the strength of Intermediate Cold Beasts. Recklessly using a torch to attract it, especially over such a long distance, was fraught with unimaginable difficulty and danger.

One careless move, and it could very well mean losing their life.

"Then we can only set traps first and then use the torch to lure it into a trap. We have sixteen people in total. If we coordinate properly, it might be doable."

Xia Chuan suggested while gesturing to Li Yun, Li Pingkai, and Zhu Shun.

The three of them took out the animal traps from their backs and laid them on the ground, then looked up at Xia Hong.

Not only them, but Xia Chuan and the other eleven people were all looking at Xia Hong, clearly waiting for him to make a decision.

"Torches, animal traps, Ten-stone Iron Bows, the entire Hunting Team is here, and no one is seriously injured. Leader, don’t hesitate. We might not be certain of success, but we must at least try!"

Seeing the hesitation on Xia Hong’s face, Xia Chuan was the first to speak up to persuade him.

Luo Yuan hesitated for a moment, but then nodded and said sincerely, "That’s right, we’ve prepared thoroughly enough. Barring any unexpected circumstances, our camp won’t have a new Earth-digging Realm for quite a while. With this formation, just give it a try, Leader."

"Sixteen people, no matter how strong it is, at worst, we fail the hunt, and we can just retreat. Leader, don’t hesitate."

"I also think we should go for it. Sixteen Ten-Stone Iron Bows, using maneuver tactics, we definitely have a chance."

...

Everyone expressed their willingness to give it a try.

Though Xia Hong didn’t speak, he felt a warm feeling in his heart.

Everyone was saying that it was okay to attempt, that they were strong enough, that they had adequate personnel and equipment, and that there was a chance of success, but they were fully aware of the risks involved.

The primary reason they insisted, however, was that they all knew that the key to Xia Hong breaking through the Cold Resistance Level lay in this Intermediate Cold Beast.

In other words, they were willing to take this risk for Xia Hong’s breakthrough.

Xia Hong took a deep breath, glanced at the distant giant tree, and made a decisive call: "Alright, then let’s give it a try!"

Having made the decision, Xia Hong immediately began to strategize, addressing everyone: "Li Yun, you three find suitable spots, dig holes, and set up the animal traps;

Xia Chuan, Luo Yuan, Yuan Cheng, you three come with me to observe the surrounding terrain;

Everyone else, find good positions.

Remember, if things go as expected, this Snow Mane’s strength is beyond what we can handle collectively, so don’t engage it directly. Use bows as the main weapon, and if they prove ineffective, abandon the hunt immediately.

You have half an hour to prepare. During this time, maintain a distance of at least a hundred meters to avoid alerting it and ruin the plan.

After half an hour, regroup here to discuss further action."

"Yes, Leader!"

The group nodded and quietly dispersed to carry out their tasks.

Over the past six months, the fifteen of them had followed him for almost a hundred hunting trips, making many instructions unnecessary due to their established mutual understanding.

Xia Hong confidently took Xia Chuan and the other two to scout the terrain around the giant tree where the Snow Mane was perched.

The giant tree where the Snow Mane perched was over a hundred meters to the west. There was no need to check further into the inner western area, so Xia Hong focused on the south and north sides.

"The Snow Mane’s perception is not particularly keen among Cold Beasts. We circled around this area several times just now, and neither we discovered it, nor did it notice us. This one just came from the inner area, so its condition is unknown. It would be great if its head was seriously injured!"

Upon hearing Yuan Cheng’s whimsical thinking, Xia Chuan and Luo Yuan shook their heads immediately, but in their hearts, they indeed harbored a bit of hope.

There were fights among Cold Beasts in the Redwood Ridge, especially among the stronger Intermediate Cold Beasts. Since this Snow Mane just came from the inner area, it might have lost a fight and sustained injuries.

However, from a distance of a hundred meters, they couldn’t even discern the Snow Mane’s facial details, let alone its physical condition.

"Don’t harbor unrealistic fantasies. If it truly is injured, it might be even more aggressive and dangerous!"

The four of them reached the far north, almost exiting the Redwood Ridge, when Xia Hong crushed Yuan Cheng’s fantasy. He then led the group to return south.

"This area is basically under Lu Shang Camp’s influence. Heading further north will lead into the Arrow Bamboo Forest. When it’s time to engage, we mustn’t lead it north, only south or east, towards the outer areas."

"The Snow Mane is huge; I wonder if its reaction speed is fast. There are many trees around here, which makes finding a shooting position easier. It would be great if its reaction was a bit slow."

"Effort brings results!"

Upon returning to the original spot, half an hour had almost passed, with the others returning one after another.

Judging by their expressions, finding positions seemed effortless. The last to return were Li Yun and his group, who were responsible for setting the animal traps, along with some helpers they called upon midway.

Li Yun and the others had joyful expressions. As soon as they saw Xia Hong, they eagerly spoke up:

"Leader, there’s a natural trench in the south, eight meters long and three meters wide, covered with snow, and over six meters deep. We three along with others deepened it by over two meters, placing all three animal traps around the trench. If we can lure the Snow Mane into it smoothly, the hunt is more than halfway successful."

"Lead the way, let’s go take a look together!"

Upon hearing Li Yun describe the trench, Xia Hong’s eyes lit up, and he promptly asked him to lead the way.

The group followed Li Yun southward for over two hundred meters and slowly a natural trench came into view, almost everyone, including Xia Hong, brightened up at the sight.

The trench was sizeable, between two trees over ten meters in diameter. The snow that originally covered it had already been cleared, clearly done by Li Yun’s group previously.

There were animal traps placed at both ends of the trench, and one more in the center at the bottom, all connected with ropes and covered with snow.

"Re-cover the trench with snow and stick to this spot!"

After examining the inside and both sides, Xia Hong instantly made a decision. This natural trench seemed tailor-made for the massive Snow Mane.

Seeing the two large trees flanking the trench, Xia Hong made some further arrangements. After finishing all preparations, he instructed everyone to assume their respective positions.

"Here’s the deal: bows are the only option. Facing it head-on is beyond me, let alone you. If you find bows ineffective, everyone retreats immediately. If they work, coordinate with each other. You don’t need me to teach you how to use a bow, do you?"

After reiterating his point, Xia Hong paused for thought and spoke up again: "Protecting yourselves is the top priority. There are many Intermediate Cold Beasts in the Redwood Ridge, but we only have one life, got it?"

"Got it, Leader!"

"We’re unclear about the strength and abilities of an Intermediate Cold Beast, so it’s hard to set a Contribution Value price. However, if we manage to hunt this Snow Mane successfully, it would be the first Intermediate Prey for our Great Xia Camp, significantly meaningful, so I’ll set its price at..."

He paused momentarily before continuing.

"10,000 Contribution Points!"

Instantly, all fifteen heads lifted in joy.

Especially Zhao Long and his two brothers, whose hands holding their bows trembled slightly.

"Since we rely mainly on bows, should the hunt be successful, Contribution Points will not be equally divided. It will depend on who deals the most damage to it with their arrows. The higher the impact of your arrow, the more Contribution Points you’ll get!"

With that said, Xia Hong had everyone disperse.

"That’s all. Go to your designated posts."

After everyone had taken their positions, Xia Hong retrieved a torch from behind, placed it at the edge of the trench, glanced back at the massive silhouette of the Snow Mane on the tree, and drew a deep breath.

Whoosh...

In the snowy night, a torch flared up.

The surrounding air instantly seemed to pause briefly.

Xia Hong had already climbed a nearby big tree, holding his breath and quietly watching the movements of the giant tree to the north.

The fifteen others positioned around did the same.

Crack...

From the north, the sound of a tree branch breaking was heard.

Everyone’s heart tensed slightly as they stealthily turned their heads to look in that direction.