Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely-Chapter 5, The Small Bonfire [Asking for Fire!]

Small fire pit: Can greatly increase the temperature in a ten-meter radius, with a deterrent and destructive function against primary monsters, but at the same time it strongly attracts the Cold Beast.

Daily consumption: Wood 2 (first ignition is complimentary, no consumption for ten minutes)

Xia Hong didn't have time to carefully check the so-called camp system, and just focused on quickly searching for what he needed among a large amount of information.

It has a deterrent and destructive function against primary monsters!

This is what he wanted.

Xia Hong turned his head to look at Xia Chuan, who was almost on the verge of death, forcing himself to stand up and stare intently at the fake Xia Ding.

A tiny spark suddenly appeared in front of Xia Chuan.

The fake Xia Ding looked down at the flame in front of him, frowning as he sensed something was amiss.

But the spark was weak, seemingly non-threatening.

However, in the next second, the spark exploded violently, and a more than three-meter-high crimson flame surged up suddenly.

The flame seemed ready to spread like wildfire, rapidly expanding its range, engulfing not only the fake Xia Ding around Xia Chuan but also two other nearby fake logging team members who were directly consumed by the fire.

"Ah... What is this, what kind of fire is this, ah..."

In just an instant, the fake Xia Ding, swallowed by the flames, let out a terrified, heartbreaking scream.

Meanwhile, the other two fake logging team members didn't even have time to make a sound and were directly turned into two plumes of black smoke.

The body of the fake Xia Ding twisted and moved constantly within the flames, apparently trying to escape, but the flames clung to him like a leech.

His previously intact body was incinerated into a crimson skeleton in an instant, and then even the skeleton was burnt to ashes, turning into a plume of black smoke like the other two fake logging team members and completely dissipating.

Meanwhile, Xia Hong had already supported Xia Chuan and turned to watch the campfire still burning in place, his face suddenly filled with hope.

"Brother, what is this campfire?"

"I don't know, but we are saved."

The fake Xia Ding remained undying even when his head was split open.

But when encountering this small fire pit, he was reduced to ashes in an instant.

"Everyone, stop fighting, come to the fire pit quickly!"

Xia Hong turned his head and shouted at the people still desperately resisting inside the cave.

Someone had already noticed the scene of the fake Xia Ding being burned to death, and with this shout, all the remaining survivors quickly gathered towards him.

Soon, all the more than one hundred people left in the camp had withdrawn from the battle and gathered behind Xia Hong.

Casualties in the camp were heavy, while on the deceitful monster's side, except for the three accidentally burned to death by the small fire pit, the remaining twenty-three were completely untouched.

Another Xia Ding led the remaining twenty-two fake logging team members towards the fire pit.

However, they stopped more than ten meters away from the fire pit.

Watching the fire pit, the fake Xia Ding's eyes were full of dread.

But seemingly unwilling to let Xia Hong and his group go, he opened his mouth with a cold smile after a moment:

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"Little thing, how long can your fire burn?"

"For a very long time!"

Xia Hong also sneered and turned back to Xia Chuan and others, saying, "Bring over all the wood from the back and expand the flames."

The camp's wood was conveniently placed on the side against the wall.

Hearing this, everyone quickly moved the wood from that side of the wall.

As the wood was continually added, the fire from the small fire pit also kept expanding.

Moreover, Xia Hong and others intentionally guided the wood towards the group of fake Xia Ding.

Soon, the firelight illuminated the entire cave.

And the group of fake Xia Ding, as the flames spread, the dread in their eyes intensified, and they continued to retreat.

The standoff with the group lasted for over an hour.

Until forced to the cave entrance by the flames, seeing everyone still relentlessly bringing more wood, the fake Xia Ding finally showed a look of resentment on his face, gave Xia Hong a deep look, and then turned to leave with the remaining fake logging team members.

It was already dawn, and Xia Hong and the others dared not leave the vicinity of the fire pit, only able to watch the departing group from afar.

When they could no longer see them, confirming that the others had indeed gone far, Xia Hong finally breathed a sigh of relief, and a strong sense of exhaustion surged through him.

"Brother, this bonfire seems problematic."

"I know, it only works within a ten-meter radius. The fire elsewhere is no different from the ones we previously kindled."

Xia Hong's back was already soaked in cold sweat.

He had realized it when the flames exceeded the ten-meter radius.

The fire in the cave had been spread to fifty or sixty meters, yet beyond the initial small fire pit's ten-meter range, the increase in temperature in the other areas was the same as their previous fires.

Thinking back on the small fire pit's system description, Xia Hong roughly understood.

The small fire pit only worked within a ten-meter radius.

Even if other means were used to expand the fire, it wouldn't be effective.

Similarly, only the small fire pit had a deterrent and destructive effect on deceitful monsters, the other fires they ignited were utterly useless.

What he did afterwards was merely bluffing to scare the deceitful monsters.

Fortunately, the opponent fell for it.

After surviving, there was not a shred of joy in the cave.

Because disasters are often accompanied by endless pain.

At this moment, many people had realized that the real Xia Ding and his people had met with misfortune.

Those twelve logging team members were twelve families.

Combined with the massacre just inside the cave, at least seventy lives were lost.

The entire cave was filled with wailing and crying.

"Is the leader really dead?"

"Is my husband also dead?"

"My son was killed..."

"Mother, mother wake up!"

...

Aside from the sadness welling up within him, Xia Hong felt a stronger sense of frustration.

From beginning to end, about that deceit from Redwood Ridge, he knew nothing.

He didn't even know what the opponent's true form looked like.

Initially, after the two fake Xia Ding were exposed, it was the one ambushed by Xia Chuan who took the lead, and the one he had split open was just acting in a muddled manner, not appearing intelligent.

After the first one was burned to death by the small fire pit, the muddled one came out to lead and speak.

This was enough to prove that the two fake Xia Ding were not the real body.

In other words, that deceit from Redwood Ridge had never even shown up, yet it inflicted such severe damage on them.

Additionally, how those two Xia Ding and the twenty-four fake logging team members were created and controlled by the opponent was entirely unknown to him.

The opponent easily made a move, and they suffered heavy casualties.

The crucial point is that after sacrificing so many people, they did not obtain even a shred of useful information about the opponent.

This sense of powerlessness made Xia Hong feel extremely frustrated.

Of course, more than that, there was fear.

He turned around and looked around the cave, seeing most people still immersed in sorrow, Xia Hong took a deep breath, walked to the cave entrance alone, picked up stones and wood nearby, and began to seal the entrance.

After all that had happened, it was already dawning, and the temperature was dropping rapidly. If they didn't seal the entrance quickly, people would freeze to death.

Moreover, if they accidentally attracted the Cold Beast, it would make things even worse.

Xia Hong's actions also served as a reminder for the others.

Xia Chuan was the first to step forward and help, followed by a second and a third.

In the end, regardless of men, women, or even children, everyone came to help.

Xia Hong glanced back at the camp's people, and despite the cold, a faint feeling of warmth rose in his heart.