Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1281 - 421:

Lin Kai halted for a moment then, as though a memory surfaced, a mysterious gleam sparked in his gaze, and he sneered, "Yes, ensure you clearly declare that the entire group of six with Chu Yan’er originated from Cai Qiu Feudal Town!"

Hearing this, Zhao Bao and the other two froze in surprise. The individual who had just slipped away from Lin Kai’s clutches was the very one covertly causing chaos across the Nine Towns for the last half-year. From Chu Dongning’s body, it was clear this troublemaker hailed from Chen Cang without doubt.

They knew full well he came from Chen Cang, so why insist on claiming they were from Cai Qiu?

The trio weren’t idiots; after a brief reflection on Great Xia’s recent push to spread tales of Outer Domain influences, enlightenment dawned, twisting their faces into odd expressions.

"Sir, apart from a sword, we discovered several items on Chu Dongning, but the strangest is this jade piece!"

Tong Xingsheng, once tasked with carving up Cold Beasts in the Camp Supply Department before shifting to the Prison Department, rose early to Silver Order Level as a Warden. Now boasting 21 tufts of strength, he’d moved to Hongmen last year as Vice Chief of Punishment. Expert in corpse examination and wound analysis, Chu Dongning’s remains naturally fell to him.

With those words, he produced a blazing red jade from his possessions, clearly extracted from Chu Dongning.

"Though this jade glows fiery red, it has a distinctly silver-like texture, and furthermore..."

Words alone proving insufficient, Tong Xingsheng pulled a bit of Solidified Fire Oil from his items and set it atop the crimson jade.

A astonishing sight appeared.

The Solidified Fire Oil vanished swiftly into the fiery red jade upon touching it, and post-absorption, the stone’s hue intensified dramatically, plain to see.

"This..."

Lin Kai’s eyes widened sharply at the display.

What exactly was Solidified Fire Oil?

Introduced by the Lord himself, it stood as the supreme bane for Deceitful Monsters, surpassing silver in potency. Yet this red jade absorbed it?

Tong Xingsheng buzzed with thrill too, proclaiming, "Sir, unless I err, this jade ties to Solidified Fire Oil, given Chu Dongning’s Feudal Town roots. Probably a tool against Deceitful Monsters in those towns, though its exact role needs testing to confirm."

Lin Kai snatched the jade up immediately, studied it briefly, then faced Zhao Bao with a query: "Don’t we hold a handful of Deceitful Monsters in the city now? Has the Prison Department gleaned any insights lately?"

Zhao Bao’s features flushed with discomfort at once, and he bowed low, admitting, "I stand ashamed, Sir. These Deceitful Monsters strike without rhyme or reason, each more elusive than the last. Patrols have ramped up, but that’s our sole recourse."

Lin Kai’s brows knitted tightly hearing this, his voice sharp: "Over four months now, I’ve shipped in no less than 60,000 small torches, over 10,000 units of Solidified Fire Oil, and more than 2,000 Yellow Candles from Xia City. With such an arsenal against Deceitful Monsters, how has your Prison Department failed to snag even one?"

Sensing the sharp rebuke in Lin Kai’s words, Zhao Bao grew yet more flustered. Bowing helplessly, he replied, "Pardon me, Sir. From South City’s state, those Deceitful Monsters have cracked the small torches’ routine and ignore them entirely; Yellow Candles work but in scant supply, impossible to deploy across the city. Solidified Fire Oil demands spotting their real forms— we haven’t glimpsed those three beasts’ appearances!"

Lin Kai’s mood soured markedly after Zhao Bao’s report.

The Defender operated under the Governance Department; on paper ruling Hongmen, yet truly peers with the other seven departments’ leaders.

Urban Deceitful Monster troubles fell squarely under Prison Department purview.

As Defender, his core role spanned Hongmen’s broad defenses and Eight Departments coordination. Plus, as Great Xia’s gateway, he handled key Eight Towns issues too—like purging Outer Domain Feudal Town spies, hastening Three Towns merger, and forging a Nine Towns pact with Xu Ning and Yuwen Dao...

These heavy loads meant he’d only skimmed the city’s Deceitful Monster woes these months, despite Zhao Bao’s repeated pleas. He’d simply relayed orders to Xia City for Camp Supply Department aid in suppressing them.

But Zhao Bao’s words revealed the Prison Department’s utter lack of countermeasures. Delay could prove fatal.

"Summon the other five commanding officers to the Grand Hall on the top level immediately!"

That order issued, Lin Kai strode from the morgue.

Seeing Lin Kai’s grim demeanor, Zhao Bao’s face creased deeply. Beside him, Li Longkai chuckled softly, clapping his shoulder, "Relax, Old Zhao—the Chen Cang escapee just fled Lord Lin, bound to rile him. No wonder Deceitful Monster talk set him off. Let’s head up and brainstorm fixes."

Zhao Bao’s tension eased somewhat, but pondering further, he let out a soft sigh, shaking his head: "Failure is failure; I won’t make excuses. Yet Hongmen’s fate hangs in balance—if the Lord’s grand scheme crumbles from Prison Department lapses, my guilt would be unforgivable."

With one last sigh, he exited the morgue with Li Longkai.