Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1283 - 421:

"Lord Lin, the brothers in the Cloud Dragon Army have some complaints recently!"

As soon as Liu Yuan voiced this, Lin Kai whipped his head around to face him.

"What’s going on?"

Liu Yuan gave a wry smile while cupping his hands: "Truth be told, it’s all because of those sneaky monsters. Back when we started operations in July last year, the Cloud Dragon Army only dispatched one camp daily to patrol South City. But as the monsters stirred up more chaos, it rose to two camps, then three, and now it’s five camps..."

Five camps!

Hearing that five camps were being sent out every day to patrol South City, Lin Kai’s expression darkened instantly.

Patrol duty might seem easygoing, yet it consumes plenty of time, and a night shift means no sleep at all. Despite the Cloud Dragon Army soldiers possessing Cold Resistance Level cultivation, enduring it long-term proves too much.

With only ten camps in total for the Cloud Dragon Army, deploying five daily for South City patrols basically leaves two shifts rotating endlessly without break. Besides, soldiers exist for battle; the Cloud Dragon Army arrived at Hongmen for defense, not primarily for keeping city order.

It’s impressive they haven’t begun outright griping yet.

"Commander Liu, don’t worry—I’ll dispatch someone right away to Bashang to meet Director Yuwen Sizheng and get him to station a full army here in Hongmen for support."

Lin Kai offered the fix without delay, then added gravely: "We must tackle those sneaky monsters head-on, or the problems will only snowball. Chief of Punishment Zhao..."

"I am here!"

Zhao Bao, who’d been inwardly uneasy moments before, shot to his feet upon being called.

"Your Prison Department handles city security. Things have spiraled this far, so you bear some fault. That said, these monsters are tough nuts to crack, beyond your current means, so I’ll let it slide for now. But over the coming months, the Prison Department answers to me. I’ll sort out these sneaky monsters. Any issues with that?"

Lin Kai’s statement caused subtle shifts in everyone’s faces.

Nominally, Lord Guardian oversees one zone, ranking as a junior in the Garrison Department, on par with these seven officials.

Zhao Bao calling himself subordinate was a bit off.

By having the Prison Department obey him for months ahead—framed around the monster crisis—Lin Kai was subtly seizing control.

Zhao Bao grasped this fully. Though it chafed, he nodded and replied: "If it means wiping out those sneaky monsters, the Prison Department will heed your commands."

"Excellent, I..."

"My Lord, Vice Chief of Punishment Xiang Liang from the Prison Department brings urgent news!"

Lin Kai’s next words were cut off by a shout from beyond the hall.

He furrowed his brow but called out: "Enter!"

Xiang Liang rushed inside, knowing the meeting was in progress, bowed deeply to Lin Kai, and blurted urgently: "My Lord, the silver vault’s been hit again!"

Bam...

Shock and fury propelled Lin Kai and the other seven from their chairs in unison.

"Lord Lin, lords, I’ll head there to investigate first!"

Li Longkai, overseer of the silver vault and Camp Supply and Military Equipment Director, was frantic, skipping questions entirely, offering a hasty cupped-hand salute, and bolting out.

"Robbed again? Didn’t I order ten Yellow Candles lit daily in the silver vault to repel that cat demon? How’d it happen once more?"

Xiang Liang, facing Lin Kai’s rage, cupped his hands swiftly: "I arrived straight from the scene and don’t have all the details yet."

"Let’s all go take a look!"

Getting no clear info, Lin Kai rose decisively, and the remaining six plus Xiang Liang trailed right after without a word.

The group of eight leaped from the upper level and raced toward the North City Silver Vault.

Hongmen’s commerce booms, pulling in 15 to 16 million taels of silver monthly, or 500 to 600 thousand daily on average. That’s pure profit; the Supply Department also manages buys and stockpiles, so shipping every bit back to Xia City isn’t feasible. Some silver stays local for flow.

Over half a year since opening, the Supply Department calculated that Treasure Tower and South City shops need at least 5 million taels on hand for smooth running.

Naturally, this assumes a baseline of 5 million taels kept.

For one, Hongmen’s huge trade means daily hauls can’t ship out instantly—too inefficient; plus, silver’s valuable and risky, so big transports aren’t frequent, scheduled variably: every ten days, half-month, or even two-three months if the Cloud Dragon Army’s tied up.

Thus, Hongmen’s silver reserves swing wildly.

Barring fresh shipments, stocks top 5 million; usually over 10 million, sometimes 20-30 million; in peak September-October trades with the Eight Towns, it hits billions.

No way to stash such riches casually.

Hongmen’s securest spot? The Cloud Dragon Army barracks, safer than the Ministry Building itself, so the silver vault sits there naturally.

Dead center of the barracks: a fifty-meter-wide Black Iron Warehouse of pure Thousand Forged Cast Iron, ringed by hundreds of Cloud Dragon Army guards.

As Lin Kai and the eight neared, soldiers saluted sharply.

"Greetings, Lord Guardian! Greetings, lords!"

"Greetings, lords!"

"Greetings, Lord Guardian."

......

Ignoring the salutes, Lin Kai led the seven straight into the warehouse, bypassing the silver stacks, zeroing in on Li Longkai.

Li Longkai looked deathly pale, eyes fixed on a north-corner hole—human-head-sized—with silver chunks and bars strewn nearby.

Vice Military Preparation Yuan Ning of the Camp Supply Department dripped sweat, ledger in grip, directing twenty-plus counters for losses. Lin Kai watched silently, face thunderous by the hole, awaiting the tally.

"M... my Lord, we’ve got the count."

Yuan Ning wrapped up soon, coming to Lin Kai, Li Longkai, and the rest, voice heavy: "Same as December’s theft—3 million taels gone."

Bam!

Lin Kai smashed a fist into a nearby metal pillar, bellowing: "Who guarded the silver vault tonight?"

Yuan Ning quaked, head bowed low: "Me and Cloud Dragon Army’s Vice Commander Wang Yuan, plus First, Second, and Third Camps."

Wang Yuan stepped forward, joining Yuan Ning.

"Yellow Candles were burning, right? How’d the cat demon slip through? Explain!"

Yuan Ning replied grimly: "At first light, I saw the vault’s Yellow Candles nearly burned out, so I lit fresh ones for extra safety. But shifting to the north vault side, I spotted a new hole in the wall base. Freshly dug, and sensing the cat demon inside still, I yelled for Lord Wang—Wang Yuan—to seal it off..."

Wang Yuan picked up: "That cat demon moved like lightning. Bursting from the hole, I glimpsed only silver eyes and a blurry shape—no color details—before it batted me aside."

Wang Yuan and Yuan Ning then peeled open their jackets.

Beneath, each bore a 20-plus-centimeter black claw gash, sliced to the bone. Solidified Fire Oil already applied, wounds oozed icy black mist—utterly gruesome.

"Filthy beast, daring to make our Hongmen silver vault its playground!"

Teeth clenched in fury, Lin Kai eyed the vault hole and declared: "Kong Xiu, get Artisan Department craftsmen to seal this breach completely. Li Longkai, shift all this silver to the Ministry Building’s top floor, into my quarters. Let’s see what tricks this cat demon really has!"