After saying that, Xu Nuo let go of the door abruptly. Due to the sudden release, Zuo Xiong fell backward and rolled a bit before quickly standing up to avoid looking too embarrassed in front of his team.
As he got up, he saw the door open and the yard empty, indicating that Xu Nuo and Park Su had already gone inside. This made Zuo Xiong feel even more humiliated. Not only had they refused his goodwill, but they had also injured Zhu Xianhou and outright rejected them, causing him to lose face.
With the convoy watching, he couldn't let this slide. If he did, it would undermine his authority. Determined to confront them, he impulsively headed towards the yard.
Just as he was about to rush in, Zhu Xianhou grabbed him, making him angrily turn and ask, "What are you doing?"
Zhu Xianhou frowned, "Don't you think they left the door open on purpose? There could be traps inside. It's better not to rush in recklessly."
Frustrated by Zhu Xianhou's constant cautions, Zuo Xiong shook off his hand and snapped, "Are you overthinking this? Do you think I'm completely brainless?
They arrived here only a bit later than us, and it has only been a day and night. We've been watching them since morning, and there was no movement in the yard. They couldn't have set traps during the day, and there's no way they did it in such a short time at night.
Even if they did set traps, what makes you think they could make something I can't handle in such a short time? Or is that kid right—you really don't think much of me?"
Zhu Xianhou hadn't expected Zuo Xiong to get angry with him over a simple warning. Seeing Zuo Xiong's frustrated look, he felt a chill in his heart. Despite all he had done for Zuo Xiong and the convoy, Zuo Xiong was now doubting him because of a few words from others.
Even if he had some ulterior motives, he never intended to harm Zuo Xiong or take his place as the leader. Feeling hurt, he said, "So you're starting to doubt me because of what that kid said?
I was only worried about you. If you got hurt, our convoy would be leaderless, playing right into those kids' hands. Fine, if you think so little of me and don't trust me, I won't argue anymore. Go if you want. I'll just pretend I never cared about you.
I'll go back to the convoy to help them deal with the zombies and take care of everyone's rest tonight. And I'll also tend to my own wound."
With that, he clutched his leg wound and hobbled back toward the convoy. His back looked pitifully forlorn, evoking sympathy.
Zuo Xiong, moved by Zhu Xianhou's words and pitiful look, felt a pang of guilt. He glanced back at the yard but didn't step in. Instead, he caught up with Zhu Xianhou, supporting his arm and saying, "It's my fault. I shouldn't have snapped at you.
I just don't like it when you overthink everything. Being cautious is good, but sometimes it makes us lose opportunities. Anyway, take care of yourself. Didn't you get hurt? Let me help you."
Though Zhu Xianhou felt a bit annoyed by Zuo Xiong's complaints, he didn't lash out. He knew Zuo Xiong was sometimes impulsive and easily influenced, but he could always be reasoned with afterward.
Moreover, despite his current frustration, Zuo Xiong still chose to support him, showing he trusted him more. Sighing, Zhu Xianhou said, "We don't necessarily need you to handle them personally. Whether or not there are traps in the yard, they left the door open and challenged us, so we can't back down now."
"Why don't we do as you suggested earlier? Pile up the corpses here and scatter some blood around their yard. Even if they have those talismans, they won't have a peaceful night.
We can see how they'll handle the zombies and evaluate their strength. It will help us decide whether they're worth recruiting."
Zuo Xiong was pleased with the first part but frowned at the last. "Why do you still want to recruit him?"
Zhu Xianhou sighed and tapped Zuo Xiong's head. "Don't you want to learn how to harness the energy from the air?
The convoy needs you to be stronger to thrive, and that kid looks down on you because he thinks you're weaker. If you were stronger, he wouldn't dare treat you like this.
More importantly, if he refuses to join us or share his method of training with air energy, the zombies will give him a hard time. We can take him down, ensuring no one else gets what we can't have."
Zuo Xiong naturally wanted to become stronger, and he knew Zhu Xianhou was right. He couldn't beat the young man now, so it was better to follow Zhu Xianhou's plan. Surround them with zombies, wear them down, and if they got injured, that would be even better. He could then take advantage of their weakened state.
Agreeing with Zhu Xianhou's plan, Zuo Xiong turned to the convoy members, who were still busy. "It's getting late. Let's rest. Stop dealing with the zombie corpses and just pile them over here. Tonight the area is full of blood, so move back a bit."
The convoy members, relieved at the order, were tired from cleaning up the zombie corpses all day.
Upon hearing that they could stop working, most of the convoy members felt relieved. They had noticed their leaders being rebuffed and understood that Zuo Xiong wanted to teach the newcomers a lesson. They didn't mind this and even felt it was justified, so they immediately stopped what they were doing, deliberately tossing the zombie corpses towards where Park Su and Xu Nuo were staying.
However, some younger and more naive convoy members didn't understand Zuo Xiong's instructions. After all, Zuo Xiong had originally recruited them with the promise of helping others, so why were they now trying to harm others?
One of the convoy members, unable to suppress his curiosity, asked, "If we throw the corpses here, what about the two people staying in that house? Shouldn't we let them stay with us further back?"
Zuo Xiong hadn't expected the question. He glanced deeply at the young man, contemplating how to respond. Before he could, Zhu Xianhou stepped forward and explained, "Actually, when the captain and I went over, we wanted them to stay with us. But because they are also ability users, they insisted on relying on their own strength and didn't fear the zombies. They didn't want to stay with us.
Moreover, they didn't want to help the ordinary people they didn't know. We tried to persuade them, but not only did they refuse, they got angry and even attacked us. You can see the wounds on me as a result.
I'm not saying this to incite you against them. In fact, we're still concerned for their safety. But it's already dark, and the zombies will soon become more active. We've all been busy today and are tired, with no energy left to deal with more zombie corpses. Staying here to handle them could get us hurt.
Besides, the zombies attracted by these corpses may not be that many since we've been killing them all day. The remaining zombies should be manageable for them, which will allow us to see if they really are as strong as they claim. If they can handle the zombies without our help, it means we worked for nothing today. If they genuinely don't want to help the ordinary people, there's nothing more we can do. We should just pack up and leave early tomorrow."
"But if they can't handle the zombies, don't worry. The captain and I will come out at night to help them, ensuring they aren't in life-threatening danger.
With our help, they'll understand that humans are social creatures and can't handle everything alone. It will be easier to persuade them to join our convoy or help ordinary people.
Even if they still refuse, at least it won't be as hostile as today, right?"
The young man who had asked the question scratched his head, finding Zhu Xianhou's explanation very reasonable. He nodded and stopped worrying about it.
He finished his work and went to clean up and rest early. Others who had similar doubts also found Zhu Xianhou's words convincing and stopped paying attention to the two selfish people in the house.