Huo Yuankai’s actions not only shocked the eyes of the survivor team members but also further stirred their emotions.
No joke, he wants to kill Hu Xiaodong right in front of us. How could Wang Qiang accept this?
Expressionless, Wang Qiang reacted, didn’t say a word, and leaped forward, raising the steel blade to chop toward Huo Yuankai lying on the ground.
At this moment, Huo Yuankai was lying face down, unable to act in defense, unable to avoid being struck.
And right at this decisive moment between life and death, Hu Xiaodong suddenly shouted: "Hold the weapon!!"
The shout, coming from the diaphragm, was clear even in the whistling snowy day. Upon hearing it, Wang Qiang froze, and the forcefully swung cleaver stopped in midair.
"Don’t kill him!" Hu Xiaodong’s words were unexpected.
Not just Wang Qiang, but Luo Baochun and Wei Dazhuang were also surprised by his attitude.
However, regardless of everything, Luo Baochun stepped forward and helped Hu Xiaodong up.
Covered in snow and his clothes torn, Hu Xiaodong looked a bit disheveled.
Wei Dazhuang, at this point, also struggled to get up from the snow and immediately asked: "Xiaohu, what’s up? Why spare this insidious bastard? Don’t forget, he nearly killed you just now!"
Hu Xiaodong was, of course, aware that Huo Yuankai had just tried to kill him. The torn clothes served as the best evidence.
So, why did he suddenly change his mind and stop Wang Qiang and the others?
In truth, it all goes back to that fall he took earlier.
Perhaps it was destiny—Hu Xiaodong’s fall cleared his mind, making him reconsider the details he had overlooked due to tension caused by the sudden situation.
So what did Hu Xiaodong think about when he fell?
He thought about Huo Yuankai’s motive for the attack.
One must know, people have motives for everything they do. But he couldn’t figure out what Huo Yuankai’s motive for murder could be.
Pillage supplies?
Possible, but is now the time given the weather for pillaging supplies?
The disparity in numbers between the parties also made this approach too difficult to execute.
Seize the keys?
Also nonsense, what use would the keys be even if Huo Yuankai got them now?
The road’s snow cover renders vehicles unable to move.
Then, simply for the pleasure of killing?
Sure, the weather conditions might fit, but have you ever seen someone kill so politely, knocking first while there are two people guarding the door?
No matter how skilled Huo Yuankai is with swords or how powerful his martial skills are, in a 4 vs. 1 situation, plus a protected iron car, engaging in such battle, only someone with a broken mind or a death wish would act so foolishly.
Hence, considering all this, Hu Xiaodong didn’t believe Huo Yuanjia had the motive to kill.
But while he thought this way, Huo Yuankai didn’t see it that way.
The various deeds of the four have made him 100% sure of a killing plot, and in addition, Hu Xiaodong’s recent violent actions against his pupils only made him angrier at Hu Xiaodong.
Indeed! A brute who wouldn’t even spare a young child, what good could he be? Letting such a person go entirely a joke.
In Huo Yuankai’s eyes, Hu Xiaodong was already regarded as an unforgivable villain.
And his sudden halt was merely a tactic to temporarily delay action, intimidated by Hu’s skilled swordplay.
"Brother Huo! Calm down, put down the knife! Let’s talk!" With one arm extended, Hu Xiaodong signaled to Huo Yuankai not to be nervous.
But at this moment, asking Huo Yuankai to put down his weapon was indeed nonsense.
Surely no one would disarm under such circumstances.
"Uh-uh-aah!" He murmured, Hu Xiaodong couldn’t know what Huo Yuankai meant by his words, but through his facial expressions and the wobbling Tang blade, he understood the opponent intended to "resist to the end."
"Damn it! Xiaohu, why waste words with this guy! All get in, waste his ass!" Wei Dazhuang’s fiery temper couldn’t stand deceit, especially after losing his wife and child, and his brothers are his family.
Who dares to harm his family, he dares to kill their whole family, no need for a reason!
With the situation rapidly getting out of control, Hu Xiaodong knew that if he didn’t do something, things would surely become unmanageable.
In a rush, Hu Xiaodong shouted again: "Dazhuang wait a minute! Things don’t match what we think!"
While shouting, Hu Xiaodong turned the hilt around and forcefully inserted it downward.
After inserting the blade into the ground, he raised both hands high and gently said to Huo Yuankai: "Look, Brother Huo, I’m unarmed now, can we talk?"
"Xiaohu, are you crazy! Pick up the knife! You know you’re playing with fire, right?"
Worried about Hu Xiaodong’s safety, Wei Dazhuang hurried forward, but before he could act, Hu Xiaodong coldly stopped him: "Don’t come forward, Dazhuang! And Qiang, Xiao Luo, you too, step back, let me talk to Brother Huo alone."
Hu Xiaodong’s actions surprised Huo Yuankai a little, as the other side advanced unarmed, simultaneously calling his teammates to retreat; such a move put him in harm’s way.
However, even with Hu Xiaodong’s significant concession, Huo Yuankai showed no signs of relaxing.
After all, having no knife doesn’t mean no other weapons; killing doesn’t necessarily require blades.
Seeing Huo Yuankai’s unchanged stance, Hu Xiaodong wisely stopped at a suitable distance and slowly spoke: "Brother Huo, I think there’s a misunderstanding between us, it’s all my fault, please forgive me."
"Uh-uh-aah!"
Smiling bitterly while scratching his head, Hu Xiaodong still didn’t understand what Huo Yuankai meant by "uh-ah," but that’s not important; he believes that as long as he speaks openly, Huo Yuankai is smart enough to judge the truth.
Therefore...
"Earlier, I heard noises outside while in the car and initially identified it as zombies. I informed everyone in the vehicle to be cautious, Brother Huo, did you hear this on the handheld radio?"
Of course, Huo Yuankai heard the warning coming from the radio, otherwise, he wouldn’t have jumped to kill zombies.
"Uh!"
Nodding in agreement, Huo Yuankai responded.
Seeing the response, Hu Xiaodong exhaled lightly, then continued: "Later, you knocked on the car door. I thought it was zombies attacking. You know, if we’re surrounded at this time, there’s no escape, so without much thought, I rolled down the window and stabbed out for the kill, aiming to eliminate zombies quickly to avoid noise attracting more of them. Who knew the two stabs missed, and then I pushed open the car door and jumped out, only to find you attacked me directly. In such circumstances, my instinct told me you intended to commit robbery, so it was natural for us to battle. After reconsideration, I believe our fight was a misunderstanding."
As Hu Xiaodong’s words fell, everyone exchanged puzzled looks.
Upon closer thought, it seems this truly might be the case.
Even Huo Yuankai, who wasn’t rash, began to calm down.
He wasn’t foolish nor inflexible, understanding the meaning in Hu Xiaodong’s words, and knowing how to discern truth from lies.