The following morning, right a few minutes before the fifth portal appeared, Tang Shaoyang gathered all his subordinates to the street. The group was divided into three groups, Tarriors, Slave Group, and the new recruit.
Captain Cao and Wei Xi stood in front of the new recruit line. Wei Xi was accompanying his friend for the first gathering since this was the first time.
The older man's face was covered in sweat as they just finished their morning routine with the others. Cao Yuntai's eyes looked to the Boss who was standing in front of them with his hand on the back.
For some reason, the current situation reminded him of the time when he was in the military. Even though his friend reassured him this had nothing to do with them, nevertheless he was still nervous.
He found the instructor in the military was nothing compared to the man in front of him. There was something about his Boss that made him nervous? Fear? No, it was more like reverence.
"Slave Group! Step forward!" Tang Shaoyang called out loudly.
'Huh!? Slave group?' This was Cao Yuntai and soldiers' first time hearing such a term. Wei Xi caught the confusion on his friend's face, "They are the slave group!" He pointed at thirty-five people who stepped forward neatly. Even though they had not received military training, they were disciplined and lined up neatly.
Wei Xi explained why these people became slaves, the event of the zombie horde that attacked the base, and these people who decided to run away.
Captain Cao nodded his head, it was a second chance given to these people or in short a second chance for the deserter. If it was from the military, they would be jailed and fined. But if they were in a war, the death penalty was their punishment.
"Our Boss is not ruthless as I thought," Captain Cao whispered to Wei Xi. Wei Xi responded with a smirk, "That because they are not Tarrior if they are Tarrior…" he made a motion of slitting his throat.
"Slaves!" Tang Shaoyang called out again, and the slave groups straightened their back. Many of them were quite nervous being called out by The Boss.
"I have seen, watched, and witnessed all your contributions in this Survival Game for the empire! You fought the monsters, fought for me, for the Empire! Here, I am telling you that your bravery will be rewarded, from today onwards, you are no longer a slave! You are one of us, you are Tarrior! Of course, if you don't want to be a Tarrior, you can join them!" He pointed toward Captain Cao and the ex-soldiers.
The slave group did not speak, but the surprise could be seen in their eyes. No one expected this, they thought the slave name would be on them for months later.
They were happy, but no one cheered for their freedom. The Boss seemed to want to say something. Of course, none of them left the line to join the new recruit line. They would be stupid to throw away the chance to be a Tarrior.
"Good! Bai Yuan, Chen Jianping, and Qian Jianguo! Step forward!" He called three names, and three individuals came forward.
Bai Yuan stood between Chen Jianping and Qian Jianguo. Bai Yuan's face was full of scars maintained calm composure while the other two were quite nervous.
"Your captain has reported to me that you were doing excellent during the first fourth portals! And three of you receive the best score from my captains!" Tang Shaoyang commented on their efforts, "For those who have fought bravely for the empire will be rewarded!"
"Bai Yuan, Chen Jianping, and Qian Jianguo! Receive your reward!" His deep voice echoed, and the three individuals knelt in front of Tang Shaoyang while extending their palms.
Bai Yuan's eyes widened in surprise, the same for Chen Jianping and Qian Jianguo. When they heard the voice, they subconsciously fell to their knees. Their bodies were moving on their own.
Even Tang Shaoyang was surprised. He did not plan all of this. It was a surprise for the slaves, telling them that their efforts would be rewarded. He intended to encourage the new recruit as well as the Tarriors.
'Nah, they are doing good…' he was satisfied with how the three people reacted. He took two steps forward and took out a scroll.
"Bai Yuan! Your splendid contribution deserved to be rewarded!" Tang Shaoyang put the Class Change Scroll and a Crystal Inventory Bag into his palm.
"This is your reward! Class Change Scroll and an Inventory Bag!"
The other slaves let out a gasp of surprise. Not expecting one of them would be rewarded with Class Change Scroll. He walked to the other two and gave them Inventory Bag.
"We thank you for your grace, My Lord!" The three thanked Tang Shaoyang while bowing their heads.
Tang Shaoyang's body shuddered subtly. This was the first time someone called him My Lord in front of these many people. He felt… cringe for sure. But a satisfied expression plastered on his face.
"Mnn, you can go back to your group!" He pardoned the three with a wave of his hand and glanced toward the Tarrior's group! Bai Yuan, Chen Jianping, and Qian Jianguo stood up. They bowed their head once again before going back to the group.
"Hu Feng!" Tang Shaoyang called another name. He was not done with the reward, there was another name that deserved to receive a reward.
The middle-aged man walked out of the group with a surprised expression. He was not expecting his name would be called. The older man walked until he reached a meter away from the Boss.
"Receive your reward!" When these words entered his ears, his knees fell to the ground. He then extended both his hands toward Tang Shaoyang.
'Huh!?' He was bewildered as his body moved on its own. Unsure what happened to his body, his Boss put a scroll on his palm.
—————————
[Class Change Scroll]
Uncommon Class: Guardsman
—————————
As the information appeared in his eyes, Hu Feng's pupils widened in shock. The reward was a class, then he met with Tang Shaoyang's gaze.
"I… I thank you My Lord for your generous reward!"
"Mnn, you can go back!" Hu Feng nodded and stood up. He still did not know what happened back then, but he did not care about the trivial matter. His hand was shaking from excitement.
Tang Shaoyang was satisfied with how subordinates reacted to the reward. He did not give Hu Feng an inventory bag because the older man already had one from Lu An.
"For those who don't receive your reward, work harder and you will be rewarded for your contributions!" As he finished his words, the portal started to form in the sky.
After a few seconds of process, a portal was created in front of Tang Shaoyang.
—Is this the portal you were talking about? Do you want me to create this portal?
Zowen's voice rang as soon as the portal formed. Zaneos told her that the portal might be the only way to get back to their original world.
—Yes, but not now. The plan will be executed only after we have our physical body. In our current form, we can't do anything less researching the portal!
While the two spirits conversed, Tang Shaoyang led his people to the portal. They entered together so they would not get split up inside the portal.
Just like that, everyone entered the fifth portal.