"So, all of you were divided into a team of five for the fifth portal?" Kang Jiayi asked Tang Shaoyang to confirm it. He asked this not just for him but for other people to listen.
"Yes," Cao Yuntai nodded his head, "As for how the team is divided, it's random. I guess the system makes the call for that."
"You guys have returned, why haven't the others returned yet?" A woman in her late thirties raised her hand.
"Our objective ended prematurely because of a special circumstance in which I can't tell you the details," It was too complicated even for Cao Yuntai. Gods, war, the game, and more things that he could not even understand until now.
"However, you should not have worried for the time being. We are given seven days to survive on the other side…" Cao Yuntai started to explain the time difference and conversion between the two worlds.
"So we will wait until the seventh day. If they don't come back in seven days, then…" the middle-aged man lowered his head. He could not bear to say it bluntly that your husbands were dead.
Even though he did not say it loudly, the crowd got the message behind his words. Silence ensued for a moment until another woman in her mid-twenties raised her hand, "So we have to wait for three more days? If my husband survives, he will come back and if he doesn't come back that means my husband is dead?"
"Yeah," Cao Yuntai nodded with a heavy expression, "We can't do anything to help them. Even if you enter the portal now, you would be transported to a different world or maybe a different place even if it's the same world," he pointed at the portal, "Can you imagine how hard it is to find your family in a world that may be larger than Earth?"
Kairu was standing in front of the portal, observing the portal closely with curiosity. He could get to know that Tang Shaoyang entered this portal to come to his world. The theory piqued the Flaming Lion's interest. He wondered what would happen if he entered the portal, would he return to Arkania Continent? It was a mystery that could only be solved if he entered the portal.
The crowd looked toward the portal. The fear of zombies was still haunting them, now they heard that various kinds of monsters existed on the other side. No one dared to enter the portal.
Of course, people believed the monster's existence was because of Mu Liqiu and Kang Jiayi's testimony. As someone who had entered and seen the monster with their eyes, they confirmed it so the people believed them.
Just like Cai Yuntai told them, they could not do anything but waited for them to return and pray. Mu Liqiu comforted his daughter-in-law, Huo Hongmei who was on the verge of tearing up. She was caressing her slightly bulging belly.
Kang Jiayi got emotional as he looked at his wife and daughter-in-law. He felt useless that he could not do anything in this situation. He also started to regret not joining the battle to level up. If he leveled up and got stronger, he could enter the portal with the big group, and even protect his son if they were in the same group.
But just an old saying, there was no medicine for regret. What he could do now was to change his view about this disaster. He had to do something so his family could live happily in this apocalypse world.
'I have to join the battle and get stronger,' the old man then glanced at Tang Shaoyang who was sitting next to the unconscious beastmen. He had thought to ask the man's advice but then his pride did not allow him to do so. He wanted to do this with his way to prove to the man that he could survive well even without that man's help.
*** ***
"You human is quite troublesome," Kairu went back to Tang Shaoyang's side while looking at the crowd, "If it's me, I will just roar at my people, they would instantly understand and not bother me anymore."
"You are not worried about your people?" Instead of responding to the Lion Beastmen's remark of how humans settled their problem, Tang Shaoyang responded with a question.
"We are the King of Wild, even without me they should be fine," Kairu replied proudly.
"I wonder why they choose you as their leader," Tang Shaoyang shook his head at Kairu's unconcerned reply, "I am talking about the battle. We are in a war against the church and the empire, now you leave them. Don't you worry about them?"
"Now you say it…" a frown formed as Kairu muttered in a low voice. He just realized that they got transported here in the middle of the battle, "I am kinda worried for them."
Crimson Clan could be said was a heritage left behind by his father for him. He was trusted by his father to make the Crimson Clan thriving again. He got separated from his clan now, he could not even protect them now let alone make his clan thrive.
Kairu looked toward the portal, "Can I go back to the Orin Forest if I take the portal?"
"No, you can't. We are transported to Earth because we are not allowed to be there," Tang Shaoyang glanced toward the portal as a thought appeared in his head, "But it's worth a try."
He wondered if Kairu could take the portal. There was only benefit for Kairu entering the portal, he could get stronger from the reward. With that thought in his mind, Tang Shaoyang walked toward the portal.
Kairu followed him closely as he looked toward the portal. Before he did not try the portal because he did not have Tang Shaoyang's consent. Now he could try as Tang Shaoyang allowed him to.
It was his unconscious thought, he did not realize that he had regarded Tang Shaoyang as his leader even though he never admitted it openly.
"Go try!" Tang Shaoyang pointed toward the portal, "Once entered the portal, you will be given a main objective. You should finish the objective to get the reward and return here," he briefly told the Flaming Lion what this was about.
Apparently, the words entered his left ear and came out of his right ear, "Can I enter now?" Just like a cat that was excited about playing with the new toy. Kairu exactly looked like this to Tang Shaoyang.
"Go ahead!" As soon as Tang Shaoyang nodded, the Flaming Lion charged toward the portal. However, instead of getting sucked into the portal, Kairu was repelled by the portal. The Lion Beastmen sent flying five meters backward.
Tang Shaoyang approached the groaning Kairu, "What happened?"
"I don't know," Kairu shook his head, "You saw it, the portal repelled me."
"No, I mean do you hear any voice? What the voice said to you?" Tang Shaoyang wanted to know why Kairu could not enter the portal. The system should give Kairu the reason why he was not allowed to enter.
Hearing Tang Shaoyang's words, Kairu realized that he indeed heard a voice. He recalled the voice was the same voice he heard before he got transported into this world.
"It said that I am not a player of the Survival Game, so I can't participate in the game."