As dozens of players cheered all around him, Baron was dead silent.

All around him, the players were in a fit of zeal. A few hours ago, these people were almost complete strangers to Shaw. Now, they were willing to go to war for her. Baron suspected that if Shaw ordered them to bring her his head, at least half of these players would gladly obey while the other half would be very tempted.

Shaw’s methods were...extremely direct. They were basic, yet effective. She used so many different ways to tell these new players that as long as they obeyed her, they would be rewarded. Rewarded and protected. And if they did things she didn't like, they would pay the price with their lives.

Such was the case with the first five people chosen to be new players. Such was the case with the players she saved and the players she left to die. Even with explaining the careers...Baron suspected Shaw was subtly rewarding the players who asked for her opinion instead of acting alone.

Of course, this method of securing loyalty was based on one simple requirement. Power. It was only because Shaw was so powerful that she could easily feed experience to everyone. That she could save the players who fought well and condemn those who ran. That she could brutally murder a monster that could’ve destroyed anyone else in battle. Without this overwhelming power, this method was impossible.

The question now was...what would he do?

Baron had always been an ambitious person. After arriving at the precinct, he began looking for a way to be more than just a civilian with powers. In fact, he even set his eyes on the position of the leader of the precinct. For a while, as the highest leveled player in the settlement, he certainly had the opportunity. He was also trying to stoke the flames between the players and the officers in order to get the players to support him in his quest for control.

All of those plannings went down the drain the moment Shaw stepped through the main gate of the precinct. Baron was much more competent socially, but that advantage became meaningless in front of Shaw’s overwhelming strength and brutal way of acting. She didn't bother with trying to sit down and talk to the players or offer them drinks. No. She made them an offer. Obey me and prosper. Resist me and die.

And it worked. In this brutal and direct world, force spoke louder than anything else.

In front of the party of cheering players, Shaw casually dropped the knight’s head on the ground. She glanced at her personal interface, noting the new level and the 5 new disposable attribute points, before turning back to the players.

“Let’s take a break here and check our gains. Also, I want everyone to tell me your career and level so I can better organize things.”

The players obeyed. One by one, they sat down on the ground and started scrolling through their interfaces, examining the parts that they never got a chance to look at during the previous fighting. Shaw went through the players, talking to each and every one of them and taking notes of their careers and levels.

It turned out that almost all of the players in the group were already at level 4 or above. Most of these people were at level 0 not too long ago. They left the precinct as defenseless survivors who a single NPC could massacre, and now, they have become deadly champions who could take on most NPCs in the wild. All of them have slain at least a dozen NPCs in combat. Their levels were built up in the blood of their opponents.

Of course, this was only true for those that lived. In total, 8 people in the group didn't make it. Most of them were players who Shaw wasn’t satisfied with. Two of them were actually competent players, but Shaw wasn’t able to save them in time. Ultimately, she was still human.

Some of the more talented players, including many of the original players, have reached level 5 and unlocked their second ability. This included Nicole, Peter, and Baron. In total, there were six level 5 players in the group. At the current phase of the game where most survivors were still focused on keeping themselves in one piece, this was truly a force to be reckoned with.

Another thing worth noting was that before the players left the precinct, Baron was the only level 4 player, and he was the strongest apart from Shaw. Now, he barely got to level 5 while five other players caught up to him completely. At least part of this was due to his self-preservation instincts.

In terms of career, most of the players went along with the Warrior class, which wasn’t too surprising. Nicole and a few other girls chose the Sorcerer class. These girls knew, rather correctly, that they wouldn’t be the best in terms of hand-to-hand combat, so they turned to the Sorcerer class which was more focused on knowledge and practice than brutality and determination. Shaw respected this wise choice. After all, not every woman was her.

There were only a handful of players who chose the other three classes. Two Mythicals, one Mutant, and four Soldiers.

Just like that, the 33 players made up Shaw’s small but deadly group of followers. They were few in number, but they were fierce and deadly. In terms of combat, they could easily outmatch Captain Larson and all his men. Such was the intrigue of the game. Anyone could become extremely powerful in a short period of time if they took the risk and survived, and anyone who slacked off would quickly find themselves surpassed.

At this point, Shaw had completed what she came out for. She had a decent group of players under her command who would surely stand by her during her quest for control. She had also reached level 7 in the process. Yet she was far from satisfied. She wanted more. A lot more.

As the other players were still resting, Shaw turned to one of the players who was supposedly from this neighborhood.

“Is there a mall or something near here where we can find some supply? Maybe a supermarket?”

The player, a young woman, was clearly taken by surprise by the question. She stuttered a little in front of Shaw, a basic instinct after knowing what Shaw was capable of. Shaw gave her a little reassuring smile. That was enough to calm the young woman down.

“Ah...yes. I think…” She looked around to make sure she knew exactly where they were. “I think if we go down that road for maybe ten minutes or so, we’ll reach this mall. I went there a lot with my friends. It’s really big. There are supermarkets and kiosks and coffee shops and, well…and a lot more.”

Shaw nodded. For one reason or another, she needed food and supplies. She and her players were still human, and they needed to be fed. Acquiring additional supplies would also help her get to the civilians back home.

After a few minutes of rest, the group got back up and continued moving. None of the players questioned Shaw when she directed them deeper into the wild instead of turning them around and heading back home. These players had their faith in Shaw. They were confident that as long as they followed her guide, they would not be disappointed. Everything would be theirs, from exp and levels to food and supply.

All they had to do...was obey.

It turned out the local player wasn’t lying when she said the mall was big. It had at least four floors, with each floor holding at least dozens of stores of various types. Shaw suspected that there were at least hundreds of people scattered across the building when the Launch occurred. Store employees. Customers. Even now, there could still be at least a handful of survivors alive.

It would take ages for a single player to go through this building. Good thing Shaw wasn’t alone.

She quickly turned to the three dozen players following her.

“Split into groups of four or five. Each group must have a level 5 player. Go through the building and put everything that may be valuable into your storage space. Be careful. If you encounter an NPC that is too high level for you, do not engage. Try to keep yourselves safe and send a message to me. If things go well, we will meet back here in half an hour.” She scanned all the players. “Am I clear?”

This was different from what she wanted the players to do on the way here. On the way here, Shaw wanted the players to stand their ground no matter what because she was there to keep them safe. She wanted to test their willingness to fight in the face of danger in a controlled environment.

This time, things were different. With multiple groups of players scattered across the mall, Shaw couldn’t keep an eye on everyone, and she invested too much in these players to allow an entire team of them to be wiped out by some random level 6 or level 7 NPC. In this case, she would rather they be cowards that survive than braves that die.

The players nodded. Some of them checked their watches to see the current time. One by one, the players started gathering around the level 5 players. Shaw didn't intervene with this process. Instead, she stayed behind and kept an eye on the level 5 players to see how they acted in this scenario.

Nicole was as smart as always. She chose another Sorcerer before selecting one other Warrior and two other Soldiers, knowing very well that Sorcerers wouldn’t do very well within the tight space of the mall. If her group didn't have any Warriors or Soldiers to tank the enemy hits, they could take heavy losses.

Brian was as straightforward as always. He selected a group composed of players who were as brutal as he was in battle. All the players in his group had blood on their clothes, face, and weapons. They were also some of the most fearless and powerful players in the group.

One by one, the groups chose a direction and left. As almost all the players were gone, Baron suddenly walked up to Shaw.

“Can I join you?” He asked quietly.