“Offer?”
Shaw scanned Ryan from top to bottom before suddenly chuckling.
“Tell me, Mr. Peterson. What can you possibly offer me?”
She wasn’t in too much of a hurry. After last night, the NPCs would still level up, but at a much slower rate. At least they wouldn’t jump a few levels overnight. This meant she could spend a few minutes with things like this.
“Plenty of things, Ms…”
“Shaw. Just Shaw.”
“Very well. Shaw.” Ryan nodded. As he spoke again, his eyes were trained on Shaw’s expression as he tried to get any clue he could from her facial expressions. “I am actually, well...I’m what most people call a weapon’s dealer. I trade firearms in the black market for a living.”
Even as he said those words, he was scanning Shaw’s expression, looking for any reaction that might suggest she was intrigued by his words. All he saw was indifference and even impatience, and that made his heart sink. Still, he continued, hoping his words would be able to sway her.
“I have weapons. All sorts of firearms. They are all stashed in safe locations all over the city. Rifles. Shotguns. RPGs. Grenades. Even some M4s. They can arm dozens of people at least. They will be highly effective against the monsters outside!”
Once again, nothing. In Shaw's eyes, a handful of firearms was worth less than the sword and shield she was holding.
“I also have men! I have dozens of ex-military enforcers working for me! They have a lot of experience with combat! I treated and paid them well. They will work for me!”
“I...I also have powerful connections all over the city. All over the world, in fact!” When Shaw still had her poker face up, Ryan felt himself getting more and more desperate. He should be calmer, and he knew showing all of his cards was a bad idea, but he couldn’t help it. If this young woman refused to help them, then their fate was sealed. They could either try to flee outside and be killed, or they could stay here and starve to death.
Finally, after the poking and prodding didn't work, he cut straight to the chase.
“I have value, Shaw! Help me, and I will be able to return the favor in the future! I promise!”
Hmmm...as much as she kept up her poker face, Shaw had to admit she was a little interested. Not in what Ryan offered her, of course. Firearms? They were useless to her. And his enforcers and his connections? Even if these people weren’t dead already, they would have no reason to keep helping Ryan. After all, what could he offer them for their service? Money?
However, this was the first time since her reincarnation that she had dealt with someone this...wise. Someone who understood what he had to do so quickly. He showed her his value, and while it wasn’t much, it was enough to get her attention.
Just as Ryan’s panic grew, Shaw finally came up with a reply.
“What do you want me to do, Mr. Peterson?”
If Ryan said he wanted her to protect him and his daughter or escort them somewhere, Shaw would’ve turned and left without another word. She was willing to escort Emily and her survivors because it was an optional mission, and she knew she would be well compensated for it. A weapon’s dealer? He didn't deserve such attention from her.
Thankfully, Ryan knew what he was worth, which wasn’t a lot.
“If possible, Shaw, we would like you to bring us two of the monsters outside and let us kill them.” The large man went right to the point, and when Shaw simply stared at him, he quickly added. “We...we just want a fighting chance. That’s it. After that, we will part ways, and we will not ask another thing from you.”
Honestly, Ryan was really out of luck. On the first day of the Launch, he and his bodyguard were able to hide in their hotel room and take out the NPCs with their weapons. They had the same issue as the police officers. Their firearms caused them to miss the perfect opportunity to level up. If Ryan knew what to do early enough, with his combat experience and his strength, he would’ve easily racked up a lot of experience.
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By the time he accidentally opened the player interface and realized what was happening, it was already too late. When he looked out of the window after the wave of shrieking from the streets down below, the monsters he saw were all level 3. Ryan was strong for a human, but that strength would only make him tastier for the level 3 NPCs outside.
Shaw didn't remember hearing about the man in her last life, likely because he never made it out of the hotel.
“Very well.” In the end, much to the relief of Ryan, Shaw finally nodded. She took a trip downstairs and, in two minutes, returned with two giant level 3 rats with their limbs cut off. Ryan and his bodyguard drew their knives and easily stabbed the rats in the head. By the time they were done, they were both at level 2.
As the two men chose their careers and distributed their points among the attributes, Shaw turned and left. Maybe Ryan would be dead by the end of today. Maybe he would still be alive months into the Launch and become a powerful player. Either way, this was a minor investment by her. All she spent was a few minutes. If Ryan died, she wouldn't lose much. If he lived and met her again, she would gain a potentially highly valuable asset.
Of course, it wasn’t like they signed a contract and there was no guarantee for anything, but Shaw wasn’t too worried about Ryan just forgetting that this favor ever happened. It wasn't because Ryan felt like such a grateful or honest man. On the contrary, it was because Shaw knew Ryan was smart. She knew that if they meet again, as long as she still held the overwhelming power, he would have no choice but to bend the knee.
After all, she saved his life, and she could also take it.
----------------------------------------
What happened with Ryan was just a minor incident that didn't really occupy too much of Shaw's attention. After leaving the hotel, Shaw did her best to head for the police precinct that Emily and the other survivors should’ve gone to. In her experience, more survivors usually meant more NPCs. The noise and the smell of hundreds of people should be enough to attract a lot of NPCs, or as Shaw liked to call them, exp loot boxes, that way.
Plus, Shaw also looked forward to seeing if there were any valuable players within the precinct to work with. As arrogant and confident as she was, she had no intention of fighting and winning this war, only to find out she was the last person alive. She would be all too happy to find some players of great potential to work with. Given the number of NPCs out there, it wasn’t like they had to compete for exp.
Just like Shaw expected, the road had become a lot more treacherous than it was yesterday. Instead of the occasional level 3 NPCs, almost all the enemies she ran into were level 2 or level 3. For most players, this meant venturing outside alone or even in small groups was suicide.
Of course, if low-level players could somehow take out these NPCs, they would be able to catch up really quickly.
Shaw was heading for the precinct, but she was in no hurry. The experience provided by level 2 and 3 NPCs was still valuable to her, and she hoped to at least reach level 6 by the end of the day.
As Shaw walked down one of the streets, a squad of at least one dozen level 3 goblins suddenly revealed themselves. Some of them were hiding in the grass while others have taken up position behind trees or abandoned cars. As soon as Shaw walked into their ambush, they came out of their hiding and charged toward her with daggers in hand.
“Ambush. How cute.” Shaw chuckled. Instead of waiting in place, she raised her sword and charged in one direction. In mere moments, she ran right into a pair of goblins. They were fast, but she was faster. One of the goblins was cut into two while still in motion. The other tried to stab Shaw, only to be slammed into by Shaw’s Silver Shield. That collision alone broke most of the bones in the poor goblin’s body and ended its pathetic life.
Another goblin leaped forward, its dagger aiming for Shaw’s defenseless back. Before it could make contact, Shaw snapped around, and the dagger instead hit the Silver Shield she mounted on her left forearm.
Without saying a word, Shaw pulled her shield to the side and sliced her sword deep into the goblin’s shoulder and pulled it down diagonally until she cleaved the goblin in two.
The other goblins pushed forward, still too low in terms of levels to know when to give up and flee. Shaw stood her ground. These goblins were brilliant assassins, and their size and speed made them fatal to unsuspecting foes. Shaw, on the other hand, had been fighting these monsters for half of her life. She knew exactly what tactics they had and how to counter them.
Shaw had her own way to act against these NPCs. She would use Charge from time to time, killing a few of the goblins before they could fight back. After that, she would stand her ground while constantly on the move to ensure she wouldn’t be outflanked. The goblins were forced to fight her front-on due to her positioning, and the Warrior career was practically designed to fight face to face. These goblins didn't stand a chance.
Soon, most of the goblins were down. Shaw did take a few dagger hits, but her Fortify ability deflected most of the damage and her Resilience ability kept her in the fight.
Finally, after several minutes of slaughter, there was only one goblin left. By all regards, this fight was over. Shaw’s Silver Sword went for the goblin, ready to chop it in half like the rest of its kind.
That was when things suddenly changed.
Without the slightest warning, the goblin who by all accounts looked like any other member of its kind suddenly dodged Shaw’s blade with a surprising level of reflex and speed. As soon as Shaw’s sword missed and almost threw Shaw off her balance, the goblin leaped into the air and went straight for her throat.
A look of cruel satisfaction flashed across that goblin’s eyes. Its deception worked! At this point, it was too late for this woman to pull back her sword now or raise her shield. Soon, she would just be another body on the ground! Another meal to be devoured!
The goblin was confident...all the way until it was hit in the face by a spider web.