In the end, Lieutenant Hans was able to successfully form the task force. He hand-picked a total of 40 officers, all of them supposedly being the elite of the settlement. He armed these men with the best weapons the armory had to offer before leading them out of the main gate and on their mission.

Unfortunately for him, there were only a handful of low-level players within this group. Neither he nor the souls he was leading knew the monsters outside had become a lot more deadly after last night, and that just a handful of them could make sure not a single member of the elite task force would return home alive.

Fortunately for him, this would never happen because Shaw couldn’t allow it to happen. These officers were level 0 at the moment, but as long as they could get started, they had a lot of potentials. It would be a shame to have them die so meaninglessly.

Emily went along with them. She was still at level 3, but her attributes were significantly improved, and the weapons and equipment in her storage space meant she was a lot tougher than she looked. Shaw was confident the young officer would do her part of the plan nicely.

As the task force departed, Shaw turned her attention back to the precinct and the survivors within. She had a lot of work to do. She had monsters to kill, assets to secure, and loyalties to gain.

The first thing she did was go to the meeting room occupied by Baron and around twenty other players. When she pushed the door open and walked inside, many of the players looked up at her.

“Shaw! You’re back!” Peter eagerly greeted her, doing his best to get on her good side. “Did you find Emily?”

Shaw gave him a slight nod, but instead of answering him, she made her way to the front of the room and raised her voice so that every player in the room could hear her.

“Listen up, everyone!”

Immediately, all eyes were upon her. Some of the players frowned, not too happy to be disturbed. Still, they remembered what Baron, Peter, and the others who knew Shaw said about her, and that was enough to make them remain silent.

Satisfied with the attention, Shaw continued. As always, she wasted no time playing around and went straight to the point.

“As all of you know, players can level up by killing the things outside. The higher level we get, the stronger we become.” She scanned the room, taking notes of the expressions of the players. “I just want to let all of you know that I will be going outside soon to hunt down some of those monsters. Would anyone like to join me?”

“Uh…” After a few seconds of silence, Peter came up with a reply. “Shaw, Captain Larson didn't want any of us going outside, even we players...”

“So?” Shaw chuckled. “He has more important things to worry about. Plus, we are players. We are faster and stronger than him and most of his men. And what can he do? Shoot us for wanting to go outside?”

For a second, the room was very quiet. There was a reason all of these players stayed inside as soon as they reached the precinct. Even Baron, who by all accounts was a smart individual, cowered within the safety of the precinct despite being at level 4. All of these players were terrified. They were just common civilians a day ago, and they needed to adapt and adjust to this new world order. Unless they were cornered, their will to fight was pathetic. The idea of going outside and actively hunting down the terrifying monsters rarely crossed their mind.

Baron complained about how the Captain didn't allow him to do anything, but that was just another excuse. Like Shaw said, what could the Captain do? Have these civilians shot? Even if he tried, would his men obey? Could they even carry out the execution against two dozen players? This was just another excuse for him to avoid risking his life.

There was still no response from her audience, so Shaw continued.

“We cannot hide here forever. I can tell all of you that the levels of the monsters outside are growing with every passing day. On my way here, I ran into a level 7 monster. I killed it, but think about it! It’s been a day since hell broke out, and that thing is already at level 7!” She turned to Baron. “You told me you have the highest level among everyone here.”

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“I...that is correct.” Baron frowned.

“Well,” Shaw shrugged. “If we don’t take our chances and fight now, then by the time we do try to get the exp, it will be too late. You players still have an advantage as of now. Wait a few more days, and most people in this room will be no different than the level 0 survivors outside in the face of those NPCs.”

She threw her hands in the air.

“That is all I am going to say. Now, who is in?”

Her words clearly made many of the players think. Shaw laid the dangers of inaction out clearly in front of their eyes, too clearly for them to ignore. It was either going out there and fighting, or staying inside and accepting a grim future.

A few of the players glanced at Shaw, remembering what she said about the level 7 NPC. If this woman wasn’t lying, then Shaw was much stronger than all of them combined. There was a reason she came to them and invited them to join her. She needed them, which meant this was an opportunity. Shaw likely wouldn’t babysit them, but she would make sure they wouldn’t be wiped out by a random high-level NPC the moment they step outside.

Some preferred to take their chances and make an attempt at seizing this opportunity. Others, on the other hand, decided their lives were too precious to risk, and it would be better for others to go first and watch how things turned out before acting.

One of the players stood up. She was a Sorcerer that Shaw recognized from the escort mission. The Sorcerer gave Shaw a nod.

“I am with you, Shaw. My name is Nicole, by the way. Nicole Lee.”

“Welcome, Nicole.” Shaw returned a nod and a small smile. “I can assure you that you have made the right choice.”

Following the young woman’s lead, a few more players stood up. Peter was among them, somewhat surprisingly. The man was smart, and he collected a lot of exp on the escort mission. Once again unsurprisingly, Baron decided to join the party as well, recognizing the value of this offer.

In total, there were 11 players who were brave enough to venture outside. The rest remained in their seats, silent. Shaw understood their choice. Perhaps they didn't trust her. Perhaps they were just cowards. It didn't matter. They have missed the best opportunity to join her new faction.

Soon, the 11 players that were brave enough to stand up would be leveled up significantly with her help. If they survived and their loyalty was secured, they would become the backbone of Shaw’s new faction. They would become her lieutenants and help her control the hundreds of civilians and players alike, with the potential for so much more in the future.

The rest of the players? If they wanted to catch up in the future, they would need to make ten times the effort.

Still, Shaw wasn’t satisfied with the 11 players. Much to the surprise of the players, she proceeded to go out into the grand halls of the precincts and talk to the level 0 civilians out there. She told them more or less the same story. It was now or never. Take the risk now, or be condemned to a life of hopelessness in the future.

“Why are we wasting time with these people?” Baron was the first to ask the question all the players had on their minds. “They’re all at level 0. They will be slaughtered if they go outside.”

Shaw didn't answer him, and Baron couldn’t help but back off.

Many of the civilians ignored Shaw. As far as they could see, Shaw was insane to ask for them to leave the safety of the precinct. Others, driven mad by all that had happened, even sent a few choice words her way. Still, out of the hundreds of civilians, around 30 of them were convinced by her words. One by one, they came up to her and offered to join her in the adventure. Shaw welcomed them with open arms.

Finally, after a painfully long time of talking, Shaw was finally ready for action. With over 40 people with her, she headed for the main gate of the precinct.

Unsurprisingly, the things she said in public attracted plenty of attention from the current leader of the precinct. Captain Larson himself came outside and confronted Shaw and her party, trying to turn them away from this seemingly suicidal idea. As far as he could see, something as dangerous as going outside and engaging the monsters should be left to the professionals. A noble idea, but way outdated.

Shaw could kill the old man a hundred different ways in mere seconds, but she knew now wasn’t the time to use force. Instead, as painful as it was for her, she spent a while talking to the old man, promising that she would keep most of the people fine and that they would bring back any supply they could find. Finally, the Captain backed off.

Just like Shaw said, he had much bigger things to worry about, and he wasn’t exactly ready to use force against his own people just yet. The departure of the task force also significantly reduced the manpower he had under his control, leaving him with no choice but to back down for now and allow Shaw and her group to leave.

At long last, the hunt had begun.