As Isaac and the others were being led to the upper captain's quarters, they noticed that almost every corridor was covered in blood and dismembered body parts. Clearly, a fierce battle had taken place here!
The heavy scent of blood, burnt flesh, and decay was particularly pungent!
This scene intensified Isaac's unease, and a terrifying conjecture gradually took over his mind.
The thought of Nicole made Isaac cast fear aside. He roared in anger, "You—what have you done? Damn it, you slaughtered the USG Ishimura, didn't you?!"
However, Isaac's furious questioning was met only with silence. These burly "giants" had no intention of explaining anything to him.
"Let go of me! Let go of me!"
A chill ran down Isaac's spine, overwhelmed with grief and indignation, he struggled wildly, trying to break free from their grasp.
But how could a mere human, even with the aid of his engineer's RIG, possibly break free from the control of a Space Marine?
Isaac was dragged forward like a chick, his struggles proving useless, so he could only resort to curses.
"Quiet him down."
The leading black-armored giant paused, seemingly finding him too noisy.
Bang!
One iron fist, and Isaac fell silent.
Danny and Junior, witnessing this, couldn't help but shiver. These people were completely unreasonable!
What exactly happened here?
This was the question in everyone's mind, and from what force did these suddenly appearing 'black-armored giants' originate?
From just their brief encounter, Danny could tell that these 'black-armored warriors' belonged neither to the CEC nor the Earth Unified Government. Their speed was almost on par with Superman's; he could barely keep up with his gaze. This was definitely not something humans could achieve!
A terrifying thought emerged from Danny's mind.
"Could these people all be aliens?!"
In fact, the topic of whether aliens existed had always been debated by humanity, yet even to this day, humanity had not found a single alien.
If he had to guess—the CEC was very likely to have found an alien relic, which was also one of the reasons she was sent by the Unified Government to investigate.
With this conjecture, they were quickly led to the captain's quarters, and the 'alien' Danny had imagined was merely a young man who appeared to have caucasian heritage, with black hair and brown eyes.
The other party sat casually, yet she felt as if she was facing a great mountain. The invisible pressure made Danny instinctively want to submit.
She really wanted to look up and clearly see the young man's face, but it was as if it was shrouded in mist.
Beside him were three women, but one of these 'women' greatly shocked Danny.
She was clearly not human; her height was around two meters, with a slender yet powerful physique adorned with numerous mysterious runes. Her face was exquisite and perfect, her ears pointed, much like the elves from ancient legends!
"Hello, Ms. Danny."
Emrys' gaze fell on this woman, and he said with a smile, "I apologize for bringing you here in such a manner. I hope you don't mind?"
This is an invitation?
Danny's eye twitched. She inadvertently glanced at the unconscious Hammond and Isaac, took a deep breath, and forced a smile, "No, of course we don't mind—"
Nonsense, would they dare to say they minded?
Circumstances dictated, and Danny could only say that, but what she was more curious about was, who exactly was the other party?
"Hmm, that's good."
Emrys nodded, then said, "As you can see, a small incident occurred on the USG Ishimura. To summarize, the people here were infected with an unknown virus, and after death, they turn into monstrous flesh-and-blood agglomerations.
And my people, after paying a 'heavy price,' managed to prevent the virus from spreading."
He deliberately emphasized his words, and Danny guessed his meaning, pulling out a very forced smile.
"I—I represent the CEC company and the Earth Unified Government, and I sincerely thank you for your help."
"Just thanks?"
Emrys frowned slightly, seemingly displeased, and the temperature in the entire cabin suddenly dropped to freezing point!
This was no illusion, but reality!
Danny was horrified to discover that the ground around the man, including the air, showed signs of a sudden drop in temperature. A thin layer of ice covered the ground, and ice crystals even appeared in the air!
He really is an alien!!!
Danny roared wildly in her mind, staring at the scene in a daze.
"Ms. Danny, I know you are a spy sent by the Earth Unified Government to the CEC." Emrys' index finger lightly tapped the control panel, his gaze growing heavier.
"I reiterate, we paid a great price to prevent the virus from spreading.
All of this was to protect your property!"
Danny understood. He wanted money!
"I—I understand what you mean." She pulled out an expression that was neither crying nor smiling, swallowed, and said, "I will contact the CEC to give you generous compensation to make up for your losses. Is that acceptable?"
"Do you think I need your meager compensation?" Emrys tilted his head, the frost in his eyes so dense it was almost impossible to dissipate.
"Then, then what do you mean?"
Under that immense, invisible pressure, Danny was on the verge of collapse.
"I need you to do something for me."
Emrys withdrew his psychic power, looked at the trembling Danny, and said calmly, "You go to Shield V world and retrieve something for me."
"Wh-what thing?"
Danny had a bad feeling.
"The culprit behind all this, and the truth hidden by the CEC—the Marker." Emrys snapped his fingers, and the servo-skull immediately brought up an image.
"It's this. The 'extinction device' from an alien civilization, the source of the virus on the USG Ishimura. As long as you bring it back, I won't demand compensation from you."
Originally, he had planned to have the Dark Angel retrieve the true 'Marker' after preparing mental defenses. But unexpectedly, the protagonist Isaac suddenly arrived, causing Emrys to temporarily change his plan.
After all, in the original plot, Isaac, as an engineer, single-handedly fought his way through the USG Ishimura.
Now with him as a backer, retrieving a Marker would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?
"This—no, we can't do it!"
Danny's face drastically changed. An device that could reduce the entire USG Ishimura to such a tragic state—how could a few of them possibly bring it back?
Wasn't this sending them to their deaths?
However, the moment she uttered these words, Emrys' eyes suddenly turned cold, and it was as if lightning and flames appeared around him. In Danny's eyes, his figure seemed to transform into a twisted demonic totem.
"You have no choice."
His cold voice was like a sharp blade.
"I am not negotiating with you, Ms. Danny. Please recognize your position."
Danny opened her mouth, her eyes full of despair. Even these 'aliens' were unwilling to go; the horror of that thing was unimaginable!
They might not come back from this trip!
Of course, Emrys didn't care what Danny was thinking. Every Space Marine was precious to him; how could they be wasted here?
Let the protagonist suffer a bit, and he would bear the blame!
Emrys still had great faith in Isaac; after all, he was the man respectfully called Isaac the one who talks!
Emrys felt that his current image, in the eyes of these people, was exactly like a villain carved out of a movie.
The two unconscious individuals gradually regained consciousness.
After realizing their situation, Isaac and Hammond became much more compliant. Next, Daniels used the most concise language possible to explain the current circumstances to them.
"To summarize, this is how it is—"
He chose a comfortable sitting posture, his right leg crossed over his left, his hands clasped together in front of his abdomen, and looked at the three with a slight smile.
"Mr. Isaac, I've been very clear. You bring the 'Marker' back, and I'll return 'Nicole' to you. I'll also provide you with a spaceship to ensure your safe departure. How does that sound?"
Using someone else's girlfriend to threaten Isaac.
It must be said, no wonder villains in Hollywood movies always like to do this—it's truly effective!
Isaac, who had been so rebellious just a moment ago, deflated like a punctured ball upon hearing his girlfriend Nicole's name, slumping onto the ground. He stared at him with wide, hopeful eyes.
"Nicole, Nicole—is she still to live?!"
"She's still to live, but her condition isn't very good."
Emrys bent down, crossed his hands, and smiled.
"You've seen the data on the Marker and the reanimated corpses on the ship. I haven't lied to you. And your girlfriend, Nicole—unfortunately, Mr. Isaac, she was one of the first humans infected. Although she hasn't fully mutated yet, with human technology, the possibility of her to live is extremely slim. You should understand."
The flicker of hope in Isaac's eyes was extinguished by these words. His face turned pale, as if he had lost his soul.
"Nicole—how could this happen?"
He had voluntarily applied to CEC to participate in this rescue mission precisely to meet his separated girlfriend and discuss their relationship.
But who could have imagined that in just a few months, when they met again, it would already be a permanent separation?
"Since I promised to return Nicole to you, I naturally wouldn't hand over a reanimated corpse."
Just as Isaac was grieving, Emrys slowly spoke, like a ray of dawn in the dark night, offering him salvation.
"It's still the same — as long as you can bring back the Marker, I will give you back a complete, lively girlfriend, guaranteed to have no problems whatsoever. This is my sincerity, Mr. Isaac."
"Rea-really?!"
Isaac clutched at him like a drowning man, looking at him incredulously, swallowing hard.
"As long as I can bring back that damned Marker, you can cure Nicole?"
"Of course, Mr. Isaac." Emrys showed a relaxed and comfortable smile, leaning back slowly.
"The mental virus Nicole is infected with might be an incurable disease like cancer to you, but to us, it's at most like a common cold, very easy to cure."
What is most abundant in the Warhammer Universe?
Monsters and daemons!
Things like mind control—any Tech-Priest could cure you of that in minutes, no need for the Ecclesiarchy to get involved!
Moreover, he even had a 'Living Saint' standing right there, personally recognized by the Emperor, who had just recently burned down Nurgle's garden!
If it weren't for considering the special nature of the Marker and not wanting to see casualties among the Dark Angels, a mere Marker would have been pulled out and destroyed long ago!
Seeing Emrys' promise, as well as the Space Marines and Servo-Skulls—these strange creations—Isaac's trust in his promise grew a bit.
After all, at this moment, he had no other choice but to believe; humans definitely wouldn't work. He could only trust these 'xenos' in front of him!
After the pep talk, Isaac took a deep breath and nodded forcefully.
"Okay, I will definitely bring back the Marker, and please keep your promise and cure Nicole!"
See, that's what a love-struck person is like.
No, considering Isaac's situation, he should be a pure-love warrior, who fought his way through the entire USG Ishimura for his girlfriend Nicole!
"Pleasure working with you, Mr. Isaac." Emrys' smile broadened. He waved his hand, and the Servo-Skull floated over.
"I will have it follow you all the way, providing whatever help it can. I hope you can to live and return."
This thing… damn!
Isaac and the others widened their eyes, staring at the mechanical head floating in mid-air. They were instantly terrified, all their hairs standing on end, cold sweat pouring out uncontrollably.
What kind of decent person uses a 'human head' for surveillance?!
They could understand that their group needed to be monitored, but—this thing was really a bit scary, practically straight out of a horror movie!
"If you have any other needs, you can also tell the Servo-Skull." Emrys tapped the table, saying calmly.
"Within its capabilities, I don't mind providing you with some equipment to increase the success rate of the mission."
He was quite curious to see what an engineer like Isaac could achieve with more advanced equipment and more destructive weapons.
When Isaac, Hammond, Daniels, and Johnston were led by the Servo-Skull to the lower deck, they were instantly dazzled by the array of equipment covering several walls.
There's no need to wonder; the equipment here was specially prepared for them by Emrys.
Although he believed in plot armor, this was ultimately not a game, so he specifically transferred some of the equipment he had previously hoarded from his personal space.
These were all standard Astra Militarum sets, including carapace armor, lasguns, polymer knives, bolters, high-explosive grenades, chainswords, and so on.
"This, this gun—such an exaggerated caliber!"
Hammond's eyes widened as he looked at the astonishing size of the bolter, stroking its ancient barrel with a fiery glint in his eyes.
"My goodness, this is practically a cannon! I can't even imagine what effect this thing would have on those damned monsters!"
Clearly, men can never refuse the allure of artillery, especially bigger cannons!
Isaac, however, was a bit more cautious and didn't challenge the exaggerated size of the bolter. He knew very well that its recoil was not something he could handle.
So, he donned a layer of carapace armor over his engineer suit, selected a standard lasgun, then took several high-explosive grenades and a polymer knife, and also updated his stasis module.
After much thought, Isaac also tucked his plasma cutter into his waistband. While other people's weapons were powerful, they ultimately weren't as handy as his own.
The Servo-Skull stamped a Mark of Purity on the armor of the four, to prevent the mental control of the Marker.
Fully equipped, the four took the elevator from the world Cracker to the world's surface, arriving at the world shrouded in yellow sand.
Chief Engineer Isaac's extraordinary life officially began the moment he stepped out of the elevator!