"I refuse."
Emrys' reply was simple, a decisive and crisp rejection of the overbearing terms proposed by the CEC executive.
The smile on White's face faded. His already deep-set eyes revealed a hint of ruthlessness, like a beast ready to devour someone. His voice suddenly turned much colder, like the biting wind of winter, chilling to the bone.
"Sir life and opportunity come only once. I advise you to consider carefully."
"I'm sorry." Facing White's unfriendly gaze, Emrys merely smiled.
"My favorite thing to do is to tell conceited people—No!"
"Believe me, you will regret it."
White's eyes clearly showed anger. His self-important pride had been trampled by this person.
"Although I don't know how you infiltrated the Ishimura, don't think that by occupying a world Cracker you can make CEC bow down!"
"Mr. White, how about we try another approach?"
Emrys offered another suggestion.
"You hand over all the other 'Markers' to me for safekeeping, and while you're at it, give me the company. Then I might consider letting you suffer a little less and die a quicker death. How does that sound?"
His suggestion, rather than being a 'suggestion,' was more of a direct slap in the face!
Give him the company and hand over the Markers, and then they'll die a quicker death?!
Upon hearing this, White nearly exploded with rage. Glaring at the arrogant Emrys, he gritted his teeth and said, "How dare you! Although I don't know what power is behind you, to dare threaten CEC like this, even if the Earth United Government is backing you, it's useless!"
"What's the rush, Mr. White?"
Emrys leisurely said, "I know that you've been researching the Markers all this time, and you even discovered a fragment of one on Earth long ago. You were even controlled by the Church and wanted to use the power of the Markers to achieve humanity's ultimate evolution. Am I right?"
In 'Dead Space,' the biggest mastermind behind the scenes wasn't the 'Marker,' but this so-called 'Concordance Extraction Corporation.' More accurately, it was the high-ranking members of the Church hidden within CEC.
The first place the Marker was discovered wasn't this desolate world, but—Earth!
The Church discovered the Marker's special use, infiltrated human society, and eventually founded CEC, searching the universe for the 'Markers' left by that alien civilization, attempting to enable humanity to achieve a higher-dimensional evolution, which is 'Blood Moon'!
They believed that only the Marker could allow all of humanity to transcend dimensional barriers and merge into a single entity, the 'Blood Moon,' thereby achieving evolution!
It's a cliché idea, but it's not guaranteed that the Church wasn't influenced by the 'Marker.'
From the plot of the subsequent games, it can be inferred that a few high-ranking members of CEC were secretly researching mental control shielding devices for the 'Marker,' suggesting that there wasn't complete unity within the Church regarding ultimate evolution.
Sure enough, after hearing his words, White's expression suddenly changed, from shock to terror, and finally to furious indignation.
"Who exactly are you? These things—where did you hear them from?!"
The Blood Moon Project was the highest secret of CEC—no, of the Church. Even among the high-ranking members, only a few knew about it. How did Emrys know?
At this moment, in White's mind, he had already begun to imagine the power behind Emrys.
To be able to create such powerful Space Marines, secretly infiltrate the CEC Ishimura undetected, and also gain knowledge of the Church's greatest secret—he thought it over and concluded that only the Earth United Government could accomplish such feats!
"You're with the United Government?!"
White was both startled and angry. On one hand, he was shocked by the United Government's intelligence work, and on the other, he was furious that their plans had been exposed, which would inevitably lead to an early confrontation with the United Government, resulting in war!
"I am not."
Emrys said very sincerely.
But from White's expression, he clearly didn't believe Emrys' words; he had already mentally assumed Emrys was with the United Government!
In a few short seconds of silence, a storm had raged in White's mind!
Finally, his eyes turned fierce, with clear murderous intent.
They had been pushed to the edge of a cliff. Their highest secret had been exposed, the other party was suspected to be sent by the Earth United Government, and he had even discovered the secret of the Marker!
Although it was not yet certain whether Emrys had leaked this information to the United Government, no matter what, they could not allow Emrys, including the Ishimura, to exist!
Evidence must be destroyed!
As long as the evidence could be completely eliminated, even if the Earth United Government suspected them, they could not declare war on a giant enterprise like CEC, which controlled most resources, without any basis!
Thinking of this, White's eyes grew cold.
"I believe we have nothing more to say."
Sizzle!
The communication was cut.
Emrys couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"It wasn't easy, but they finally took the bait."
Was the CEC Concordance Extraction Corporation stupid?
Absolutely not, they were extremely clever, but precisely because of this, they fell into a trap meant only for 'clever people.'
Through the Ishimura's surveillance, the CEC executives believed they had grasped all of 'Emrys'' cards, but little did they know—they had fallen into a trap Emrys had specifically prepared for them from the very beginning.
"What did you do?" Winnie was quite curious. In her opinion, Emrys had been sitting there ever since he boarded the ship, seemingly doing nothing, yet also seeming to have done everything.
"Fishing."
Emrys smiled and said, "If I didn't do this, how would they bite?"
In fact, after he entered the Ishimura, he immediately had the 'Servo Skull' take over the entire Ishimura's control system. How could he not have noticed the CEC company, which had been monitoring them from the shadows?
In other words.
Everything the CEC company saw was what Emrys wanted them to see.
Including the Space Marines, who were like supersoldiers, and their 'advanced technology,' as well as the 'Marker,' all of it was 'bait' he deliberately cast out.
Now, CEC had taken the bait.
People only believe the facts they want to believe, even if this so-called 'truth' is just beautifully packaged falsehood.
Just from CEC's perspective, someone secretly infiltrated the Ishimura world Cracker, thinking that with a few Super Soldiers and the capture of a Marker, they could make CEC bow down?
That's just wishful thinking!
As a colossal intergalactic corporation, a behemoth that even the Earth United Government had to defer to, Emrys' meager forces were no different from ants in their eyes!
This was the age of the stars!
It was the age of warships. Did he really think a few Super Soldiers could contend with CEC?
What a joke!
The arrogant CEC never considered Emrys and his Super Soldiers a threat; their suggestions were merely about 'cost' considerations.
The CEC intergalactic giant corporation had its own private armed forces, including giant warships and special forces, a military power that completely obeyed their commands!
This was the real reason the Earth United Government dared not fall out with CEC—they truly had guns!
If it were just a matter of cost or the Marker, CEC would have sent warships long ago to have the special forces eliminate these people. Why would there even be negotiations?
But now, negotiations had broken down.
This meant that CEC had completely turned hostile. They would stop at nothing to reclaim the Marker on SHIELD VI and eliminate these people!
Since he had already come, how could he let go of such a huge piece of meat as CEC?
"Is this the outcome you desired?" Winnie found herself a bit confused, tilting her head. Golden strands of hair fell from her temples as she blinked her pale golden eyes. "Couldn't you just send people to wipe them out? Why go through such a roundabout way?"
The CEC Harmonious Mining Company might indeed be a behemoth in this world, controlling vast resources, military power, and economy.
In the eyes of this Living Saint, the CEC Company was no better than a rebellious planetary governor; at most, it was on par with an Underhive gang, making such elaborate measures completely unnecessary.
"Because I want Markers, more Markers."
Emrys stated his idea.
"There isn't just one Marker, and they aren't only on Earth. I need the CEC Company to help me collect Markers."
But this answer made Winnie's delicate brows furrow, and she grew even more puzzled.
"What do you need so many for?"
To put it plainly, a Marker was an alien-designed 'biological screening device.' When a civilization reached a certain level, it would activate, completely eradicating that civilization to prevent it from threatening their existence.
Aside from mind control, Winnie couldn't imagine what else this thing could be used for.
"Of course, it has a great use." Emrys slowly rose from his seat, walked to the porthole, and gazed at the starry sky outside.
"Although the Marker is very dangerous and will induce organisms to aggregate unconsciously, it undeniably has one advantage."
"What advantage?" Winnie asked.
"It contains powerful technology," Emrys said faintly. "Infecting humans to become Corpse-forms isn't as simple as we see it. From genetic recombination, neural manipulation, to energy catalysis, these intricate bio-engineering techniques are something we must have."
"And the most important point," he turned to look at Winnie, his eyes seemingly burning with a fire.
"If the Marker's mind control can be utilized in reverse, it can provide a layer of assurance for a new Legion."
"A new—Legion?"
Winnie was stunned for a few seconds.
"Indeed." Emrys nodded, saying softly.
"Since we entered the Dark Zone, I've increasingly felt that the current Legions are insufficient to cope with the threats from the Warp. So, a long time ago, I thought of establishing a Legion specifically to deal with the Warp and daemons."
A Legion specifically to deal with the Warp and daemons?!
Winnie's pupils suddenly constricted, and a terrifying thought emerged, causing her voice to suddenly rise significantly.
"You, you want to—create a 'Grey Knights' legion?!"
The Grey Knights were a secret Legion, code-named '666', specifically established by the Emperor to deal with the Warp and daemons!
To the outside world, their existence was a secret.
The Grey Knights were solely responsible for apprehending and expelling daemons related to the Warp, including Chaos Sorcerers, and wherever they went, nothing was left alive.
There was a saying that went like this:
If the Inquisition arrives, you might still have a chance to survive, but if you see a Grey Knight, you might as well lie down and wait to die.
Due to the secretive nature of the Grey Knights, any human or Astra Militarum who witnessed their existence would be mercilessly purged afterwards.
"What exactly do you want to do?"
Winnie took a deep breath, her tone unusually cautious, looking directly into Emrys' eyes as if to find the answer there.
"What are you referring to?"
Emrys' bangs fell, obscuring his face, preventing Winnie from seeing his eyes clearly.
"The Grey Knights." Winnie's tone was heavy.
"You should know very well that this has—crossed the line."
"I'm just doing it for better self-preservation."
Emrys said in a low voice.
"Isn't it enough now?"
Winnie couldn't help but speak, her voice a little agitated.
"Your power is already immense. I—I'm worried about you."
"Not enough!"
Emrys' voice was resolute. He looked up at Winnie, his eyes filled with determination.
"Far from enough. Compared to the threats we will face, this is simply not enough!"
"Really, not enough?"
Winnie's eyes held some sadness as she stared intently at the man who had crossed life and death with her, rising from a scavenger to the family head of a Rogue Trader Dynasty.
The Penitent Crusade Chapter, based on the information she knew, had expanded to a full three thousand Astartes, completely violating the Astartes Sanctuary's regulations for Space Marine Chapter organization, and it was still expanding!
Heaven knows what Emrys' true intentions were. Could it be that he wanted to restore the Legion system of the Great Crusade, from when the Emperor still walked among men?
But Winnie did not stop these things.
Aside from the three-thousand-strong Penitent Crusade Chapter, this man also had a personal guard of over a hundred Midnight Lords, a company of Ultramarines successor Chapter, and the Blood Angels Death Company on the verge of madness!
Recently, after Inquisitor Aldrich joined, he also acquired a hundred-strong 'Deathwatch' Kill Team.
And this was only the number of Space Marines!
If you also counted the Human Auxiliary Forces, the 'Iron Man' Legions, the Eldar who were on good terms with him, and the shadowy Necrons, the war potential of this force, let alone a small CEC Company, even the Holy Terra High Lords' Council would likely issue a kill order to the Officio Assassinorum if they found out!
This was not an exaggeration.
A Rogue Trader family, even if personally sanctioned by the Emperor, could potentially possess the seeds of four major Legions, hundreds of Human Auxiliary Forces, several Iron Man Legions, and unclear relationships with multiple factions like the Eldar, Necrons, C'tan, and the Dark Mechanicum.
Who could rest easy?
Who would dare to trust him?
It could very well be another rebellion, after the Age of Apostasy, capable of splitting the Imperium!
This was also Winnie's biggest concern.
She had personally watched Emrys rise from an Underhive scavenger, step by step, to his current position, possessing a vast power that could shake the very foundations of the Imperium, or even split it, with a single thought!
"What, exactly, do you want?"
Winnie asked, her eyes filled with worry.
She was truly worried that Emrys would be consumed by ambition and ultimately follow in Vandire's footsteps.
"What are you worried about?" Emrys asked, looking directly into Winnie's eyes.
"I'm afraid." Winnie lowered her gaze, her eyelashes trembling slightly.
"I'm afraid you will become like Vandire, afraid you will go down this path of no return."
"What if I said—yes?"
Emrys said half-jokingly.
"The current Imperium is too corrupt. To change this situation, only the most brutal methods will suffice. What would you do?"
If Aldrich had heard this, the Inquisition's fleet would probably have swarmed out the next day to nip him in the bud.
The Imperium would never allow another Vandire to emerge.
"I don't know." Winnie shook her head blankly, her mind in ran, like she couldn't find the thread, biting her lip tightly.
"But I don't want—you to go down this path."
"Don't worry, I'm not that stupid." Emrys stepped forward, touching Winnie's delicate face, and smiled.
"I don't care what happens to the Imperium. I'm just a Rogue Trader. If the sky falls, the Primarchs will hold it up. What does it have to do with me?"
Feeling the warmth on his fingertips, Winnie's mood improved greatly. She opened her large, pale golden eyes, imprinting Emrys' face in her heart.
"Really?"
"Really, when have I ever lied to you?"
Emrys turned to look at the starry sky, saying in a somewhat low voice.
"I just—don't want Elsa's tragedy to repeat itself with you."