Isaac and Daniels were deep in their work, collaborating to repair the tram system. When Isaac spotted Marcus, he immediately paused. "The blocked tram's been moved," he reported, "and the system will be fixed very soon."
Marcus nodded casually. "I just came from the Medical Bay. Many of the ship's survivors were lured there by a madman named Mercer and turned into test subjects."
Hearing this, Isaac's mind raced back to Niles, the survivor he'd met, who'd mentioned seeing Nicole in the Medical Bay. "What about Nicole? Did you see her in the Medical Bay?" he pressed, anxious. Marcus shook his head. Daniels, standing nearby, averted her gaze, her eyes flickering. She already knew Nicole was dead, a truth she'd kept from Isaac. Seeing Marcus's negative response, Isaac's tension eased slightly, only to coil tighter the next instant. If Nicole wasn't there, where could she be? There wasn't a single safe place left on the Ishimura. Spurred by this dread, Isaac redoubled his efforts on the tram system.
Under the skilled hands of a top engineer like Isaac, the tram system was swiftly brought back online. It was at this moment that Hammond, weapon in hand, walked in. "I've settled the survivor. Found anything new?" he asked, approaching the group.
Marcus succinctly recounted Mercer's horrifying deeds, explaining how the insane Unitologist had transformed survivors into experimental subjects. "There are about twenty survivors in the Medical Bay," he stated, his voice flat, "but their conditions aren't good." Hammond's expression turned grim. "I need to go to the Medical Bay," he immediately declared to Marcus. "Those survivors can definitely be saved." Marcus waved a casual hand, signaling his agreement. Hammond wasted no time, setting off towards the Medical Bay.
Marcus was about to speak to Isaac and Daniels when, abruptly, the Ishimura's hull began to shake violently. Except for Marcus, who remained perfectly steady, Isaac and Daniels nearly lost their footing. After more than ten seconds, the violent tremors finally ceased. "What's going on?" the two, still shaken, asked Marcus.
Marcus spread his hands. "The Ishimura's engine has malfunctioned and gone offline. We're slowly falling towards Aegis VII below us." As he spoke, Marcus stepped forward and, as before, clapped Isaac on the shoulder. Isaac immediately felt a cold premonition. Sure enough, Marcus continued, "This is your strong suit, Mr. Isaac. Saving a Planet Cracker that's falling out of control has probably never been done in history."
"Uh..." Isaac hesitated, looking like he wanted to protest but couldn't. He had just spent a long, dark time dealing with over a dozen Slashers with only a small Plasma Cutter. He'd just moved a broken tram, retrieved a data pad, and repaired the tram system. Though Daniels helped, the bulk of the work had fallen to him, the engineer. Now, being asked to restart the engine and correct the course again? It felt like a death wish.
Marcus observed Isaac's hesitation and raised an eyebrow. "We could take the Sanctuary and leave, but what about the remaining survivors on the Ishimura? And Ms. Nicole? They can't leave." These words immediately solidified Isaac's resolve. He looked up at Marcus. "Alright, I'll go restart the engine and fix the course, but I'll need Daniels to help me. I probably can't do it alone."
Marcus nodded with satisfaction, then added, "After changing the course, the Ishimura will enter the debris field, and then a bunch of small meteorites will smash into us. You'll also have to control the railgun to intercept these meteorites." Isaac was speechless. This man was truly treating him like a tool. However, he said little more. He took Daniels and boarded the tram, heading towards the engine section at the stern of the Ishimura.
Watching Isaac depart, Marcus couldn't help but sigh with emotion. It felt good to have a tool to do things. Without pausing, Marcus immediately boarded another tram, operated it for a bit, and headed towards a different area: the Hydroponics Bay. A giant Slasher—the Leviathan—was entrenched there, constantly pumping deadly gas into the Ishimura. Marcus had to deal with it; otherwise, the Ishimura would eventually be filled with the noxious gas.
Within a few minutes, the tram reached the entrance of the Hydroponics Bay. As soon as Marcus and the neurothrope stepped off the tram, several Slashers pounced. The Psychic Flying Knife unsheathed, swiftly dealing with them. Immediately, Marcus led the neurothrope into the Hydroponics Bay. Unlike other eerie and dark cabins, the Hydroponics Bay was significantly brighter, designed to nurture the various plants cultivated there. It was responsible for producing food for the thousands of crew members on the Ishimura. In the past, it would have been bustling with busy workers tending to these plants. But now, those crew members had vanished.
After taking two steps forward and passing through the gurgling irrigation pipes that watered the plants, a virtual image materialized, walking towards Marcus. "I am Dr. Elizabeth Cross. To all survivors, please return the way you came. Everything is gone. My team, everything we cultivated, has been absorbed and assimilated by that monster... Please leave here, survivor. Find a safe place. I will try to find a way to kill that monster. Jacob, if you see this message, you know I have to do this—" As her words faded, the woman in the virtual image turned and walked deeper into the Hydroponics Bay until the image disappeared.
Marcus continued forward, passing through several hatches, and arrived at a cabin bathed in red light. Compared to the relatively normal cabins outside, the areas within this cabin that should have been cultivating various plants were now filled with disgusting, deformed flesh. This grotesque mass was not Slashers, but rather a derivative of the Leviathan. So Marcus didn't waste time clearing it and continued deeper into the Hydroponics Bay.
After opening a circular hatch, a corridor entirely filled with deformed flesh appeared before Marcus. Countless twisted masses of flesh emitted a suffocating stench and continuously writhed, as if breathing. Marcus continued to walk forward with a calm expression. For ordinary people, seeing such a nightmarish scene would have induced nausea and retreat. But for Marcus, who had faced the terrifying Tyranid, this was merely a minor inconvenience.
When he reached the middle of the corridor, a muffled voice came from a loudspeaker buried in the deformed flesh. "No, no, stop, go back. You can't enter the Food Storage. It's blocked by the Leviathan's tentacles. Even if you get in, the Leviathan will devour you." Dr. Elizabeth Cross, on the other end of the loudspeaker, urgently tried to stop Marcus, who in her eyes was courting death.
Marcus did not halt his steps because of the voice and continued to walk forward. After arriving not far from the Food Storage hatch, Marcus waved his hand, and the neurothrope, which had been hovering beside him, immediately spat out several psychic light spheres, sending them flying towards the hatch wrapped in a pile of twisted flesh.