After the Alien embryo embedded itself within the Tyranid Hive Tyrant's body, it immediately began to absorb the colossal surge of life energy, growing at an astonishing pace. The Alien embryo's growth rate was directly proportional to the host's life energy intensity. For lower-level organisms like cats and dogs, the Alien embryo required only a few hours to complete its development. For more advanced organisms like humans, it took half a day to a full day. However, the sheer life force within the Tyranid Hive Tyrant was simply too immense. The Alien embryo would need at least a week to reach full maturity. This indirectly hinted at the formidable power the resultant Alien would possess upon hatching.
The dormant Tyranid Hive Tyrant floated silently in the food storage. Marcus observed it for a few moments, confirmed there were no immediate issues, then retracted his shoulder cannon, as well as the zoanthrope and neurothrope that had been with him. To prevent any survivors from accidentally stumbling into the food storage, Marcus even specifically summoned a Night Lords creature to guard the entrance. Only then did he exit the food storage.
"Approaching zero-G departure," the Ishimura's computer voice announced.
Just as he stepped out of the warehouse, Marcus encountered Dr. Elizabeth Cross, who was wearing a gas mask. "I am Dr. Elizabeth Cross, the plant administrator of the hydroponics area," she introduced herself.
Marcus nodded. "I am Marcus, currently clearing the Necromorphs on the Ishimura." After the Leviathan was expelled from the Ishimura, the fleshy growths in the corridor began to wither, and the previously pungent odor slowly dissipated. Elizabeth removed her gas mask, stepped forward, and shook Marcus's hand. "Thank you very much, Mr. Marcus," she said, her voice filled with relief. "If you hadn't cleared out that monster, the Ishimura would soon be filled with toxic gas."
Marcus waved a dismissive hand. "It was just a small favor." He continued walking forward. Elizabeth quickly caught up and showed Marcus a photograph. "This is my beloved, Jacob Temple; he went to the mining deck a while ago to construct a distress beacon. Have you seen him on the ship?"
Marcus paused and looked at Elizabeth. "Don't worry, Mr. Jacob is still alive. If nothing unexpected happens, you'll meet him very soon. You can wait for him in the flight lounge; there are some other survivors there." With that, Marcus left the corridor, no longer paying attention to Dr. Elizabeth Cross behind him. According to the original plot, Jacob Temple would have been shot in the head and killed by that madman Mercer due to a disagreement. However, now, Mercer himself was in peril, being hunted by the lictor, making killing Jacob out of the question.
"Jacob is the acting Chief Engineer on the Ishimura," Marcus thought to himself. "He's also a skilled ship repairman. I need to see if I can get him to join my side." For Marcus, the more technical personnel who could repair ships, the better. Compared to a dilapidated vessel with most functions disabled, Marcus wanted a complete Ishimura capable of performing planet-cracking missions and collecting massive amounts of ore.
Soon, Marcus exited the hydroponics area, resolving a dozen Necromorphs along the way, and returned to the tram he had taken earlier. Finding a seat on the tram, Marcus was not in a hurry to proceed to the next area. Instead, he opened the system panel to check the current Necromorph clearing progress: 323 / 1277. After a period of concentrated clearing, the number of Necromorphs on the Ishimura had significantly decreased. The Tyranid Warbeasts had accounted for the most kills, followed by Marcus himself. Isaac and the others did not yet possess the ability to completely kill Necromorphs; they could only dismember them, rendering them immobile. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before all the Necromorphs on the Ishimura were completely cleared.
Marcus nodded with satisfaction, then slid the system panel to the lottery interface. With nothing else pressing, he decided to use his accumulated two lottery chances. A white light flashed, and soon, two new items appeared on the system panel.
[Shield Source: Warhammer 40K Effect 1: The Shield can project a small, dense energy shield in the surrounding area and automatically adjust the shield's power to resist attacks.
Effect 2: Shield Bee possesses a certain degree of independent intelligence, and when linked with other Shield Bees, its intelligence level will increase. Note: Transform! Quickly transform for me!]
Marcus's eyes lit up; this was the first time he had drawn a defensive piece of equipment. He immediately summoned the Shield Bee. The Shield Bee consisted of an upper main body and a lower shield generator. Its exterior was white, with the connection between the two parts being black. On the upper part of the disc, there was also a slanting antenna, and on its surface, the Titan Empire symbol was engraved. After being summoned, the Shield Bee immediately floated to Marcus's side, swaying its body gently. According to the system's description, this Shield Bee's intelligence level was roughly equivalent to a sheepdog. If it established a link with other Shield Bees, it would even possess human-like intellect.
Under Marcus's command, the Shield Bee immediately deployed a blue-glowing energy shield, covering an area with a diameter of about seven to eight meters. Marcus immediately summoned his Psychic Flying Knife, intending to test the shield's durability. The Psychic Flying Knife shot out and quickly impacted the surface of the energy shield. Marcus could clearly feel that the Psychic Flying Knife was like hitting a solid iron wall, completely unable to proceed further. It wasn't until Marcus focused his attention, re-accelerated the flying knife, and triggered the "Joy" effect, doubling its speed, that the tip of the Psychic Flying Knife barely penetrated the energy shield.
Marcus nodded with satisfaction, then retracted the flying knife and kept the Shield Bee by his side. In the original text of a certain official Warhammer novel, a fully operational Shield Bee could even block the turbo laser cannons on a Thunderhawk Gunship. These laser cannons were powerful weapons capable of destroying Warhound-class Titans and damaging buildings within half a kilometer with a single shot. While the Shield Bee in Marcus's hand was far from that overpowered, its protective capabilities were already excellent. It was important to note that Marcus's Psychic Flying Knife, when fully operational and with the "Joy" effect triggered, doubling its speed, had several times the power of a typical anti-material sniper rifle. At the very least, Marcus was immensely satisfied with the Shield Bee's defensive capabilities.
Moreover, the Shield Bee had another significant advantage. In terms of appearance, the Shield Bee was much more aesthetically pleasing than Tyranid Warbeasts like the neurothrope and zoanthrope. At least, compared to writhing Tyranid Warbeasts, most people would find a harmless-looking Shield Bee far more acceptable. The Shield Bee circled around Marcus, constantly hovering and flying. Marcus then looked at the second item he had drawn.