Just like his previous transmigrations, Marcus experienced only a blinding flash of white light before consciousness fled. This time, however, he wasn't alone; dozens of other crew members aboard the Ishimura shared the same jarring sensation. By the time everyone's senses returned, the transmigration was complete.
Marcus quickly made his way to the Captain's Quarters, immediately noticing that Aegis VII, which had been suspended below the Ishimura, was gone. In its place hung a familiar, vibrant azure planet. The System's prompt chimed at this opportune moment:
"Planar Transportation complete. Current world: Resident Evil. Beginning to issue Phase One Main Mission: Collect 7 special infection sources (including but not limited to viruses, Mycelium, parasites, etc.).
Mission Objective 1: Eliminate 10,000 infected individuals (including kills by summoned creatures) to receive 1 lottery draw chance and the title 'Zombie Butcher'.
Mission Objective 2: Collect 7 special infection sources to receive 1 lottery draw chance and the title 'Extreme Evolution'.
The moment Marcus saw the words "Resident Evil," a cheer involuntarily escaped him. "Haha, I knew my luck wouldn't stay bad forever!" he exclaimed. As his excitement tempered slightly, a flurry of footsteps approached the Captain's Quarters. Isaac, Hammond, and others pushed the door open, their faces etched with panic. "Sir, outside—"
Marcus waved a hand, cutting off Isaac's question. "Gather everyone on the ship; I have something to announce."
"Uh, alright." Unbeknownst to themselves, everyone on the Ishimura had already come to view Marcus as their undeniable leader.
Ten minutes later, in the Ishimura's Bridge Hall, dozens of crew members had assembled. Some who were still on duty listened remotely through the RIG System. Marcus stood before them, cleared his throat, and began to speak. "I believe you all just experienced some unusual circumstances, but there's no need to panic." His gaze swept over the bewildered faces. "I must congratulate everyone present. Welcome to a new world!"
The crowd below stood stunned, and someone immediately blurted out, asking Marcus what was happening. Marcus calmly called up the Ishimura's observation camera, displaying the azure planet below the ship. "Don't you find it familiar?"
Most of the crew members' eyes were filled with confusion. In the Dead Space world, humanity's centuries of over-exploitation had drastically altered Earth's appearance, leaving it a desolate expanse of depleted resources and yellow dust. Only a few, more historically inclined crew members, recognized the planet before them.
"E-Earth???" someone stammered, dumbfounded. Immediately, others turned to him, pressing, "What do you mean? Are you saying this is Earth?"
"It can't be wrong. Hundreds of years ago, Earth looked exactly like this. I saw it in historical footage—" The crew member swallowed hard. "How is this possible? Weren't we just above Aegis VII a while ago? And how could Earth have become like this?"
Watching the crew members discuss amongst themselves, Marcus waved a hand, silencing them. "This is not the Earth you are familiar with. As I said, this is a brand new world!"
"What exactly is going on, Mr. Marcus?" Isaac stepped forward, voicing the biggest question in everyone's hearts. Marcus chose not to hide anything. He had already come to regard these people as his first batch of core personnel. In his future travels, he couldn't always be alone; inevitably, more and more people or other intelligent life forms would join him. It was better to be open and honest now.
"I said it already: this is a new world, a new universe. The white light you experienced earlier was the precursor to dimensional travel." The scene below immediately erupted like a boiling pot, a cacophony of voices. All the crew members knew that the Ishimura had not initiated Shockpoint travel, making superluminal travel impossible through conventional means. The Earth Government also lacked the ability to restore Earth to its state from centuries ago. At this moment, only the explanation of "dimensional travel" held the most credibility. Of course, there was another, unsettling possibility: they were all dreaming.
By the time everyone quieted their discussions and looked at Marcus, he slowly began to speak. "I know it's hard for you to believe and accept this in a short time, but this is the truth: we have arrived in a new universe."
"Can we go back?" someone asked, voicing the question many cared about most.
"Perhaps, but not now," Marcus replied, giving an ambiguous answer. Marcus naturally couldn't tell them the full truth—that they could return to the Dead Space universe at any time. He would share some truths, but ultimately, he would conceal others. "I will give you some time to accept all this. Now, you are dismissed." Marcus waved his hand.
Many immediately retreated to their rooms, attempting to send messages outwards to contact the Earth Government. Marcus had already anticipated this and ordered the Shield's intelligent system to intercept all such communications. For now, he did not want to have too much interaction with the Earth of the Resident Evil universe.
Below the makeshift stage, Isaac, Hammond, and Daniels had not yet left. "Is this real? Have we really arrived in a new world?" Even now, Isaac still struggled to believe it. As an intellectual, he knew that so-called "parallel worlds" and "dimensional travel" were nothing more than theoretical conjectures.
"So you're probably not from our universe either, are you?" Daniels finally reacted, looking directly at Marcus. Before this, she had always thought Marcus was from the CEC Company, but now, everything seemed to make sense: those fierce beasts, the two unidentified armed individuals (Elite Marauders) who had mysteriously appeared on the ship earlier, as well as his strange abilities and superhuman physique. Marcus nodded, acknowledging his identity as a multiversal traveler.
"Why did you bring us along?" Hammond asked in a deep voice.
"What, you don't wish for it?" Marcus responded with a slight smile.
Hammond shook his head. In his ideal scenario, the Ishimura should have waited for rescue from the Earth Government, with the government ultimately resolving the disaster that erupted on board. Finally, all crew members would return home; that would have been the most perfect solution. But now, if it was truly as Marcus said, and everyone had arrived in a new world, Hammond himself couldn't say whether it was a good or bad thing.
"Exploring the unknown world, isn't that one of humanity's greatest spirits?" Marcus looked out at the vast space beyond the viewport. "Columbus discovering the New World, those adventurers who dared to travel superluminally with mass drivers before the invention of shockpoint technology, and Dr. Hideo Ishimura, who invented the Shockpoint Engine, are all proof of this spirit." Marcus turned to look at Hammond. "And now, everyone on the Ishimura will become new pioneers."