Marcus observed the expressions of everyone in the conference room. He knew that to completely subdue these five major powers, he had to not only openly display his overwhelming strength but also offer genuinely enticing benefits.
"You humans are very fortunate; your location is remote and has not yet attracted the attention of other races," Marcus's voice boomed, deep and resonant. "But at the same time, you are very foolish, voluntarily exposing your information to the universe."
He was referring to humanity's attempts to signal their presence through spacecraft like Voyager. Perhaps there were already aliens in the Resident Evil world, but at least from Marcus's understanding, there was no such established presence for decades to come. That's why he could speak so freely.
After a long pause, the representatives in the conference room finally received instructions from their respective national leaders, temporarily confirming the direction of their upcoming discussions. However, before these people could speak, Marcus cut straight to his intentions.
"Let's make a deal."
The others hadn't anticipated this at all. In their view, how could such an advanced civilization possibly condescend to make a deal with a lower one? It was akin to a billionaire specifically traveling to a remote village to barter for trinkets.
"Excuse me, what is the content of this deal?" the French representative asked cautiously, breaking the silence.
"To be precise, it's your Earth making a deal with my subordinates," Marcus slowly began. "You need to regularly provide the Ishimura, the spaceship hovering in your planet's orbit, with massive amounts of supplies and provisions, as well as a sufficient number of people."
"Then, what do we get?" the American representative quickly countered.
"Enough technology for you to research and inherit," Marcus stated. "Such as faster-than-light travel technology, life extension technology, and the opportunity to travel to other planets."
The conference room fell into stunned silence. These conditions were unbelievably tempting. Publicly, faster-than-light travel technology would undoubtedly catapult human civilization forward. Privately, every person present, indeed every human on Earth, yearned for the prospect of extended lifespans. But at the same time, a deep suspicion lingered—were there hidden traps within this seemingly heaven-sent offer? No one could make a decision on such a monumental deal in so short a time.
"Please allow us some time for discussion," a representative finally managed to articulate, looking at the screen.
"Heh heh, listen carefully to the requirements. The object of Ishimura's trade is not just you," Marcus emphasized, "but the entire Earth." As soon as these words were spoken, everyone grasped the implication. In their initial anticipation, even if a deal were struck, it would be by these powerful nations, each contributing resources and then dividing the gains among themselves, leaving nothing for the smaller and medium-sized countries.
"With your level of technological development, there are still hundreds of fragmented nations on one planet, and dozens or even hundreds of ideologies," Marcus's tone carried a slight hint of sarcasm. "There are very few civilizations like this in the entire universe." He certainly couldn't make a deal with just a few countries; only the combined material reserves and military supply of the entire Earth would be enough for him to continue his adventures in other worlds in the future. "Think it over carefully. You have only day cycles of your planet. This opportunity is only once, and we will leave soon." After speaking, without waiting for the people in the conference room to react, Marcus abruptly ended the video call. He left behind a room filled with incredibly complex emotions.
Should they seize this once-in-a-millennium opportunity and allow the entire human civilization to take a monumental leap forward? Or should they continue to maintain their current fragmented state, developing slowly on their own? Everyone's rationality pointed to the former, but they also knew how difficult it would be to establish a truly unified global government, especially with only three days' time.
Soon, the people in the conference room dispersed, the news of Marcus's ultimatum having already been transmitted to the leaders of various countries. Now, the future direction of the entire human civilization rested in the hands of these fewer than a hundred individuals. In less than half an hour, the leaders of the five major countries began a face-to-face video exchange. It's worth noting that America sent only a vice-presidential level figure.
Due to the issues with the Umbrella Corporation and Raccoon City, the entire American government was in disarray. The vast majority of high-ranking officials had already fled abroad, and the president had recently been found to have "committed suicide" in the Oval Office; the true circumstances remained unknown. According to protocol, this vice president had become the temporary highest authority in America and participated in this critical meeting.
Although the reason why the entity named "Kairon" chose to expose the collusion between the Umbrella Corporation and America remained unclear, it was now evident to everyone that soon, the entire America would lose its status as the leading superpower. However, this no longer mattered; the entire Earth, under Marcus's impetus, would form a truly unified political power.
This meeting lasted for a long time, and its specific contents were known only to a very select few. Ultimately, the people of the Resident Evil world only knew that on October 1, 1998, led by the five major nations, the United Government of Humanity was officially established. From that day forward, the billions of humans on Earth would end their ten-thousand-year history of division and unite into a true whole. Regarding this sudden decision, some were incredibly supportive, some cursed their respective governments, and some were indifferent. But most people understood that this decision was absolutely not a whim made by the leaders of various countries; it was highly probable that it was the result facilitated by the two entities in the sky, meaning the extraterrestrial civilization. The human civilization on Earth in the Resident Evil world was about to embark on a new, unforeseen chapter.
Above Eastern Europe, the Blood Moon slowly broke through the atmosphere, trailing light and heat generated by friction. This sight instantly attracted the attention of the public and government departments within a radius of hundreds of kilometers. There was never a shortage of extraordinary people among the populace. Even without official announcements from major nations, some individuals had already deduced the Blood Moon's landing point was in Eastern Europe through information displayed by satellite broadcasts. During this period, everyone capable of traveling to Eastern Europe had already gathered there, eagerly anticipating the Blood Moon's arrival, hoping to witness this non-human creation firsthand and glimpse the true face of an extraterrestrial civilization.
On the Blood Moon's head, Marcus narrowed his eyes, looking at the mountains below. With his superhuman vision, even from a great distance, he could clearly see a village nestled among the mountains, along with several fortresses.
That was the location of the Mycelium and Mother Miranda. Due to Miranda's isolation strategy, this area had always been cut off from the rest of the world, receiving only a very limited amount of outside information. No matter how chaotic the outside world had become, the residents here didn't even know about the existence of the Blood Moon or the Ishimura.