In Earth orbit, aboard the Ishimura, the Valor had just docked gracefully beside the flight deck. Before disembarking, Marcus gathered the thirty-four individuals dispatched by the United Government, preparing to formalize their integration with a Psychic Contract. The vast majority willingly accepted the agreement.
After all, few could refuse the allure of an alien spaceship within arm's reach, or the profound mystery of an extraterrestrial civilization. Only a handful, after considerable hesitation, still chose not to sign, primarily due to lingering ties and attachments to their lives on Earth.
Marcus, however, did not make things difficult for them, nor did he resort to any drastic measures like silencing them. Instead, he simply instructed the Blood Moon's mental pulse to erase their memories of recent events, then arranged for them to return to Earth aboard the Sanctuary.
Looking at the thirty individuals who remained, Marcus spread his arms, a welcoming smile on his face.
"Welcome to the Planet Cracker—the Ishimura," he announced. "This will be your new home from now on, and also your first stop on the journey into the boundless cosmos." With that, he turned to Jacob. "Take them to familiarize themselves with the Ishimura's environment, and briefly explain the tasks they'll be performing in the future." Jacob nodded, then led the thirty new recruits away from the flight deck. Dr. Elizabeth, meanwhile, was directing the Ishimura's crew to transfer supplies from the Valor, efficiently filling the ship's warehouses. Seeing that there was nothing more for him to do on the flight deck, Marcus also departed, heading towards the Captain's Quarters.
As soon as he settled into his seat, a message from the Shield Bee Intelligent System popped up on his screen: "Special signal detected, source: Albert Wesker." Seeing this message, Marcus's eyes narrowed. He then chose to connect to the signal. On the other side of the screen was Wesker, dressed in his signature black trench coat and wearing sunglasses, looking as enigmatic as ever.
"It's a pleasure to see you, Captain of the Ishimura, Mr. Marcus—" Wesker began, seemingly surprised that his tentative communication request had been connected so quickly.
"You're quite good at hiding, remnant of the Umbrella Corporation, Albert Wesker," Marcus interrupted, his gaze sweeping coldly over Wesker's entire form.
"Heh heh, I didn't expect a small figure from a low-level civilization like myself to capture your attention," Wesker retorted, unperturbed by Marcus's dismissive tone, merely correcting him. "You should know that before the Ishimura appeared, I had already faked my death and left the Umbrella Corporation, so to be precise, I have long since had no connection with the Umbrella Corporation."
Marcus ignored Wesker's explanation, his voice chilling. "So, what made you dare to contact me directly? You should know that I can pinpoint your location right now." With that, Marcus precisely stated Wesker's current coordinates.
"I hope to join your ranks, Mr. Marcus," Wesker responded, getting straight to the point. In Wesker's view, Marcus, who displayed superhuman combat abilities, was undoubtedly a higher existence than ordinary humans, infinitely close to the 'god' he dreamed of becoming. And joining Marcus's ranks would bring him closer to that ultimate goal.
Marcus raised an eyebrow; he hadn't expected Wesker to make such a direct request. Ignoring the other party for a moment, Marcus pondered. He indeed had no fundamental conflict of interest with Wesker, and Wesker was undeniably a rare talent. Marcus also knew what Wesker was planning. He wasn't concerned; as long as the Psychic Contract was signed, Wesker would be under his control.
"First, eliminate all Umbrella Corporation's bioweapon research data you possess, including your Ouroboros Virus," Marcus ordered, looking up at Wesker. With that, he cut off the communication, leaving Wesker to process the command.
In his secret base in North Africa, Wesker's expression shifted. Ultimately, he made up his mind. Compared to the Ouroboros Virus, which was uncontrollable and whose research completion date was uncertain, placing his hopes on the examples right before his eyes—Marcus and the extraterrestrial civilization—clearly offered greater prospects. Moreover, as far as Wesker knew, Marcus was not the only superhuman combatant on the Ishimura. He glanced at another screen, which displayed Isaac slaughtering Las Plagas Parasites and fiercely battling Bishop Saddler. Since he had made his decision, Wesker no longer hesitated and immediately set about thoroughly purging all Umbrella Corporation data in his possession.
Wesker didn't have to wait long. After he had purged all the data, as well as the few employees in the base who had also left the Umbrella Corporation, the Sanctuary had already slowly landed at his base. The Sanctuary's original mission for this trip was to return those who refused to sign the Psychic Contract to Earth. However, it had temporarily received Marcus's order to also pick up Wesker.
At this time, Wesker had not yet injected himself with the Ouroboros Virus, but he had already been injected with the Progenitor Virus and a customized T-Virus from William Birkin. Although his combat power far exceeded that of ordinary people, it had not reached an overly powerful level.
Thus, Marcus did not go personally, instead arranging for former STARS member and Wesker's former teammate, Jill, to oversee the Sanctuary. Accompanying her were Carlos and Tyrell, who had also recently gained Psionics. However, because Marcus had not informed Jill in advance who they were picking up this time, a shocking scene unfolded.
"You're alive!?" Jill gasped, seeing Wesker board the spaceship. Her expression was incredibly complex. Several months had passed since the STARS team experienced the Mansion Incident, and Jill had since discovered her former captain, Wesker's, true, monstrous nature. She knew that he had directly caused the deaths of several STARS members and had sent the entire STARS team to their doom at the mansion.
For Jill, Wesker was an absolute enemy, a target for vengeance. Under the surge of emotional fluctuation, Jill's nascent Psionics, which she had only mastered a few days ago, flared to life. Several flying knives had unknowingly unsheathed and were circling around her. They instantly shot towards Wesker at an extremely fast speed. Carlos and Tyrell, standing beside her, hadn't even had time to mediate before the flying knives had already reached Wesker.
However, Wesker was obviously not to be killed so easily by these blades. Allowing the flying knives to pierce into his body, Wesker calmly gripped them with his enhanced muscles, then pulled them out one by one. The wounds rapidly healed under the accelerating effects of the Progenitor Virus and the T-Virus.
"This ability is truly amazing. Was it bestowed upon you by the Captain of the Ishimura?" Wesker looked at Jill with intrigued eyes. Just then, Marcus's face appeared on the screen inside the Sanctuary's cabin.