"Alright, Jill, stop for now." Marcus's voice was firm, though he had anticipated the inevitable conflict the moment Wesker and Jill met.
"But, Captain," Jill protested, her voice tight with suppressed rage, "you should know what this guy has done in the past."
"Return to the Ishimura first," Marcus commanded. "You two will have plenty of time to settle your grievances later." Since Marcus had given the order, Jill snorted in frustration, then holstered her Psychic Flying Knife and sat back down, glaring at Wesker. The latter, unfazed, calmly found a seat for himself. Immediately after, the Sanctuary soared into the sky, rocketing towards the Ishimura in orbit.
Half an hour later, inside the Ishimura's zero-gravity training room. Marcus looked at Wesker and Jill, who were now floating before him, and slowly began to speak.
"Wesker, if you can defeat Jill, I will allow you to officially join the Ishimura. But if you lose, then there will be one more corpse floating in the cold void." Wesker, his sunglasses obscuring his eyes, simply nodded in agreement. Now that he was on the ship, he knew that refusing would only lead to immediate death. Across from Wesker, Jill also agreed, her expression determined. Having only recently mastered Psionics, Jill was currently brimming with confidence.
After confirming both parties were ready, Marcus moved to the side and pressed the zero-gravity switch. He then retreated outside the training room. "Can Jill win?" Carlos asked, a worried frown on his face as he watched Jill and Wesker float in the training room.
"It's difficult, but not impossible," Marcus replied, shaking his head. He then pressed the loudspeaker, signaling that the battle could begin. As it was an unrestricted duel, Jill immediately pulled out her Desert Eagle and unleashed a barrage of gunfire at Wesker. Simultaneously, two Psychic Flying Knives shot out, attacking Wesker from both sides.
But Wesker merely dodged the incoming bullets with a few swift movements. He also raised his arms and effortlessly batted away the two flying knives, neutralizing Jill's first wave of offense. Jill had only just mastered Psionics a few days ago, and its raw strength was still too low to genuinely harm Wesker.
After only a few exchanges, Jill's Desert Eagle ran out of bullets, and due to the excessive use of her nascent Psionics, her brain began to feel dizzy. Wesker seized the opportunity, closing the distance and grabbing Jill by the neck. Outside the training room, Carlos, seeing this, panicked and immediately rushed forward to stop Wesker. However, Marcus calmly held him back. "Don't worry," Marcus assured him. "Trust Jill. She won't be defeated that easily."
Sure enough. As soon as he finished speaking, a bayonet that Wesker had previously knocked into the corner of the room suddenly flew up, stabbing towards the back of Wesker's head at an extremely fast speed. Unfortunately, this sneak attack did not escape Wesker's keen senses. As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Wesker raised a hand and once again batted the bayonet away. The sneak attack failed, and Jill, utterly exhausted, collapsed into unconsciousness.
Shaking his head, Marcus opened the training room door. Several medical personnel, who had been waiting nearby, rushed in and quickly revived Jill. Due to the excessive use of Psionics, Jill's head felt as if it had been heavily struck, causing her great pain. But more than the physical pain, Jill was unwilling to accept that she had lost to Wesker.
Since Wesker had won, Marcus did not go back on his word and immediately signed a Psychic Contract with him. Looking at the still unwilling Jill, Marcus stroked his chin and proposed, "How about this: in three months, you two can duel again, just like before. If Wesker wins, then Jill, you must let go of your hatred. If Jill wins, then Wesker, you will be handed over to Jill for disposal. What do you say?" Wesker nodded calmly, agreeing without hesitation. Jill had even fewer objections.
"Alright, Carlos, take Jill to rest. Wesker, come here." As Marcus spoke, he took out a Telekinesis Crystal and awakened Wesker's Psionics. It was unclear whether Wesker's innate talent was exceptional or if it was due to his unique physique. Marcus could clearly feel that Wesker's Psionics strength was already comparable to Isaac's, who had been awakened for some time. After all of this, Marcus instructed several medical personnel to take Wesker to the medical bay to implant a RIG device. It could be said that, in terms of sheer strength, Wesker was now perhaps on par with Isaac. He was an excellent subordinate.
Upon returning to the Captain's Quarters, Marcus received a message from the United Government. Its tone was serious and sincere, detailing the entire incident of the previous attack at the launch base. It specifically identified the attackers as an organization formed by fanatics who refused to join the United Government and vehemently opposed extraterrestrial civilizations.
The United Government had swiftly classified them as an anti-human organization and began to suppress them with overwhelming military force. Previously, Marcus, the Tyranid Hive Tyrant, the Tyrant Xenomorph, and the Colossus had severely crippled the organization's effective strength. Therefore, the United Government easily wiped out the remaining remnants.
However, both the United Government and Marcus knew that such extremist groups could never be completely eradicated. This was inherent in human ideologies; some people could accept cooperation with extraterrestrial civilizations and a grand human union, while others, no matter what, could not accept these two fundamental shifts. To completely stop the emergence of such individuals, the United Government could only intervene, employing a two-pronged approach in propaganda and education. It would likely take decades to significantly reduce the appearance of such individuals.
After browsing the information sent by the United Government, Marcus closed his eyes and began to consider what type of technology to share with them. Technology at the level of the Shockpoint Drive and RIG was out of the question. The cooperation between the Ishimura and the United Government was still in its initial stages, and Marcus could not offer such valuable items right away. For some reason, Isaac's image in an engineer's suit flashed through Marcus's mind.
"Let's go with the engineer's suit," he decided. "It's not too low-level, nor too high-level." The Ishimura's current communication with the United Government was primarily handled by Isaac, Hammond, Daniels, and others, with Marcus mainly serving as the overall leader. After sending this decision to them, Marcus casually gave some instructions and then paid no more attention to the matter.
"I wonder what's happening with Warhammer." After several days of waiting, Marcus decided to check on the Warhammer situation again. Opening the system panel, he pressed the shuttle button. As a white light flashed and his senses returned, Marcus reappeared on top of the hidden spire where he had previously departed.