In the Warhammer Universe, "everything is normal" is often the greatest sign of abnormality. Marcus, far from being a naive fool, would never underestimate the insidious dangers of the Warp. He wasn't some lumbering, one-eyed brute oblivious to peril.
"Form up into squads and continue patrolling all areas of the ship. Report any abnormalities directly to me," Marcus immediately ordered. He then turned to the five chosen members of his kill squad, his expression serious. "You all will first descend to the Sanctuary. During this time, ignore any external communication signals. I need to take the Ishimura back to another jump; it's still far too dangerous here." With that, Marcus stood up and began mobilizing the rest of the Ishimura's crew.
At this moment, the Ishimura hung silently in orbit around Avarax, with the four trade vessels, hiding their Tyranid Genestealer cargo, floating nearby. It was notable that there were few other Imperium of Man ships left in the system. The Astra Militarum forces that had been present had all departed aboard naval warships, and the Adeptus Mechanicus ark had just embarked on an exploration mission. Consequently, few in the sector noticed the Ishimura's sudden, unannounced appearance.
After spending a little over ten minutes swiftly completing the deployment, and once the Sanctuary had successfully detached from the Ishimura, Marcus reactivated the shuttle program, transporting the Ishimura back to the Resident Evil world. Thus, the Ishimura's stay in the Warhammer Universe lasted only about fifteen minutes, a hasty return that went almost entirely unnoticed.
"Temporarily halt all communication with Earth and conduct a week-long self-inspection," Marcus instructed Hammond, Daniels, and Dr. Cain with a serious tone. "During this period, all crew members must report their status to each other every three hours."
"Why the rush to return?" Dr. Cain asked Marcus directly.
Marcus shook his head. "That world is simply too dangerous. Even staying for just over ten minutes, some hidden malevolence might have already latched onto you. In short, just do as I say." Marcus had not yet released the full Warhammer world data to all crew members of the Ishimura. He planned to disseminate it gradually, only after confirming that the Ishimura had not been corrupted by Chaos.
After personally inspecting various parts of the Ishimura and detecting no trace of a Chaos aura, Marcus felt a slight sense of relief. After giving a few more instructions, he returned alone to the Warhammer world, reappearing on the top level of the Hive City.
After taking some time to reach the spaceport on the top level, Marcus rendezvoused with the Sanctuary, which had just landed. Due to prior notification from Marcus, the Sanctuary, whose true identity was unknown to local authorities, was not attacked by the Hive City's anti-aircraft artillery. The Sanctuary's hatch opened, and the five fully armed individuals, including Isaac, emerged. Even with their fully enclosed engineer helmets, they could still detect the unique, pervasive scent characteristic of a Hive City. Even in the top levels, a place considered a paradise, this distinct aroma lingered.
"Welcome to the hell of the real world, the Hive City," Marcus's words brought Isaac and the others, who were somewhat dazed, back to their senses. Despite having learned about the nature of a Hive City from the information Marcus had provided earlier, witnessing this super-gigantic metropolis firsthand still left everyone with an unparalleled sense of shock.
"Go rest for a while. At the same time, I need to conduct further checks on you to ensure you haven't been entangled by something," Marcus said, leading the five away from the spaceport. Along the way, everyone who saw Marcus's face—which had been altered through makeup, muscle manipulation, and various other disguise methods, making it vastly different from his previous identity—immediately knelt and saluted. Although Marcus was not yet officially the Planetary Governor, he was only one oath of allegiance to the Imperium of Man away from it.
"This entire planet is yours?" Isaac, walking beside him, couldn't help but ask.
"More or less," Marcus said casually. "Plus, there's a jungle world next to it, and a tomb world where who knows how many dry bones are buried." He concisely explained the current situation of the Recidious Star System to them.
"What is this!?" Just as Marcus was explaining, Jill suddenly cried out in surprise, pointing a trembling finger. It was a Cherub.
"A characteristic product of the Imperium of Man, no need to panic," Marcus calmly stated. He called the Cherub over and casually handed it to Jill. Aside from Wesker, the Cherub—a grotesque fusion of flesh and machine, resembling an infant—filled the other four with dread, causing both physiological and psychological discomfort. "Just understand it as a tool of the Imperium of Man. Its intelligence is similar to a dog's. In a place like this, you'll have to adapt more."
Although he had previously given them some information, that was only a very small part of the entire Imperium of Man. Isaac and the five others, including Jill, still needed to personally witness the true appearance and living environment of the entire Hive City. This immersion was also a crucial part of their training to build mental resilience. After letting the Cherub fly away, the five followed Marcus, taking a considerable amount of time before arriving at their pre-arranged room.
Several Ecclesiarchy personnel, who had been waiting, stepped forward and began a complex ritual. The five, looking bewildered, could only follow the instructions one by one. Marcus, observing the ritual from the side, looked at the Ecclesiarchy priest officiating. This priest was also one of Marcus's achievements during this period; he had been forced by Marcus to sign a Psychic Contract. Not everyone in the Ecclesiarchy was a saint willing to sacrifice themselves for the Imperium of Man and the God-Emperor; there were many cowards and idlers like this priest.
After the elaborate ritual concluded, the final test results indicated that the five individuals from the Resident Evil world showed no signs of Chaos corruption. Of course, Marcus would not fully trust the Ecclesiarchy's testing ritual. If it were 100% reliable, the Imperium of Man would not constantly experience rebellions caused by Chaos. However, this test result still offered some reassurance.
After dismissing the Ecclesiarchy personnel, Marcus spoke. "How do you feel?"
"Ignorant, absurd," Wesker said first. "It's unimaginable that humanity could fall to such a state."
"This is the result of multiple influences. Humanity in this world also had a glorious era, but in the end, humanity was still swallowed by the malice of this universe." He didn't elaborate, as that would delve into the Golden Age, also known as the Dark Age of Technology.
"What exactly is this 'thing' you repeatedly mentioned that might cling to us?" Isaac asked, instinctively sensing an unknown malevolence.
"It's something countless times more terrifying than a god seal. It's better if you don't know. Anyway, at least for now, you are safe."