High above Pandora, within the Ishimura's orbit, a specially designed training room hummed with activity. Two agile figures moved with practiced precision, engaged in a constant dance of offense and defense. One wore a black bulletproof vest and a red-eyed gas mask, known only as HUNK. The other, sporting a red vest and matching beret, was Krauser.
HUNK was an ace soldier from the Umbrella Corporation's USS unit, earning his moniker for successfully completing countless perilous missions as the sole survivor. Krauser, on the other hand, was a highly skilled mercenary who had retired from special forces; had Marcus not intervened, he would have been recruited by American intelligence in a few years to become a top agent. These two represented the pinnacle of unenhanced human combat prowess in the Resident Evil world.
"Your knife skills are excellent," HUNK commented, parrying Krauser's direct short knife thrust with his own dagger.
"You too," Krauser replied, retracting his blade. The two had long been aware of each other's reputations and had sparred many times after boarding the ship, with neither gaining a clear advantage. However, what puzzled them both was why they, who weren't top talents with high-end technological expertise, had been recruited by the mysterious Ishimura. Sharing this same confusion was Leon, who stood by, observing their entire spar. If HUNK and Krauser at least possessed extraordinary combat skills, Leon, a fresh police academy graduate, simply couldn't comprehend why the Ishimura had shown him such favor.
Just as HUNK and Krauser finished their spar and prepared for a break, a message flashed across the RIGs of all three, including Leon: "Report to the bridge immediately." The message was signed by the captain of the Ishimura, whom they had only met once upon boarding. Exchanging glances, the trio immediately headed to the bridge via the tram. There, they found Marcus standing by the porthole, and beside him, the striking figure in red—Ada Wong.
"Captain, you called for us?" Leon cautiously asked.
Marcus turned his head and waved his hand, retrieving a telekinesis crystal from his system warehouse. "Place your hand on it. This crystal will grant you new abilities." After a slight hesitation, HUNK was the first to reach out and touch the telekinesis crystal. As energy coursed into his body, HUNK immediately collapsed, unconscious.
"This is?" Leon was visibly startled.
"It's a normal reaction to ability awakening," Marcus calmly stated, glancing at the fallen HUNK. About ten minutes later, when HUNK slowly regained consciousness, the knives on his body were already floating in the air under his unconscious control. "Your talent must be exceptional to be able to use it unconsciously so quickly," Marcus casually remarked. Unlike Isaac, who was the first to awaken using the telekinesis crystal and needed Marcus's guidance to use Psionics independently, the newly awakened HUNK quickly demonstrated free control over his dagger, performing various fluid movements. Witnessing this, the remaining individuals no longer hesitated and immediately touched the crystal, awakening their own Psionics.
After everyone had awakened, Marcus stated the reason for granting them these new abilities. "I need you all to form a squad and cooperate with another squad to complete a mission."
"What is the mission content?" HUNK asked directly.
"The specific content has been sent to your RIGs; you can check it yourselves," Marcus replied, operating the screen beside him. He continued, "You will need to take the next Sanctuary to Pandora. Wesker, the mission leader, will liaise with you." With only half an hour remaining until the Sanctuary's departure, the four immediately set off for the flight deck.
"I wonder how their acting skills are," Marcus muttered softly, watching the four depart. Since Isaac and his team were responsible for infiltrating the Na'vi using Avatar bodies, someone had to play the role of the antagonist, much like Colonel Quaritch in the movie. This would create necessary pressure on the Na'vi and highlight the importance of Isaac and his group. The formidable HUNK, Krauser, and Ada Wong were excellent choices, as these individuals were not soft-hearted and wouldn't flinch from playing the villain. As for Leon, Marcus deliberately wanted the other three to guide this naive police academy graduate, to help him grow quickly.
After boarding the Sanctuary, HUNK and the others finally had time to review the specific mission details. After browsing through it all, the expressions in the cabin were somewhat strange. They had initially anticipated a difficult combat mission, but it turned out to be merely a support mission for another squad's infiltration—a considerable letdown.
"I never thought I'd have a day where I'd go to an alien planet and meet aliens," Leon said with a wry smile. However, the others in the cabin were quite looking forward to this assignment.
Leon looked at Ada, who was sitting opposite him in a red dress. After boarding the ship, Ada Wong had rarely shown herself, remaining very mysterious. So, Leon had only seen her once during the boarding process. He seized this opportunity to greet his new teammate and introduce himself.
However, Ada merely gave a cold "Hmm," stated her name, and then said nothing more. Seeing that he had been rebuffed, Leon no longer paid attention to this woman, who, according to the original plot, had a deep connection with him, and instead concentrated on experimenting with the Psionics he had just acquired.
The reasons why the individuals in the cabin chose to board the Ishimura varied. HUNK had been arrested by the United Government for his prior work with the Umbrella Corporation, leaving him no choice but to accept the Ishimura's recruitment. Krauser, being a mercenary by nature, had no reason to refuse the generous remuneration offered by the Ishimura. As for Leon, he was coaxed and scammed by the United Government, given a series of grand titles like "for humanity," and ended up on the Ishimura in a daze. As for Ada Wong, to be honest, even Marcus, who recruited her, didn't fully understand why this ace agent had accepted the recruitment.
Four people with different backgrounds and different motivations for boarding the ship were now integrated into one squad. "Death Squad." This was the name Marcus gave to this newly formed unit.
Soon, the Sanctuary broke through the atmosphere and landed at Hell's Gate Base. There, the members of the Death Squad met the members of Isaac's squad. Under the latter's guidance, HUNK and the others began to familiarize themselves with the environment of Hell's Gate Base and the surrounding positions.
During the several months required for Avatar body cultivation, these eight individuals from the two squads would need to meticulously refine the details of the infiltration mission to achieve the best possible results.