The deeper he ventured into the labyrinth, the more astonished he became.
At first, Druig had been somewhat skeptical of Fury's claim that there were 129,600 rooms.
But as they continued deeper, he became increasingly certain that it was true. Fury had not lied to him.
At the same time,
he developed a profound curiosity about the civilization that had built these ancient ruins.
The countless interwoven stairways floated in midair without any discernible pattern, shifting positions at fixed intervals. Moreover, once one stepped onto the next level of stairs, it was impossible to return to the previous one.
Even the Eternals' technology would have difficulty replicating or reproducing such miraculous spatial folding technology.
Druig suspected that after the Eternals had arrived on Earth, there had once existed an incredibly advanced civilization here, though for some unknown reason, it had ultimately vanished.
One walked ahead while the other followed behind, gradually descending toward the deepest level of the ruins.
Just as Druig was pondering the civilization that had built the ruins, a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz suddenly drifted into his ears.
"Be careful of Fury..."
"He's deliberately leading you toward a room where death is certain."
Druig's pupils contracted slightly. He subconsciously stopped walking and turned his head to look around, trying to locate the source of the voice.
"Lord Druig, what's wrong?"
Sensing that he had stopped, Fury slowly turned around.
In the dimly lit surroundings, Fury's expressionless face inexplicably sent a chill through Druig's heart.
It was as though a cold venomous snake had coiled around the back of his neck, flicking its icy tongue and radiating an unsettling chill.
"Don't let him notice!"
"If you don't want the mission to fail, you'd better pretend you're still completely fooled by him."
Golden light flickered in Druig's eyes as he considered whether the mysterious voice was telling the truth. After a brief silence, he shook his head and said, "It's nothing. I just suddenly had a bad feeling. Are you certain this is the right path?"
"Yes, Lord Druig."
Fury remained expressionless as he replied, "According to the algorithm, we only need to pass through seven more stairways before reaching the Reishi Laboratory."
"Good. Then let's pick up the pace." Druig nodded slightly.
Fury continued leading the way ahead. Staring at his back, Druig narrowed his eyes into slits. He condensed his consciousness into a single thread and cautiously extended it, attempting to probe deeper into Fury's mind to verify the mysterious voice's claims.
The result was unexpectedly smooth. Fury neither noticed nor offered any resistance, allowing his consciousness to scan his brain freely.
There's nothing wrong with the mind control...
Druig frowned deeply, unable to help doubting the mysterious voice from earlier.
"Do you think everything seems fine?"
"You've already confirmed that Fury is still under your control, haven't you?"
That mosquito-like voice echoed through his mind once more.
Frowning, Druig gave an almost imperceptible nod in response while cautiously sweeping his gaze across the surroundings in search of the voice's source.
"Unfortunately, you've misunderstood one thing."
"Fury is indeed still under your control, but the real question is... how can you be certain that the place he's leading you to is actually the Reishi Laboratory?"
Hearing those words, Druig's expression changed slightly, though he still wasn't fully convinced. The golden light in his eyes intensified as he strengthened his control even further.
"I advise you to give up."
With a hint of mockery, the voice continued, "You've underestimated humanity, and you've underestimated Nick Fury."
"He anticipated this day long ago, so he implanted backup memories in his brain that act directly upon his deepest subconscious."
"The moment someone takes control of his mind, those backup subconscious memories are activated."
"Just like now. Although you've controlled Nick Fury, he can still rely on those pre-programmed backup memories to lead you straight into the grave that was prepared long ago."
Druig glanced around before asking through telepathy, "How do I know whether you're telling the truth?"
"Unfortunately, I have no way to prove that my reasoning is correct," the voice said calmly. "No matter how you verify it, Nick Fury's subconscious will continue guiding you toward the trap. And because of the unique nature of Ruins No. 0, once you step into it, there's no turning back."
"You can choose not to believe me..."
"But I want you to understand that our goals are the same—to release the being sealed inside the Reishi Laboratory."
"You have no other choice, Eternal warrior, Mr. Druig."
"You can either choose to believe me and walk the path to success, or choose to believe Fury and walk into the grave of destruction."
Golden light flowed through Druig's eyes as he hesitated. "Who exactly are you? Why are you helping me? And what exactly is hidden inside the Reishi Laboratory?"
Those three questions were fired off in one breath, leaving the other side silent for quite some time.
"The foundation of cooperation is mutual trust," Druig said, his tone carrying unmistakable pressure. "If I don't even know who you are, why should I cooperate with you? I'd rather trust my own judgment!"
"You're right. Trust is the foundation of cooperation." The voice chuckled. "I am Alexander Pierce, former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., current Supreme Leader of Hydra. Now... you understand, don't you?"
Druig's eyes flickered. "How can I be sure you're telling the truth?"
"Look behind you. At your shadows," Alexander said quietly. "I'm hiding inside them."
Startled, Druig immediately turned to look at his own shadow, only to see an elderly face gradually emerge from within it, offering him a friendly smile.
He recognized that face. It frequently appeared on television. It was indeed the former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Alexander Pierce.
However, he appeared only for an instant before quickly sinking back into the shadow.
"Can you believe me now?" Alexander Pierce asked with a smile.
"What exactly is hidden inside the Reishi Laboratory?" Druig asked calmly, continuing his questioning through telepathy.
"That... isn't something you need to know." Alexander grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth. "After all, our objective is the same—to release the being inside the Reishi Laboratory, isn't it?"
"Heh, that's right."
Narrowing his eyes, Druig asked again, "Still, I'm curious. If you're saying Nick Fury is deceiving me, then how are we supposed to find the Reishi Laboratory?"
"Don't worry."
Alexander said, "As long as we get close enough, I can sense its approximate location."
"If that's the case, then why don't you search for it yourself?" Druig frowned, still harboring doubts.
"There are two reasons."
Alexander said, "First, the interior of Ruins No. 0 is extraordinarily complicated. Although I can sense the general area, if the distance is too great, it's easy to make spatial errors. In an environment this dangerous, one wrong step means certain death, so I can't guarantee that I'll find it with complete certainty."
"Second, entering the Reishi Laboratory requires multiple levels of authentication. Nick Fury is indispensable, so I can only follow behind you."
In truth, there was one more reason.
Alexander didn't dare tell Druig that the bronze metal throughout Ruins No. 0 strongly suppressed him, as though it naturally rejected and loathed him. Because of that, he couldn't move freely within the ruins and could only attach himself to someone else's shadow.
"I hope you're not lying to me."
Druig believed about seventy to eighty percent of what he'd heard, but he remained vigilant. Secretly mobilizing his mental power, storm-like waves surged around his body as he warned, "Otherwise, I'll show you just how powerful the Eternals truly are!"
"Heh, don't worry."
Alexander smiled. "I won't deceive you, because our goals are the same."
There was another sentence Alexander didn't say aloud:
At least until the "god" was released, their goals were indeed the same.