The irregular stairways stretching downward seemed to have no end.
They were like lonely explorers in the unknown and the darkness, advancing continuously toward the abyss—forward, forward, and ever forward.
Even Druig, who had long grown accustomed to solitude and loneliness, couldn't help but feel a trace of irritation and frustration as the unchanging bronze walls and stairways, coupled with the increasingly dim and dark surroundings, weighed upon his mind.
"Are we still not there?!"
A trace of anger had crept into Druig's voice, though even he himself failed to notice it.
"There's still some distance to go, Lord Druig."
Nick Fury neither stopped nor looked back. He continued moving forward steadily, his voice remaining exceptionally calm.
"Exactly how much farther?" Druig suppressed the nameless fury surging from the depths of his heart and demanded coldly, "We've already been walking for a full hour and a half. Just how deep are these ruins?!"
"Very deep. At the very least, we've never reached the deepest point."
Fury paused briefly before pointing toward a staircase directly below. "Lord Druig, the entrance to the Reishi Laboratory lies beyond the passage connected to that staircase."
Druig focused his vision slightly. A faint golden glow flowed through his eyes, allowing him to see in the darkness as though it were broad daylight.
Following the direction of Fury's finger, he saw a staircase tucked away in an extremely secluded location, concealed by numerous surrounding stairways and positioned perfectly within a blind spot. Without someone guiding him, it would indeed have been difficult to discover.
"Now tell me—which path is the correct one?"
Without changing his expression, Druig silently contacted Alexander through telepathy.
"Don't rush. Heh, heh, heh." Alexander let out a sinister laugh before saying, "Just keep following Fury downward. Listen carefully to my instructions. When he steps onto that staircase, I'll tell you the correct direction."
"...What do you mean by that?" Druig's expression darkened.
"Don't misunderstand. It's just a precaution." Alexander replied leisurely, "When facing a powerful Eternal, I have to be a little careful. After all, I'm just an old man—I can't survive being toyed with by you."
"Are you threatening me?" Druig was furious, nearly losing control of the psychic energy surging within him.
After all, no one would feel pleased when someone suddenly pulled the rug out from under them at such a critical moment. Moreover, he was an Eternal, accustomed to giving orders and carrying himself with immense pride. If it weren't for the Eternals' grand plan, how could he possibly obey the instructions of a mere human?
"No, no, no... I've already said it, it's only a precaution." Afraid of provoking him too far, Alexander quickly explained, "If I told you in advance, there's no guarantee Fury wouldn't notice something was wrong."
"Him?" Druig grew even more agitated, a savage expression appearing on his face. "He's only a human. So what if he notices?"
"Heh, heh, heh. You underestimate Nick Fury too much." Alexander chuckled deeply. "He's the King of Spies. No one can ever guess what Fury is thinking, because he's always one step ahead of everyone else—the Keeper of Secrets who walks one step ahead of even gods."
The muscles on Druig's face twitched slightly, but he offered no rebuttal.
In truth, by this point he had already witnessed Fury's capabilities firsthand. Implanting backup memories into his own subconscious—such ruthlessness and courage were beyond what ordinary people could accomplish.
"Don't forget."
"He's a Keeper of Secrets."
Alexander reminded him, "You don't seriously think Fury has no way to manipulate Ruins No. 0, do you?"
"...Of course not. I'm not that foolish." Druig's expression darkened as he said, "If Fury truly prepared everything in advance as you said, then he certainly wouldn't have only one trick. I suspect... he has a backup plan as well."
"Exactly what I was thinking." Alexander nodded in approval. "Nick Fury is extremely calculating, and he trusts no one—not even me!"
"Lord Druig, please follow me."
Fury suddenly called out to him.
Druig raised his head and met Fury's gaze. It remained as rigid and vacant as ever, but he no longer dared underestimate the King of Spies. Taking a deep breath, he nodded.
"All right. I'm coming."
"From this point onward, you need to be extremely careful."
Alexander also grew tense as he warned, "When people are closest to hope, they reveal their greatest weaknesses. Fury will definitely take advantage of that. At the moment we're closest to the Reishi Laboratory, he'll change the correct direction."
If Fury had led him down the wrong path from the very beginning, the chances of failure would have been far too high.
So Fury had been patient.
He had been waiting for the perfect opportunity.
Any living creature forced to remain in darkness for a prolonged period would inevitably develop negative emotions such as despair, irritation, and anger. Those emotions clouded sound judgment. Once enough negativity had accumulated, only then would the "light of hope" be revealed before their eyes.
After enduring the endless darkness, when the first glimmer of dawn finally appeared, every living being would naturally let down its guard.
But very few people knew...
That the instant before dawn arrived was actually the most dangerous moment of the entire night.
Thanks to Alexander's warning, Druig forced himself to calm down. He raised his vigilance to the utmost and closely watched Fury's every movement.
Ahead of the inverted bronze staircase was a T-shaped intersection.
"It's just ahead. That's the Reishi Laboratory, Lord Druig."
Standing at the end of the staircase, Fury raised a hand and pointed straight ahead.
"As long as we go through this passage, we'll reach our destination."
"He's lying to you!"
Alexander shouted urgently, "The correct direction is on the left! The left passage!"
Druig narrowed his eyes into a slit. Releasing a wave of psychic energy that shook the surrounding space with overwhelming pressure, he demanded, "Nick Fury, I'll ask you one last time. Is that really the Reishi Laboratory?"
Nick Fury let out a muffled groan. Blood once again flowed from all seven of his facial orifices as he answered blankly,
"Yes... this is the Reishi Laboratory."
"What a pity, Nick Fury."
Taking a step forward, Druig grabbed Fury by the throat and sneered.
"I've already seen through your plan. The correct path is on the left, isn't it?"
"N... No..."
Fury's eyes fluctuated violently as he struggled.
"The correct path... is in the middle."
"Is that so?"
Golden light glowed within Druig's eyes as he mocked,
"Foolish human. You're still trying to deceive me at a time like this? Even if you can use your subconscious to disguise your true thoughts, you still can't conceal the fluctuations produced by subconscious lies. The correct path... is right in the middle!"
As soon as those words fell, Druig took a step forward, dragging Fury with him onto the staircase on the left.
"Hahahahaha..."
Throwing Fury aside, Druig laughed mockingly.
"You spent so much effort, yet I still saw through your scheme in the end. Humans are still humans. Even after another ten thousand years, you're no different from monkeys in my eyes. Did you really think you could fool me?"
Nick Fury's head slammed against the ground, and he lost consciousness.
After finishing his ridicule, Druig turned to look at his own shadow.
"Alexander, our plan succeeded. Aren't you coming out yet?"
"Indeed. But there's one thing I need to correct."
On the staircase they had just crossed, an elderly figure gradually approached, his face carrying a mocking smile.
"It was my plan that succeeded—not your plan."
Seeing Alexander still standing on the opposite side, a powerful sense of foreboding suddenly welled up inside Druig.
"You... why didn't you come over?"
"Why? Isn't it obvious?"
Alexander sneered.
"Because... that path is the wrong one. Didn't Fury already tell you? The correct path is the one straight down the middle, you fool."
"W... What?!"
Druig's eyes widened in disbelief.
"But... didn't you say... Fury was lying?"
"Do you remember what I told you?"
Adjusting his sleeves, Alexander sneered.
"You underestimated humanity. When it comes to deception, the Eternals are as naive as children. You'll believe whatever someone tells you after only a few words. It's been a long time since I've met someone as 'simple' as you."
"So... everything you told me was a lie?"
Grinding his teeth, Druig glared furiously at Alexander.
"Of course not. Ninety-nine percent of what I told you was true."
Alexander smiled.
"I only lied to you about one thing. Fury did implant backup memories, and he really did intend to mislead whoever controlled him."
"But..."
"He wrapped the truth in an outer layer of lies."
"And then wrapped that layer of lies in another layer of truth, creating a logical paradox of truth, falsehood, and truth."
"In fact, even without my reminder, you would eventually have noticed the 'flaw' that Fury intentionally revealed."
"The moment you believed it was false, you had already fallen into his trap. You only saw through the first layer of truth, only to fall into the second layer of deception. That was the logical paradox Fury prepared for any intruder—and that was precisely what made him so brilliant."
"But unfortunately..."
"I know Fury too well."
"That's why I could easily determine that, at the very end, he was telling the truth."
Alexander burst into triumphant laughter.
"But... why?"
Druig couldn't understand.
"Weren't we already cooperating? What benefit is there in betraying me?"
"There is no benefit."
Alexander replied calmly.
"But unfortunately, humans are naturally suspicious. How could I possibly feel comfortable letting a powerful Eternal accompany me into the Reishi Laboratory? The only reason I deceived you..."
"...is because you're too powerful."