"Click, hiss~."
The elevator doors opened, and Nick Fury wore a long black trench coat. As for why, it was his unique preference.
There wasn't much within the agency that could be hidden from him. After Coulson left, he had already deleted the data using his directorial privileges.
He arrived at the laboratory where the twenty-three bodies were being stored.
The compartment was well-protected, and people in white lab coats nodded in acknowledgement as the black director entered.
Although he didn't know them well, Nick Fury still nodded frequently in response.
Until an elderly professor walked up to him, "Director, are you here to see those bodies?"
"Yes."
The old professor glanced deeply at him, "Director, entering there requires wearing hazmat suits because we can't guarantee that there won't be any accidents."
Seeing Nick Fury's brows furrow, he didn't explain much. Instead, he turned and walked toward another small room, saying, "Come quickly, Director. I'm sure you wouldn't want to waste time here."
As a special agent, especially one of Nick Fury's calibre, his basic skills were still intact even though he had stepped back from the front lines for many years.
He quickly donned the hazmat suit, towering over the old professor.
On the way to the laboratory, the old professor explained various taboos to the black director.
Only a few bodies were in front of them, but they appeared unusually eerie.
One of them had even wholly turned into a desiccated corpse!
Resembling the mummies preserved from ancient Egypt!
"Director." A faint electronic sound reached his ears, and the old professor called him.
Since everyone in the room was in hazmat suits, identifying individuals wasn't easy at all.
"Follow me. You didn't misunderstand; this is one of the bodies from the group of dead."
Nick Fury took another look. The strange form of death made him feel a deep sense of fear even on the already desiccated face.
Transparent screens displayed data clearly, and the old professor continued to explain through his earpiece.
"Director, if it weren't for the complete match between his DNA and the young man's, we would never have believed that the two could be the same person."
"That body seems to have undergone a hundred years; everything within it... even the parasites, all completely dead."
"It's like..."
"Like?"
"Like it's been 'corroded' by time."
Nick Fury squinted, his already fierce expression taking on an even more intense edge, though no one could see it now.
"With today's biotechnology, is it possible to achieve this level?"
The old professor fell silent momentarily, then pondered, "Turning into a desiccated corpse is easy, but making the person completely age and everything inside them deteriorate is not simple at all."
"So, it's possible to achieve this level?"
"Theoretically, yes. But the difficulty level is such that no single company could accomplish it."
"And...," the old professor looked at the desiccated corpse, "performing this kind of unappreciated research consumes vast amounts of time, effort, and money. Those capitalists are not foolish."
"Is it useless, then?" Nick Fury continued to question.
"Not exactly, but in practical application, it falls short. Things that could be resolved with a single bullet are made overly complex by this..."
Through the hazmat suits, Nick Fury could sense the professor's frustration.
"Director, we've reconstructed the video. Would you like to take a look?"
"I'll be right there."
"Professor, step outside with me for a moment."
The old professor looked a bit puzzled but quickly realized, "Oh, alright."
While changing his clothes, the old professor explained various possibilities to the black director. Most of them were just hypotheses, each looking plausible but unable to withstand scrutiny.
Nick Fury stood in front of the elevator. "So, the most likely possibility is an ancient virus?"
"Yes, but it's just the most likely..."
Seeing the professor about to continue, Nick Fury quickly waved his hand, "Alright, once we've seen the video, we can confirm your speculations."
The old professor fell silent. Inside the elevator, Nick Fury handed the strand of hair to him and instructed him to submit the experimental report as soon as possible.
Seeing the black director's serious expression, the old professor reluctantly tucked the bag into his pocket.
...
"Click~"
Coulson heard the sound and quickly said, "Director, you're here."
Nick Fury nodded. "What about the reconstructed video?"
Coulson could only nod to the old professor and, for the sake of secrecy, even used film projection despite the greeting.
The room dimmed, and the video wasn't obvious. Yet, it depicted the entire sequence of events.
The girl in the video still couldn't be seen clearly, as if her image had been deliberately obscured.
"But that girl should be beautiful." Nick Fury thought to himself. He wasn't blinded by lust but rather inferred it from the body language of the two "leaders."
The altercation, the fight, and then he saw the tall man tremble, only to realize that the girl was standing behind him!
When did that happen?! Nick Fury's mind was astonished. He was "watching a movie!" and he hadn't been immersed in it. There was no reason not to notice the girl!
His pupils contracted to pinpricks, and even Coulson, who had watched it several times, felt a chill down his spine.
Oddly enough, the inexperienced old professor seemed captivated.
In the dim room, the faces of both the black director and Coulson turned grim.
Even just being "outside the scene" was affected. If they had been there in person and the girl had attempted to assassinate several people... it would have gone completely unnoticed!
The film continued to play on the projector, turning the asphalt road into pure black. It was inconspicuous in the darkness of night, but it held a haunting power!
Coulson swallowed his saliva, and in a short span of ten seconds, those who had fallen to the ground... each body rapidly became rigid.
"This is it! This is it!" The old professor exclaimed excitedly, nearly scaring the two beside him out of their wits.
Coulson promptly rose and hit the pause button.
His gaze turned to the old professor, who had come over to the projection wall in delight, his eyes revealing a dazed look. He murmured, "This is definitely not science; this is a different, entirely new system!"
Nick Fury didn't stop him; instead, he asked, "Professor, do you recognize this?"
"Of course!" Both of them were delighted.
"I don't recognize it!"
This statement was firm and resolute, and even Nick Fury wanted to hit someone!
The old professor hadn't paid any attention to them, his gaze filled with fascination, much like that of a lover reunited with their beloved after many years.
"But I read about it in an ancient text. There exists another form of energy manipulation in this world. It's called magic."
"Magic?!"