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Toby suddenly laughed, his laughter was sharp and piercing, like the cry of a night owl, which was creepy. He took out a black bead from his arms. The surface of the bead was as smooth as jade and exuded a strange light.

"Goodbye, Mark!" Toby said, and suddenly crushed the black bead in his hand.

Black mist instantly poured out from the broken bead, like rolling ink, spreading rapidly and covering the entire valley. The mist was thick and pungent, with a disgusting fishy smell. The surrounding trees swayed in the black mist, making a "rustling" sound, like a ghostly whisper, adding a touch of horror to this weird scene. The moonlight was obscured by the black mist, and the whole valley fell into darkness, and it was pitch black.

Mark lost Toby's trace, and he looked around vigilantly, his eyes full of doubts and uneasiness. He took a tentative step forward and stepped on a loose stone. The stone rolled down, making a "gurgling" sound, which was particularly clear in the silent valley.

The black mist gradually dissipated, and the moonlight fell on the earth again, illuminating the entire valley. Everything in the valley was clearly visible, except Toby.

Mark looked around and found no trace of Toby. He punched the ground angrily, and with a loud "bang", the rocks shattered and dust flew. He clenched his teeth, his eyes full of reluctance and anger, and roared in a low voice: "Toby! I will find you!"

Mark's roar echoed in the empty valley. His chest rose and fell violently, and his fists trembled slightly because of excessive force. The moonlight shone on his tense face, making it even more hideous.

He looked around, trying to find any clues. The valley was quiet, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind. Mark bent down, picked up the remaining black powder on the ground, put it to the tip of his nose and sniffed it. A pungent fishy smell rushed straight to his head. He shook his hand in disgust and sprinkled the powder on the ground.

A few crows were startled and flew out from the depths of the woods, making a few shrill cries and circling over Mark's head. An unsettling silence filled the valley.

Mark took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. He searched step by step along the edge of the valley, not missing any corner. He carefully observed the traces on the ground, hoping to find the direction of Toby's escape.

After walking for a distance, Mark found a crushed grass. The grass leaves were stained with some black powder, the same powder he picked up before. He squatted down and gently pushed the grass away with his hands, and found a piece of loose soil under the grass.

"Here..." Mark muttered to himself. He reached out and grabbed the edge of the soil. With a strong pull, a camouflaged wooden board was lifted up by him, revealing a dark hole. The cave entrance was small, only one person could pass through.

A rotten and damp smell emanated from the cave entrance, Mark frowned and covered his mouth and nose. He fired a fireball forward, the firelight illuminated the surroundings, and only a narrow passage could be seen.

"Toby..." Mark whispered the name again, and a cold murderous intent flashed in his eyes. He entered the cave entrance without hesitation.

The cave was very humid, the ground was muddy, and the air was filled with a suffocating musty smell. Mark walked forward cautiously. The passage was winding, sometimes narrow and sometimes open.

After walking for about ten minutes, Mark came to a relatively spacious cave. In the center of the cave was a stone table with an oil lamp on it, emitting a dim light. There were some sundries scattered around the stone table, as well as some leftover food scraps, which looked like they had been bitten by wild beasts.