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Mark slowly approached the cave entrance. A cool breeze poured in from the cave entrance, carrying the fragrance of soil and leaves, which was completely different from the damp and rotten smell inside the cave. He took a deep breath to make himself more alert. After reaching the cave entrance, Mark cautiously stuck his head out to observe the situation outside. The night enveloped the forest, and the moonlight sprinkled through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled light and shadows on the ground. It was quiet outside the cave. Except for the rustling sound of the leaves blown by the wind, no other sound could be heard. There was no one. He crouched down and walked out of the cave. With the faint moonlight, he carefully identified the footprints on the ground. The footprints were very fresh, as if they had just been left. The shape of the footprints was similar to that of human footprints, but slightly smaller and sharper. Each footprint was deeply imprinted in the soil, showing the firmness and strength of its owner's steps. Mark judged that these footprints extended to the depths of the forest.

"Oh no, Albert is still outside!"

Mark's heart sank, and an ominous premonition came to his mind. He immediately followed the footprints. In the bushes, the branches and leaves were intertwined, and the moonlight was completely blocked. Only a few starlights fell through the gaps between the branches and leaves, forming mottled spots of light on the ground.

The air was filled with the fragrance of soil and grass, mixed with a faint smell of blood, which made Mark's nerves even more tense.

He pushed aside the dense branches and leaves, and scanned the traces on the ground with sharp eyes. Deep in the bushes, a broken branch was inserted diagonally into the ground, and a few white strips of cloth were hanging on the branch.

Mark walked closer to take a closer look. The material and color of the cloth strips were exactly the same as the cloth on Albert's coat. His heart sank and he quickened his pace.

Deep in the forest, the trees were taller and denser, and the moonlight could hardly penetrate the thick treetops. It was dark all around, and only the occasional cry of a few night owls in the distance added a bit of gloom.

Mark followed the direction of the footprints and tracked all the way to a clearing deep in the forest. On the grass in the middle of the clearing, there were some scattered items, including Albert's backpack. The straps of the backpack were cut, and the items inside were scattered all over the ground. Several parchment rolls were scattered on the grass, with some complex magic arrays drawn on them.

Mark looked around and found a big tree not far away, with some strange symbols engraved on the trunk. These symbols were crooked, like some ancient text, and also like some kind of totem. He walked closer and took a closer look, and found that the symbols were very fresh, as if they had just been engraved not long ago. He realized that there had been a fight here, and there were a few drops of dark red blood on the ground, which looked particularly dazzling in the moonlight. He squatted down, dipped a little blood on his finger, and sniffed it at the tip of his nose. The blood had dried up, but it still exuded a faint smell of blood. Mark clenched his fists and continued to follow the blood. The blood was intermittent, sometimes clearly visible, and sometimes almost disappeared, as if someone deliberately wanted to cover up their whereabouts.

The blood finally disappeared by a stream. The stream was clear, with a few fallen leaves floating on the surface, slowly flowing downstream. Mark squatted down and carefully checked the stream, and found a broken stick floating in the stream, stained with blood. He picked up the stick and found that the broken end of the stick was very fresh, as if it had been cut by a sharp weapon. He looked up at the other side of the stream, and the bushes were crushed to form a passage. At the entrance of the passage, several branches were broken and leaves were scattered all over the ground, obviously caused by someone forcing through the bushes.

Mark walked through the bushes without hesitation, and the branches of the bushes scratched his cheeks and arms, leaving several small wounds. The passage was very narrow, and the bushes on both sides almost surrounded him. He bent over and moved forward quickly, his heart full of anxiety and uneasiness. At the end of the passage was a towering stone wall covered with moss, which looked particularly gloomy. At the bottom of the stone wall, there is a hidden cave entrance, with some fresh soil and gravel left at the entrance, as if it had just been dug out.

Mark's heartbeat accelerated, and he had a hunch that Albert was in this cave.

"Albert!" Mark shouted at the entrance of the cave, and his voice echoed in the valley. There was no response in the cave, only the whistling sound of the wind blowing through the valley.

Mark took a deep breath and walked towards the entrance of the cave. He leaned over slightly, squinted his eyes, and tried to see the situation in the cave clearly. The cave was dark and nothing could be seen. There was only a faint smell of soil and an indescribable fishy smell.

"Albert!" Mark shouted at the entrance of the cave again, his voice was slightly lower than before, with a slight tremor that was not easily detected. Still no response. The wind in the valley whistled past, and the leaves rustled, which further highlighted the dead silence of the cave.

Mark gritted his teeth and crouched into the cave. The entrance of the cave was very low, and he had to bend forward.

The cave was very damp, with a thin layer of soil covering the ground. The air was filled with a strong smell of earth, which made him feel a little difficult to breathe.

He raised the fire sword, and the light emitted by the flame illuminated a small area around him. The cave wall was uneven, and some unknown mosses and fungi grew on it. He moved forward slowly, with light steps, trying not to make any noise. The cave was winding, sometimes wide and sometimes narrow. He had to bend down and turn sideways from time to time, carefully avoiding protruding rocks and stagnant water on the ground. After walking about ten meters, the cave suddenly opened up and formed a small cave. Under the light of the fire, Mark saw the scene in the cave clearly. He stopped involuntarily and his pupils suddenly shrank. In the center of the cave, a figure fell to the ground, motionless.

"Albert!" Mark immediately rushed over, knelt beside the figure, and reached out to feel his breath. There was still a weak breath! Mark breathed a sigh of relief. With the help of the firelight, he could see Albert's face clearly.

Albert's face was pale, his lips were chapped, his body was covered with dirt and blood, and his left arm was twisted into a V angle, obviously broken.

"Albert, how are you?" Mark asked anxiously, while checking Albert's injuries. Albert opened his eyes with difficulty, his eyes were a little distracted. He looked at Mark, his lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't make a sound.

At this time, a rustling sound came from the depths of the cave, as if something was crawling. Mark immediately became alert, held the fire sword tightly, stood up, and looked at the depths of the cave vigilantly. The firelight could only illuminate a small area of ​​the cave, and the deeper part was still shrouded in darkness, and nothing could be seen clearly. The rustling sound was getting closer and closer, mixed with some low roars. A black shadow slowly emerged from the darkness and appeared at the edge of the firelight. It was a tall, ferocious creature covered with black scales, with strong and powerful limbs and sharp claws, and it constantly emitted low roars from its mouth.