Angel soon found the hollow in the dead tree that the couple had mentioned, on the far side of the hill.
Hidden beneath tangled branches and vines, the tree hollow was not conspicuous. A thick layer of snow covered its entrance as well. Had the couple not crashed through it while fleeing earlier, the hollow would likely still have been buried beneath the heavy snow.
No wonder the scouting puppets had failed to discover this place.
Angel bent over and slipped into the tree hollow. The passage inside sloped all the way downward, dark and deep.
Not long after entering, Angel emerged from the narrow passage into an extremely spacious underground cavern. The cavern reeked of pungent sulfur, and white steam occasionally seeped out through cracks in the earth.
Amid the swirling steam and mist, Angel vaguely saw several white shadows. Yet when he extended his spiritual force, there was nothing there. They were presumably the "ghostly shadows" spoken of in outside rumors.
The underground cavern had many branching paths. Angel did not know which way to go for the moment and could only rely on the footprints and faint bloodstains left by the couple to determine the direction they had taken.
Following the traces on the ground, Angel passed through the geothermal area and arrived at a corridor that gave off a fishy stench.
This corridor was longer than the previous one. By the glow of fluorescent stones, Angel could clearly see chaotic bloodstains on both the corridor walls and the ground.
As he neared the exit, Angel heard the rush of flowing water ahead. At the same time, he encountered the flying fish monsters the couple had spoken of—the creatures that had sent them fleeing in terror.
These flying fish monsters had a most peculiar appearance. Their scales