Chapter 979: The Battle for Gao Ta (14)

After the overseer left, nearly all the slaves collapsed desperately on the ground, each convinced the task was impossible and that they would be thrown into the lava—but at that moment, Batman hurled the Short Demon out of his hands, and before throwing him, said:

“Go. Shout at the top of your lungs. Draw everyone’s attention to me.”

The Short Demon hit the ground with a thud, face-first, but when he turned and saw Batman’s threatening glare, he still forced himself to obey—jumping and screaming in place until every demon’s gaze locked onto Batman.

Once he confirmed the overseer was far away and the Eye Demons seemed indifferent to the miners’ movements beyond mining, Batman leapt onto the mine cart. Seeing all eyes fixed on him, he said in a low voice:

“If you want to live, do exactly as I say. Completing two cartloads’ worth of mining in one night is not impossible.”

At these words, every demon stared at him in disbelief. Batman raised his head, scanning the entire cavern’s mineral deposits, then said:

“Right now, all the minerals exposed on the cavern’s surface are enough to fill these two carts—but only if we extract every last fragment, leaving nothing behind.”

Hearing this, some veteran miners began studying the cavern’s layout. After their initial terror faded, they whispered among themselves:

“He’s right. As far as I know, though this mine is shallow, the deposits are plentiful. If we get it all, we might actually fill them.”

“Impossible. Even if we strip every mineral from the walls, what about the ceiling? We have no flying demons—how do we reach the ore up there?”

“Maybe we should try. Even if we can’t fully fill them, if we work hard enough, maybe they’ll spare us for showing decent results?”

“Yes, yes! I don’t want to be thrown into the lava! Please, I beg you!”

“Quiet.” Batman spoke again. “If you follow me, I guarantee we’ll complete the task.”

“Indeed, without flight, reaching the ceiling minerals is hard—but not impossible. First, we must begin immediately and extract every accessible ore.”

Batman scanned the demons, his mind racing, then declared: “The old method is too inefficient. From now on, I reassign roles. Everyone follows my orders—I tell you which vein to mine, you mine it; I tell you how to extract, you do it exactly as I say…”

“If anyone disobeys, all of you will die. Whether you believe me or not, I’m the only one who can save you now. If you understand, move!”

“All Red-Skinned Ogres, take your tools and stand at the cavern’s edges—the directions with the most ore. Form groups of three to mine the large deposits together…”

“All Short Demons, form groups of five, circle around the Ogres. As soon as ore falls, pick it up immediately.”

“Serpent Demons, line up single file to transport the ore…”

“Note: Do not touch or move the Shadow Ore at the eastern and western edges of the cavern… You, the Shadow Creature—yes, you—come here. Stand still. I have another task for you…”

Under Batman’s direction, the entire cavern operated with orderly precision. Pressured by death, every demon obeyed and worked fiercely—after all, demons were chaotic, cunning, and evil, but they feared death.

Moreover, intelligent beings in panic instinctively follow the loudest voice, regardless of whether it’s right—so long as it points the way, that voice naturally becomes leadership. Batman was that voice.

Before Batman changed the mining rules, demons had randomly chosen exposed mineral layers, dug them out, dumped the ore into nearby baskets, then carried the baskets to the carts themselves.

This created major inefficiencies: Short Demons couldn’t break rock, each carrying only tiny fragments; Ogres mined heavily but moved slowly—by the time one carried a basket, two new veins could’ve been cracked open.

Batman clearly assigned roles, shifting from individual labor to collective coordination—and efficiency surged immediately.

The cavern buzzed with frantic activity. Ogres swung their arms repeatedly, shattering rock with brute strength. Short Demons darted nimbly beneath them, scooping up every shard and hurling it to the Serpent Demons.

Serpent Demons had serpentine tails and human arms; they curled their tails and launched themselves high, moving swiftly. They balanced full ore baskets atop their heads, leapt, and slammed them directly into the carts, then climbed back out.

Other small demons, adept with tools, mined smaller veins—prying loose fragments from crevices and corners too narrow for Ogres, dropping them into baskets for transport to the carts.

As time crept closer to the deadline, everyone’s movements grew faster.

Just over two hours before the deadline, the demons finally extracted every mineral except those on the cavern ceiling.

Now, one and a half carts were full—but half remained empty. All demons turned their gazes to Batman, wondering what miraculous method he could possibly use to harvest ore so high above.

The cavern was vast, its ceiling towering, lined with stalactite-like spires teeming with well-developed minerals. If all could be dislodged, they’d easily fill half a cart.

At that moment, Batman stepped back slightly. A Shadow Creature, identical to Six-Horn, shuffled forward tremblingly, voice quaking: “You… you all fall back. Hide in the tunnels. Don’t show yourselves until I say so…”

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The demons exchanged confused glances, unsure what to do—but some veteran miners, as if remembering something, waved their hands: “Follow me! Into the tunnels! Everyone retreat to the very back!”

The demons drifted slowly into the tunnels. Batman followed them into the nearest passage—but didn’t retreat further. He stood at the entrance, watching.

The Shadow Creature squinted hard, then unleashed a silent shriek. The sonic wave swept outward, blowing away dust. All demons instinctively clapped hands over their ears.

In an instant, the Shadow Creature’s tentacles unfurled, transforming into a terrifying tentacled shadow—but even more terrifying were the two bursts of Shadow Vines erupting from the cavern’s corners.

The Shadow Vines surged forward with lightning speed. Within seconds, countless tendrils engulfed every corner of the cavern. The vine storm, like a hurricane sweeping across the sea, unleashed unstoppable tidal waves—causing the entire mountain to tremble.

Two or three minutes later, chaos subsided. The Shadow Vines retracted into the ore. The first demon to burst out screamed:

“Ore! It’s all ore! Look! The ground is covered in ore!!!!”

Demons poured out, stunned at the glittering ore scattered across the floor. When they looked up, the stalactite spires were gone—half the ceiling bore deep, whip-like scars from the vines.

A massive crimson Ogre swallowed hard, trembling: “My god… so Shadow Vines are this powerful? They just knocked down every last bit of ore in an instant…”

Beside him, an ancient Serpent Demon, scales wrinkled with age, sighed: “This reminds me of the Vine Catastrophe. Even powerful Demon Lords couldn’t handle a unified underground Shadow Vine…”

As Batman stepped out from the tunnel entrance, he showed no surprise—he’d long noticed the unusual nature of the Shadow Vines.

One clue: when he treated Six-Horn’s injuries, he’d observed that the black mist coating Six-Horn’s tentacles had a peculiar property—like Shadow Ore, it was tough, stable, yet weightless.

Batman’s gauntlet couldn’t cut through it. The tentacles could extend infinitely. Only fire and heavy impacts proved effective—blades and axes did little.

Recognizing this strange trait, Batman questioned Six-Horn about the Shadow Vines’ habits. According to Six-Horn, these plants were extraordinary: when rooted in ground or rock, they occupied no space, needed no nest or shelter—they clung to mineral surfaces like true shadows.

But when activated, they could extend infinitely. The greater the stimulus, the faster and more violently they erupted.

Six-Horn also revealed a secret to Batman: Shadow Creatures born from Shadow Vines could not only calm them—but also provoke them, triggering instantaneous eruptions.

Batman then gave Six-Horn a plan: use his Shadow Creature nature to provoke the Vines and punish the Lava Demons who tormented him—while simultaneously giving Batman a chance to observe the plant.

After confirming the Vines could indeed cause massive destruction in short bursts, Batman noticed another detail: the overseer’s whip might be connected to the Shadow Vines.

Shadow Vines were black, erupting like black tides—but at their points of explosion, Batman saw a flicker of green light.

That green reminded him of the Green of All Life that once descended upon Gotham. He reasoned: if all plants across universes fell under the Green’s dominion, then Shadow Vines likely did too. The whip’s devastating power against demons might stem from the Green’s influence.

The overseers’ absurd mining quotas gave Batman another insight: he realized the method Six-Horn used to provoke the Vines wasn’t magical or mystical—it relied on a specific sound frequency.

Batman felt he’d grasped the key—when the deadline finally arrived. After dumping the last basket into the cart, the overseers stormed in, furious.

Seeing two fully loaded carts, the overseers froze in shock.

“How is this possible?! You stupid slaves—how could you possibly finish this in one night…?”

“Damn it! Someone cheated!! Claude’s miners couldn’t possibly be this diligent! Come out! Show yourself!”

“I won’t let Claude beat me! Our Fourth Mountain is the Infernal General’s most prized mine! Central Mine hoards so much ore yet sits idle for years—Claude must be replaced!”

The lead demon whipped his lash viciously and snarled: “Take them all! Throw them into the lava! Central Mine’s slaves failed their quota—kill them all!”

Standing behind the cart, Batman narrowed his eyes. So this insane demand wasn’t madness—it was power struggle among the mine’s hierarchy.

It seemed Claude, the chief overseer, had long monopolized Central Mine, provoking resentment from other overseers. They planned to kill Central Mine’s slaves, ensuring Claude failed his quota.

If the slaves were slaughtered, delaying the Infernal General’s progress, Claude’s fate would be obvious.

As the overseers lunged to seize the slaves, a figure in a black cloak leapt onto the highest mound in the cavern’s center. His voice echoed through the mine:

“Stop. You cannot take anyone from here!”

Batman looked down upon the powerful demon overseers and said: “This is neither fair nor just. Cease your actions. Release them.”