When the ground shook beneath, Batman looked at Merkel, who covered his mouth, but the next second, he turned to the demons and shouted, "Retreat! I said Retreat!"
At this command, all the demons dropped their tasks at hand and came together, like a switch had been flipped. Moving towards the mine with swift precision, their response surprised even Batman.
Merkel also bolted to the depths of the mine, Batman following close behind. The reaction was so swift that the magma had no chance to erupt before all the demons had retreated into the underground escape route.
The escape route was above the magma, but they moved so fast. As the demons cleared the path, the magma began to spew, destroying the space within the Third Mountain.
Just as they had retreated to the mine in the Second Mountain and were catching their breaths, a shuttle snake demon peeked out from the tunnel, addressing Merkel. "Comrade Merkel, comrade Alfred sent me to assist you. Your remarkable victory in Third Mountain has greatly inspired the comrades in Second Mountain..."
Upon hearing the shuttle snake demon's Soviet jargon, Batman covered his own eyes. He glanced back at the demons trailing behind, still disoriented and terrified, and felt somewhat apprehensive.
Batman really didn't want to bring the group of demons to Alfred, the same way he didn't want to bring his school transcript to him.
But he didn't have a choice; Merkel had already moved forward. Batman had no option but to follow suit. When he met Alfred, he was directing a group of magma demons to lift a massive log to the top of the mine as a support to reinforce its structure.
Alfred was glad to see Batman, and with a smile he said, "I saw the Central Mine collapse. You're fine, and being able to hold up there for so long is indeed a miracle."
Batman was taken aback; he didn't expect Alfred to compliment him so directly. He hesitated for a moment, then said, "In fact, I was drawing from..."
"No matter what you borrowed from, the fact you managed to hold back the elite demon soldiers for so long under the circumstances, shows your excellent level of strategic planning and tactics," interrupted Alfred.
Even though he was complimented, Batman didn't look too happy, as he was filled with questions. Alfred sensed his state, gave a signal to the shuttle snake demon, who took Merkel and his army, along with Batman's army, further into the mine.
In the heart of the mine, only Batman and Alfred remained. Alfred led Batman to a log pile next to a bonfire. Uniquely, there was a rock slab set up for cooking, with a perfectly grilled steak on it.
"Have a bite. I took this from the cafeteria supervisor. It tastes really good," Alfred cut a piece of meat with a sharp stone and handed it to Batman.
Batman hesitated but didn't eat. Alfred shook his head, "You have always been this way since you were a child. If you're upset, you won't eat; this could seriously hurt your digestion."
In front of Alfred, Batman seemed more fragile and childish. In a huff, he moved further away from the rock slab. Alfred chuckled, "I guess you're puzzled by Merkel's achievements, feeling that although you're smarter than him, you can't lead these demons effectively."
Batman opened his mouth but closed it again. Nevertheless, he managed to say, "All right, that's one of the questions, but it's not really about that."
"So, what's it about?" Alfred asked, cutting the steak with a dagger and eating a piece off a wooden fork.
"So you've always… what I mean is, you've always adhered to your beliefs, you've always wanted to do this, haven't you?" Batman asked, looking at Alfred.
Alfred lowered his head, then after a while nodded saying, "A person can never truly abandon his ideals. If he says he has, it may just be that he has buried them deep in his heart, unwilling to share them with others."
"But that's not because of disillusionment or embarrassment, but the realization that yelling out loud and repeatedly about it when the time is not right is of no use."
"Why didn't you…" Batman paused abruptly as his tone had become rather forceful, sounding almost accusative. He softened his tone and asked, "Why haven't I heard you talk about these things before?"
Alfred looked into Batman's eyes, silent for a very long time. His silence made Batman somewhat uneasy, until Alfred let out a sigh, "When Thomas and Martha were alive, I wouldn't conceal it from them. It's wrong to instill some ideologies into a child who understands nothing."
"And after their deaths…" Alfred fell silent for a while. Batman kept his eyes on him, then heard Alfred say, "Your mental state is not suitable for pondering any deeper philosophical thoughts."