Chapter 972: Battle for the High Tower (Part 6)_1

Not all inhabitants of hell are demons, and not all demons are large, brutish monsters unrecognizable as humanoid.

As Shiller mentioned, God's aesthetics are basically consistent. Aside from certain evolutionary races, the older a demon is, the closer it resembles the human form, or more precisely, the likeness of God Himself.

There are numerous humanoid-like races in hell, with Beelzebub, the Demon Lord, being one of the most notable representatives of the ancient demon race. Their demons also have two legs and two arms, and walk upright. Apart from different skin colors and more ferocious features, they hardly differ from humans.

Then there are the Shadow Demons who often plague the human world. They look like human shadows, and aside from a pair of wings and an all-black body, they also resemble humans. In addition, there are many transformer demons who deceive humans, sometimes adopting their form.

Moreover, hell is home to some human dark magicians, cave dwellers, star spirits, and members of ancient rebellious races, as well as some fortunate human souls who have fallen into the barbaric wilderness of hell due to flawed transactions, unable to pay the price of their deals.

Hence, the presence of humanoid creatures and human souls here is not uncommon, nor do all demons possess the ability to devour souls on sight.

Put simply, there is no clear line of division between human souls and demon bodies. The ability to devour human souls implies the ability to similarly devour a demon. Apart from powerful demon lords, only seasoned demon generals possess this skill.

If every minor demon in hell could rip and tear its own kind, hell could not have maintained its stability for so many years.

Also, there are laws—or something similar—in hell. In simple terms, hell is a federation. Satan is the nominal head of the state, but it essentially consists of autonomous states.

Among the slave troops Batman observed from the mountaintop, at least one third were either human or humanoid. Alfred's presence in this crowd was not conspicuous, but Batman spotted his old butler at once.

After brief consideration, Batman understood what was happening. He had jumped into hell, Constantine was mentally stimulated, but another person remained sane - Zatanna.

Although Zatanna is quite out of place in the City of Sin, her way of handling things may come off as blunt, and hence seemingly foolish, in a city entirely consumed by madness. Nevertheless, like Constantine, she's a good person who believes in saving the world. Naturally, she can't simply watch her friends descend into hell.

Batman guessed that Zatanna might have tried to save him and Shiller, and upon learning of this, Alfred decided to accompany her to hell.

Batman, standing at the mountaintop, heaved a sigh. He wasn't sure whether to feel touched or to feel a headache coming on. He knew that his butler had a past which few knew about—to put it bluntly, Alfred was a KGB agent.

However, being a KGB agent wasn't very useful in Hell. The opponents here are not Central Intelligence Agency agents, and the burly demons aren't going to be stopped with a bullet or two.

Batman sighed. His tasks were increasing. In addition to protecting the unstable Shiller and figuring out a way to escape, he also had to find a way to rescue Alfred and take him with them.

After hesitating for a moment, Batman didn't immediately move towards the slave troop where Alfred was located. His observation from the high place revealed that Alfred seemed fine, both mentally and physically, and the demon overseers directing him didn't appear to be taking him for labor; rather, they seemed to be showing him around the mines.

Given the circumstances, he needed to take Shiller to a safe place first. Otherwise, when he went to rescue Alfred, something might happen to Shiller. They needed a secure location to keep the rescued persons.

Batman was getting busier by the minute, but his thinking was becoming clearer. The images of death swirling in his mind were gradually fading. A black cloak swept over the minefield, and with a "thud," Batman landed at the gate of the underground prison and once again walked in.

"Are you saying you saw Alfred in the line of slaves?" Shiller squinted, looking at Batman for confirmation. Batman nodded. Then Shiller asked, "What do you plan to do?"

"First, I'll take you to a safe location. I noticed an abandoned mine not far from the prison. It seems that no one has been there for a very long time. I'll take you there first to recuperate. Then, I'll go rescue Alfred and bring him there. After that, we'll figure out how to get out of here."

Shiller paused and shook his head, "No, I don't plan on leaving. They captured us with the intention of making us slaves for their mining purposes."

"If we stay here, we'll adopt the identity of slaves. But if we leave, we'll be illegal residents in hell, unable to explain who we are to others, no matter where we go."

"Do you honestly want to stay here forever?" Batman asked, "Isn't the aim to get out of here?"

"Yes, I know you're concerned about Gotham, but do you truly believe resurrection is that easy? Let's not even think about where the exit of hell might be. Each piece of land here belongs to a Demon Lord. If you try to open a portal to the human world, you won't go unnoticed."

Shiller stood up slowly, facing Batman, "I assume, you know the condition of your soul. You're not just an ordinary human soul. If your unusual state is noticed by the demon lords, they will never let you leave."

"Also, Batman, this is hell." Shiller uttered a laugh, carrying a mix of mockery and madness. He said, "You've experienced the living conditions of the lowermost citizens in Gotham. You've called it hell. Wouldn't you be curious about a real hell?"

Batman remained silent and only watched him. Shiller didn't need an answer. He sat back down, tilting his head to Batman and said, "I've disposed of the jail guard's body. Now, go there and pretend to be a slave…"

After speaking, he lowered his head and said no more. After pondering for a few seconds, Batman decided to follow his instructions and take a seat.

Batman had to admit, he was somewhat curious about Hell. Or, more accurately, what he saw in Hell had left him somewhat disappointed.

People often liken Gotham to Hell, but based on what Batman has seen and heard in the past few hours, Hell is nowhere close to Gotham.

In the few minutes he spent observing from the mountain top, he didn't witness a single instance of armed conflict, not a single demon was shedding blood or dying, which would be unthinkable in Gotham.

After a while, a foul-mouthed dark-red, four-armed demon strolled down. Batman came to realize that the language used in Hell wasn't any specific one, but a kind of soul fluctuation; hence, he could understand what the demon was saying.

"That Alton slacking off somewhere again, for sure. Damn it, we still don't have three squads today. If the boss finds out, we will certainly get scolded!"

The demon came to the prison door holding a whip and a string of keys. He banged the iron ring of the key against the bars, then shouted: "Get up! All of you, stand up! Useless scum, come out with me! Today we have to fill up three squads!"

Shiller and Batman did not move until the demon brutally opened the cell door and beckoned to them, "You're new here, aren't you? Don't you know the rules of Hell? Hurry up, come out, follow me. Today, you will familiarize yourselves with the mining site and tomorrow you will start working, you bunch of imbeciles!"

It wasn't until a few somewhat weak demons came out of the cells across from them, that Shiller and Batman blended into the crowd and followed the supervisor out of the cell.

"Consider yourselves lucky, idiots. Today the giant worm isn't hungry so the casualty rate isn't that high. They made two trips and brought back over a dozen people. On a normal day, half of you would have ended up in the worm's belly!"

As the demon herded them out, he grumbled: "So, you all need to be on high alert. Once we get to the mine, stop gaping. If you don't want to become worm feed, start working your asses off!"

Once outside the prison, the overseer put shackles and handcuffs on all the slaves. Shiller remained silent and didn't resist.

When it came to him, the overseer cursed: "Those Beast Tamers are getting sloppier and sloppier, grabbing such weak human souls as well. It won't last more than two days... Nevermind, be quick, get over there! I don't want to see you; you're bad luck!"

Batman, standing at the back, was gripped with fear. He was worried that Shiller would suddenly lash out and he wouldn't be able to keep up. His nerves were tight, ready to jump into action at any moment.

But surprisingly, Shiller just lowered his head, walked past the overseer, and joined the lines on the other side, without saying a word.

When it was Batman's turn, he looked at the handcuffs and shackles, made from an unusual metal; once put on, there were no keyholes or cracks. It would be very hard to remove them. He was somewhat hesitant, but when he looked up, he saw Shiller's death stare.

Batman also fell silent, letting them put the shackles on him. Both of them joined the line, and then the overseer led them off towards the mine.

Just as they were entering the mine, Alfred's crew was coming out. The two groups looked on from afar.

Batman locked eyes with Alfred. He was about to say something, but expressly understood the cautionary look on Alfred's face, warning not to speak.

Then, Alfred shifted his gaze to Shiller, and Batman noticed that Shiller's butler, Merkel, was walking behind Alfred.

The three men engaged in a silent, eye-contact-based exchange that Batman couldn't comprehend. Afterward, they passed by each other, acting as if they didn't recognize each other at all.

Once they entered the pitch-black mine, the overseer's attention wasn't on them anymore. Shiller slowed his pace, walking shoulder to shoulder with Batman. Batman heard him whisper:

"They start working as soon as it gets light tomorrow. They'll enter the mine through the big door on the right, and the working site is on the third underground level. At noon, all the slave workers in the mine will get together for a meal, for about half an hour…"

"After the meal, Merkel will distract the guard while I meet up with Alfred…"

Batman, sounding puzzled, interrupted, "Wait a minute, why are you all so well-versed with this?????"

With an emotionless look ahead, Shiller glanced at Batman and then said:

"Because we are professionals."