Yeah, something like that.

[They're both doing their best. Their best is just significantly worse than most people in Teyvat's average.]

That's what I don't know. If it were just the monsters, like you said, we'd be seeing some evidence of a fight, at least. But with how it is right now, it just looks like the miners were... spirited away, or something.

There has to be something bigger at play, here.