The Daily Life of the Demon King

Having seen everything there was to see in Jiujiang's psychological recovery center, Alex was being practically dragged by the hands of his three daughters, eager to visit even more ghost-related locations. The girls who had stayed behind at the amusement park near the haunted house were also curious about the next stop on his route — especially intrigued by the strange ghost that looked like a tall, extremely skinny figure with a grotesque face.

Thanks to movies and other sources of information, they were used to ghosts that looked more human-like. But this creature was different — elongated, painfully thin, with a horrifying appearance. While his three daughters pulled him toward the exit, Alex, knowing that the girls were watching GIR and MIMI's livestream, began explaining where such a ghost's appearance came from.

He told them that such gaunt spirits belonged to a lower type of specter and were, in essence, no different from parasites. To gain strength, they had to feed on the life energy of living people, gradually draining them of everything they could. Once the victim was weakened to the limit, the ghost would seize their body, turning it into a vessel for its own existence.

Before he could finish his explanation, a message popped up on his phone from Lucina with a short: "Thank you." Alex smiled and finally allowed his daughters to pull him outside.

Leaving the grounds of the psychiatric hospital, he — being the kind and responsible person he was — repaired the broken gates so that no curious thrill-seekers would wander into a place they really shouldn't.

Once everyone was settled in the car, Alex tried to remember how to get to the next ghost location. But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't recall the exact route. Before his reincarnation, he had read a book about this world, but it only hinted at the road rather than giving a detailed description.

Sighing, he took out his phone, mounted it on the dashboard, and began searching for the place in the navigator. Nyx, Nyaruko, Anya, Jinx, GIR, MIMI, and Stitch waited patiently — though the last three were already growing restless, having dealt with only one ghost so far, which clearly wasn't enough for their ambitions.

"How much longer are you going to take?" Nyx asked, nudging his shoulder.

"Look, I can't find this place on the map. It's got some ridiculously long and stupid name, and I have no idea how to get there," Alex muttered, still scrolling through the map.

"Daddy," Anya said cheerfully, "why are you so silly? Just ask the locals for directions!"

Alex's hand froze. He realized she was right — the place he wanted to visit was surrounded by so many legends that drivers, especially taxi drivers, were bound to know the way. Nyx, noticing his bewildered expression, burst out laughing. The others joined in, while Alex's eye began to twitch.

With a sigh, he ruffled Anya's hair in appreciation for the smart advice, started the engine, and drove back onto the rural road to find someone who could point the way. All he remembered was that the place was outside the city — but exactly where, and why it wasn't marked on the navigator, remained a mystery.

Along the way, they stopped at a shop for snacks and coffee. Near the entrance, two taxi drivers were animatedly discussing a strange passenger they had recently driven. Alex immediately guessed they were talking about Chen Ge — a man who roamed ghostly places at night. The taxi drivers, however, seemed to think he was some kind of maniac.

"Excuse me, gentlemen," Alex said, walking up to them. "You know the city well, right?"

"Hmm… depends on what you're looking for," one of them squinted.

"I'm traveling with my family and heard a legend about a place — the White Dragon Cave Tunnel. I'd like to see what it's like," Alex said with a friendly smile.

Hearing Alex's words, both taxi drivers instantly closed their mouths and stared at him in shock.

Seeing their stunned faces, Alex just rolled his eyes slightly. He knew very well the kind of legends that surrounded that ghost tunnel.

The tunnel had been built fifteen years ago, but from the very start strange disasters had occurred there. It all ended with the tunnel being shut down five years ago after a major incident. Even then, accidents continued to happen.

Many spoke of a woman standing in the tunnel. If you didn't stop, she would slowly approach until she was running alongside the car. If you did stop, things only got worse — the woman would appear in the back seat, and the car would inevitably crash. And that was just one of the stories.

Some drivers claimed they had seen a car passing by, but when they turned to look again, there was no one behind the wheel. When they exited the tunnel, the mysterious car would simply vanish without a trace. The final reason for the tunnel's permanent closure was a monstrous traffic accident that claimed many lives.

"Listen, kid. I don't know why you want to go to that tunnel, or what possessed you to drag your family there, but here's my advice — don't. People go missing there all the time, or end up in crashes. We taxi drivers avoid the place altogether and wouldn't dare to go near it," the first driver said, shaking his head.

"My friend's right," the second added. "You're young, don't throw your life away. Think of your family. One guy we knew thought those legends were just scary stories. He drove through that tunnel… and vanished. All they found was his empty car. His wife is still looking for him. If you want thrills, go to New Century Park instead — they've got a popular haunted house there. Much safer."

"I wasn't planning on driving in," Alex replied calmly, lighting a cigarette. "I just saw the legend on a forum and thought I'd take a look. Your city's full of places like that, so my family and I are touring around, checking them out."

"That's true," the first driver agreed, also lighting up. "Everywhere you look here, something's happened or is about to happen. One guy I picked up broke into an abandoned psychiatric hospital, found kidnapped people there, and somehow fought off their captors. Creepy stuff."

"We're just passing through the city, but we've already seen plenty," Alex continued. "Still, could you tell me how to get to the tunnel? My wife's a horror movie fan — she really wants to see places like that."

The taxi drivers glanced toward his car. Inside sat a woman with pale skin, short hair, and a tracksuit. Both men instinctively gave Alex a thumbs-up in admiration, but when they looked at his face again, they realized that with someone as good-looking as him, of course his wife would be beautiful.

They also noticed the kids and smirked to themselves, thinking only a madman would risk his family's safety for the sake of a cursed place. Deciding that Alex probably just wanted to take a look and leave, they agreed to give him directions — though almost every sentence came with the warning that under no circumstances should he drive through the tunnel, even during the day.

Alex smiled and promised he wouldn't… but he hadn't said anything about not going on foot. Once he had the route, he said goodbye and headed back to his car.

"Wife, huh? Funny, I don't remember becoming your wife," Nix remarked as Alex got behind the wheel.

"Habit," he waved her off. "And I don't see you complaining, shut-in goddess. Anyway, I've got the route. Next stop — the White Dragon Cave Tunnel."

"You were right," Nix said as the car pulled onto the road.

"Right about what?" Alex asked, glancing out the window.

"Daddy, you were right — the name is stupid. I mean, it's supposed to be haunted! Why not call it something cooler? Like 'The Tunnel of a Hundred Ghosts' or 'The Bloody Tunnel.' Or better yet — 'The Super-Mega-Cursed Tunnel Straight to Hell'!" Jinx blurted out with excitement.

Alex and Nyx burst out laughing when they heard the ridiculous names Jinx had come up with. Anya, Nyaruko, GIR, MIMI, and Stitch immediately joined in, tossing out increasingly absurd suggestions—each funnier and stranger than the last. Struggling to hold back his laughter, Alex lit a cigarette and stuck his hand out the window, letting the smoke drift into the cool evening air.

Following the directions given by the taxi drivers, he drove out of the city along an old, long-abandoned road. The tires thudded softly over the uneven asphalt. Passing through dilapidated neighborhoods, Alex and Nyx sat in silence, while in the back seat six enthusiastic gremlins animatedly debated what the "cursed tunnel" should be called.

The tunnel, known as the White Dragon Cave, was on the outskirts of a village. The closer they got, the more deserted the road became—traffic dwindled, and the few streetlights were spaced far apart. Many had long since gone dark, and the shoulders of the road were littered with garbage.

"It's getting emptier… fewer cars, more trash," Nyx remarked, peering out the window.

"What did you expect?" Alex smirked. "Most people are superstitious. In the fifteen years since this tunnel was built, there've been too many accidents here—and people have vanished without a trace. No wonder the authorities abandoned the road. What I don't get is why they didn't just demolish or collapse the tunnel entirely. Idiots still try to sneak in here at night looking for thrills… and then they vanish too."

"You're one of those idiots," Nyx teased, narrowing her eyes playfully.

"Unlike them, I can destroy the tunnel, wipe out every ghost… hell, if I wanted, I could turn the whole universe into dust," Alex rolled his eyes. "So I think I can afford to have a little fun in places like this."

"Oh yes, the mighty and terrifying Demon King has come to bully some poor, pitiful ghosts…" Nyx laughed.

Alex just gave her a blank stare, which only made the goddess of darkness and night laugh harder. He smirked and shook his head. In this world, there was nothing that could truly harm him. Even if every ghost here attacked him at once, his ghost-wife Zhang Ya would happily devour them all—and her "Red City" would simply gain a few new residents.

The closer they got to the tunnel, the more remote the area became. The forest thickened, and only occasionally, between the trees, they caught glimpses of houses with dim lights. It was clear the locals had moved away from here. In the back seat, the gremlins were beginning to grow bored—even their game of "guess what I see" had lost its charm.

"Daddy, look! Someone's sitting there!" Anya suddenly shouted, shaking the back of the driver's seat.

Alex quickly slowed down and looked where she was pointing. Next to a rundown house on the left side of the road, a woman was crouching. One foot was bare, the other wore a shoe. Her dress was torn in places, the hem covered in dust and dry leaves. Her head was bowed, as if searching for something in the grass.

Alex frowned—he knew this type of entity all too well. A "jilted bride" ghost. According to legend, her husband had cheated on or abandoned her on their wedding day, and ever since, she killed any man she encountered, whether guilty or not. Her essence was pure, unrestrained hatred toward all men.

Most legends about such ghosts followed a similar pattern: a driver meets a woman on the road, offers her a ride, only to discover she is a ghost—and then she kills him. The spirit of the abandoned bride cared nothing for whether the man was a model husband or a devoted family man; she had long since been consumed entirely by her rage.

When the car stopped, the woman lifted her head. Her pale face with empty eyes showed no emotion. Without saying a word, she slowly stood up and walked toward the car. Deep cuts marked her calves, but not a drop of blood. Everyone inside the car understood she was a ghost, but no one intervened—curiosity won out.

The woman came right up to the driver's window and quietly, methodically tapped her knuckles.

Alex sighed and rolled his eyes. With one hand, he lowered the window; with the other, he pulled a blue rose from inside his jacket. As soon as the window went down, the barrel of a revolver appeared outside.

"Sorry, beautiful," he said softly. "Say cheese for the camera, flash is coming."

There was a flash, a gunshot echoed, and the ghost girl disappeared forever.

Alex knew this spirit had already killed many people. If she only took revenge on men who cheated on their wives or raised a hand against them, he might have spared her. But, sadly, this ghost bride killed anyone who dared to offer her a ride.

"Why did you kill her?" Nyx nudged Alex's shoulder. "You could have at least waited to see what she was going to do. That's a typical jilted bride ghost! And you just… bang."

"I was too lazy to wait for her to decide to attack," Alex rolled his eyes. "Don't you know the golden rule? If a fight is inevitable—strike first. So I did… well, shot first, actually."

"Daddy," Jinx spoke softly, "why did this lady become an angry ghost? I saw she was angry... and suffering."

"Ah, little one…" Alex turned to the back seat. "Girls like her went through a lot of pain in life. Different worlds have their own legends: some were abandoned by their fiancés and ended their lives; some were beaten by their husbands until they died. But almost always the result is the same—the ghost hates all men and attacks anyone she meets. So sometimes it's better to end her suffering than let her keep killing."

"So... she was betrayed, became angry, and now she takes revenge on all men?" Nyaruko asked, folding her arms.

"Something like that, kid," Alex nodded.

"She looked so sad…" Anya said quietly. "I heard her thoughts. She was suffering. I feel sorry for her… You did the right thing, Daddy. You helped her."

Nyx frowned. She was, to put it mildly, puzzled by how shooting someone in the face could be considered helping. Alex noticed her expression and explained:

"I didn't kill her for good. I destroyed her ghostly shell so she could move on and be reborn. If I hadn't done it, she would have stayed a vengeful spirit hunting men."

After hearing this, Nyx understood everything.

According to the navigator, there were only a few minutes left to the White Dragon Cave. Alex decided they could walk the rest of the way. He stepped out of the car, followed by the others. Locking the car, he picked up Anya and Nyaruko, and Nyx carried Jinx, to keep the three little gremlins from running ahead.

The closer they got to the tunnel, the stronger the feeling that someone was watching them became. Soon, a child about seven years old appeared on the roadside, with a deathly pale face.

"Hey, kid, get lost," Alex grumbled. "Go scare someone else."

"Uncle, I can't find my hand…" the child ghost said, showing a stump. "Can you help me find it?"

"Are you kidding me?" Alex raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I should kick you to speed up your thinking process so you get the message that it's time to leave?"

"I've found almost everything," the ghost continued. "Only missing my hand… Maybe you'd give me yours?" — he grinned, nodding toward a black bag at his feet, dripping with blood.

"Well, that's it, you asked for it…" Alex sighed and turned to GIR, MIMI, and Stitch. "Take him apart so he stops begging around here."

GIR, MIMI, and Stitch exchanged glances and almost simultaneously pulled iron batons from their little bags. With battle cries of "Hit the ghost!" they charged at the child ghost. At first, he didn't understand what was happening but sensed danger deep down. Just as the trio closed in, the ghost suddenly spun around and dashed into the bushes.

Without losing a second, GIR, MIMI, and Stitch rushed after him. Soon, sounds of blows, furious insults, and pitiful sobbing came from behind the bushes. Although the ghost looked like a child, he hadn't been one for a long time—this spirit had already claimed many lives with his "games."

After a few moments, the noise died down. Stitch and GIR emerged from the bushes, dragging the child ghost by the legs, grinning widely. But somehow, the ghost wriggled free and disappeared again into the foliage. The trio exchanged grim frowns and immediately took off in pursuit again. This time, the blows sounded much sharper, Stitch's insults were especially colorful, and the pitiful sobs had turned into a long, painful howl.

A minute later, the sounds of the fight ceased. GIR, MIMI, and Stitch came out of the bushes without the ghost—but GIR no longer held his baton. Alex flinched slightly, trying not to imagine where GIR might have stuffed his iron baton—into the ghost. Nyx wasn't eager to find out either.

Only the girls left near the haunted house were watching all this live and now regretted witnessing the "process." Some things cannot be unseen.

"I even feel sorry for that ghost," Nyx said quietly, hugging Jinx.

"You know, me too," Alex nodded. "So I suggest we pretend we didn't see anything. And, really, there was no ghost trying to tear off my hand."

"I agree. And they just ran into the bushes because… well… they had to go to the bathroom," Nyx said with a forced smile, nervously giggling.

"Ha-ha-ha," Alex laughed, mimicking a robot's voice.

Pretending there were no ghosts at all, the group continued toward the cursed tunnel. But soon they encountered another spirit—this time, an old man with a bamboo basket on his back, dripping blood. Alex and Nyx exchanged glances; their faces clearly said, "When will this ever end?"

For GIR, MIMI, and Stitch, it was like a gift from fate. Without waiting for orders, they pounced on the old ghost. Within minutes, he was beaten, covered in salt, and sent "to a better world." At least, that's what the trio believed, convinced they were helping rather than just carrying out an execution.

As Alex and his group finally approached the cursed tunnel, the road was littered with trash, and on the ground, numerous footprints were clearly visible. From big to small, all the tracks led in one direction—towards the cursed tunnel. Soon, Alex, Nyx, and the six gremlins found themselves right at its entrance.

Inside the tunnel, nothing could be seen, even when straining to look. Alex and Nyx felt countless eyes watching them. Alex looked away from the tunnel, but then sensed a strong concentration of malice above it. Looking up, he saw a strange, huge, deformed ghost whose face was twisted with rage. Alex's eyes briefly glowed violet, and the ghost began to turn to dust.

The ghost let out a scream of pain and anger, and as it completely turned to dust, the scream faded.

"I expected to meet ghosts here," Nyx said, staring into the darkness, "but this… this is too dense. Malice and despair literally seep from this place."

"There are many legends about this tunnel," Alex replied, gently setting Anya and Nyaruko down. "They say if you enter here before midnight with your eyes closed and walk forward, the tunnel changes. It becomes a labyrinth with many forks, and if you open your eyes… you stay here forever."

"Dad, seriously? Just a labyrinth? Boring," Nyaruko scoffed.

"I didn't finish. If you go deeper, you can see your forgotten past. Sometimes the brain blocks bad memories, and the tunnel helps bring them back. But the only way out is with the help of the mistress of this place. She's been watching us all this time, by the way."

Nyx frowned and nudged Alex.

"That woman's gaze makes me uneasy. Do something."

"I don't see the point. This woman is filled with rage because of what happened in this tunnel in the past," Alex said softly, feeling a touch of sadness for the woman and her child's fate. "Five years ago, there was a massive car accident in this tunnel where many people died. She was one of the victims. Her hatred for people comes from the fact that when the panic began, everyone abandoned her. Her and her son were left to die. Everyone saved themselves, thinking only of themselves, which is sadly typical in such situations. In a moment of despair, her son opened the Red Door and pulled in the souls of all the dead. Since entering the Red World, her rage has only grown stronger. All the ghosts that came to the tunnel serve as cannon fodder protecting the child. Even though this woman is consumed by hatred and pain, she still protects her child. That's why I won't enter the tunnel. I simply feel sorry for them. And, sadly, the phrase 'a mother's love is stronger than death' fits perfectly here."

Nyx only sighed deeply. By nature, all beings are selfish. She remembered Alex's words said long ago: "People aren't born evil — they become so under the influence of circumstances and upbringing."

The situation with the woman ghost illustrated this perfectly. Nyx understood her motives — even as an evil spirit, she continued to protect her child, ready to do anything for him.

Even the girls who watched everything through the live stream felt sympathy for the ghost. Especially those who had children of their own: Yuriko, Alcina, Gloria, Namiyo, Kiriko, and Aria. For Alcina, it was especially painful — in the past, she had tried to protect her three foster daughters… but fate had decided otherwise.

Alex stood, looking into the dark tunnel, thinking about how to free the woman and her son from pain and suffering. But he understood — even if he offered help, she would most likely refuse. It was more important for her to stay close to her child, even if it meant being a red ghost forever, risking drowning in her own hatred at any moment.

Raising his gaze, Alex noticed, deep inside the tunnel's vault, the very same boy — but now he looked like a giant spider with a child's face. The sight made him quietly exhale. He had long learned that where there are bright and safe worlds, there are also those filled with malice and despair.

And then a plan formed in his mind — strange, insane, but still a plan. Lighting a cigarette to organize his thoughts, he found a solution that would allow the woman and her son to stay together… without harming anyone.

"Daddy, did you come up with something?" Anya asked, taking his hand.

"Yes, but it's a terribly crazy idea," he replied, exhaling smoke. "I'll have to go into the tunnel and talk to her in person."

"What kind of madness is in your crazy head?" Nyx raised an eyebrow.

"It's simple. If she doesn't want to leave the child, I'll offer her an alternative — relocation. I'll move them to the Red City, ruled by Zhang Ya. There they can live peacefully… and harm no one."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go ahead," Nyx encouraged, giving him a slight push.

Alex rolled his eyes but headed toward the cursed tunnel. GIR, MIMI, and Stitch rushed after him, but he immediately stopped them — fully aware that inside this trio could cause a bloody massacre of ghosts.

As soon as his foot crossed the boundary, the world around him changed. He found himself in a place cut off from the living, under the full influence of the Red Door. Hundreds of angry eyes fixed on him, but in the darkness, only the faint glow of a cigarette and the sound of his footsteps were visible.

On both sides stood dozens, hundreds of ghosts. Alex took out a blue rose — just in case someone decided to attack. Gradually, lanterns lit up in the tunnel, and cars began to drive through. But at some point, one of them lost control and flipped over. A chain accident followed, screams, panic. People pushed, knocked each other down, trampled those who fell.

Alex calmly watched — he understood that the ghost was showing him the day of that very disaster. And there, amidst the chaos, he saw a woman. Her clothes were soaked in blood, and her voice broke in desperate cries, calling for her son she couldn't find.

He stepped closer and knelt before her, ignoring the surroundings.

"Maybe, we should talk?" he said quietly.

The very moment the woman stopped shouting her son's name, the sounds of panic and people's screams vanished as if they were never there, and the tunnel fell back into its usual dead silence. The woman slowly rose from the floor, and her clothes turned blood-red — a sign that before Alex stood a red ghost.

"Strange guy… Didn't the scene of mass death scare you at all?" she asked, looking at him with interest and distrust.

"I've seen billions die. I've heard their cries of pain, their pleas for salvation… I've seen far more suffering than you can imagine," Alex replied calmly, without looking away.

"And why have you come to this place?" she inquired, narrowing her eyes.

"I came to offer help. To you and your son, whom you continue to protect even after death," Alex answered in the same steady, confident tone.

He raised two fingers.

"Two possible futures for your fate."

"Your next words will decide whether you stay here forever," the ghost woman said, her voice tinged with menace.

"Don't threaten me. You're not the first to try. But all who have tried are long dead, and nothing remains of them… not even their souls," Alex said quietly, his irises flashing with cold light. The woman involuntarily shuddered.

"So, what is it you want to offer us?" she asked, trying to hide her unease.

"Simple. First option: I relocate you and your son to a place where he will be safe. Second: I rid you both of the hatred that feeds your souls, close the Red Door, and you will both go… where all go after death," Alex said, lighting a new cigarette.

The ghost woman watched him carefully, trying to discern if he was lying. Alex glanced around. Everything was frozen, as if time had stopped: the faces of fleeing people were fixed in grimaces of horror and despair. The scale of the car accident was enormous — by Alex's estimate, at least fifty were already dead, and many more would perish.

Suddenly, he heard a faint rustle overhead. Looking up, Alex saw a spider with a child's face. It smiled warmly and waved, signaling that there was no danger. Then he turned his gaze back to the ghost woman, awaiting her decision… or the command to leave the cursed tunnel.

To be continued…

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