Demon Chapter

Chapter 12: Laurel

Chapter 12: Laurel

Clearly, the Demon Chapter world was very mysterious. There wasn’t a single piece of information about it online—an unusual silence.

Gavin Lin paused for a moment, then opened a popular forum and typed “Demon Chapter,” asking if anyone knew what it referred to.

Then, something strange happened. The moment Gavin clicked “Post,” a dialog box popped up on his screen:

Contractor 1065, your actions have violated the rules. You are not permitted to disclose any information about the Demon Chapter World in the real world. As this is your first offense, you will be penalized with a one-hour time deduction. Your post has been automatically deleted. Should you violate this rule again, all remaining time on your clock will be forcibly deducted.

The message lingered for a few seconds before vanishing on its own. When Gavin checked again, his post was indeed gone.

Gavin let out a long breath. Now he finally understood why there was no trace of the Demon Chapter World on the internet.

“What kind of world is this? And what’s its purpose?” Gavin lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling and muttering to himself.

From what he’d gathered so far, the Demon Chapter World was a place that forced people to grow stronger through crisis. Whether they liked it or not, those selected had to follow its rules to survive—because their very lifespans were controlled by others. To stay alive, they needed to complete tasks to earn time; and to complete those tasks, they had to become stronger.

It was a brutally simple rule.

Gavin’s mind flashed back to poor Contractor 1064, the bodies bound to the racks, and the senior killed by Griswold. They had truly died—and died horribly.

To avoid repeating their mistakes, a plan to strengthen himself quickly took shape in Gavin’s mind.

“The Demon Chapter seems to be set within an existing game world, complete with professions, bloodlines, levels—and skills,” Gavin recalled the seniors he’d seen: some summoned skeletons, others cast fireballs, and a few fired arrows with uncanny precision from great distances.

He, too, needed to choose a suitable career path.

Motivated, Gavin got up again and sat in front of his computer, opening several gaming forums.

The game featured countless professions, generally grouped into four main categories: melee, ranged, magic, and summoning. Gavin skimmed over traditional roles like warriors, mages, archers, and priests, weighing the pros and cons of each while matching them against his own strengths.

After careful consideration, he made his decision. He quickly navigated to a forum thread dedicated to a specific profession.

“Thief—also known as Scout—is a shadow’s companion, excelling in evasion, stealth, and assassination. Thieves can access dangerous areas unreachable by ordinary players. They possess strong survival instincts and are adept at both pursuit and escape. Most importantly, thieves deal high damage.”

Reading this description, Gavin knew immediately this was the perfect fit. He began studying everything he could about the thief class—the game world it belonged to, its skill mechanics, and combat characteristics.

By three in the morning, he had absorbed all the essential information.

He forced himself to sleep and woke two hours later. Glancing at his watch, he splashed cold water on his face, packed his things, and left home.

Today, he had to find Ryan’s daughter. Gavin was certain that Owen Xu’s brother, Rowan Long, knew about his sibling’s death and had likely already taken action. If Gavin could intercept the men Rowan sent, locating Laurel would be easy.

It had been five hours since he returned last night, minus the one-hour penalty for breaking the rules—leaving him with only 23 hours of life remaining. Gavin knew he couldn’t waste a second. He switched his watch to countdown mode as a constant reminder of his dwindling time.

Ryan’s daughter was named Laurel. Seventeen years old and in her second year of high school, she currently lived with her aunt. Gavin hadn’t come to meet her—he was here for revenge. Still, he remembered seeing Laurel once, years ago, when she was in elementary school. She’d looked just like her mother: gentle and obedient. But in recent years, as she grew older, rumors said she’d become rebellious. The double tragedy of losing both parents had hit her hard; she’d taken a two-month leave of absence and had only recently returned to school.

It was 5 a.m. Most people were still lost in dreams. Outside, the world was dark and quiet—though a few early risers, scraping by on hard-earned wages, had already begun their day.

Gavin stood outside the residential complex where Laurel’s aunt lived. He scanned the area, then ordered breakfast from a newly opened food stall by the gate: fried dough sticks and soy milk. The crispy, fluffy dough soaked in thick soy milk—picked up and chewed—was a simple but satisfying treat.

As he ate, he waited.

If Rowan Long intended to harm Laurel, he wouldn’t dare act in a public place like school. And the residential area where her aunt lived had tight security—several local officials reportedly resided there—so an attack inside the compound was unlikely. That left only one vulnerable window: Laurel’s commute to and from school.

The sky slowly brightened, and more residents began streaming out of the gates. Gavin kept his eyes fixed on the entrance. Finally, he spotted a girl—168 cm tall, wearing tight jeans, canvas shoes, and a gray jacket—walking out alone.

One glance was enough. This was Laurel. She had earphones in and was heading toward school by herself.

Gavin paid for his breakfast and followed at a distance.

Laurel’s neighborhood was about ten kilometers from her school—a twenty-minute bus ride. Gavin managed to board the same bus without drawing attention.

The early-morning bus was packed with office workers and students. Laurel sat by the window, her head resting against the glass, gaze drifting outside as if lost in thought.

Gavin took a seat two rows behind her. After scanning the bus and confirming nothing seemed amiss, he allowed himself a closer look at Laurel from behind.

She seemed to have inherited the best traits of both her parents. Her skin was smooth and fair, as if bathed in milk, and her features were striking—especially her profile, which looked as though carved by a master sculptor. From Gavin’s angle, he could see her high nose bridge and a pair of deeply expressive eyes.

But soon, tears welled in those beautiful eyes. She made no move to wipe them away, letting them trail down her cheeks. Gavin’s chest tightened with pain. Such a good girl. Such a perfect family. All destroyed because of that scoundrel, Owen Xu.

Even knowing the cost of revenge was immense, Gavin would make the same choice again—if given the chance.

The bus rolled on, stopping and starting, until it finally reached the school stop. Laurel wiped her cheeks with her fingers and stepped off. Gavin followed naturally. Moments later, they arrived at the school gate. He watched as Laurel walked in, then exhaled in relief.

So far, the journey had been uneventful—but the calmer things seemed, the more uneasy Gavin felt. Rowan Long wasn’t like his brother. If Owen Xu had been a deceitful schemer, Rowan was a brazen thug.

There was no doubt Rowan knew his brother had been killed over Ryan—and he wouldn’t spare any of Ryan’s relatives, especially not his daughter.

Unfortunately, the school didn’t allow outsiders to enter, leaving Gavin unable to monitor the situation inside. Just then, his eyes caught a recruitment notice posted on a bulletin board near the school gate.

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