Demon King – Chapter 12 – The Demon Lord Cries A Lot!

“What’s the situation now?”

“A bit troublesome. That van had a fake license plate and already left the city that day. We could only track it until it left the neighbouring city of Qionglong…”

Still no good news. Officer Li rubbed his temples. Everyone else saw this as a typical child abduction case, but only he knew how special Eiru was.

After all, that little demon girl was basically a walking nuclear bomb. Maybe not in the literal sense right now, but who knew what she’d do if she got desperate?

“Did we coordinate with the officers in Qionglong City?”

“We did. They just got back to us—it looks like that van ended up in Lishi City. We’re currently contacting colleagues over there to see if any leads have turned up.”

Lishi City, huh? That was over 1,000 kilometers from Huanghai City… They sure were far. Hopefully that little demon girl could make it home safe.

“Let me know as soon as there’s any update. I’ll go speak with the family.”

Thinking about Eiru’s parents, Officer Li sighed. He’d already told them that Eiru was likely abducted and now officially missing. They looked utterly dumbfounded.

Eiru’s parents insisted it had to be a kidnapping-for-ransom. I mean, who would bother kidnapping a 16-year-old boy? What were they gonna do, make him mine coal?

But several days had passed with no ransom note or call. If Officer Li hadn’t been the one to tell them, they might’ve thought their troublemaker son faked it all for cash.

And how was he supposed to tell them, “Actually, your son is your daughter , and an extremely cute little loli demon girl”? Yeah, not happening. That’s why he’d only said it was “likely”. No point showing them the surveillance footage either.

Who knew how many rumors or misunderstandings that little demon girl had suffered through already. If even her own parents had no clue what she really was… she had it rough.

Taking out his phone, Officer Li figured there were now two top priorities: track down the demon girl—and figure out how the hell he would break this to his old friend.

“Hey, Lao Hui, it’s me.”

“Officer Li! Any news about my son? We still haven’t gotten any ransom calls…”

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“Not yet… we’re still working hard on it. Please try to stay calm and cooperative.”

“Officer Li? Hello!” A woman’s voice came over the phone now—Eiru’s mother had taken over the call.

“Ma’am, hello…”

“Officer Li , I only have one son, you know. Even if he doesn’t study hard, or come home much… even if the neighbors say he lives a shameful life… he’s still my child. Please… please bring him home…”

“We’ll do everything we can. Please just try to stay calm,” Officer Li followed standard procedure, trying to calm her down. He’d long since gotten used to distraught family members.

Years of experience had given him both the patience and composure to manage this. After finishing the call with Eiru’s parents, he refocused on the case.

“Officer Li, update from Lishi City. A human trafficking ring was just busted. One of the women caught matched the one we saw on surveillance.”

Meanwhile, back at the home of Eiru’s parents, her father Hui Yuan sat on the edge of the bed, sighing nonstop…

“I just don’t get it. There’s nothing special about our Eiru. Why would anyone bother kidnapping him?”

Eiru’s mother, Liu Wan, kept muttering worriedly beside him.

“See? That’s why I told you not to say that stuff the other day. I haven’t even dared to tell Eiya or Mom yet,” Hui Yuan said with a frown, clearly remembering the harsh words she’d said.

“How was I supposed to know something like this would happen? He didn’t come home, so what else was I supposed to think? If something really happens to him… how are we supposed to go on…” Liu Wan broke into sobs, covering her face.

“Stop jinxing it. Let’s stay positive. He’s a smart boy—he took care of himself alone for years. Maybe he just ran away again.”

“I’d rather he did! As long as he’s safe. Just imagining him alone out there somewhere… I can’t stand it…”

Hui Yuan gently patted his wife’s back, trying to comfort her. No matter what, as the head of the family, he had to hold it together.

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Ever since Eiru disappeared, neither of them had slept well. How could any parent be at ease with a missing child?

But life had to go on. They forced themselves to act normal in front of Eiya. Still, they kept checking their phones over and over, hoping for news.

“You’re saying the traffickers were caught? And the abducted girls were rescued?” For the first time in days, Officer Li finally heard some good news.

Since the gang was arrested, colleagues over there would surely send Eiru back too. Finally, the case might be wrapping up.

Just as he was about to inform her family, his colleague’s next sentence froze him in shock.

“But… among the rescued victims, there was no sign of the silver-haired girl we’re looking for.”

“…What did you say?”

“We confirmed it. Though the other girls remember seeing her.”

“But according to their statements…” the officer explained what they’d learned.

“You’re saying—right before the handoff, the traffickers drugged the girls again? And that was the last time they saw her?”

“Yes. By the time the others woke up, they’d already been rescued by our team. The girl… she might’ve been sold off already.”

“Dammit…” Officer Li slammed a fist into the wall. “Any other leads?”

“None for now. The other side’s still interrogating them. We’ll let you know if we hear anything.”

No good news after all. Officer Li now regretted underestimating things. He’d assumed Eiru could handle herself—but she was still just a kid.

Sure, maybe she had some so-called superpowers. But at the end of the day, she was just a little girl. Her physical body was clearly not that strong. No wonder she’d been drugged so easily.

Once they found her, Officer Li was determined to have a serious talk with Eiru and her parents. No matter how “special” she was, letting a child live alone like this was just too dangerous.

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He made a quiet promise to himself. He owed it to both her and her family…

—

Meanwhile, our little demon girl was oblivious to all of this.

She was sniffling and sobbing quietly as she trudged along the road.

Who knew how long she’d been walking—by now it was fully dark. In the distance, Eiru could barely make out the city lights…

Along the way, road signs had told her where she was. When she saw the name “Lishi City,” her heart sank.

She knew all too well—Lishi was over 1,500 kilometers from Huanghai city. There was no way she could fly back that far.

Even with full mana reserves and acceleration boosts, it’d barely be doable. And right now? She was almost in a state of mana-deprivation, close to being forced to absorb unfiltered mana.

She tripped over a pebble and fell flat on the road with a thud. Lying there and crying, our little demon girl was too hungry to even get up.

But cry as she might, she knew she couldn’t just lie in the road. If some driver spotted her, it’d be real trouble…

Looking around, she noticed a partially demolished structure nearby—just a few crumbling walls. Struggling to stand, Eiru slowly made her way over.

She circled around, choosing a spot shielded from passing traffic. Back pressed to the wall, she slowly sat down.

There was no roof, of course. She looked up at the stars and the moon, quietly praying it wouldn’t rain…

Nightly winds in these open roadside areas were brutally cold. Dust blew in her face, stinging her still-wet cheeks. Her tiny face hurt from the harsh wind.

She unfurled her nearly two-meter wings, wrapping them around her body like a cocoon. The wings shielded her from the wind and moonlight alike…

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“So hungry…” she murmured.

Hugging her knees, she curled up tight. Eiru tried hard not to think about food, but her stomach protested anyway.

Sleep. If I fall asleep, I won’t be hungry anymore. Just make it through tonight. Once the sun comes up, I can absorb some magic… things will get better.

Telling herself a white lie, she closed her eyes. Exhaustion overtook her—and she drifted off into sleep…

She didn’t know how long she’d been out, but she gradually woke up when a light flickered in her eyes.

She cracked one wing open.

A car had stopped right in front of her.

On top of the car were flashing red and blue lights.

Eiru panicked and tried to scoot away.

Seeing her frightened reaction, one officer quickly crouched beside her.

“It’s okay, don’t be afraid… Uncle is here to take you home.”

His voice was gentle. He held out his arms.

After a moment of hesitation, Eiru’s nose twitched—and she lunged into his embrace, crying her heart out.

With the police officer holding and patting her on the head, our little demon lord cried herself to sleep once more…