Chapter 12: Chapter 12
~1.8k words · 2026-06-22
CHAPTER 12: The Demon King's Tax Return
Zhang Wei stared at the alert notification, his hand still touching the massive sphere of interlocking gears and runes. The Core Administrative Interface hummed beneath his fingertips, pulsing with the rhythm of reality itself.
*Alert Level: Medium. Recommended Action: Investigate.*
"No shit," Zhang muttered. "They're going to investigate."
He pulled his hand back, but the damage was done. Somewhere in the celestial bureaucracy, alarms were probably blaring. Supervisor Hu was probably sweating through his robes. And Zhang Wei, the dead accountant who should have been reincarnated as a wealthy playboy, was now sitting on top of the most dangerous information in existence.
He needed a plan.
First: access the Karmic Ledger. Find out exactly who Clerk ID 2319 was. Then: figure out how to use his new Destiny Modification powers without getting caught. Finally: survive long enough to make someone pay.
The sphere pulsed again, and Zhang noticed something strange. The runes that covered its surface weren't static—they were shifting, rearranging themselves into new patterns. Almost like they were responding to his presence.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: Core Interface Adaptation Detected]
[User: Zhang Wei - ID 7845-B]
[Note: The Core responds to user intent. Focus your will to access desired functions.]
Zhang closed his eyes and focused. *Show me Clerk ID 2319.*
The sphere's gears spun faster. Runes lit up in sequence, and a stream of information flowed into Zhang's mind.
[Clerk ID 2319]
[Name: Wang Tao]
[Department: Mortal Affairs - Reincarnation Queue Management]
[Current Status: Terminated]
[Reason: Termination following Karmic Audit of Batch 374]
[Additional Details: Soul reassigned to Hell of Unending Data Entry. Appeal pending.]
Terminated. They'd fired Wang Tao. No—they'd destroyed him. The Hell of Unending Data Entry wasn't a punishment. It was a death sentence for whatever remained of his soul.
But wait. The appeal was still pending. Which meant someone was fighting to get Wang Tao out. Or someone was *pretending* to fight while actually making sure he stayed trapped.
Zhang opened his eyes. "Supervisor Hu."
The old man had been the one to handle Zhang's case. The old man had conveniently "forgotten" to mention the error. And now, the clerk who actually caused the problem was conveniently "terminated" to Hell.
It was a cover-up. A perfect bureaucratic cover-up.
Zhang smiled. He'd spent thirty years as an accountant. He knew a fudged ledger when he saw one.
He was about to dig deeper into the system when a new sensation washed over him. Cold. Heavy. Like someone had dropped a frozen blanket over his soul.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: Celestial Inspection Team Detected]
[Estimated Time of Arrival: 30 Seconds]
[Recommendation: Disconnect from Core Interface immediately]
"Thirty seconds?" Zhang's eyes went wide. "That's nothing."
He pulled away from the sphere, but as he did, something caught his attention. A file. Nestled in a subdirectory so obscure that even the system seemed to have forgotten it existed.
[FILE: Ancient Records - Pre-Bureaucracy Era]
[Subject: The Revenant Protocol]
[Status: Archived - Read Only]
[Warning: Accessing this file without proper authorization may result in immediate soul dissolution.]
The Revenant Protocol. The name sent a chill through Zhang's spectral form. He didn't know what it was, but he knew one thing: anything hidden this deep in the system was important.
Another cold wave washed over him. The Inspection Team was getting closer.
Zhang made a decision. He reached out and touched the file.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: Unauthorized Access Detected]
[File: The Revenant Protocol]
[Accessing...]
[ACCESS DENIED]
[Security Override Initiated]
[User: Zhang Wei - ID 7845-B]
[Status: Flagged for Immediate Termination]
The sphere let out a deafening screech. Runes flared red. The white void around Zhang began to crack, fissures of golden light splitting through the nothingness.
And then everything went black.
---
Zhang woke up on the floor of the filing room.
His head throbbed. His soul ached. And standing over him, looking down with a mixture of concern and barely concealed anger, was Fairy Lin.
"Get up," she said. "You're in trouble."
"What else is new?" Zhang groaned, pushing himself to his feet. The filing room was exactly as he'd left it—rows upon rows of scrolls and tablets, the faint hum of celestial energy in the air. But something was different. The air felt heavier. Charged.
"The Inspection Team is here," Fairy Lin said. "They're looking for you."
"Me? Why me?"
"I don't know. But Supervisor Hu is stalling them. He says you're out on a supply run."
Zhang blinked. "Hu is covering for me?"
"Hu is covering for himself. If they find out you accessed the Core Interface without authorization, he's responsible. And the punishment for negligence is the Hell of Unending Data Entry."
"Great. So I'm the fall guy."
"You're the *only* guy," Fairy Lin said. She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the door. "Come on. I know a place we can hide until they leave."
They moved through the celestial bureaucracy's corridors like ghosts—Fairy Lin leading, Zhang stumbling behind her. The halls were eerily empty. No clerks shuffling papers. No gods shouting orders. Just the oppressive silence of a building holding its breath.
"Where is everyone?" Zhang whispered.
"Gathered in the main hall. The Inspection Team is giving a lecture on proper Core Interface usage."
"Convenient."
Fairy Lin shot him a glance. "What do you mean?"
"I mean it's convenient that everyone's in one place while the Team searches for me. Almost like someone planned it."
They reached a door at the end of the corridor. It was plain, unmarked, and looked like it hadn't been opened in centuries.
"This is the Archive Annex," Fairy Lin said. "Records that are too old or too dangerous to keep in the main system. No one comes here. Not even the Inspection Team."
She pushed the door open, and Zhang stepped inside.
The Archive Annex was a cavernous space filled with towering shelves that stretched up into darkness. Scrolls and tablets lined every surface, some so old they were crumbling to dust. The air smelled of ancient paper and faded magic.
"You can stay here until the Team leaves," Fairy Lin said. "I'll come get you when it's safe."
"Wait." Zhang grabbed her arm. "Why are you helping me?"
Fairy Lin's expression softened. "Because you're the first interesting thing to happen in this place in five hundred years. And because I think you're right."
"Right about what?"
"About the system being broken." She looked away. "I've seen things, Zhang Wei. Souls that should have been reincarnated but weren't. Destinies that were changed for no reason. Karma balances that don't add up. Something is wrong with the Celestial Bureaucracy. And I think you're the one who can fix it."
She left before he could respond, the door sliding shut behind her.
Zhang stood alone in the Archive Annex, surrounded by the accumulated knowledge of an entire civilization. And somewhere in this maze of forgotten records was the answer.
He started searching.
Hours passed. Or maybe minutes. Time moved differently in the celestial realm. Zhang pulled scroll after scroll from the shelves, scanning them for anything useful. Most were administrative records—tax assessments from the Tang Dynasty, marriage certificates from ancient Rome, death warrants from the Mongol Empire.
And then he found it.
A scroll, wrapped in golden silk, sealed with a symbol he didn't recognize. The symbol of a flame consuming a scroll.
He unrolled it carefully.
[RECORD: The Revenant Protocol - Draft Version 1]
[Author: Unknown]
[Date: Pre-Bureaucracy Era]
*The Revenant Protocol is a contingency measure designed for extreme circumstances. Should the Celestial Bureaucracy become compromised by external forces, the Protocol allows a single mortal soul to bypass the reincarnation cycle and ascend directly to administrative authority.*
*However, the Protocol carries significant risks:*
*- The soul selected will retain its mortal memories and personality*
*- The soul will not be bound by celestial law*
*- The soul will have the power to override any administrative decision*
*Note: The Protocol was deemed too dangerous for implementation and was sealed by order of the Jade Emperor himself.*
Zhang's hands trembled. This was it. The ultimate loophole. A way to become an immortal without playing by the system's rules.
But the scroll was only a draft. The actual Protocol—if it existed—was hidden somewhere else.
He was about to search further when a voice echoed through the Annex.
"Zhang Wei."
The voice was cold. Ancient. And it came from everywhere at once.
Zhang turned slowly.
A figure stood in the doorway. Tall. Regal. Dressed in robes of pure white that seemed to absorb light. His face was ageless, his eyes like twin stars burning with celestial fire.
"I am Inspector Zhao," the figure said. "And you have been flagged for immediate termination."
Zhang's heart stopped. "Termination? But I haven't—"
"You accessed restricted records. You bypassed security protocols. You touched the Core Interface without authorization." Inspector Zhao's voice was flat, devoid of emotion. "These are capital offenses in the Celestial Bureaucracy."
"I was just—"
"You were trying to hack the system." Inspector Zhao took a step forward. "And you almost succeeded. But we have protocols for such things. We always have."
He raised his hand, and golden light began to gather in his palm.
Zhang's mind raced. He couldn't fight. He couldn't run. He was trapped in a room full of ancient records, about to be destroyed by a celestial inspector.
And then he remembered the scroll.
"What if I told you I know about the Revenant Protocol?" Zhang said quickly.
Inspector Zhao's hand stopped. His eyes widened—just a fraction, but it was enough.
"How do you know about that?"
"I found it. In the system. Before you caught me." Zhang held up the scroll. "I know it exists. And I know you've been hiding it."
The inspector's composure cracked. For the first time, Zhang saw something like fear in his eyes.
"You don't understand what you've found," Inspector Zhao said. "That Protocol isn't just dangerous. It's *forbidden*. The Jade Emperor himself ordered it destroyed."
"Then why is it still here?"
Silence.
"Because someone wanted it to be found," Zhang said slowly. "Someone left it here on purpose. Someone wanted a mortal to find it and use it."
Inspector Zhao's face went pale. "That's not possible."
"Isn't it?" Zhang smiled. "You know, I used to work in accounting. And in accounting, there's one thing I learned: everything is connected. Every number tells a story. And the story this system is telling me is that someone inside the Celestial Bureaucracy is trying to tear it down."
"You're insane."
"Maybe. But I'm also right."
The golden light in Inspector Zhao's hand flickered. Died.
"Leave," he said quietly. "Leave this place and never speak of the Protocol again. Forget what you've found."
"And if I don't?"
"Then I'll have no choice but to report you to the Jade Emperor himself. And even he won't be able to save you from what comes next."
Zhang met the inspector's gaze. Two souls, locked in a battle
Zhang Wei stared at the alert notification, his hand still touching the massive sphere of interlocking gears and runes. The Core Administrative Interface hummed beneath his fingertips, pulsing with the rhythm of reality itself.
*Alert Level: Medium. Recommended Action: Investigate.*
"No shit," Zhang muttered. "They're going to investigate."
He pulled his hand back, but the damage was done. Somewhere in the celestial bureaucracy, alarms were probably blaring. Supervisor Hu was probably sweating through his robes. And Zhang Wei, the dead accountant who should have been reincarnated as a wealthy playboy, was now sitting on top of the most dangerous information in existence.
He needed a plan.
First: access the Karmic Ledger. Find out exactly who Clerk ID 2319 was. Then: figure out how to use his new Destiny Modification powers without getting caught. Finally: survive long enough to make someone pay.
The sphere pulsed again, and Zhang noticed something strange. The runes that covered its surface weren't static—they were shifting, rearranging themselves into new patterns. Almost like they were responding to his presence.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: Core Interface Adaptation Detected]
[User: Zhang Wei - ID 7845-B]
[Note: The Core responds to user intent. Focus your will to access desired functions.]
Zhang closed his eyes and focused. *Show me Clerk ID 2319.*
The sphere's gears spun faster. Runes lit up in sequence, and a stream of information flowed into Zhang's mind.
[Clerk ID 2319]
[Name: Wang Tao]
[Department: Mortal Affairs - Reincarnation Queue Management]
[Current Status: Terminated]
[Reason: Termination following Karmic Audit of Batch 374]
[Additional Details: Soul reassigned to Hell of Unending Data Entry. Appeal pending.]
Terminated. They'd fired Wang Tao. No—they'd destroyed him. The Hell of Unending Data Entry wasn't a punishment. It was a death sentence for whatever remained of his soul.
But wait. The appeal was still pending. Which meant someone was fighting to get Wang Tao out. Or someone was *pretending* to fight while actually making sure he stayed trapped.
Zhang opened his eyes. "Supervisor Hu."
The old man had been the one to handle Zhang's case. The old man had conveniently "forgotten" to mention the error. And now, the clerk who actually caused the problem was conveniently "terminated" to Hell.
It was a cover-up. A perfect bureaucratic cover-up.
Zhang smiled. He'd spent thirty years as an accountant. He knew a fudged ledger when he saw one.
He was about to dig deeper into the system when a new sensation washed over him. Cold. Heavy. Like someone had dropped a frozen blanket over his soul.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: Celestial Inspection Team Detected]
[Estimated Time of Arrival: 30 Seconds]
[Recommendation: Disconnect from Core Interface immediately]
"Thirty seconds?" Zhang's eyes went wide. "That's nothing."
He pulled away from the sphere, but as he did, something caught his attention. A file. Nestled in a subdirectory so obscure that even the system seemed to have forgotten it existed.
[FILE: Ancient Records - Pre-Bureaucracy Era]
[Subject: The Revenant Protocol]
[Status: Archived - Read Only]
[Warning: Accessing this file without proper authorization may result in immediate soul dissolution.]
The Revenant Protocol. The name sent a chill through Zhang's spectral form. He didn't know what it was, but he knew one thing: anything hidden this deep in the system was important.
Another cold wave washed over him. The Inspection Team was getting closer.
Zhang made a decision. He reached out and touched the file.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: Unauthorized Access Detected]
[File: The Revenant Protocol]
[Accessing...]
[ACCESS DENIED]
[Security Override Initiated]
[User: Zhang Wei - ID 7845-B]
[Status: Flagged for Immediate Termination]
The sphere let out a deafening screech. Runes flared red. The white void around Zhang began to crack, fissures of golden light splitting through the nothingness.
And then everything went black.
---
Zhang woke up on the floor of the filing room.
His head throbbed. His soul ached. And standing over him, looking down with a mixture of concern and barely concealed anger, was Fairy Lin.
"Get up," she said. "You're in trouble."
"What else is new?" Zhang groaned, pushing himself to his feet. The filing room was exactly as he'd left it—rows upon rows of scrolls and tablets, the faint hum of celestial energy in the air. But something was different. The air felt heavier. Charged.
"The Inspection Team is here," Fairy Lin said. "They're looking for you."
"Me? Why me?"
"I don't know. But Supervisor Hu is stalling them. He says you're out on a supply run."
Zhang blinked. "Hu is covering for me?"
"Hu is covering for himself. If they find out you accessed the Core Interface without authorization, he's responsible. And the punishment for negligence is the Hell of Unending Data Entry."
"Great. So I'm the fall guy."
"You're the *only* guy," Fairy Lin said. She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the door. "Come on. I know a place we can hide until they leave."
They moved through the celestial bureaucracy's corridors like ghosts—Fairy Lin leading, Zhang stumbling behind her. The halls were eerily empty. No clerks shuffling papers. No gods shouting orders. Just the oppressive silence of a building holding its breath.
"Where is everyone?" Zhang whispered.
"Gathered in the main hall. The Inspection Team is giving a lecture on proper Core Interface usage."
"Convenient."
Fairy Lin shot him a glance. "What do you mean?"
"I mean it's convenient that everyone's in one place while the Team searches for me. Almost like someone planned it."
They reached a door at the end of the corridor. It was plain, unmarked, and looked like it hadn't been opened in centuries.
"This is the Archive Annex," Fairy Lin said. "Records that are too old or too dangerous to keep in the main system. No one comes here. Not even the Inspection Team."
She pushed the door open, and Zhang stepped inside.
The Archive Annex was a cavernous space filled with towering shelves that stretched up into darkness. Scrolls and tablets lined every surface, some so old they were crumbling to dust. The air smelled of ancient paper and faded magic.
"You can stay here until the Team leaves," Fairy Lin said. "I'll come get you when it's safe."
"Wait." Zhang grabbed her arm. "Why are you helping me?"
Fairy Lin's expression softened. "Because you're the first interesting thing to happen in this place in five hundred years. And because I think you're right."
"Right about what?"
"About the system being broken." She looked away. "I've seen things, Zhang Wei. Souls that should have been reincarnated but weren't. Destinies that were changed for no reason. Karma balances that don't add up. Something is wrong with the Celestial Bureaucracy. And I think you're the one who can fix it."
She left before he could respond, the door sliding shut behind her.
Zhang stood alone in the Archive Annex, surrounded by the accumulated knowledge of an entire civilization. And somewhere in this maze of forgotten records was the answer.
He started searching.
Hours passed. Or maybe minutes. Time moved differently in the celestial realm. Zhang pulled scroll after scroll from the shelves, scanning them for anything useful. Most were administrative records—tax assessments from the Tang Dynasty, marriage certificates from ancient Rome, death warrants from the Mongol Empire.
And then he found it.
A scroll, wrapped in golden silk, sealed with a symbol he didn't recognize. The symbol of a flame consuming a scroll.
He unrolled it carefully.
[RECORD: The Revenant Protocol - Draft Version 1]
[Author: Unknown]
[Date: Pre-Bureaucracy Era]
*The Revenant Protocol is a contingency measure designed for extreme circumstances. Should the Celestial Bureaucracy become compromised by external forces, the Protocol allows a single mortal soul to bypass the reincarnation cycle and ascend directly to administrative authority.*
*However, the Protocol carries significant risks:*
*- The soul selected will retain its mortal memories and personality*
*- The soul will not be bound by celestial law*
*- The soul will have the power to override any administrative decision*
*Note: The Protocol was deemed too dangerous for implementation and was sealed by order of the Jade Emperor himself.*
Zhang's hands trembled. This was it. The ultimate loophole. A way to become an immortal without playing by the system's rules.
But the scroll was only a draft. The actual Protocol—if it existed—was hidden somewhere else.
He was about to search further when a voice echoed through the Annex.
"Zhang Wei."
The voice was cold. Ancient. And it came from everywhere at once.
Zhang turned slowly.
A figure stood in the doorway. Tall. Regal. Dressed in robes of pure white that seemed to absorb light. His face was ageless, his eyes like twin stars burning with celestial fire.
"I am Inspector Zhao," the figure said. "And you have been flagged for immediate termination."
Zhang's heart stopped. "Termination? But I haven't—"
"You accessed restricted records. You bypassed security protocols. You touched the Core Interface without authorization." Inspector Zhao's voice was flat, devoid of emotion. "These are capital offenses in the Celestial Bureaucracy."
"I was just—"
"You were trying to hack the system." Inspector Zhao took a step forward. "And you almost succeeded. But we have protocols for such things. We always have."
He raised his hand, and golden light began to gather in his palm.
Zhang's mind raced. He couldn't fight. He couldn't run. He was trapped in a room full of ancient records, about to be destroyed by a celestial inspector.
And then he remembered the scroll.
"What if I told you I know about the Revenant Protocol?" Zhang said quickly.
Inspector Zhao's hand stopped. His eyes widened—just a fraction, but it was enough.
"How do you know about that?"
"I found it. In the system. Before you caught me." Zhang held up the scroll. "I know it exists. And I know you've been hiding it."
The inspector's composure cracked. For the first time, Zhang saw something like fear in his eyes.
"You don't understand what you've found," Inspector Zhao said. "That Protocol isn't just dangerous. It's *forbidden*. The Jade Emperor himself ordered it destroyed."
"Then why is it still here?"
Silence.
"Because someone wanted it to be found," Zhang said slowly. "Someone left it here on purpose. Someone wanted a mortal to find it and use it."
Inspector Zhao's face went pale. "That's not possible."
"Isn't it?" Zhang smiled. "You know, I used to work in accounting. And in accounting, there's one thing I learned: everything is connected. Every number tells a story. And the story this system is telling me is that someone inside the Celestial Bureaucracy is trying to tear it down."
"You're insane."
"Maybe. But I'm also right."
The golden light in Inspector Zhao's hand flickered. Died.
"Leave," he said quietly. "Leave this place and never speak of the Protocol again. Forget what you've found."
"And if I don't?"
"Then I'll have no choice but to report you to the Jade Emperor himself. And even he won't be able to save you from what comes next."
Zhang met the inspector's gaze. Two souls, locked in a battle