I'm Actually Panicking Because My Heart Doesn't Beat (GL) - Chapter 13

“You want to meet in an empty classroom to discuss how to catch the faceless girl?” Guan Xiaoxuan thought it sounded completely unreliable. She said to Zhang Wen, “From what you’ve told me, that girl hasn’t shown any signs of hostility yet. If you approach her recklessly, you might provoke her.”

If that kind of supernatural thing were to suddenly go berserk, it could hurt anyone who tried to get close.

“I definitely don’t have the guts to do something like that. But some students are thinking about it,” Zhang Wen told Guan Xiaoxuan. “You know how these rumors go—people say those things sometimes drop rare items. Some students have come into contact with similar entities before, and the items they got not only have special abilities but can also sell for a lot of money.”

Special abilities?

It was the first time Guan Xiaoxuan had heard about something like that. She looked at Zhang Wen curiously. “So you’re saying if you capture one of these supernatural beings, they might drop an item?”

Zhang Wen nodded. “It’s not guaranteed, it’s more like a chance. But if it does happen, even the cheapest ones go for a few thousand yuan. I think the people organizing this meeting not only want to risk getting close to that faceless girl but are also hoping to score one of those special items.”

Guan Xiaoxuan frowned. She wasn’t very eager to get involved in something like this. But she was curious about those so-called special abilities.

Maybe the reason she came to this world had something to do with those items.

She didn’t have to get directly involved—but it would be good to learn more.

“What time are you all meeting in the empty classroom?” she asked. “Can I come too?”

Zhang Wen looked at her with delight and said happily, “I knew you’d say yes! I was planning to bring you anyway. We’re meeting at 1 p.m., right after lunch.”

Guan Xiaoxuan looked at her seriously. “You have to be careful at these kinds of gatherings. I’m only going to listen. I don’t plan on getting involved any further.”

Zhang Wen nodded earnestly. “I know. I just want to hear what everyone says too. That faceless girl keeps wandering around the girls’ dorm, and it’s been making me anxious. It’s better to know more than to stay in the dark.”

What Guan Xiaoxuan didn’t say was: the more you know, the more dangerous it might get. And by gathering so openly with people who’ve seen the faceless girl, they might already be attracting her attention.

Luckily, Guan Xiaoxuan didn’t live in the dorm. She just planned to observe, get a feel for the situation, and keep things superficial.

If there was nothing useful to be gained, she wouldn’t continue.

Getting home was important, but so was staying alive.

After lunch, Zhang Wen took Guan Xiaoxuan to the empty classroom. It was in a different building—one that seemed recently built. Some of the rooms were still completely empty, without even desks or chairs. The classroom they were going to was one of those.

They thought they’d arrived early, but there were already quite a few people inside. Some had brought over chairs from the room next door and were sitting in small groups, keeping to themselves and not really talking to others.

Guan Xiaoxuan took a quick headcount. According to Zhang Wen, there were 14 people in total who had seen the faceless girl, including herself. But now there were already 10 people here, and with Zhang Wen and Guan Xiaoxuan, that made 12.

Aside from the girls, Guan Xiaoxuan also noticed three boys. They were probably just tagging along with their girlfriends and weren’t witnesses themselves.

Zhang Wen noticed too and whispered to Guan Xiaoxuan, “Looks like I’m not the only one who brought someone with them.”

Guan Xiaoxuan nodded. “Let’s grab two chairs from next door and sit in the corner. Don’t talk to anyone you don’t know.”

Zhang Wen nodded seriously. She brought over two chairs and they sat in a spot near the wall.

More people arrived little by little. Guan Xiaoxuan memorized everyone’s faces. By 1 p.m., over twenty people had filled the room, making the once-empty classroom feel crowded.

Zhang Wen seemed nervous. She held tightly onto Guan Xiaoxuan’s hand, and Guan Xiaoxuan could feel the sweat in her palm.

After a moment, someone finally stood up. She closed the door, then looked at the group and said, “It’s time. Let’s not wait for anyone else.”

Everyone turned to look at her, and even Guan Xiaoxuan found herself focusing on the girl.

She was wearing a floral dress, and her black hair had a slight wave to it. There was a gentle, elegant aura about her. Her skin was pale—like smooth white jade—and her black eyes shimmered like they held stars.

Below her left eye was a tiny beauty mark that gave her face a soft, fragile kind of beauty.

Her facial features—small nose, delicate lips—weren’t especially unique on their own. But together, they formed a stunningly beautiful face. Especially that tear-shaped mole below her left eye—it was the perfect finishing touch.

She was so beautiful that it startled Guan Xiaoxuan.

It felt unreal, like someone from a dream. Too perfect to be real.

While Guan Xiaoxuan was staring at her, the girl glanced back at her too.

A strange, indescribable chill ran up from Guan Xiaoxuan’s feet. She suddenly felt that the girl’s gaze was bold and unrestrained—like she was looking at Guan Xiaoxuan with open greed.

“Let me introduce myself first,” the girl said, still staring straight at Guan Xiaoxuan with a small smile. “I’m a senior at this university. My name is Cheng Yi.”

In the conference room of the Special Incidents Investigation Bureau, Xiao An was giving a presentation. She clicked through her slides and said to the team, “Based on our investigation, the three college students involved in the ‘Red Lady Case’ have now recovered and are still under observation at the hospital.”

“During this time, we interviewed all three, and we’ve started to form a rough idea of who this ‘Cheng Yi’ is.”

Xiao An clicked to the next slide. It displayed three different sketches—each a portrait of a different person.

“These are sketches of Cheng Yi, based on each survivor’s description,” Xiao An explained. “As you can see, all three images look completely different. There’s not a single common feature between them.”

“The male student saw her as a beautiful, professional-looking woman. One of the female students described her as a kind, plump woman in her 40s. The other saw a 20-year-old college student.”

Xiao An continued, “Here’s the most interesting part: all three of them saw Cheng Yi at the same time and didn’t notice any conflict in their perceptions. That leads me to believe this Cheng Yi may possess a special item—one that allows her to change her appearance.”