I'm Actually Panicking Because My Heart Doesn't Beat (GL) - Chapter 52

Chen Man sat at the bus stop, arms crossed and legs casually crossed, appearing relaxed but actually very alert. Her mind was sharp as she watched the vehicles passing on the street.

It was past 11 p.m., and the night was still cold. The two men standing beside Chen Man were also fully focused, scanning the surroundings carefully.

Both men were tall and muscular, clearly the tough type.

They were twin brothers—Xu An on the left, and Xu Long on the right, who was a bit shorter.

Chen Man stood between them, looking like a little princess being protected.

“Boss Jin said this is the bus stop, right?” Xu Long leaned against the bus stop advertisement board, relaxing a bit as he looked at the quiet city night. “It’s almost midnight, but nothing’s happening.”

Chen Man fiddled with her phone and said to Xu Long, “Boss Jin gave us three locations. Let’s wait here a bit. If nothing happens at this stop, we’ll check the other two.”

Then, she pulled two small earbud-like devices from her bag and handed them to the two men. “Put these in. We won’t speak out loud anymore.”

These were called “Silent Communicators” — special devices that let people in the same area send their thoughts directly to each other’s minds when worn.

They weren’t expensive—about a thousand yuan each on the market—but extremely useful.

The three of them put on the devices, exchanged glances, and started testing them.

Chen Man: “Can you hear me clearly?”

Xu Long: “Yes.”

Xu An: “No problem.”

Chen Man nodded, then looked ahead and said, “If we’re lucky, the bus might show up right after midnight. If not, we’ll have to move around more. Fortunately, these three stops aren’t far from each other.”

Xu Long scratched his chin. “Are Boss Jin’s locations really reliable? This is a residential area, with a BBQ stall nearby. Doesn’t seem like a place where something strange would show up.”

Chen Man replied firmly, “When has Boss Jin’s info ever been wrong? We’ve solved many cases recently using his clues. No need to doubt him now—he’s our boss.”

Xu Long didn’t respond but glanced at Chen Man’s tight figure before turning away.

Xu An, who had been quiet, suddenly looked up and pointed to a black car approaching. “Someone’s coming.”

Xu Long looked as well. “It’s just a car. What’s the big deal?”

Xu An: “The people inside are from the Paranormal Bureau.”

At this, Chen Man quickly turned her head to watch the car pass by in front of her.

“Did someone report us?” Chen Man frowned, watching the car stop nearby. She stood and said to the brothers, “Let’s get out of here.”

When Song Yan and Zhang Jingshan got out of the car, they were surprised to find the three people at the bus stop gone.

“Where did they go?” Zhang Jingshan frowned. “They were just here a moment ago.”

Song Yan didn’t answer. Instead, he crouched down, touched the concrete, closed his eyes for a few seconds, then opened them and said, “They went into the alley. Let’s follow.”

The two quickly entered the residential alleys, trying to find Chen Man and the others.

After several twists and turns, Chen Man’s group finally lost their tail. It was past midnight.

Chen Man cursed angrily, “Who’s so nasty to call the police? If I find out, I’ll teach them a lesson!”

Xu An stayed alert, scanning the surroundings. “We lost them. What now?”

“What else?” Chen Man snapped. “It’s already this late. We have to check those three stops. If we don’t get on the bus today, we won’t finish Boss Jin’s task on time.”

The three hurried back to the nearest bus stop.

It was past midnight. Besides the streetlights, the road was empty. They waited for more than ten minutes but saw nothing, so they moved to the next stop. After checking two stops, by 1 a.m., they returned to their original spot.

The BBQ stall next to the stop was closed, the owner inside, leaving only empty tables and scattered trash outside.

Chen Man was very annoyed. Someone’s police report had messed up their plan. They had already checked two stops. If the bus didn’t come at this stop either, they’d have to ask Boss Jin for new clues. Even with the special items in hand, it would still cost them too much.

She ran her fingers through her messy hair and said to the brothers, “Let’s wait a bit more. Even if we have to stay up all night, we have to catch the Route bus 444!”

Xu Long stayed silent, but Xu An remained cautious, scanning the area without relaxing.

Chen Man paced back and forth at the stop. After about fifteen minutes, Xu An whispered, “The bus is coming.”

Just then, a vintage-looking bus suddenly appeared on the quiet road.

The bus was very old-fashioned. Modern buses all had air conditioning, but this one still had open windows you had to open yourself.

The Route 444 sign flickered eerily, making it look especially creepy in the silent night.

As the bus neared, Chen Man thought she smelled something—an odd mix of damp earth and gasoline. The scent was chilling and lonely.

The three exchanged a look and instinctively fell silent.

“Ssssh—”

The Route bus 444 stopped steadily by the bus stop. Its interior lights were dim, but Chen Man could still see it was fairly full of passengers.

As the door opened, the surrounding silence seemed to deepen.

“Ready?”

Chen Man took a deep breath and said, “Let’s get on.”

They had come for this bus, and now that it was here, there was no turning back.

Chen Man was the first to board. She took out three coins and dropped them one by one into the fare box, then glanced at the driver.

The driver was a middle-aged man, maybe in his forties or fifties, with thinning hair and wearing the company-issued bus cap.

His skin looked dark purple, and his eyes stared fixedly at Chen Man.

She shivered but forced herself to look away and stepped inside.

Unseen by Chen Man, the driver gave urgent signals, as if telling her and the others: “Get off the bus… now.”

Last night, Lin Weiwei had dropped off Guan Xiaoxuan at the community gate and left. Guan Xiaoxuan had thought about renting a shared bike to check if Chen Man had boarded the Route bus 444 but decided against it.

She had already reported the incident to the police; the Paranormal Bureau would handle it. She didn’t want to risk it herself.

So, Guan Xiaoxuan went home, washed up, and went straight to bed, sleeping soundly until around eight or nine in the morning.

Stretching comfortably in bed, she looked at the chubby cat sleeping beside her and happily pulled it under the covers, giving it several kisses.

Just as she was happily cuddling the cat, her phone rang.

Guan Xiaoxuan released the cat and checked the caller ID—it was Xing Tianqing.

“Hello?” she asked curiously. “Team Leader Xing, why call me so early?”

“It’s not early,” Xing Tianqing replied seriously. “Are you free today? Come to the bureau for a meeting.”

A meeting?

Why all of a sudden?

Guan Xiaoxuan sat up and asked, “Did something happen?”

“Yes,” Xing Tianqing said. “This morning, a male corpse was found by the riverbank. After identification, he was confirmed to be someone who took the Route bus 444 last night.”

Guan Xiaoxuan immediately got nervous and asked, “Route bus 444?”

Xing Tianqing couldn’t say much on the phone but told her, “Get up quickly and come to the city center office. We’ll explain everything at the meeting.”

Without delay, Guan Xiaoxuan jumped out of bed, took a shower, changed clothes, and left.

She had planned to take the bus but felt uneasy seeing buses pass by and ended up renting a shared bike to the office.

The Paranormal Bureau’s office was deep inside a police station downtown. Since it was technically a special police force, they had a two-story building dedicated as their office.

Guan Xiaoxuan parked her bike at the police station entrance and went inside.

Xing Tianqing had just come back outside and saw her, waving her over to walk into the office together.

“What’s going on?” Guan Xiaoxuan asked nervously and curiously. “I thought Route 444 didn’t hurt anyone?”

Xing Tianqing’s face was grim. “Someone reported three people trying to board the Route bus 444 last night. I sent Song Yan and the others. But those three had special items and managed to lose our tail.”

Hearing this, Guan Xiaoxuan frowned.

She had suspected Chen Man carried special items but didn’t expect those three to be so powerful that even the Paranormal Bureau couldn’t catch them.

Looks like Chen Man’s arrogant attitude and claims of recruiting her were serious, not just talk.

Xing Tianqing didn’t go into detail.

When they entered the meeting room, all full-time staff of the Paranormal Bureau were already there, along with seven or eight contract workers. The room fell silent as Xing Tianqing stood before them.

Guan Xiaoxuan found a corner seat and watched Xing Tianqing say, “I have important news for you all.”

Xing Tianqing addressed the group: “Many of you have heard of the Route bus 444 in Xinglin City. It’s never harmed anyone before. But this morning, a male corpse was found by the riverbank, confirmed to be someone who took the Route bus 444 last night. Now, the Paranormal Bureau is forming a special investigation team to fully track down the mysterious Route bus 444.”