I'm Actually Panicking Because My Heart Doesn't Beat (GL) - Chapter 68

Watching the ghost jump out the window and escape, Guan Xiaoxuan was truly shocked.

Just a few months ago, when she first came into this world, even a random corpse could easily pin her down and beat her up. But now, strange spirits were running away as soon as they saw her. That was quite a huge difference!

Guan Xiaoxuan pulled back her head, puzzled and unable to figure it out.

Just as she was about to report back, she turned and suddenly felt a strong sense of pressure from the opposite wall, making her catch her breath.

Looking closer, Guan Xiaoxuan realized that the source of the pressure wasn’t a spirit, but a huge painting.

The painting was right on the hospital room’s wall—an entire wall used as a canvas, showing an unbelievable image.

Staring at it, Guan Xiaoxuan felt the pressure grow, and she didn’t dare breathe heavily.

It was a strange painting. Several men and women in different clothes knelt side by side on the ground. In front of them was what looked like a gray mist, inside which vague human shapes could be seen.

Above the mist was a large area of black marks, covering the sky like a shadow, but at the top appeared a pair of eyes.

The eyes were wide open, with silver-gray whites, and the pupils stretched long sideways—thin and elongated.

Near the top edge of the painting, close to the ceiling, several huge tentacles were drawn, tightly attached to the ceiling.

At a glance, the painting looked like those men and women were worshipping a god in the mist—but that god seemed to be an octopus.

Guan Xiaoxuan took a slow step closer. Only when she got near did she notice the marks looked fresh, painted on the old wall recently. In the bottom right corner of the painting, a few words were written:

“God… is watching you.”

Xing Tianqing was stunned when she heard Guan Xiaoxuan’s words, quickly asking, “Guan Xiaoxuan, what’s your situation? Did you find anything?”

Guan Xiaoxuan looked at the words and replied into her earpiece, “Team leader, the spirit jumped out the window as soon as it saw me, but I found a very strange painting inside the ward.”

“A very creepy painting?”

Xing Tianqing didn’t understand. She said into the radio, “I’m coming to check it out. Everyone else, stay where you are.”

“Roger!”

In less than a minute, Xing Tianqing’s footsteps echoed in the corridor. She entered the room and saw the huge painting on the wall.

Guan Xiaoxuan tugged at her coat, and only then did Xing Tianqing notice her presence. She frowned and asked, “You found this?”

“Yeah,” Guan Xiaoxuan said, “And I noticed the spirits don’t want to come near me. I guess maybe there’s something wrong with me.”

At first, Guan Xiaoxuan suspected that the Grade-A artifact she wore was leaking its aura, but after checking, it was sealed tight and shouldn’t have caused this.

So there was only one other possibility.

The red-robed female ghost had left some kind of mark on her, making the more timid spirits afraid to approach. They feared retaliation from that red ghost, which was why they avoided Guan Xiaoxuan and ran away whenever they saw her.

Listening to Guan Xiaoxuan’s theory, Xing Tianqing studied the strange wall painting.

“This painting seems freshly made,” Xing Tianqing frowned. “And the content is really strange.”

It looked like some people worshipping a god in the mist-world.

Especially the phrase in the bottom right corner—“God is watching you”—gave off a heavy oppressive feeling.

Xing Tianqing picked up her walkie-talkie and asked, “When was the last time the Sixth Hospital was cleared?”

After a few seconds, Xiao An replied over the radio, “Report, team leader, it was half a month ago.”

Xing Tianqing took out her phone and photographed the painting, then posted it in their work group. She said into the walkie-talkie, “Found this painting in ward 7 on the third floor. Did anyone notice it during the clear-out half a month ago?”

Soon, Zhang Jingshan, who was responsible for clearing the Sixth Hospital spirits last time, replied, “Report, team leader, it wasn’t here half a month ago.”

Xing Tianqing thought for a moment and said, “Everyone keep an eye out for other paintings. We’ll discuss this again once we return.”

“Roger!”

After setting this task, Xing Tianqing turned back to Guan Xiaoxuan and quietly asked, “You said the mark the woman left on you might scare the spirits?”

Guan Xiaoxuan nodded. “I really can’t think of anything else that would make those spirits run away as soon as they see me.”

Xing Tianqing agreed, frowning. “Looks like those regular spirits aren’t enough. To lure her out, we need stronger spirits.”

Guan Xiaoxuan looked at her. “Do you have any ideas?”

Xing Tianqing shook her head and seriously said, “Honestly, those spirits who aren’t afraid of that woman are tough to deal with. You’ll be very dangerous caught in the middle.”

“So… there really are such spirits?”

Guan Xiaoxuan said, “If I don’t take risks, I’ll just die anyway. Might as well try, maybe there’s still a chance.”

“All right,” Xing Tianqing said, “Let’s meet on the first floor first, then figure out another plan.”

Guan Xiaoxuan nodded, about to speak, when suddenly a gunshot rang out!

Almost immediately, urgent voices came through the radio. A colleague said anxiously, “Team leader, the red-robed female ghost is on the rooftop opposite us. She seems to have spotted us!”

Right after those words, the radio filled with static, followed by gunfire and other special weapon sounds ringing out from all directions. Guan Xiaoxuan’s heart jumped.

The radio just said the woman appeared nearby. Guan Xiaoxuan glanced at the time—it was just past 1 a.m.

For the past three nights, she’d dreamed of that woman appearing near her. Last night, the woman stared at her and said, “Found you.”

And now, the woman seemed to be appearing in reality, probably getting closer to Guan Xiaoxuan, until she vanished completely.

Xing Tianqing’s face changed. She hurriedly started assigning tasks.

Guan Xiaoxuan quickly ran out of the ward, crouching on the third-floor stairs to look down.

There, in the flower bed, stood the woman in the red dress, soaking wet. When Guan Xiaoxuan looked at her, the woman slowly raised her head.

Just as their eyes were about to meet, Xing Tianqing grabbed Guan Xiaoxuan suddenly, holding her head tightly against her chest.

“Don’t look down.”

Xing Tianqing’s voice came from above. She wrapped her arms around Guan Xiaoxuan’s waist, pressing her head against her, eyes fixed on the woman downstairs.

“I’ll protect you.”

Suddenly, Guan Xiaoxuan caught a glimpse of golden light flashing around them. Xing Tianqing released her grip from Guan Xiaoxuan’s head, grabbed something from the air, and pulled out a golden book.

“Third Prohibition: Spirits are forbidden from using abilities beyond their level!”

Though Guan Xiaoxuan couldn’t see her, she pictured Xing Tianqing’s serious, almost divine expression. Her eyes must be shining gold as she held Guan Xiaoxuan with one hand and the golden book with the other.

With the prohibition announced, the noisy chaos calmed down. Guan Xiaoxuan even heard footsteps running and gunshots aimed at the garden.

She slightly lifted her head and looked at Xing Tianqing’s side profile, feeling the solemnity—she looked like a god.

Xing Tianqing didn’t notice Guan Xiaoxuan’s gaze. Her full attention was on the red-robed spirit, flipping through the golden book and stopping on a page.

“Prohibition 103: Spirits are forbidden to leave designated areas without permission!”

The noise outside grew louder, but Guan Xiaoxuan no longer felt as scared. She saw the woman trapped in a golden circle in the center of the garden, struggling but unable to break free.

Bang bang bang—

With gunshots ringing, Guan Xiaoxuan saw the woman’s shoulders twitch twice as if hit by bullets.

She let out a silent scream of pain and glared at Xing Tianqing and Guan Xiaoxuan with bl00d-red eyes.

“You dare hurt me!”

Her voice sent chills down Guan Xiaoxuan’s spine, like cold water suddenly poured over her.

Maybe because the group attack provoked her, the woman suddenly went crazy. Her long black hair, like seaweed, flew wildly, smashing against the golden light, soon breaking a crack in it.

Xing Tianqing immediately pointed at her, shouting, “Prohibition 70: No destroying sacred objects!”

But Xing Tianqing’s voice came just a bit too late. Before she finished, the woman had already broken through the barrier and rushed straight at her.

The stench of dirty water mixed with bl00d hung in the air, nauseating.

Seeing her rush closer, Guan Xiaoxuan quickly pulled off the cloth wrapped around her wrist.

The A-grade item, “Light,” suddenly emitted a pale golden glow whenever a strange creature came near, like the warm sunlight shining around Guan Xiaoxuan in a one-meter radius.

That one-meter range naturally included the red-clothed female creature.

But the moment Guan Xiaoxuan activated the light, the woman instinctively stepped back, moving out of the A-grade item’s coverage.

For a moment, no one moved.

Guan Xiaoxuan was breathing heavily. She stretched out her arm toward the woman and said, “You’re afraid of this, aren’t you? If you’re scared, then you’ll never get close to me.”

The woman’s eyes fixed on the special item, then suddenly she cracked a smile.

Her mouth was full of bl00d, and it seemed painful for her to speak—bl00d dripped down from the corners of her mouth, making her look terrifying.

“You think this thing can stop me?”

Before Guan Xiaoxuan could react, the woman charged straight at her!

The special item sensed the creature’s approach, and its pale golden light grew even brighter—almost blinding!

Even Xing Tianqing squinted, and everyone nearby could only see a bright pale golden glow lighting up the area like daylight.

Guan Xiaoxuan saw the woman’s hand reach into this glowing daylight.

Her clothes tore apart, flesh ripped open, and bl00d burst out like flowers blooming in the air.

In the next moment, the woman’s hand, now nothing but bones, grabbed hold of the special item.

Crack—

Suddenly, Guan Xiaoxuan thought she heard something being crushed.