I'm Actually Panicking Because My Heart Doesn't Beat (GL) - Chapter 79

Xing Tianqing and the others still didn’t have a clear lead on the black coffin underground at the Sixth Hospital.

The coffin’s material was very strange. It didn’t quite look like wood, nor like jade. Overall, the black material seemed to have some weird magnetic force. Even Xiao An’s tools couldn’t figure out what it was made of.

The strange symbols on the outside, which looked like writing, hadn’t been properly translated either. So far, everyone knew very little about this coffin. In the end, even the people from the Exchange Center showed up and surrounded the entire Sixth Hospital.

Guan Xiaoxuan stayed there all night. By morning, nearby residents had woken up and gathered at the hospital’s entrance, peeking inside.

If it weren’t for the police tape blocking the entrance, curious uncles and aunties probably would have sneaked in already.

“What’s going on?” a woman coming back from buying groceries asked Guan Xiaoxuan near the police tape. “Is there a dead body inside?”

“No,” Guan Xiaoxuan said helplessly, “there was a collapse inside. It’s best if no one gets close. It’s dangerous.”

“A collapse?” The people around were curious. “This hospital has always been strange day and night. Sometimes you can hear weird noises at night. Last night, I even heard what sounded like an explosion — it was really loud.”

Guan Xiaoxuan guessed these were local residents nearby. When Song Yi broke open the ground last night, the noise was indeed loud, so it was normal that people heard it.

But usually, this kind of thing should be kept secret from the public. Saying it was a ground collapse was the official explanation given by Xing Tianqing and the police who came to help. Strictly speaking, it was indeed a ground collapse.

“There’s nothing else. It’s just an ordinary ground collapse,” Guan Xiaoxuan told the residents with the police officer who was guarding the area. “The Sixth Hospital is old and falling apart. A collapse last night is normal. Please don’t gather here anymore and go home.”

The residents who were dispersed still looked back at the hospital from time to time. Nobody knew if they really believed it or not.

By around eight in the morning, the colleagues from the Weird Affairs Bureau had basically finished their work. They pulled the large black coffin out from underground and were preparing to take it back for detailed study.

Xing Tianqing, who had been busy all night, looked tired. She turned and saw Guan Xiaoxuan managing the security at the entrance and walked over.

“Captain Xing.”

Guan Xiaoxuan greeted her, “Have you checked everything?”

“Yeah.” Xing Tianqing looked at Guan Xiaoxuan with a strange expression and said, “There’s something wrong with this coffin. For now, we’re keeping it at the Weird Affairs Bureau for further research.”

“That’s fine,” Guan Xiaoxuan said as she watched the black coffin being covered with a white cloth. She quickly pressed her hands together in a prayer gesture and muttered, “May the coffin bring wealth, may the coffin bring wealth, Amitabha…”

Xing Tianqing knew Guan Xiaoxuan didn’t believe in Buddhism. She wasn’t sure where that idea came from but couldn’t help smiling as she said, “Praying to gods and Buddhas is less reliable than relying on yourself. After all, ghosts exist, but I’ve never seen any gods or Buddhas.”

Guan Xiaoxuan looked up at her and showed a row of clean white teeth as she smiled, “In the eyes of ordinary people, we might as well be gods or Buddhas.”

Xing Tianqing shook her head helplessly, looking at Guan Xiaoxuan for a long moment before saying, “Guan Xiaoxuan, did you really just happen to pass by here last night?”

Guan Xiaoxuan was slightly stunned.

What, was her lousy lie just exposed?

Xing Tianqing stared silently at Guan Xiaoxuan with a serious expression, mixed with a bit of melancholy. She slowly said, “Everyone has secrets, but there are some things I hope you won’t hide from me.”

Guan Xiaoxuan looked at her, then asked, “Captain Xing, what do you think I’m hiding from you?”

“I don’t know,” Xing Tianqing answered honestly. “But I feel like you’re always guarded around me. It’s like you’ve never really trusted me. Is that true, Guan Xiaoxuan?”

“That’s… not the case,” Guan Xiaoxuan said. “Actually, I’ve never hidden anything from you. Last night, I just couldn’t sleep because I was thinking about some things, so I went out for a walk. Finding this place was really just a coincidence.”

In fact, Guan Xiaoxuan wasn’t lying—she really did come on a whim and just happened to discover that black coffin. Whether Xing Tianqing believed her or not was another matter.

Later on, Guan Xiaoxuan sometimes wondered: if she had told Xing Tianqing everything when asked, would they have avoided ending up at odds with each other?

If back then she hadn’t been so confident in herself, or if she had truly treated Xing Tianqing as a trusted partner, maybe the outcome would have been different.

But there’s no such thing as “if” in this world. At that moment, Guan Xiaoxuan simply didn’t want to reveal the full truth.

She kept many things hidden. Even when Xing Tianqing asked her directly, she would still choose to withhold some truths.

Xing Tianqing’s brows furrowed slightly. Her dark pupils stared intently at Guan Xiaoxuan. Just as she was about to say something, Qiu Nan came running over and interrupted.

“Captain Xing,” Qiu Nan said, walking up. “Everything’s packed up. Are you going straight to the points exchange center, or do you want to rest a bit first?”

Xing Tianqing shifted her gaze away from Guan Xiaoxuan and looked at Qiu Nan. “I’ll go to the points exchange center alone. You and the others should head back and rest. You’ve all been working all night and deserve some sleep.”

Then she looked back at Guan Xiaoxuan and said, “You should go home and get some rest first. This afternoon, bring the Seven-Star Begonia to the points exchange center to return the props.”

Guan Xiaoxuan nodded.

Xing Tianqing added, “Either this afternoon or tomorrow, some people from headquarters will come to investigate that strange incident on bus 444 and at the bus stop.”

Guan Xiaoxuan was momentarily surprised. Xing Tianqing’s tone softened as she said, “Don’t worry. I’ve already reported the situation. They’re mainly coming to confirm details with you face-to-face. Just tell the truth and don’t be too nervous.”

“Okay.” Hearing this, Guan Xiaoxuan relaxed a little. “Then I’ll go rest first and will head to the points exchange center after I wake up this afternoon.”

Xing Tianqing nodded and left with Qiu Nan in a van, both departing from the Sixth Institute.

Guan Xiaoxuan hailed a ride and rode off. She first went to the girls’ dorm to get the copied Seven-Star Begonia from Bai Zhiqi.

In the dormitory, Guan Xiaoxuan watched Bai Zhiqi open a cabinet.

Inside was originally only one Seven-Star Begonia, but when Bai Zhiqi opened it again, there were two identical Seven-Star Begonias placed as mirror images of each other.

Bai Zhiqi picked up both guns, handed one to Guan Xiaoxuan, and said, “This one’s the real deal—you can return it today.”

After Guan Xiaoxuan put it away, Bai Zhiqi gave her the other one.

“This is the copied Seven-Star Begonia. All the loading parts are mirrored, and its power is 70% of the original,” Bai Zhiqi said, pulling out a bullet and telling Guan Xiaoxuan, “Keep this bullet for me. In a couple of days, you can come back and get a whole bunch of bullets.”

Guan Xiaoxuan nodded, examining the mirrored gun closely. Even its serial number was reversed, which helped her distinguish the real one.

Although she had Song Yi, a good ally, helping her now, having a weapon she could trust gave Guan Xiaoxuan a strong sense of security.

The heavy Seven-Star Begonia in her hand made her feel safe.

She looked up at Bai Zhiqi and asked, “Besides weapons, can you make mirrored copies of other things?”

“What?” Bai Zhiqi crossed her arms and asked, “You planning to turn me into your personal arms factory?”

Guan Xiaoxuan had thought about it but felt embarrassed to say it. Hearing Bai Zhiqi’s question, she shamelessly asked, “Is that possible?”

“No way!” Bai Zhiqi exclaimed angrily. “You think copying things is easy? I’m risking my life to do it for you! If you turn me into an arms dealer, I won’t have a peaceful day ever again!”

Maybe Bai Zhiqi’s voice was too loud because Song Yi appeared behind Guan Xiaoxuan with a gloomy face, glaring at her.

Guan Xiaoxuan was startled and quickly calmed Song Yi down, asking her to go back. Then she turned to the pale-faced Bai Zhiqi and said, “Not for now. If I find anything good, I’ll come back for you.”

With that, she hurriedly left the dorm.

Bai Zhiqi watched her run off and shouted after her angrily, “I haven’t even agreed yet!”

After leaving the school, Guan Xiaoxuan was exhausted. She took a taxi home and crawled into bed, sleeping until after 3 p.m.

When she woke up, still groggy, she glanced at the clock and sat up.

Maybe because she had been out all night, and after working till eight in the morning, then visiting Bai Zhiqi, she had only slept four hours but didn’t feel sleepy at all.

After a quick bite and feeding her chubby pet a canned meal, Guan Xiaoxuan took a shower and got ready to head to the Weird Affairs Bureau.

It was Saturday, and the streets were busy with people. She hailed a cab and headed over, thinking Xing Tianqing was probably still at the bureau, busy with that coffin since she had seen it before leaving.

She wondered if they’d made any progress.

While thinking this, she touched the real Seven-Star Begonia in her bag. The mirrored copy, Cheng Yi’s face shield, and the glass bead were all still on her bedside table—she wasn’t brave enough to carry all those things around openly.

When she arrived at the exchange center exactly at 4 p.m., she returned the weapon and noticed the staff were busy with files. Curious, she asked, “Has Captain Xing left yet?”

The staff nodded. “Captain Xing and Director Lin are still in the lab researching something.”

Guan Xiaoxuan understood right away—it must be that big coffin they had moved today.

“Guan Xiaoxuan.”

Suddenly someone called her from behind. She turned to see a tall man in a black Weird Affairs Bureau trench coat walking toward her. When he reached her, he sized her up and said, “I’m from headquarters. You must be Guan Xiaoxuan, right?”