Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups Chapter 1227 - 595: Black Rain

A few moments later.

Fang Cheng set down his empty bowl, retrieving a napkin to clean his mouth.

Rising to his feet, he proceeded to the entrance, took down his canvas backpack from its wall hook, and slung it over a shoulder.

Then, he crouched down, changing into sneakers whose soles showed signs of wear.

"I'm full. Heading to school now," he announced, calling back into the house.

His mother appeared, leaning from the kitchen doorway, a half-rinsed cleaning cloth still in her hand. She instructed loudly, "The weather report mentioned rain for tonight. Remember to take the black umbrella by the door, so you don't catch a cold from the rain again."

"Understood," Fang Cheng replied, conveniently grabbing the long, black umbrella propped against the shoe cabinet and giving his backpack's side pocket a pat.

He then moved through the garden, past a few potted rose bushes, pulled open the iron gate, and stepped onto the sparsely populated street.

The iron door shut with a clang, muffling the sounds of coughing and television from within the home.

The small town, in the early morning light, was enveloped in a delicate mist.

White vapor rose from the steamers at a roadside bun stall, and the synchronized ringing of bicycle bells from commuters heading to work filled the air.

Everything around him was as familiar as ever, yet it possessed a subtle, strange undertone.

Fang Cheng felt a faint disquietude as he ambled along the path in the riverside park.

Whoosh—

A gust of cold, damp wind swept past, lifting a few dry, yellow leaves that brushed against his calves.

He abruptly halted, his gaze piercing through the sparse willow branches to fix on the riverbank.

Within the bridge's shadow, a distorted, dark silhouette seemed to be lurking.

The figure's proportions were incredibly odd, its torso contorted like a twisted rope, with arms so long they nearly scraped the ground.

Fang Cheng's eyelid twitched violently, and he instinctively raised a hand to rub his eyes.

When he looked again, the riverbank was completely empty.

Only a piece of sodden, black wood, bobbing with the river's current, could be seen partially submerged in the muddy water.

Could it have been a mere illusion?

Fang Cheng lowered his hand, his brows knitting together involuntarily.

The chilling sensation, as if being observed by a cold-blooded entity, still prickled the skin on his back.

"Hey! What are you spacing out about so early in the morning?"

A firm slap landed on his shoulder from behind, startling him.

Fang Cheng turned to face the source of the noise.

He saw a boy wearing thick-rimmed black glasses and sporting a bowl cut, grinning widely at him.

This was his sole friend in class, Zhou Ming.

"Hurry up! Our first class is math with that menopausal Old Wang. If we're late, we'll definitely be made to stand in the hallway!"

Zhou Ming nudged Fang Cheng forward, venting his frustrations continuously: "And that's not all, the PE class this afternoon has a thousand-meter run test. It's practically going to be the death of me."

"With our slight builds, if we end up last, it'll be mortifying to be laughed at by the girls."

Fang Cheng offered a few casual remarks in return.

Zhou Ming, a restless chatterbox, couldn't stay still; after complaining about classes, he leaned in conspiratorially, "By the way, our school's 'Supernatural Phenomenon Research Club' still needs one more member. Otherwise, the student council will forcibly disband it. Are you going to join or not?"

"Let me tell you, someone from the neighboring county captured an actual UFO photo just two days ago, and someone else heard a woman weeping in the abandoned hospital..."

Noticing Fang Cheng's impassive expression, Zhou Ming immediately upped the ante with a more enticing offer: "As long as you join, I'll make you the vice president on the spot!"

"Not interested," Fang Cheng stated flatly.

"Come on, do your brother a favor. You don't even have to do any work, just let your name be on the roster..."

The two were still bickering as they passed through the school's main gate.

A piercing bell signifying the start of class suddenly echoed across the campus.

Zhou Ming's face turned pale, he let out a yelp, and dragging Fang Cheng along, they sprinted towards the main academic building.

After they burst into the classroom and settled into their seats.

Fang Cheng could feel a burning sensation in his chest, like a bellows being worked, and his legs were trembling uncontrollably.

He couldn't help but inwardly lament; the physical condition of this body was truly abysmal.

The initial class was the dreadfully boring mathematics.

The chalk squeaked a monotonous rhythm against the blackboard, and the math teacher's soporific voice droned from the podium.

Fang Cheng propped his chin in his hand, his gaze drifting out the windowsill towards the overcast sky.

The distorted shadow he had glimpsed by the river that morning remained fixed in his mind, as if deeply rooted.

His naturally keen instincts constantly warned him of some unseen danger lurking within this seemingly tranquil small town.

Furthermore, since awakening that morning, an intense feeling of incongruity had persisted.

It felt as though he were navigating through layers of fog, with a crucial memory obscured from his grasp.

"Fang Cheng!"

The voice from the podium suddenly sharpened, yanking him from his thoughts.

"Stand up and explain how to draw the auxiliary line for the three-dimensional geometry problem on the blackboard!"

Fang Cheng jolted back to reality, pushed his chair out, and rose to his feet.

Faced with the intricate geometric figures and function symbols sprawled across the blackboard, his mind was utterly vacant.

A wave of stifled laughter rippled through the classroom.

A few mischievous boys in the back even let out gleeful whistles.

"Stop daydreaming during class. If you don't know it then..."

The teacher on the podium sighed, a flicker of disappointment crossing his eyes, and waved a hand, signaling for him to sit down.

Just then, Fang Cheng's gaze subtly sharpened.

Deep within his mind, a faint spark seemed to ignite, momentarily piercing the mental fog.

The geometric figures, which had appeared as impenetrable as ancient script moments before, instantly resolved into basic lines and surfaces in his perception.

A complex framework for calculation surged into his consciousness, seemingly by instinct.

Without a hint of hesitation, he began to speak with composure:

"Taking point D as the origin, we establish a spatial rectangular coordinate system. Then, connect point P to point A..."

The boy's voice, though not loud, was exceptionally clear and methodical.

Each step he articulated struck directly at the heart of the problem's complexity.

The previously boisterous classroom fell into a profound silence.

The laughter died away abruptly.

Students who had eagerly anticipated his humiliation now turned, staring at Fang Cheng, who stood by his desk, as if he were an anomaly.

The mathematics teacher on the podium opened his mouth slightly, his hand, which held a piece of chalk, froze mid-air, his expression etched with shock and disbelief.

This was the most challenging problem from the city's mock exam released just yesterday.

He had intended to use it as a means to reprimand Fang Cheng for his inattentiveness, never once imagining that any student could actually solve it.

"Teacher, would you like me to proceed with calculating the cosine value of the dihedral angle?"

Fang Cheng's tone remained utterly calm.

"No... no need. That's completely correct, and your reasoning is exceptionally clear."

The math teacher stammered briefly before clearing his throat to mask his astonishment.

His gaze settled on Fang Cheng with a peculiar intensity, yet it also held an unmistakable respect.

"You may sit down. Please pay attention in class. With your evident aptitude, focusing your efforts will undoubtedly secure you a place in the city's top high school."

Fang Cheng gave a calm nod, stepped back into his chair, and sat down.

Beside him, Zhou Ming was utterly stunned, his mouth hanging open, gazing at Fang Cheng as if he were an extraterrestrial being.

The remainder of the school day and the afternoon's physical education test passed without further incident.

The ordinary rhythm of campus life continued its unobtrusive flow.

Evening descended swiftly upon the small county town.

The sky grew overcast, and a light autumn drizzle began to fall.

After bidding farewell to Zhou Ming, Fang Cheng, shielded by a long-handled black umbrella, made his way home along the damp street.

Pushing open the iron gate and stepping into the house, he found a warm dinner already waiting on the table.

Following the meal, Fang Cheng's parents gently encouraged him to head upstairs to his room to complete his homework.

Downstairs in the living room, the television played a nightly soap opera, punctuated occasionally by the sounds of his parents discussing household finances.

Seated at his desk, Fang Cheng gnawed on the end of his pen, his gaze drifting over his textbook.

His mind refused to settle.

The peculiar shadow he had glimpsed under the bridge by the river that morning, and the remarkable display of solving complex math problems with near-supernatural clarity, kept replaying in his thoughts.

The rain outside intensified, its droplets drumming against the windowpane with a persistent, rhythmic patter.

A cool draft snaked through a slight gap in the window, causing the papers on his desk to stir.

Fang Cheng rose and walked to the window, intending to close it securely.

As his hand grasped the aluminum frame to push it shut, a few wind-driven raindrops splattered onto the back of his hand.

Fang Cheng paused for a moment.

Under the soft glow of the desk lamp, he observed that the liquid on his skin was not clear, but possessed a cloudy, viscous quality.

Immediately, he tightened his grip on the window latch, pulled it firmly, and secured it.

Turning away, he retrieved a tissue from the box on his desk and wiped the back of his hand.

A dark, ink-like stain instantly bloomed across the tissue's surface.

Suddenly, an overpowering stench, reminiscent of rotting fish, assailed his nostrils.

This rain... it was black!

Fang Cheng's eyes narrowed slightly.