Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups Chapter 1232 - 598:

Evening descended upon the outskirts of the city, finding the abandoned water plant under a sky heavy with lead-gray clouds, hinting at impending rain.

Before the rusted iron gate, a small group of youngsters had gathered. The gate itself was battered and worn, its faded lettering, "Pingjiang Water Supply," barely legible.

"I must admit," drawled a boy with unflattering bowl-cut hair and thick-rimmed glasses, feigning a dramatic pinch of his nose, "this place is even more run-down than the whispers suggested." He turned to the short-haired girl clad in camouflage beside him, "President, are you certain about the ghost stories? It strikes me more as a haven for the homeless."

The short-haired girl responded not with words, but with a swift side kick. With a resonant *'Clang!'*, the rusty chain securing the gate snapped. The door, dislodged, scraped inward at her feet, revealing a gap of about half a meter.

She brushed imaginary dust from her hands, her voice firm, "Zhou Ming, cease your foolish talk. Do you question the judgment of this president?"

"N-no, of course not!" Zhou Ming stammered, retracting his neck and offering a placating smile. "I was merely offering a humble opinion, as your deputy, naturally."

Fang Cheng's gaze briefly settled on the short-haired girl before shifting to his friend's ingratiating expression, a flicker of amusement crossing his face. This was Wang Lan, the SPORTS committee member from the adjacent class and, more notably, the president of the Supernatural Research Society, widely recognized throughout the school as the resident "tomboy." Rumors abounded about her martial arts prowess, suggesting many boys stood little chance against her.

"President, Vice President, the detector is operational," a voice chimed in from behind Wang Lan. A girl with a ponytail and a simple, long dress nervously adjusted a palm-sized metallic device. Her face was pale, yet her eyes showed intense concentration.

"I've fine-tuned the detector's magnetic field frequency to a specialized channel," she explained. "Any anomalous energy signature resembling a spirit will trigger an alert." From her backpack, she produced several vibrantly colored, unusually shaped water guns, distributing them among the group. "Our armaments are also prepared. They're filled with talismanic water from my mother's shrine; it's said to be highly effective against malevolent spirits." This was Lin Xue, the intellectual powerhouse of their club. Her mother, a locally renowned medium, had ensured Lin Xue's early exposure to the arcane, making her quite knowledgeable in such matters.

At this juncture, a chubby boy ambled over, munching noisily on chips. "Don't fret, President," he mumbled around his snack. "Our President is formidable. Ghosts and spirits typically steer clear of her. I've also brought snacks – chocolate, jerky, and energy bars – to keep our strength up."

"Li Dazhuang," Wang Lan chided, her tone unapologetic, "are you turning this ghost hunt into a picnic with all that food?"

The pudgy boy merely chuckled, scratching his head sheepishly, unable to retort.

Fang Cheng remained at the rear of the group, his gaze sweeping over each member. A hot-headed female leader, a verbose but timid boy with glasses, a mystically inclined young woman, and a chubby companion treating an investigation like a feast. He silently shook his head, a sigh escaping him. If they truly encountered a spectral entity, could he genuinely depend on them?

Wang Lan, relishing her role as expedition leader, gestured grandly. "Come, let's not dawdle at the entrance. We should proceed inside and investigate."

One by one, the group squeezed through the narrow gap in the gate. Stepping past the groaning iron door, the interior of the water plant plunged into sudden dimness. The air grew noticeably colder, carrying a pungent aroma of rust, oil, and decay.

The plant's interior was cavernous, populated by machines long surrendered to rust, resembling colossal, dormant steel entities. A labyrinth of pipes snaked through the space, disappearing into shadowy recesses. The floor was blanketed in a thick layer of dust and debris; each step produced a creaking echo that reverberated through the vacant facility, amplifying the disquieting atmosphere.

A collective scan of their surroundings commenced, an unusual blend of apprehension and thrill mingling in their hearts.

"This water plant has been disused for over two decades," Wang Lan announced, her voice carrying as she walked. "It once supplied the entire city. Legend has it there's an underground river here with exceptionally pure water. Later, due to contamination, the authorities decommissioned it."

She lowered her voice, adopting a deliberately mysterious tone. "However, over the past year or two, peculiar rumors have begun to surface... Whispers claim that during the night, the sounds of machinery can be heard from the abandoned pump house, and that a shadowy figure has been sighted wandering aimlessly within the plant grounds."

"Previously, a security guard on night patrol witnessed a spectral figure with his own eyes. Upon returning, he fell gravely ill, confined to his bed for half a month before recuperating."

All eyes turned to her expectantly:

"Then, what transpired next?"

"Do elaborate!"

Wang Lan cleared her throat, her voice dropping to an ominous pitch:

"When the worker regained consciousness, his sole coherent utterance was, 'It's watching you from behind!'"

"Ah!"

Zhou Ming trembled in palpable fear, and Li Dazhuang’s gaming chips cascaded onto the floor.

"Hahaha!"

Witnessing their profound terror, Wang Lan could not suppress her boisterous laughter:

"Scaredy-cats! Don’t you feel ashamed as men? This is merely a trifle."

She then shifted her gaze towards Fang Cheng.

He remained composed, seemingly lost in thought, his eyes betraying no hint of apprehension.

A fleeting expression of surprise crossed Wang Lan’s features. This fair-skinned, slender youth was evidently more than he appeared.

"Very well, this area is indeed quite expansive. To enhance our productivity, we shall now proceed with splitting into smaller groups."

As the president, she surveyed the surroundings with resolute determination, orchestrating the plan: