Early autumn evening, the abandoned water plant on the city outskirts.
Lead-gray clouds hung low, seemingly about to rain soon.
A few young figures stood before the rusty iron gate of the water plant.
The door was battered and worn, and even the "Pingjiang Water Supply" lettering on it was blurry.
"I have to say, this place is even more rundown than the rumors say."
A boy with a bowl-cut and black-rimd glasses exaggeratedly covered his nose and muttered to the short-haired girl in camouflage beside him:
"President, are you sure there are really ghosts here? It looks more like a holess hangout to ."
The short-haired girl raised an eyebrow and without a word, delivered a side kick.
"Clang!"
With a loud noise, the rusty chain on the iron gate snapped open.
The door wobbled at her feet, sliding inward to reveal a half-ter wide gap.
She clapped the dust off her hands, speaking boldly:
"Zhou Ming, stop talking nonsense. Are you doubting the wisdom of this president’s decisions?"
"No, no, I’m just expressing a humble opinion as your deputy."
Zhou Ming shrank his neck and smiled apologetically.
Fang Cheng’s gaze lingered on the short-haired girl for a mont, then swept over his friend’s flattering look, a trace of amusent appearing on his face.
Her na was Wang Lan, the sports committee mber from the class next door and also the president of the Supernatural Research Society, famously known at school as the "tomboy."
Rumor has it she learned martial arts, and many boys are no match for her.
"President, vice president, the detector is all set up."
Behind Wang Lan, a girl with a ponytail and a plain long dress cautiously fiddled with a palm-sized tal device.
Her face looked slightly pale, yet her gaze was incredibly focused:
"I’ve adjusted the detector’s magnetic field frequency to a special channel. As long as any ghost-like anomalous energy gets close, it will sound an alarm."
As she spoke, she took out several brightly colored, exaggeratedly shaped water guns from her backpack and handed them to everyone:
"Weapons are ready too. They’re loaded with talismanic water from my mom’s shrine, said to be very effective against evil spirits."
Her na was Lin Xue, the brains of the club.
Her mother was a locally well-known witch, and she had been exposed to supernatural matters from a young age, making her quite the expert in the field.
At this point, a chubby boy also ca over, munching on chips as he mumbled:
"Don’t worry, the president is strong enough. Usually, ghosts and spirits can’t get near her. I also brought chocolate, beef jerky, and energy bars to ensure we stay fueled up."
"Li Dazhuang, bringing so much food, are you turning this expedition into a picnic?"
Wang Lan unapologetically mocked him.
The pudgy boy just chuckled and scratched his head, too embarrassed to talk back.
Fang Cheng stood at the back of the group, his gaze sweeping over everyone.
A hot-tempered female president, a talkative yet timid boy with glasses, a mystically inclined witch, and a chubby kid treating exploration like a picnic.
He shook his head silently, unable to suppress a sigh in his heart.
If they really encountered any ghost, could they really be relied upon?
Wang Lan seed to be enjoying this leading expedition role, waving her hand grandly:
"Alright, don’t just stand at the door, let’s go in and have a look."
Everyone squeezed through the half-ter wide gap in turn.
Passing through the creaky iron door, the light inside the water plant dimd suddenly.
The air was much colder than outside, with a sll of mixed rust, oil, and decay invading the nostrils.
The plant’s space was vast, filled with machines long rusted, like steel giants asleep for decades.
Pipes crisscrossed, reaching into the dark depths.
The ground was covered in thick dust and debris. A step on it released a creaky noise that echoed through the empty plant, adding to the eeriness.
Everyone looked around, searching everywhere, an unusual feeling of nervousness and excitent rising in their hearts.
"This water plant has been abandoned for more than two decades. It used to supply water to the entire city. It’s said there’s an underground river here with particularly good water quality. Later, due to contamination, the governnt abandoned it."
Wang Lan walked while giving a brief:
"However, for the past year or two, strange rumors have started circulating here..."
She lowered her voice, acting mysteriously:
"So people say that at night, you can hear the sound of machines running from the abandoned pump house, and that they’ve seen a shadow wandering aimlessly in the plant area."
"Previously, a security guard ca here on a night patrol and saw the shadow with his own eyes. When he ca back, he fell seriously ill, bedridden for half a month before he recovered."
Everyone gazed at her intently:
"Then what happened?"
"And then."
Wang Lan cleared her throat, her tone becoming more sinister:
"When the worker woke up, he only rembered one sentence, ’It’s watching you from behind!’"
"Ah!"
Zhou Ming shivered in fear, and Li Dazhuang’s chips scattered everywhere.
"Hahaha!"
Wang Lan couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the sight of the two being so scared:
"Scaredy-cats, are you not embarrassed to be guys? This is nothing."
She said, turning her gaze to Fang Cheng.
Only to see him calm, even thoughtful, with no trace of fear in his eyes.
A flicker of surprise passed through Wang Lan’s eyes. This fair-skinned, slight boy wasn’t quite what he seed on the surface.
"Alright, this place is really too big. To improve efficiency, we’ll start splitting up now."
As president, she looked around decisively making the arrangents:
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