In an attempt to shirk responsibility, the coach vowed to check the surveillance footage.
Cheng Shuang raised an eyebrow and silently asked Luo An in her mind.
The ghost doll had watched many movies with everyone at the rest stop. It compared itself to Quicksilver Pietro, one of the superheroes in the Avengers, so it was very confident that the surveillance cameras could not catch its trace.
As expected, the plastic coach could only be seen as a blurry shadow in slow motion, lingering on Cheng Shuang's feet for an extremely short time...
The plastic coach sighed and tried to remove the metal rod, but Du Lanshan stopped him, saying, "Brother, don't take it out. This is evidence that the machine's malfunction has nothing to do with you or me."
Du Lanshan's logic left the plastic coach momentarily bewildered, listening blankly as he continued his charade, "Look, you took it out. Everyone knows you brought the customer to experience the treadmill, and you turned it on. During the running experience, none of us had time to touch it. If it breaks halfway through, without any evidence, what will your manager think? Won't he say it was due to improper operation?"
"Keep it; it's evidence!"
Seeing Du Lanshan's determined expression, the plastic coach, whose brain wasn't working properly, nodded. Soon after, the Du brothers enthusiastically pulled him to the second project and asked him about its operation.
Cheng Shuang, intentionally or unintentionally, moved closer to the plastic coach's line of sight. Seeing that no one was around the treadmill, she quietly released Luo An again, instructing it to quickly retrieve the metal rod and destroy the evidence, lest it fall into the plastic coach's hands and cause trouble when confronted by the elevator attendants. By then, if they had already left the death zone, all would be well; otherwise, they would have brought trouble upon themselves.
While the plastic coach was explaining the usage guidelines for the second project, Cheng Shuang took out a carnival shopping voucher. Looking down, she noticed a small pink petal imprint on the gym's sign, the same color as the ink used for the movie theater's stamp.
It seems that I need to collect all ten petals to pass the level.
She silently put away the shopping voucher, rubbed her sore calves, and returned to the convenience store. She was going to go to the mall to see if there were any pills that could quickly replenish her energy.
Actually, the powder pills are very effective; they can repair mental strength, physical strength, and injuries.
However, she always had a feeling that her second skill had not been fully explored yet, so she was reluctant to use the powder pills on small matters.
The second exercise is the barbell bench press, starting with 10 kg and gradually increasing to 50 kg. The standard for a successful bench press is to press at least three times with your upper arms fully extended.
Cheng Shuang and Liu Juan were stunned and looked at each other.
Du Jun frowned slightly. The heaviest barbell bench press he could do at the convenience store was 35 kilograms. Only Du Lanshan could occasionally reach 50 kilograms when he was in good form, and even then, he couldn't do it every time.
Du Lushui rubbed her sore thighs, then a sudden idea struck her. "Wait, does that mean if we all work together and can push five 10-kilogram pushes three times, then five 20-kilogram pushes three times, and so on, then five 50-kilogram pushes three times will count as a successful pass?"
"You guys...isn't this a bit too much..." the plastic coach stammered, "How can you do it like this? It's a sleight of hand, and it won't be good for your own physical education classes!"
"Today is just a trial! Besides, we can't rush things. Look at this child!" Du Lanshan pulled Cheng Shuang over and showed her the little girl's wrist. "Skinny arms and legs, she doesn't even weigh 50 kilograms! If gyms offered all their trials like this, wouldn't they be driving away younger customers?"
"Uncle, please be lenient. If the manager causes trouble because the treadmill is broken, we can testify for you!" Cheng Shuang said with a smile.
She could handle ten kilograms, and Liu Juan could manage twenty without a problem. Only Uncle Du could only manage twenty-five kilograms at most, which was related to his grandiose self-proclaimed status as a mental worker. The two brothers always joked that Du Lanshan had stolen all their athletic talent from them in the womb, leaving them only with lazy hands…
Of course, Cheng Shuang was referring to a pure 10-kilogram bench press, not adding other strange and dangerous fitness moves halfway through.
The plastic trainer dreaded the thought of the treadmill. After a moment's hesitation, he stuck to the gym's bottom line, shaking his head and saying awkwardly, "This isn't a rule I set, I..."
Before the words were finished, a commotion came from the doorway, and three burly men walked in. They were muscular, wearing camouflage vests and military green work pants. They had short haircuts and exuded a fierce and valiant air, but they lacked the uprightness of soldiers. They looked more like a group of arrogant and unprofessional mercenaries.
The saleswoman at the front desk was talking to them when she heard the sales pitch about getting membership cards and the like. The man in the lead impatiently pushed aside the plastic saleswoman and walked over to the five people around the barbell. His gaze swept over Du Lanshan, who was also muscular and burly, and he said sarcastically, "What's wrong? Stuck on the second hurdle!"
His companion behind him scoffed, "I remember the heaviest barbell in the gym is only 45 kilograms!" His eyes swept over Du Lanshan's muscles, full of provocation, "Don't just put on a show!"
Du Lanshan didn't want to pay any attention to them. In the gyms of the modern world, he had seen too many men and women who thought that having muscles made them invincible, only to end up with injuries all over their bodies. Not only could they not continue, but their muscles would also turn into fat.
Moreover, the realm of death is never about surviving by strength.
In other words, if you're so capable, stop talking nonsense and just get through the level and survive before you start complaining.
Seeing that Du Lanshan wouldn't take the bait, the three burly protectors sneered in boredom. The leader simply said, "Look at your size, you still want to waste money on a coach? Ha, brothers, give them a piece of your mind."
After saying that, he turned and walked towards the treadmill.
Du Lushu smiled politely, "Brothers, we mustn't be careless and lose Jingzhou, or it would be a great loss!"
Upon hearing his weak and feeble words, the three men looked down on this group of women, children, teenagers, and weaklings even more, and naturally did not take Du Lushu's warning seriously.
They chose three treadmills right in the center of the large floor-to-ceiling window, stretched their necks and ankles, and then got on the machines.
Cheng Shuang asked in a low voice, "Did we really waste our money? These three uncles are so amazing. We can just follow them and pick up experience points after they come down!"
Liu Juan glanced back at Cheng Shuang, blinked, and then, out of the corner of her eye, caught the coach looking down at them. She immediately understood the girl's mischievous intentions and muttered with feigned regret, "Yeah! I feel like whether or not we need a coach is debatable. They don't really offer any advantages. Tsk, so much money for a membership card..."
"Ahem!" The coach interrupted, pretending not to hear, "Alright, you've rested enough. Let's start the second event. Come on, little girl, you lift 10 kilograms five times, three times each time. If you succeed, you pass. And so on. You decide how heavy the barbells to lift yourselves. Don't waste time, or they'll catch up and there won't be enough equipment!"
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