The Magic Lamp Ability: Starting with One Person in the Republic of China Era

It doesn't offer much enhancement in power or effect, being only slightly stronger than ordinary flames, but it does have an additional characteristic.

The light can burn forever, as long as Zhou Ming does not die.

This is similar to the lantern in the game "Lantern Continent," which illuminates the surroundings as long as you don't die, allowing you to explore a dark continent similar to Don't Starve.

Of course, Zhou Ming wouldn't be so arrogant as to think that by integrating a concept, this flame would be eternally inextinguishable; it's just that the current methods and natural environment make it impossible to extinguish.

"Thump!" All three of them knelt on the ground, trembling, their faces filled with fear.

"Master, Immortal, we..."

"Shut up!" Zhou Ming said calmly.

The three immediately stopped making a sound, and then they saw Zhou Ming gently blow on the lamp in his hand.

It was as if a stream of energy filled the flames, flew out and landed on the ground, turning into two fire snakes.

The fire serpent slithered to the exit of the dead end, warily watching its surroundings.

Seeing this, the bald man felt a chill in his heart; they were going to kill him to silence him.

"Master... Master, our sect leader is just like you, known as Iron Fist, who can shatter a stone tablet as thick as a person with one punch. Please, for his sake, spare us." The bald man stammered, but quickly said the rest to save his life.

"You're threatening me!" Zhou Ming scoffed at the "hall master" the other party was referring to.

If Zhou Ming dared to go to Shanghai in 37, then he had no regard for life or death. A mere gang was nothing to him.

"No...no, Master, killing me would only cause trouble. Why not spare my life and pretend nothing happened?" the bald man said cautiously.

"Hmph!" Zhou Ming snorted coldly and said, "Let you go? Then let you run off with your boss to deal with me again."

Upon hearing this, the bald man's heart tightened. The fire snake on his shoulder kept getting closer, radiating intense heat, which made him break out in a cold sweat.

"I know our leader's secret; he's doing business with the Japanese," the bald man blurted out in a moment of panic, immediately regretting it.

At this moment, the fire snake that had been approaching stopped and slowly retreated.

Zhou Ming initially planned to kill these three guys, and didn't intend to waste time with unnecessary talk.

However, the bald man was clearly familiar with Zhou Ming's methods, and unlike the two guys next to him who were shouting for an immortal to kneel on the ground, he must have had contact with other people.

So they didn't kill him immediately, and unexpectedly they actually got some information out of him.

"Doing business with the Japanese? That's not exactly a secret, is it?" Zhou Ming said, his eyes gleaming.

“It’s not about doing normal business, but the goods that our leader and the Japanese are transporting are hidden among the goods that are normally exported. It’s obviously smuggling.” The bald man gritted his teeth, thinking that he might as well just confess everything since he might as well tell the truth.

"Japanese smuggling? Arms and mineral resources wouldn't be needed by a mere Green Gang leader, and since they're being shipped out, it can only be those national treasures and antiques!" Zhou Ming immediately thought of one possibility.

"Tell me carefully!"

"Yes Yes…"

After asking them all, Zhou Ming looked at the three who were clearly relieved and suddenly smiled!

"boom!"

The three coiled fire serpents suddenly lunged at the three people's heads, encasing them tightly like sacks.

"Ahhh, you broke your promise..." A scream suddenly came from the bald man's mouth.

Its violent struggles were restrained by the flames, and it soon fell silent.

"Hmph, I don't keep my word with people like you!" Zhou Ming snorted coldly, raised the lotus lantern, and gently blew it forward.

More Qi and fire erupted, spiraling around the three corpses and rapidly burning them in a high-pressure environment.

In no time at all, it was burned to nothing but broken bones.

"My current strength should be equivalent to a high-powered rifle, right?" Zhou Ming released his hand, and the illusory lotus lamp turned into wisps of energy.

The flames and fire serpents also dissipated, turning into wisps of spiritual light that flew back.

After leaving the alley, I found the starting point of the mnemonic the principal had given me before graduation, and then followed the mnemonic.

Finally, we stopped in front of a small hotel with the four large characters "Yunshan Hotel" written on it.

After entering, he went to the front desk, placed a specially made silver coin on the counter, and said, "One person."

Behind the counter was a man in his forties, wearing a long gown, with a somewhat sinister face.

The moment Zhou Ming saw him, the flame in the illusory lotus lamp in his heart burst slightly.

This middle-aged man is like me, and extremely dangerous.

"There's only one guest! If you don't mind, you can go to the top floor, room 031." The middle-aged man placed a key on the table with his slightly bluish hand.

Zhou Ming nodded slightly, took out a handkerchief, and took the keys.

The middle-aged man watched Zhou Ming's retreating figure and smiled slightly.

"Good! Cautious enough." He nodded slightly to himself.

Upon arriving at room 031 on the top floor, Zhou Ming took out his key and opened the door, immediately seeing four people.

The four people opposite Zhou Ming were also watching him. The one on the left, wearing glasses, looked like a schoolteacher and stared at Zhou Ming with a somewhat indifferent expression.

The two on the right are of different heights; the taller one is slender, while the shorter one is very robust, making them look quite unique.

Behind the desk directly opposite, sat a burly man with leopard-like eyes and a dark face.

The term "leopard eye" actually refers to eyes with relatively small pupils and rounder shapes. When the eyes are open normally, a ring of white can be seen surrounding the pupil.

Such a face is extremely fierce, with a strong aura of menace. Even a timid person would be terrified at the mere sight of it.

Chapter 3: The Wonderful Use of the Concept of Data

"Your breathing is steady and without fluctuation; you have good courage," the dark-faced, burly man said with a satisfied nod.

"Senior, this junior, Zhou Ming, has come to report for duty," Zhou Ming said as he stepped forward and stood up.

"How have you been lately, Mr. Liu?" the burly man asked with a smile.

“Principal Liu is still in relatively good health, but he drinks quite frequently, and we can’t stop him no matter what we do,” Zhou Ming said after thinking for a moment.

Mr. Liu is the old man Zhou Ming met. He runs an academy for extraordinary people, specifically to train independent cultivators like Zhou Ming. His only requirement is to serve the country and revitalize the nation.

Zhou Ming originally knew nothing about Qi, and it was only after three years at this school that he gained a qualified foundation. How could he not repay such a great kindness?

Moreover, Zhou Ming himself was a proponent of revenge, so he took the initiative to come to Shanghai in 37.

"Haha! Old Mr. Liu is still the same as before, a heavy drinker." The burly man said with a smile.

“Zhou Ming, since you were introduced by Mr. Liu, let’s keep things simple and you can start working right away.”

"My name is Wan Baoming. I am a weapon refiner and the leader of the special operations team."

"Team leader, Zhou Ming reporting for duty," Zhou Ming said, straightening up.

Wan Baoming smiled and glanced at the materials in his hand.

Zhou Ming entered the school in 1934. He possesses the innate superpower of "Beacon of Light," a fire-related ability. He also has a strong learning ability and has learned five types of perception and exploration techniques over the past three years.

As someone born with extraordinary abilities, this learning capacity is indeed extremely strong.

"Alright, I don't have that many rules here." Wan Baoming waved his hand and said, "Although the special operations team is subordinate to the Shanghai Special Service Department, it's only in name. No one can control anyone else. They just borrow personnel from each other."

Zhou Ming breathed a slight sigh of relief. Although the Special Service Department was not as infamous as the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Zhongtong), it was definitely not a good place.

After reviewing all the materials, Wan Baoming stood up and walked out from the side.

"Come with me now," Wan Baoming said, patting Zhou Ming on the shoulder.

Zhou Ming followed Wan Baoming and left the hotel directly. They walked through several alleys and streets and arrived at the headquarters of the Special Service Department.

One of the buildings belonged to the special operations team. After completing all the onboarding procedures with the team leader and receiving his dormitory, identification, and weapons, Zhou Ming arrived at an office.

Looking at the certificate in his hand, the word "Captain" caught his eye, and Zhou Ming couldn't help but think to himself, "The bald guy really goes all out. This treatment is even better than those Huangpu graduates without any background."

In other words, the special operations team has a small number of people. Even in a large region like Shanghai, there are only eight people. Including Zhou Ming, there are only nine people. Only with such high treatment can there be no problems.

At that moment, a piece of paper was handed to Zhou Ming. After taking it, Zhou Ming asked with some confusion, "What is this?"

"As for the new employee benefits, official positions are all meaningless to us; what really matters is what's above us," Wan Baoming said softly.

Zhou Ming reached out and picked up the paper, his expression changing slightly.

Wan Baoming saw all this, chuckled, and said, "You can choose one. You can continue to exchange for it after you make a contribution. If you make a great contribution, I have another list."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ming's eyes lit up. There were several excellent cultivation techniques on the list, far more advanced than those he had learned in school.

After reviewing the techniques, Zhou Ming chose the most suitable one based on his own situation.

"Liu's Iron Shirt, that's it," Zhou Ming said.

“You have a strong learning ability and should be able to learn this technique.” As Wan Baoming spoke, he took out a thick manual from his pocket.

"This is a handwritten copy; keep it safe for yourself."

"Yes!"

"I'm giving you half a day off today. You'll officially start work tomorrow," Wan Baoming said.

Zhou Ming took the handwritten copy and left the office. He bought some daily necessities and returned to his dormitory to start packing.

After tidying up, Zhou Ming lay down on the bed and looked at the scenery by the window.

"In five or six months, the war will begin. I need to use my cheat ability to become stronger as soon as possible." Zhou Ming slowly closed his eyes.

Looking inward into the depths of my mind, four orbs of light appeared in my perception, one transparent and three opaque.

“The transparent one is the Lantern Continent mini-game, and I roughly know the other three.” Zhou Ming looked at the three opaque orbs of light.

"Clash Royale, Genshin Impact, and Honor of Kings—no wonder these three orbs are impossible to explore; they are completely different in size."

Zhou Ming looked at the transparent sphere of light, and his consciousness instantly merged into it.

The next moment, Zhou Ming stood in a dimly lit campsite, with a lotus lantern floating beside him, a campfire nearby, and four staff lanterns at the four corners.

The campsite beneath our feet, the disc formed by the minimap data, and the underground river are all data concepts formed from the original game data.

These data concepts each have their own characteristics. For example, the lotus lantern in one's hand is eternally lit, and its effect can only be brought into play when combined with actual power.

Zhou Ming glanced at the warm campfire, regained his strength, dispelled the darkness to form a protective circle, and possessed multiple abilities.

“Strong capabilities also mean massive amounts of data, which ordinary forces simply cannot integrate.” Zhou Ming shook his head slightly, as he was not yet able to integrate this data concept.