Sleeping Dogs is one of my favorite games ever and I've been playing it on and off for a few years. I got the idea for this story after finding the 3rd Zodiac statue in my first playthrough. The moves that Master Kwok teach you seem too damn dangerous to practice on actual humans especially humans who were supposed to be his students. Some of the moves unlocked should have seriously injured most of them and killed the rest! XD So this is just a short little arrangement of words describing an experience involving Kwok's students, an OC named Min Lee, and of course the legendary Wei Shen.
Enjoy~
Min Lee knew that he was in for trouble when he walked into class and saw Wei Shen placing a Zodiac statuette on Sifu Kwok's shelf. His master and the other students were no where in sight and Lee's heart began to sink. Kwok was likely in his office getting ready for today's lesson, but every one else, —his peers, his supposed friends— where the fuck were they! Just as he peeped Shen, who apparently had not noticed his arrival, Lee received a text from one of his so called "friends" who was also a student of Henry Kwok's Dojo.
Who's also supposed to be here warming up for the lesson and equalizing the ass whooping now that this thug found another statue, Lee thought bitterly.
"Don't go to class today!" The text read. "Han says that he found another one!"
He cursed, wondering why Liu would give him the message now of all times, then he realized that it was sent about nine hours ago around midnight. He really wished that he received the text a little earlier —clearly everyone else had. If he hadn't turned off his phone last night he might have got the message in time.
Min Lee slowly back-tracked, trying to step out as casually as possible without being noticed.
"Hey, man what's up? Where you headed?"
Wei spoke in his perfect American accent, present only due to his upbringing in California. He was completely oblivious to Lee's small grasp on the English language. Yea, Lee took some English classes in school and could understand a small amount, but Wei spoke English as if it was his first language even though he was born and spent most of his childhood in China. The smirk on his face as Lee tried to respond was infuriating. Lee thought it was because of his clear inability to speak English, but Wei was laughing at his cowardly move to sneak out of the dojo. Even more infuriating for Lee was knowing that he could do nothing about the smugness emanating from Wei Shen as the man calmly walked over to the door and nonchalantly held it open for him.
Wei was wearing a very expensive suit and watch. His designer shades were hanging in the pocket of his suit jacket and he seemed, more professional than usual. The last time he was in the dojo he was wearing a grimy grey tank top and someone else's blood.
"See something you like?" Wei asked in response to Min Lee's lost, somewhat envious stare. Pride overtook Lee and he managed to say the only English word that he knew very well, "No." Then he walked to the bathroom to calm his nerves and get as far away from Wei Shen as he could before his temper got the best of him.
Min Lee knew better than to outwardly disrespect Sifu Kwok's former student for a number of reasons. Besides the fact that Henry Kwok frowned upon disrespect in general, Lee had a feeling that flicking a sharp tongue at his Master's alumni would attract a far more severe punishment from his teacher if not a swift ass-kicking from Shen altogether. That said, Master Kwok didn't really need to defend Wei.
Shen could fight off 20 men and still retain enough energy to laugh his ass off at the fact that nearly two dozen men fell to him in one sitting. Lee actually witnessed such a scenario just a few months ago when Wei Shen delivered Sifu Kwok's Zodiac statue of the snake. No one dared question why Wei's tank top was covered in blood when he came in, especially since no one could see a single cut or bruise where the blood dried. If it was even possible, everyone was infinitely less inquisitive when Wei single handed-ly defeated the entire senior grade of Kwok's school in five short minutes.
Some time after that particular visit, a Korean tourist named Jun Pyo who was a guest of the dojo when Wei brought in a dragon statuette, openly challenged him to a fight after noticing how reluctant everyone else was to get into position for "Wei's training session." The poor man could not speak a lick of Cantonese so no one could really warn him that such a bout was not within the man's best interests if he actually valued living. Unfortunately for Jun Pyo, Sifu Kwok was the only man that day who was capable of warning him about his stupid decision, because he was the only China-man in the dojo who was fluent in Korean, but Kwok seemed to suffer from a spontaneous and very severe case of in-cognizance when it came to teaching Wei something that he didn't know.
Even if it meant that his students and guests would become the living, breathing mediums through which Wei would demonstrate his fighting prowess and his amazing ability to master techniques that he supposedly didn't know before hand, Kwok was always happy to teach his former delinquent of a student and spare some visits to the hospital for the punching bags. He smiled his usual nostalgic smile and encouraged the match instead of acknowledging how much danger Jun Pyo was in considering the fact that challenging someone was not the same as training —Wei had no reason to hold back because of this.
Jun Pyo was a really skinny guy who claimed 23 years but looked more like an awkward teen. He thought himself adept in Tae Kwon Do, so much so that he was completely blind to the fact that he was challenging a man who could not care less about whether or not his opponent walked away after the fight even if it was just supposed to be a friendly spar.
For Wei Shen, the challenge seemed personal because the ass-kicking he delivered to the unfortunate Korean man that day served as a lesson to everyone in that training room whether Wei meant for it or not.
Needless to say, Jun Pyo never returned to the dojo a second time, mostly due to the fact that he was physically incapable of doing so; both his arms and his left leg were broken within minutes of the fight. Those were just the visible injuries so it was safe to assume that Jun Pyo wouldn't come back even if he could. Kwok scolded Wei for being so rough with his guest and everyone was equally as exasperated at their Sifu's lack of foresight in the situation as they were surprised at the humility and regret in the gangster's tone when he bowed and apologized to both Kwok and Jun Pyo.
Though everyone felt for Jun Pyo, they could not help being grateful that his injuries we're the very reason no one else suffered more than several horribly painful bruises after a fight with Wei Shen since then. Though all of Henry Kwok's students saw Wei as a ruthless gangster, they could not deny the respect he clearly held for his former instructor seen in his great effort to pull his punches and limit his strength in every fight so as not to accidentally maim any student of the dojo.
Sifu Kwok refused to confirm the rumors that Shen was a high-roller in the Son On Yee, a horribly dangerous Triad gang that ruled Hong Kong behind the scenes. Wei Shen had the look and the brutality which fit the profile of "deadly gangster" so perfectly that his contradictory easy-going, joking attitude made him even scarier rather than reassuring.
Wei Shen was tall, muscled and ridiculously skilled in martial arts. Tattoos of dragons and other things adorned part of his arms torso and back. His eyes were dark as night and so perceptive as if they could see through anything, but appreciate nothing; they carried no warmth even when he laughed. He was like a dead man with flashy flesh and plastic smiles. Before meeting Wei Shen, Min Lee could honestly say that he had never been so relieved about his lack of status in the Martial Arts class.
"No Black Belt, no black eye," became a frequent saying among the students and men who once bragged about their belts now called in sick when ever they suspected Wei's arrival to class, because the man will only fight the highest level of opponents available.
But if no one showed today, the fact that Lee was not a Black Belt would do little to save him from becoming fodder.
Min Lee walked out of the bathroom to find the main room empty. For a second, he allowed himself the luxury of hope that maybe Shen had some dangerous Triad business to take care of and he left the dojo.
"And maybe he will get arrested... or die!"
Just as the notion presented itself, a closed fist rushed past Lee's face, purposefully missing his jaw but still managing to cause an ache since a panicked Lee flinched and clenched his teeth expecting a devastating blow. Wei laughed, doubling over as if it was the funniest thing in the world and Lee lost his patience, saying heatedly in Cantonese, "Fuck you, Wei!"
"Woah, woah!" He replied, though the insult did nothing to derail his childish laughter. "I'm sorry," he said this time in his supposed native tongue. "I didn't mean to offend you." The language sounded so foreign coming from his lips, as if an inexperienced American truly was speaking it.
"Do not mock me with your lazy tongue, Wei," said Lee indignantly as he made up his mind for the day. Fuck class, fuck training and fuck the dojo! Lee was leaving!
"Aw come on! Where are you going?"
"I am leaving and I don't owe you any explanations!"
"But you do owe me one." Sifu Kwok spoke as he walked out of his office to see what the fuss was about. He saw Wei and nodded appreciatively. After all, Shen only visited when he managed to find one of his former Master's statues —statues which Kwok said was stolen by another former student of his who also went down the path of crime and joined the triads. Lee just had to wonder why his master's past students had to make the present a living hell for the rest of them.
"Wei! I am most delighted to see you! Which is it today?"
Wei bowed respectfully and walked over to the shelves on which he had so far placed 8 Chinese Zodiac statues, his most recent addition being the dog.
"Ah the dog! My favorite of the collection!."
Lee couldn't help but notice that Kwok had said the very same thing seven other times, and if Wei noticed he surely didn't say anything.
"Man, I tell you! You wouldn't believe where I found some of these things, Sifu."
Master Kwok tossed an arm over Wei's shoulder. "Why not tell me of your adventures in my office?"
In a hesitant voice, Wei responded, "Ah, I wish I could but . . .," and Kwok seemed to understand immediately, but it was only Lee who noticed the spots of red on Wei's white cuffed sleeves just barely hiding beneath the black of his suit jacket's sleeve.
"Ah," said the Master. " I had hoped that you might have escaped Hong Kong. Its influences. Its problems."
They shared an awkward and slightly melancholic silence before Sifu Kwok simply smiled, completely dropping the matter all together and offered Wei his free lesson, as was custom for the past few months.
"Lee!" He shouted in earnest, seeming to snap out of his poorly hidden sadness. "You get dressed and warm up for today's lesson!"
"But, Master—"
"No buts! You think that you can avoid training just because your classmates are not here?"
Lee sighed and walked toward the locker room. I fucking HATE Wei Shen.