Chapter 3:
The Prodigal Son
The room was dark, the only light being the lamp that hung above the table. Across the table sat a rough American. He wore dull clothes, his jeans were torn and his leather jacket seemed like it had seen many years on the street. The American rubbed his stubble, he was tired but that didn't stop him from remaining stubborn. His eyes held a lazy stare, one eye was blackened by a fist a few hours before.
Lei Wu-long was irritated. This scumbag resisted arrest and Lei was almost shot. At this point Lei had lost any patience he previously owned. He dropped a gun in front of the suspect.
"Since when did dock workers carry guns?" Lei asked.
The man remained silent. Lei sighed and sipped his coffee.
"That ship wasn't on any records. Where did it go?"
"Bring me my lawyer." The American ordered.
"I'm not gonna take any shit from you. Answer the question."
"I won't talk until my lawyer's here." The American remained stubborn.
"Who's your lawyer?" Lei asked.
"I represent myself."
Lei stood and hit the table with his fist.
"Look you piece of shit, if you don't speak straight I'm gonna ram that gun down your throat!" Lei was angry.
"How can you do that when you're dead?" The man grabbed the gun and aimed it at Lei. Lei smiled. Unbelievable.
CLICK!
"What the-?"
Lei leapt on the table and whip-kicked the American in the jaw. The American was knocked to the floor. Obviously Lei didn't hit him too hard. Lei jumped down and wrapped his forearms around the American's neck.
"Gyak! You mother fucker! I know my rights!"
"You can think about your rights when you're dead." Lei said. "Who's your employer?"
"OK, OK, some guy in Hong Kong, Triad boss. Red Triangle or something"
"What's his name?"
The American coughed. Lei squeezed harder.
"Stop, wait... his name? I don't know, honest!" The American's voice seemed to hold truth. Lei let him go. The American lay on the floor, catching his breath.
Hong Kong. Lei walked to the door.
"You'll be hearing from my lawyer!" The American yelled.
Lei chuckled. You have to be rough with some people, sometimes it's the only way.
***
"Your payment is overdue." Liu said. "You should pay up."
"We don't have enough money..." Said Xu.
Liu looked displeased. "We have orders to trash the place up."
The three Triad members started upturning tables, breaking stools and smashing dishes.
"Please, stop!" Xu cried.
"Leave us alone you bully!" Li ran at Liu. A Triad member pushed Li to the floor, he drew a knife.
"NO! I don't want them hurt." Liu ordered.
The punk growled and put his knife away. Li whimpered on the floor.
"If only I was stronger..."
"Alright, that should do it." Liu told the others to stop trashing the restaurant. "Xu, pay up and we'll leave."
"I told you, we don't have the money... Please, we don't want any trouble..."
Liu's face went grim. "Well, I have no choice then. Take down the sign!"
"Not the sign!" Xu cried. "If you break my sign, I don't have a business..."
A Triad member took down the wooden sign with the words "Xiang noodle bar. The best noodles in town!" written in Chinese calligraphy. The punk threw the sign at Li who extended his hands and legs to catch it. Liu ran towards Li, jumped up and axe-kicked the sign in half. Xu ran to Li and held him.
"Xu... I didn't want to do this..." Liu said.
"You're a monster!" Xu said.
"...Let's go." The Triad swaggered out of the restaurant. At the entrance Liu looked back at Xu and Li who sat on the floor. Why at times like this do the good suffer? Liu turned away and left.
Xu held Li tightly. She sobbed into Li's shirt.
"I wish Lee and Law were here." Li said. "Lee would've stopped this."
***
Law and Lee sat in the crowd. Boring, thought Lee. Forest is good, but it's so boring. I wonder how Li and Xu are doing...
***
Zei-mu punched and kicked the sandbag. This particular sandbag wasn't filled with sand. What Zei-mu's fist struck was metal shards. Zei-mu spent all his life training in martial arts. At twenty-six he started traveling the world, determined to prove his Northern Triad Kung-fu the best.
A bald man opened the door.
"Sonny! It's good to have you home."
Zei-mu stopped striking the bag. He turned towards his father.
"You're so grim, what happened?" His father asked.
"Father, as a Dragon Head you should know how over three hundred fights and the hardship of living could change a man." Zei-mu answered. "I can remember the last twenty-seven years perfectly. The days starving, the time I almost died of thirst in the Sahara desert, the time I killed eight Westerners in the prison showers of Russia. I have seen more in my life time than most men."
Zei-mu turned back to the metal-filled bag and started striking it again. It was true, Zei-mu was a happy-go-lucky child no more. His soul was hardened.
"How about you show me how much your Northern Triad Kung-fu has improved?"
Zei-mu stopped striking the bag.
"How?"
The Prodigal Son
The room was dark, the only light being the lamp that hung above the table. Across the table sat a rough American. He wore dull clothes, his jeans were torn and his leather jacket seemed like it had seen many years on the street. The American rubbed his stubble, he was tired but that didn't stop him from remaining stubborn. His eyes held a lazy stare, one eye was blackened by a fist a few hours before.
Lei Wu-long was irritated. This scumbag resisted arrest and Lei was almost shot. At this point Lei had lost any patience he previously owned. He dropped a gun in front of the suspect.
"Since when did dock workers carry guns?" Lei asked.
The man remained silent. Lei sighed and sipped his coffee.
"That ship wasn't on any records. Where did it go?"
"Bring me my lawyer." The American ordered.
"I'm not gonna take any shit from you. Answer the question."
"I won't talk until my lawyer's here." The American remained stubborn.
"Who's your lawyer?" Lei asked.
"I represent myself."
Lei stood and hit the table with his fist.
"Look you piece of shit, if you don't speak straight I'm gonna ram that gun down your throat!" Lei was angry.
"How can you do that when you're dead?" The man grabbed the gun and aimed it at Lei. Lei smiled. Unbelievable.
CLICK!
"What the-?"
Lei leapt on the table and whip-kicked the American in the jaw. The American was knocked to the floor. Obviously Lei didn't hit him too hard. Lei jumped down and wrapped his forearms around the American's neck.
"Gyak! You mother fucker! I know my rights!"
"You can think about your rights when you're dead." Lei said. "Who's your employer?"
"OK, OK, some guy in Hong Kong, Triad boss. Red Triangle or something"
"What's his name?"
The American coughed. Lei squeezed harder.
"Stop, wait... his name? I don't know, honest!" The American's voice seemed to hold truth. Lei let him go. The American lay on the floor, catching his breath.
Hong Kong. Lei walked to the door.
"You'll be hearing from my lawyer!" The American yelled.
Lei chuckled. You have to be rough with some people, sometimes it's the only way.
***
"Your payment is overdue." Liu said. "You should pay up."
"We don't have enough money..." Said Xu.
Liu looked displeased. "We have orders to trash the place up."
The three Triad members started upturning tables, breaking stools and smashing dishes.
"Please, stop!" Xu cried.
"Leave us alone you bully!" Li ran at Liu. A Triad member pushed Li to the floor, he drew a knife.
"NO! I don't want them hurt." Liu ordered.
The punk growled and put his knife away. Li whimpered on the floor.
"If only I was stronger..."
"Alright, that should do it." Liu told the others to stop trashing the restaurant. "Xu, pay up and we'll leave."
"I told you, we don't have the money... Please, we don't want any trouble..."
Liu's face went grim. "Well, I have no choice then. Take down the sign!"
"Not the sign!" Xu cried. "If you break my sign, I don't have a business..."
A Triad member took down the wooden sign with the words "Xiang noodle bar. The best noodles in town!" written in Chinese calligraphy. The punk threw the sign at Li who extended his hands and legs to catch it. Liu ran towards Li, jumped up and axe-kicked the sign in half. Xu ran to Li and held him.
"Xu... I didn't want to do this..." Liu said.
"You're a monster!" Xu said.
"...Let's go." The Triad swaggered out of the restaurant. At the entrance Liu looked back at Xu and Li who sat on the floor. Why at times like this do the good suffer? Liu turned away and left.
Xu held Li tightly. She sobbed into Li's shirt.
"I wish Lee and Law were here." Li said. "Lee would've stopped this."
***
Law and Lee sat in the crowd. Boring, thought Lee. Forest is good, but it's so boring. I wonder how Li and Xu are doing...
***
Zei-mu punched and kicked the sandbag. This particular sandbag wasn't filled with sand. What Zei-mu's fist struck was metal shards. Zei-mu spent all his life training in martial arts. At twenty-six he started traveling the world, determined to prove his Northern Triad Kung-fu the best.
A bald man opened the door.
"Sonny! It's good to have you home."
Zei-mu stopped striking the bag. He turned towards his father.
"You're so grim, what happened?" His father asked.
"Father, as a Dragon Head you should know how over three hundred fights and the hardship of living could change a man." Zei-mu answered. "I can remember the last twenty-seven years perfectly. The days starving, the time I almost died of thirst in the Sahara desert, the time I killed eight Westerners in the prison showers of Russia. I have seen more in my life time than most men."
Zei-mu turned back to the metal-filled bag and started striking it again. It was true, Zei-mu was a happy-go-lucky child no more. His soul was hardened.
"How about you show me how much your Northern Triad Kung-fu has improved?"
Zei-mu stopped striking the bag.
"How?"