Boss Chow

Prologue

Will Chow was coming to China. After living a moderately normal life in New Zealand, he received a letter to join his father at his workplace where he will make lots of money. At sixteen years old, Will Chow accepted the invitation and set off for the airport. After being at some state single-sex boys' secondary school for three and a half years, he set off for his native country. Despite being raised in a democratic society, he needed to act like a communist. His friends, CJ and Jose were also being considered for transfer but not for now. Will sat on the common airplane thinking that he was going to get some kind of high paying desk job. Boy was he wrong.

Act I

Will's glasses and cheap suit said it all. He was a nerd, but the people in China didn't think so. He was just like all the rest. He was one of them now he thought but he thought wrong. A man with sunglasses and an expensive tan suit held up a sign saying Will Chow. Nobody stood beside him, instead they stood neatly on either side of him, silent. When Will Chow got off the plane, he was surprised to see that his father and his company had so much power over society. Will went with the man with the sign as the spectators gasped and whispered to each other. Will was confused but he just went along with it. As the two made their way through the dense Chinese crowd, people moved out of their way. There was one person however, who was on his cell phone and looking the other way, not realising the two obvious VIPs coming his way. The bodyguard stopped but Will decided just to go around the guy. The bodyguard stopped Will suddenly and gestured him back. Will agreed but was only further confused. The bodyguard tapped on the cell phone guy's shoulder. He looked around and saw that he was alone, and then he looked back to see the two VIPs. The cell phone man nearly fainted. He yelled out a cry of fear, dropping his iPhone 6S Plus with a knock off brand case. The man got down on his knees and said in perfect Chinese "Please, don't kill me. I know I have dishonoured you but I want to live. My wife and I-". The man's sentence was stopped when the bodyguard pulled out his silver plated QSZ-92 pistol and shot the man in the head. It was over almost instantly and the bodyguard led the shocked Will to the exit. The cell phone man's brains were all over the shiny airport floor. Blood gushed out quickly and almost instantly, the janitors and sanitation workers came to the rescue. The mopped up the blood and wrapped the body up in plastic. It was over in thirty seconds and the airport continued to function as normal. Will turned his head back to the front when he saw the carbon black limousine parked in front of him. They got in.

Act II

The drive took a while but that was to be expected. It was China after all. After two hours of driving, the limousine parked in front of a large, old warehouse building. Will didn't want to be let down now, and he wasn't. He saw a group of extremely attractive ladies walk through the front door in skimpy outfits. They almost looked like prostitutes. The bodyguard led Will in after. Will looked around at the security. There were almost thirty guards around the building - all with QBZ-95 Bullpup Assault Rifles or LSWs. Will was amazed, but when he got in he almost had a heart attack. Money, girls and drugs were all that covered the insides. There was a large floor area with luxury furniture placed across it and at the far end was a flight of stairs leading to an observation deck. Down those stairs came Will's father. He was a fit guy. Sort of. Above average in size and muscle and with gold chains and an army haircut, he smoked a Cuban cigar as he walked slowly down the stairs in style. Now this was badass. In his double holsters were gold plated Desert Eagles. Will did not expect this. "Hello, Son!" Will's father greeted him. He was in his early fifties but with short black hair and a totally badass look. He put the cigar down and said "Welcome... to my business! They call me Boss Man!" And he was. He was the total boss. The surprised Will greeted him and asked "What do you do?" Unashamed, Boss Man said "Drugs, prostitution and guns! This will be your life now! You are now part of the largest drug exporter, prostitution ring and organised crime family in all of Guangzhou!" Will's eyes grew larger. "Seriously?" he asked to which his father replied "Come. I'll show you." He led Will out of the building and to one opposite. Bodyguards followed them the whole time. They entered the new building and it was dark. Really dark. There was a man bound by ropes and tied to an upright bed in the middle of the room. He was bound and gagged. And naked. Boss Man walked around his and said to Will "We caught this man trying to steal some zotik from our stores." A confused Will asked "Zotik?" to which his father replied "It's a very powerful, addicting but amazing Chinese version of Cocaine. It is at least forty times as strong. It makes you higher than when you eat dried clitorises." Will wasn't even going to ask again. His dad yelled some words in Chinese and two mercenaries rolled out what looked his a futuristic printer. Only this was no printer. "This is a 5000mw x-ray laser. It blasts a beam so strong it can damage your organs before the skin. Take this man for example. We are literally going to fry his balls from the inside out." The tied up man jerked his head up and yelled quickly in Chinese "NO! NOT MY BALL-SACK! IT IS PRECIOUS ORGAN!" Now this was the fun part.

Act III

Boss Man let the mercenaries set up the laser while he taunted the tied up man. He laughed and put out his cigar on him. When the laser was ready, Boss Man went over to it and so did Will. They both put safety glasses on. Will was surprised when his father told him to take control of the laser. Will reluctantly agreed but he was nonetheless excited. The aiming laser pointer switched on and Will guided the dot onto the tied up man's scrotum. Now came the easy part. He squeezed the trigger and suddenly a green beam emitted from the machine. The tied up man cried in agony as his nuts were fried while still in his sack. He will never have children again, but if he did they would probably have seven eyes and their nose and genitals in the opposite places. Boss Man laughed and encouraged Will to keep going. After the nuts were fried and dried, the scrotum caught fire. The man yelled relentlessly as his sack burnt to ashes. The laser soon powered off and Will stood still. And smiled. He and his dad laughed non-stop. This was probably the best day of his life. But it got even better. Down came the QBZ LSW. It was a Chinese Machine Gun. Will liked dessert. Especially when it destroys the main course. As he shot the man full of holes, he realised that he loved inflicting pain onto others. He wanted to do drugs and fuck anyone he wanted. This was his new lifestyle. And he was never going to leave it.

Act IV

Will Chow lied on the bed covered in sweat. A glorious glowing smile spread across his face and he lied back. The three women took their clothes and walked out the door, each waving a friendly goodbye to him. "Thank you, again..." said Will from the bed. After a minute, he rolled over to get dressed. This was when his father walked in. "I assume you enjoyed your time with the lovely ladies?" The smile was still on Will's face "are you kidding? That was awesome." His father smiled with him "I'm glad you enjoyed their services. Now, let's move on to some business." Will followed his father downstairs, but not before putting the rest of his clothes on. Boss Man briefed him as they walked down. "One of our importers have become an increasingly disrupting problem. They are demanding more money from us and we have already agreed to pay them a generous amount. This importer company is small, so we can 'persuade' them easier. You see what I am getting at, yeah?" Will nodded and said "Yeah. So what's my role in all this?" Boss Man replied "You, Brute Man and a couple of thugs will be going over to their territory to 'solve the problem'. Don't worry. Brute Man will protect you. Think of this as an introduction to the Chinese drug business. Or just business in general in China." Brute man walked over to the two and uttered "Ready to move" in Chinese. Boss Man smiled and said to Will "this is your chance. Follow Brute Man and he will lead you to glory. Or in this case extortion. But the good kind of extortion. The kind in which you are the one extorting people." Will nodded and followed Brute Man over to the limousine. It was long, black and completely bulletproof. Something the Chinese don't have much of. A car like this was considered a luxury, but not for Boss Man, not with his fortune. Will got in the limousine along with several guards. He saw more guards get into a second limousine behind him. They were more than enough to get the job done. Maybe they were for his protection. As the limo started, Will rolled down the window to ask his father "Why aren't you coming?" to which Boss Man replied "It's your initiation."

Act V

The drive was surprisingly long, but Will should have expected that. It was China after all. After several hours of trying champagne and not enjoying it, the limo stopped and out stepped Brute Man, as tall and tough looking as ever. He wore a tan suit and dark shades. Very intimidating to anyone who glanced at him. Brute Man opened Will's door and he and the guards got out. Will tried to act as confident as he could. He was, but he needed others to see it. What was his father talking about? This 'initiation'? Will had an idea but it was not too great. At least not for the unfortunate souls involved on the other end of the barrel. Brute Man kicked down the front entrance of the building with ease. The building was painted in a dull yellow and grey. The receptionist/front security guard immediately stood up from his post only to have Brute Man's massive hand close around his neck. Brute Man lifted the unfortunate receptionist off his feet and smashed him into a wall, taking the entire wall down with him. Brute Man was no joke. He signalled for Will to follow as he moved deeper into the building. He didn't need a weapon. Just his fists. The first two security guards tried to stop him only to have their heads crushed into tiny bloody bits, literally. The other factory workers and guards all surrendered at the very sight of the hulking Brute Man. The squad moved on, into the management levels. To get they however, they had to take a cargo elevator up. This was no problem. Despite Brute Man weighing more than half of the squad combined, the elevator still functioned and they arose to management. Brute Man was told to solve this peacefully, but he could easily get so much more violent. As the cargo elevator arrived at its destination, the doors opened and the squad were faced by half a dozen men pointing Norinco Type 56s at them. The boss of the little import company a sat behind his desk in relative calmness. "Now we can sort this out, boys? Can't we? Let's all relax and have some herbal tea." One of Will's guards whispered to him "Boss Man wants you to talk to him. Threaten him." Will nodded and stepped forward and so did Brute Man. Will walked up to the desk of the importer boss and despite all his nervousness said "We would like you to continue working for us at your current pay rate or you will face dire consequences." Brute Man nodded, approving Will's statement. The importer boss replied "We are hiring from a dangerous sector of workers. It takes time and money to employ and import the product. You have to understand, right? If we continue working at this rate, we won't be making any profit!" Will was unconvinced. "You mean YOU won't make any profit. I know it's not about your employees. Look at them. Cheap, malnourished. I know people who would kill for this job and do it for half the pay. You even have fucking children working here, you sick fuck. So you know what I think? I think that the problem isn't with the employees. It's with the employer. And what do we do with problems?" Will's guards opened fire on the importer's guards, killing them all instantly. "That's right. We throw our problems off the roof." The importer boss knew that this was the end for him, but he wasn't going down without a fight.

Act VI

The importer boss reached under his desk for his replica golden Desert Eagle but was stopped when Brute Man smashed his fist straight into his arm. Will, standing straight said "Let's take this child-enslaving bitch up to the roof." The imported boss struggled and expelled his dictionary of Chinese curse words as Brute Man dragged him up the stairs and towards the roof. Will followed and was excited for his first company boss execution. The wind up here was strong, but that mattered little towards the importer boss's fate. "Hold him over the ledge, Brute Man. I want to say a few words to this punk before we impale him onto the rusty fence below." The importer boss cursed at Will "Fuck you, you fucking coward adolescent!" Brute Man did as he was told and held the importer boss over the side of the building. Will walked up to him, but just out of arms reach for safety. "I'm sorry, but looks like this is the end of the line for you. I'll have a new boss replace you. One that doesn't take all the profits for himself. Any last words?" The importer boss yelled "Fuck you and your whore mother. I hope you rot in hell!" along with a couple other Chinese swears before spitting at Will. The wind made sure that it didn't reach him. Will smiled. "Tough luck. On the account of working against the大-fuck happy shipping company's interests, I, Will of clan Chow sentence you to die." The importer man's facial expression changed drastically as he heard the name. "Wait, you're the Boss Man's son? You? I have to tell y-" Will didn't quite catch the last part of his sentence due to the sudden onset of falling-and-being-impaled-by-a-sharp-rusty-fence condition on the importer boss. Will walked to the edge and put his hand on his ear "What was that? I couldn't quite hear you over the sound of you being penetrated by your own gate." But down on the fence way below, the importer boss choked on his own blood. Still kicking. His last words were "Your company... they... are..." Will ignored this potentially very important warning and went back down with his guards. Brute Man and all of them got back in the limos and set off for home. This went well, but the dying message of the importer lingered around still. But Will's sudden wealth and luxurious lifestyle wasn't going to let that get in the way. Oh no. Will still had a lot to do. A lot of women to fuck. A lot of men to kill. And most importantly, a lot more money to make. He was never more sure of his life. And he kept thinking this throughout the entire ride home. What a life. What a lovely life.

Act VII

Will Chow looked over the edge of the Great Wall. It was a glorious sight to behold. The twisting stone paths and pillars surrounded by the great green hills. It may have been Will's first time seeing it, but the awe was not quite what he expected. The sun was setting. Tourists and guests stared to make for the exit. Brute Man stood behind Will, along with four other bodyguards. His pocket started to vibrate and Will took out his prototype iPhone 8s. He had spent his first few months in China in luxury, getting whatever he wanted. The only downside was the occasional tasks his father wanted him to do, and this call was most likely about another one. Will took out the phone and answered it. Sure enough, it was his dad. "Hey dad, new job?" His father on the other end replied "that is right. A shipment of the latest German assault rifles are arriving at the 长-Wang dock in three hours. I want you to represent me during the trade." "Got it" replied Will and he ended the call. "Brute Man, lets g-" Will's departure was interrupted by the sudden bursts of gunfire from the nearest tower. Boss Man drew his sub-machine gun instantly and so did the four bodyguards. They surrounded Will in a shield like formation. Will drew his own handgun and took cover by the edge. Machine-gun fire hailed from the eastern tower while a sniper fired from the further away western tower. Will's bodyguards dropped like flies. Bullets riddled their bodies and shredded their organs. Flesh and blood spat out of them and all over the stone floor, as well as covering Will with a red stain. This probably won't wash out. Will took cover behind the corpses as the last bodyguard fell, but not Brute Man. Brute Man kept standing. He felt no pain and was still filled with adrenaline. Taking down the eastern shooter, he gestured for Will to get behind him as they advanced towards the western tower. Blood seeped down from the tens of holes in Brute Man's body, but that didn't slow him down one bit. He concentrated fire on the sniper, regardless of how many .338 rounds he ate up. Coming back from the east, foot soldiers advanced towards them. Will and his trusty golden QSZ-92 pistol responded to them with semi-automatic fire. The custom laser sight and muzzle brake also helped dispatch one or two of them before Brute Man turned around for a mere three seconds, gunning them down. He returned to advance against the sniper cowering behind cover. Brute Man's SMG suppressed him, keeping the sniper from peeking out, all the way until Brute Man reached the tower.

Act VIII

Heavy footsteps echoed the stairs as Brute Man made his way to rip apart the doomed sniper while Will Chow waited at the base of the short tower. Brute Man saw the cowering fool whimpering in the corner with nowhere to hide. Brute Man smiled slightly, as much as you could call a smile like that, and made his way to the naughty man in the corner who had dropped his rifle. He raised both his hands in surrender. This was a good opportunity. Brute Man put his foot down hard against the man's crotch, pushing it against the wall, then he grabbed the arms up high and pulled. A horrific scream shattered the air as an armless man came flying down to the ground in front of Will's feet. The splintering crunch of bones breaking was amplified when Brute Man followed the man down. His massive weight obliterated the fallen foe and once again, Will Chow was covered with stomach. Organs and blood littered the stone floor around the two. They weren't gonna clean this mess up. But then again, they probably won't live to do so anyway. A small army of the same attackers came from either side. The spread of their bullets started to narrow as Brute Man took Will back in the tower. They were surrounded, and Brute Man could only kill so much. The two did a quick ammo count. It wasn't near enough to even take down a quarter of the advancing army. But maybe they didn't have to. Helicopter blade whirred in the distance, and the sound of minigun fire started to cut through the air. Then came the screaming. Will's phone vibrated again. This time it was a text. 'Climb up' it said. The two acknowledged it and they walked up the stairs to the top of the short tower. An attack helicopter started to descend and land. The pilot and gunners motioned for the two to get in and they did. Scampering onto the centre most seat, Will Chow finally stopped thinking about all they horrific ways he could die. The pilot yelled in Chinese "let's get out of here!" as they started to take off. The gunners painted the Great Wall red as they left the place in the dust. This was one landmark visit Will was never going to forget. "Why did they want to kill me?" Will shouted. The man sitting opposite him replied "lots of people want to kill us. The 大-Fuck Happy Shipping Company has a lot of enemies!" The man looked like an accountant of sorts. A grey suit, glasses, Chinese - the usual. "You were the one who sent me the text!" said Will. "That's right" the accountant replied "we'll take you straight to the trade with the Germans now. No time to waste!" That was true. Will got here via helicopter anyway. "Who the hell were those guys? And I want a straight answer this time!" he yelled. The accountant calmly responded "they were from the Blue-炸 Corporation. Mercenaries." "What for?!" "The ten million yen price tag on you!" This time, Will understood perfectly. He reloaded his handgun as they flew off for the trade.

Act IX

The sun had set. Darkness crept up as Will and his men stepped up to the docks. The helicopter gunners took Chinese Assault Rifles and followed Brute Man and Will Chow, the former of which received all the medical attention he could whilst upon the chopper. It was quiet as they marched onto the pier. A small black boat, no bigger than the chopper they came in, was docked there. Two Germans and a few crates of weapons were on it. They looked as if they were still unpacking. "You're early" one of them said in a heavy German accent. The accountant stepped up and replied in English "we seemed to have arrived earlier than we had anticipated." The German replied with a short "Hmph" as he continued to load the crates onto the creaking wooden pier. "Whose in charge here?" he asked. Will Chow stepped forward "That would be me." The German scrunched up his face. "You? You're a fucking kid. Looks like you Chinese aren't as smart as you think you are. Whatever. This is the trade: four crates of our premium German engineered weaponry for ten keys of your 'premium' powder. A confused look spread across Will's face but it was reassured when the accountant ordered his men in, bringing in ten kilograms of whatever Chinese powder they sell. The Germans inspected the packages, testing them, and smiled. "Good trade" they said as they took the packages and left the Chinese their weapons. "Good trade indeed" replied the accountant as the Germans got back in their tiny boat. Will knew what was going to happen. He never liked it, but he kept quiet anyway. As the Germans dug into their precious packages, the accountant held up a small device. A detonator. With zero emotion, he armed the explosive and detonated it. The powder packages exploded. The tiny German boat seemed to implode as the two crew members were sent flying out into the ocean, dismembered. The Chinese drugs powdered the ocean surface and the accountant turned his back. His men took the crated of weapons and loaded them onto the helicopter. Will admitted the explosion was pretty cool, but he never liked an unfair trade. Suddenly, a black SUV pulled up behind the helicopter and six men came out. "Will!" said lieutenant Zheng "we are glad you are alright." Then he turned to the accountant and his men "which division are you members from?" he asked in Chinese. "Purgatory" replied the accountant as the helicopter gunner opened fire on the SUV and the rest of his men finished off the survivors. "What the fuck?!" yelled Will as one of the guards put a rag over his mouth. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Brute Man getting tasered and knocked down.

Act X

The icy touch of freezing water streaked down Will's face. It dripped down past his ears and the rest splashed across the floor. His nose became sore and his lungs struggled as he choked. It wasn't until the rag was lifted from his face that he left the black void of drowning. "What the fuck?!" he coughed. One of the guards from the 'trade' smiled and put the rag back over his face. "No! n- Fucking no!" Even though all Will saw was black, he knew that the guard was still smiling, enjoying himself. His sore nose and throat intensified and so did the choking. "That's enough" came a voice from the black. Once again, Will was taken back from the darkness and was helped up although he was still handcuffed to the table. The guard waterboarding him sneered "here in China, our ways of torture are much worse. Your Western ways grant me little pleasure. You should be thankful you are Boss Man son." Soon, the accountant emerged from the darkness. He and his suit stepped up to Will. "I suppose you already figured out that we are not with your father." Will gave an angry look back. He responded with rage, and not the fear he should be. "What the fuck do you dickheads want?" The accountant circled him, but lacked the smile the rest had although Will knew his emotions all the same. "You see, Mr Chow, we are an exiled task force your father once established. Most of us are from the 77 Feng triad long ago, and now we are all that remain after your father took over and rebranded the triad his own. We are the pure, the elite... the most dangerous." Will's temper rose. "Skip the fucking history lesson. What the fuck do you want?!" The accountant chuckled under his breath. "It's not what we want. It's who we want. And guess what; it's not you." Will was actually moderately surprised by this. "Then why did you fucking waterboard me?!" "Oh is that what it is called? Stupid name for a stupid technique. Bring the man in" said the accountant, and two armed guards rolled in a heavily restrained Brute Man. "This big man here is our weapon. He will tear down 大-Fuck Happy Shipping Company from the inside." Will suddenly realised the accountant's master plan, and that there was no way to stop him.

Act XI

The accountant walked up to Brute Man, who tracked him with a silent, cold gaze. "Now Brute Man, there is something I would like to tell you about your employer. Something that can change the way you see this world." Brute Man sneered at him, his massive hands clenched into fists, teeth gritting so hard they were about to shatter. But he was helpless when the accountant continued his story of manipulation, this time in Chinese. "Do you remember that night when you were but a boy? Crawling out of an orange and red apartment? Do you remember the man who beat you down and slaughtered your dear mother? I can tell you the name of that murderer, that enemy of yours." Brute Man's anger dampened for a slight second as the accountant continued. "That man is Yong Chow." A great grin sneered across the accountants face while Brute Man became still. "That's right. Your Boss Man, your mother's murderer..." Brute Man looked back at the accountant, now with ferocious anger in his eyes. The accountant smiled like never before "Yes! Use that anger! Now unleash the beast..." The guards stepped back slightly as the vengeance driven accountant loosened the ropes and restraints on Brute Man. "Now go get 'em" he said in English. Will watched in silence as he witnessed the beginning of a betrayal that will overthrow an empire. Brute Man lumbered for the door. They were in a large shipping warehouse, surrounded by containers but few guards. Likely due to most of the triad defaulting to kneel by Yong Chow's side. Brute Man took one last look around before heading to the door. He grasped the rusted handle and yanked it off effortlessly. When the accountant realised his mistake it was too late. Brute Man had already thrown it so hard at a guard's head that it was lodged into his skull. With the loud crack of bone, Brute Man charged towards the helpless accountant. He grabbed the well-dressed man by the neck and lifted him up. "No! Please! I beg y-" were the last words that came out of the accountant's mouth before Brute Man thrusted his massive fist into the accountant's torso, grabbed his spine and yanked it and his skull right out via his stomach-hole. "I already know" Brute Man said to the blood gushing meat bag. The rest of the body provided a moderately effective bullet shield. Guards atop the shipping containers rained down fire while Brute Man threw the eviscerated corpse at them. It struck one of the guards with a thud and he fell to a bone splitting death. Brute Man was unstoppable. He leapt atop the containers and took out each guard one by one, tearing them limb from limb. Ripping off head by head, dick by dick. By the time he got around to freeing Will, the warehouse was in a bath of blood and agony. Brute Man snapped Will's handcuffs right off. "Let's go" he said in Chinese as he and Will walked out of the warehouse, but not before picking up a few weapons.

Act XII

The two sprayed down havoc outside. Gunfire and bullets filled the streets with triad blood in an orchestra of screams. They and their Norinco Type 56s unleashed Chinese Weapon Clone hell upon those who dared to stop them. Taking fire only seemed to make Brute Man stronger while wiping out the triad. Will took cover behind some crates while Brute Man showed his general lack of self-preservation, not that he needed any. There were more of those damn snipers on the rooftops. Lanterns and tattered flags covered the streets. Straw hat-wearing men riding bicycles rode across the pothole ridden roads and sped up upon hearing the firefight. What seemed to be the extent of the rogue 77-Feng Triad's forces surrounded them. Admittedly, it wasn't very much. Around ten triad members rushed them on the open road. One even tripped over a pothole. Brute Man made short work of them while Will took single shots from cover at the snipers. Eventually one of the shots landed and a man went screaming down. Will watched as he witnessed the sniper meet cement. The two were made for each other. Brute Man rushed over to his body and picked up the NDM-86 Sniper Rifle. Brute Man scoped in and fired a tight burst at the remaining sniper. The rifle was practically without recoil to him. As Will Chow fended off the rest, he regrouped with Brute Man and the two found themselves in an everyday Chinese street. Civilians ducked and screamed for cover, leaving their precious market shopping for the rapacious pickpockets that walk the streets. Brute Man would gun them down all the same. They walked further down the street, along with further reinforcements arriving. However many the 77-Feng Triad had, they surely would have depleted all of their members by now. They kept on firing as blood stained the grass beneath them. Will cried out as a bullet nicked his leg. He was glad Brute Man didn't seem to care. As the two demolished the left of the triad forces, Brute Man said to Will in Chinese "I know where we are. We are going back now." Will replied with the burning question "Hey, if you knew that Boss Man killed your mother, why didn't you do anything?" Brute Man looked back at Will and said in English "In time, Boss Man will get what is coming to him." As much as Will hated it, he understood. Boss Man continued "the downfall of 大-Fuck is inevitable. And so is the death of your father. When that happens is up to the gods." Will glanced back at him, feeling the cold, premonition like thought that the once mighty empire will fall. Maybe in a day, or not for another thirty years. One way or another, he didn't plan to wait for it.

Act XIII

Will Chow laid in his bed once again. Expensive Chinese silks surrounded him. His wounded leg was almost completely healed and everything seemed to be back to normal. He knew this wasn't the case, nor will it ever be. He had asked from his father his own personal guards unit to replace Brute Man. They mutually agreed on the exchange. Four of Yong Chow's most elite soldiers covered the door to his room. Having also requested a personal stockpile of weapons in paranoia, Will quietly observed the events happening outside his window. The 'old warehouse' Boss Man had set up base in was more like a fortress. Having more than doubled his security measures, Boss Chow really wanted peace of mind. They were now by far the number one biggest gang in the province. Will watched as down in the courtyard, several black cloaked warriors drew their swords and challenged one another to duels in the snow. They often ended with violent decapitation, even after several dismemberments. There was a short knock on Will's door before Boss Man came walking in. "I'm glad you understand the benefits of personal protection" he said while Will continue to watch the match below. "Ah I see you have been observing my master ninjas. These highly trained warriors are running a tournament to see who is the best. The winner gets to become part of my black guard." Will broke his silence for the first time in quite a while. "I think it's a waste. Why have one man guarding you when you could have had twenty?" Boss Man smiled. "It is a known tradition here, and who are we to break it? Besides, who said it was only men who drew swords?" This caught Will's attention. "In that case, I'd like to go see for myself. The window here is too blurry." Boss Man nodded, and Will Chow exited his room. His four heavily armed soldiers followed, and when Boss Man came with him, Will saw his current black guard. Three people in full plate black coloured armour, their genders untellable. They wielded more swords than guns. This was some next level Chinese security. The two went down the steel stairs. Boss Chow seemed to have redecorated the place since Will first arrived. There were more lanterns, more lights and a whole lot more wholesale Chinese made consumer electronics. And at the very end of the 'warehouse' was a Christmas tree, all lit up. Will didn't even notice the date. One of his guards opened the steel door to the courtyard and the frosty whiteness welcomed them. It was freezing compared to the warehouse. Will heard the clash of swords in the distance, and he went towards the sound of battle.

Act XIV

"Ya!" cried the female warrior as she swung her Chinese sword through the air. It made a quick swoosh before colliding with her opponents shorter, but heavier sword. The opponent grunted and swung back, lashing out a bit too much. The woman dodged his attack and sliced him from the side, drawing a small wave of blood. The man lashed out once again in adrenaline. Unfocused and fuelled by desperation, his moves started to falter. The woman struck again, and this time fatally. She drew her sword across the man's ankle and brought him to his knees before taking her sword and shoved it down vertically into the man's arched back. Finally, she grabbed her opponent's own sword and thrusted it horizontally through him, finishing him off for good. Boss Man smiled and applauded. He said to the woman in Chinese "Li Xiu Ying, you were very impressive. Getting better by each battle I see." The woman knelt before him in honour. Boss Man turned back to Will and said "she is my second-best student. I have complete faith in her and trust her with my life." Will noticed the woman's shiver when Boss Man mentioned 'second best'. This was definitely not something Will just wanted to let go of, and he asked immediately "is Brute Man the first?" Boss Man smiled and replied "Brute Man is strong in his own way, but he is not one of the black cloaks. The Black Cloaks rely on intelligence and fluidity, and as much as I love Brute Man, I must admit he does not possess either of those. Not to mention his complete lack of grace." The two smiled as Boss Man motioned for the woman to stand. "My best student is Arnold Miller. He came to us from America many, many years ago. I only recently became boss back then. Mr Miller is the man standing beside me." Will watched as one of Boss Man's black guard removed his steel helmet and revealed his blond hair, blue eyes and totally white face. It has been more than ages since Will had seen another white guy there. "I've been watching you, Will" he said. "If only you were with us sooner." Granted, Will wasn't bad at his sword training, but it was nothing exceptional. His gunplay on the other hand... "You are impressive with your firearms, but it is your swordplay I really want to see" continued Arnold. It was almost as if he was mocking him, but Will was always too prideful to back down from a challenge. "Let's go."

Act XV

Will, bound in black, felt the chill of the winter breeze against his crotch. This must have been what it felt like for the man who he testicle-lasered. His cloak blew in the wind, almost flying up and striking him in his face. Maybe his own cloak was more of a danger to himself than Boss Chow's number one student. But is wasn't Arnold that he was facing. It was a recruit. Will felt both relieved and kind of weak at the same time. "Your opponent can call himself a recruit if he can beat you. If not, well he'll be too dead to care anyway." Arnold and Boss Man chuckled. Will knew his father wouldn't put him in such danger, as per the three snipers all trained on the recruit in case he makes a 'right' move. Will drew his long sword. It was indeed heavy, like he had been taught, much heavier than the light Chinese swords he trained with. His opponent had nunchucks. Fucking nunchucks. Will felt a bit more self-confidence. Boss Man shouted come Chinese word and the match began. Will felt the pressure. Especially from the Chinese warrior chick watching him. Maybe his longs word wasn't his longest sword after all. As Will daydreamed about that very desirable chick, his fourteen year old opponent cried a shrieking loud war cry before running straight at Will. Suddenly in fear, Will quickly turned to face him but that fear only lasted for a few seconds as by turning around, Will 'accidently' moved his long sword right in the fourteen year olds war path. His long sword impaled the kid straight through the chest, so much so that the dying kid could close enough to make one last desperate swing of his shitty nunchucks, but as soon as he raised the weapon, his head exploded into a million bloody pieces. The three snipers had done their jobs well. Too well. And now Will can pin the death on them instead of living with the guilt that he just killed a kid three years younger than him. Both Boss Man and Arnold laughed warmly. "Excellent job, Will! I am so proud of you!" Will gave a bleak smile, a smile that would soon fade away completely. Two black SUVs pulled up at the main entrance. "Ah, that would be Brute Man, back from his mission!" said Boss Man as he made his way across the terrace. Yes. A terrace. Lots of redecorating had been done. It was a day just like any other, with the only exception being when Brute Man got out of the car and shot Boss Man straight in the chest.

Act XVI

The shot split through the air. Blood stained the white snow below, and soon fell a giant. Boss Man tipped backwards and followed his red stain with a thud. Will's cries were muted by the cacophony of gunfire that followed. All of the SUVs doors opened, and out stepped Brute Man's private forces. Boss Man's snipers and overlooks were quickly dispatched by the counter-snipers on the building opposite. Taking more than a multitude of bullets, Brute Man fired his dual wielded machine guns at the warehouse and its occupants. Boss Man's black guard stood no chance against the incoming sniper fire. Many guards drew their weapons and even fired upon each other, but this was most likely not due to accidental friendly fire. Arnold however proved to be a worth adversary when he literally dodged incoming gunfire and took cover by the car. Gunfire focused on him, and when he was finally gunned down by ten shooters after taking two down himself, Will froze like a statue. Bullets whizzed past him, almost as if they were intentionally missing him. Will's personal guard took cover behind the decorative plants and bushes while more guards rushed out from the warehouse only to be obliterated into pink mist. Bullets and guts decorated the white floor with a new red look. Brute Man and his forces advanced, and when he strode past Will, he looked him in his eyes, saying "the time has come" in Chinese. He advanced to the warehouse, decorating it with holes while the occupants inside screamed. Will fell to his knees before his still father. He couldn't believe all that just happened. Suddenly, Boss Man's lips moved slightly. He whispered to Will "are they gone?" Will gave a slight sigh of relief before informing his father of the snipers. "The cars in front of us, we'll take cover there" said Will. Boss Man's head moved "and then what, run for it? It's suicide, Will." The son panicked. The two were stuck, and there was no moving for them unless they too want to be another bullet bag. "My guard are gone, but yours are not. Give the order" affirmed Boss Man. Will nodded and gave the order. As soon as the injured guards peeked from cover and provided suppressing fire, Boss Man leapt to his feet and ran with Will back to the warehouse. Peeking around the corner of the warehouse was that warrior chick. Boss Man nodded to her and the three gathered around the warehouse in a breaching position. He drew his ancient engraved Chinese Officer's sword and smiled. Will was hardly fitting for this sort of operation. Nonetheless, Boss Man and Warrior Chinese Chick ran in with swords in hand.

Act XVII

There was no gunfire anymore. Just blades and blood. It seemed as if the overwhelming power of the attacking force had allowed the defenders to perish with honour. Cries of attack and death echoed the warehouse as Boss Man and Warrior Chick cut through Brute Man's forces like a cliché. Arms were sliced off, torsos were split and heads rolled. Will saw no resistance from the attackers. Maybe Brute Man actually made him an exception. Boss Man and his remaining ten or so loyal guards gathered in a circle, facing outwards. They faced overwhelming numbers and expected to suffer accordingly. The odds were suddenly all but tilted in their favour as the numbers piled up against them. Boss Man and co. attacked ruthlessly, but so did the opposing forces. Even outnumbered five to one, those who were loyal to Boss Man put up a good fight. He and Warrior Chick made mincemeat out of the enemies. The floor was now indistinguishable from a literal pool of blood. Organs and flesh added to the crimson soup, not that those lying face down actually wanted to drink it. Will's handgun was fully loaded, but now just didn't seem like the right time. He had it drawn, his father knew he had it drawn, and then, just when the forces were starting to even out, Boss Man yelled "Shoot! Shoot them all!!!" And Will did. He and his high-capacity magazine rained fire down upon the attackers as Boss Man and his forces fell to ground for cover. Now blood covered both the floors and the walls. As his handgun clicked empty, Brute Man stepped out from Boss Man's office only to see his fellow soldiers being finished off by the master swordsman himself. Boss Man didn't have a single scratch on him except for the bullet wound which he seemed to ignore completely, but the same couldn't be said for Warrior Chick or Brute Man, the former of which had multiple deep cuts and was bleeding heavily. She tried to catch her breath as she held herself up with her sword. Brute Man walked down the steps. "You slaughtered my men without honour. This grants me the right to do the same to you." Boss Man smirked. "You should have used a bigger gun on me then. So when did you find out?" The two smiled at each other as they stepped closer. "I always knew, Yong, even from the very beginning" said Brute Man as he drew his great sword. The massive blade seemed to dwarf the prick Boss Man held. The two readied their stance, and the final battle began.

Act XVIII

The first blow was devastating. Brute Man's sheer strength completely negated any amount of strength Boss Man put into attacks. Knowing this, he swung faster and further at him. Brute Man's huge and powerful lunges were only able to be countered by Boss Man's seemingly effortless agility. Even though he was of above average build, Boss Man seemed to flow through battle like a fish in the ocean. It was what he was born to do, even when facing a seemingly unkillable man. Warrior Chick tried to help her boss but could never get a single strike in, not when Brute Man waved his gigantic sword around like it was nothing. Will Chow stood helplessly as he watched the potential murder or victory of his father. Their shouts and battle cries drowned out the sound of Will quietly reloading his gun. If there was any right moment, that was it, when Brute Man had his back turned and was completely focused on demolishing his former boss. Will took aim and fired, emptying his magazine once again, driving Brute Man into an angry rage. "No, Will!" cried Boss Man as the monster charged towards his son. Brute Man loomed over him like a storm cloud, and said "I thought I could rely on you, that you could see the truth." Will knew that it was almost certain doom, and as his father tried to chase and stop the death of his son, Will could only think of one thing. That moment when he first arrived in China, when he and his father lasered someone's balls. The one moment of absolute happiness, and now it flashed before his eyes as Brute Man raised his great sword. And with a swift swing and cry, a head hit the ground. Will, who never even closed his eyes watched as Brute Man diagonally cut down the greater half of Warrior Chick's head. And yet, Brute Man's eyes never even left will. Another yell came, this time from behind Brute Man as Boss Man plunged his sword through his spine, severing the precious cord. Brute Man grunted as he dropped to the ground. His legs were useless and his arms were out of reach as Will Chow and Boss Man stood over him. They looked at each other in silence. Boss Man had no words. He simply walked away. Out of the warehouse. Brute Man started to chuckle, then roared in laughter. Will stood there somewhat confused. Brute Man looked back at Will and said "your sister would still be alive if it weren't for you" before returning to his maniacal, hysterical enjoyment. Will looked down at the decapitated Warrior Chick. Anger surged through him. But he felt powerless to do anything. He smelled smoke and realised that his father had set fire to the building. As the smoke and flames surrounded him, he stood still, gazing at the hilarity filled Brute Man. There was nothing more to contemplate. Much of him felt that to stay was his destiny. But the one thing he wanted for Christmas was to watch Brute Man burn, and this time for good.

                                                                  THE END