July 2011, 3 years before the First Finger attacked the Lau Triad and killed Rudy’s mother.

Sweat drips. Feet shuffle. The Lau Triad dojo steams under Hong Kong’s heavy summer heat. A young Rudy spars with her father, Dak Lang Lau.

She shoots for a judo throw, an o-soto-gari—her leg swinging around the outside of Lang’s. But Lang checks the sweep with his own leg, shifts his weight back, and pivots into a brutal counter, toppling Rudy with precise force.

“Ugh,” wheezes Rudy, flattening over the mat.

The sweltering humidity bears down on the young girl.

“Again,” barks Lang. “You throw without setup. Preparation is key, Rudy. If you attack blindly, you become predictable. Get up.”

“Argh, I’ve had enough!” Rudy slams her fist into the mat, then storms off.

“Rudy, get back here! You haven’t finished today’s training yet!”

"Gimme a break! I’m fourteen, Dad. I can’t just turn into a super-soldier because you say so."

“Rudy!”

She slams the door shut behind her, wandering out into the back alley. Rudy slumps onto a stack of plastic crates and leans against the cool concrete wall. She gazes up, spotting a jet slicing through the sky. The roar of its engine echoes through the alley while a rare breeze brushes the sweat from her skin.

“What’s wrong, Rudy? I thought you were still training with your dad?”

Rudy turns and sees Koeng walking down the alley. His brows are lined with sweat, the scent of burnt gunpowder lingering on his clothes.

“My dad thinks the best way to raise his daughter is teaching her twenty ways to kill a man,” mutters Rudy.

“Aiya, Lang’s at it again,” Koeng says, settling next to Rudy.

“Back in Germany, he never pushed me this hard.”

“Rudy, I know your father can be a hardass sometimes.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” scoffs Rudy.

“But the stakes are higher here in Hong Kong, so he wants to prepare you. He’s like that, even with me and the Wolves—ever since he lost his best friend in the SDU.”

“He had a best friend?”

“Yeah, Chan Yan Yi. They were like brothers. A good man… too good for this sick world.”

“My dad never told me much about his days in the SDU.”

“Lang never talks about the past. I didn’t even know he was tied to the Lau Triad until Yan Yi died.”

“Why did my Dad join the SDU?”

“Lang hated the senseless violence that his father caused as the head of the triad. Back then, half the gangs in Hong Kong got their guns from the Laus. The city was a warzone. Lang couldn’t take it, seeing civilians gunned down in the crossfire, so he joined the SDU to oppose his father.”

“What about Wu Suk? Why did he stay with the triad?”

“Your uncle believed he could change the triad from within, so he stayed, but still kept in touch with Lang. Wu lóuh báan has always looked out for Lang, especially since their father treated them like pawns for his ambition.”

“I didn’t know Wu Suk and my dad went through so much. They never told me the triad was like that.”

“They didn’t tell you because they are ashamed of it. When Wu lóuh báan became head, he vowed never to repeat his father’s mistakes. He wanted to put family and order first, instead of ambition and chaos.”

“Why did my dad come back to the triad then? Was it because of what happened to his friend?”

“There was this mission,” Koeng says, jaw tight. “The 1995 Harbour City Incident. It was a hostage rescue... that went terribly wrong. We were ambushed the second we breached the mall, like they knew exactly where we were coming. Civilians died—SDU operators too. Yan Yi included. Our assault team, led by Lang, was publicly shamed for the failure.”

Rudy catches the tremor in his hand, faint but telling, until he clenches it into a fist. The alley fills with silence, broken only by the distant roar of a plane engine.

“I’m sorry that happened to you Koeng Suk,” she softly spoke. “Can I ask why… why it went wrong? Aren’t hostage rescues the Flying Tigers' specialty?”

Koeng gave her a brief, hollow smile before turning his gaze away.

“After the mission,” he continued, voice low, “Wu lóuh báan told Lang the truth. The Golden Monkey gang bribed the SDU brass to leak mission details. They were using the bonded delivery docks to smuggle drugs and women. A civie noticed a blood trail leaking from one of the furniture crates and called security. Things escalated. It became a hostage situation. That’s when we were called in.”

His fists shook again, this time with rage, not fear. Another moment of silence passes between them. Rudy musters up a response.

“Even the SDU was corrupted. It must’ve been shocking to you, and my dad… what did my dad do after?”

“The influence of the Underworld runs deep, Rudy,” Koeng said. “Lang wouldn’t stand for it. He tried exposing the brass, but he was just an assault team leader. No rank, no reach. The red tape buried him before he even made a dent.”

Koeng pauses, then meets Rudy’s eyes.

“That’s when Wu lóuh báan, who’d just become the triad head, made Lang an offer.”

Koeng’s gaze sharpens.

“He told Lang: You can’t fight corruption with clean hands. Not in this world. If you really want to make a difference, you’ll have to get them dirty.”

He leans back, staring at the ants circling around his boots.

“We were ants, Rudy. Squandering under the Underworld’s boots.”

Koeng lets out an exhale, his shoulders heavy.

“Wu lóuh báan asked Lang to leave the Flying Tigers. Take over Hong Kong with him, by whatever means necessary. Control the arms trade. Rein in the gangs. No brass to bribe. No red tape to cut.”

He watches the lone ant daring to climb up his boot before flicking it away.

“Wu lóuh báan said what Hong Kong needs isn’t Tigers, but Wolves. Wolves hungry enough to make a difference.”

A pause.

“Lang agreed… and walked away from the SDU.”

Rudy’s voice is quiet. “Why’d you leave the SDU too, Koeng Suk?”

“After hearing Wu lóuh báan’s plan, Lang told us everything,” Koeng says, breath steadying. “His past with the Lau triad. The truth behind Harbour City. The offer his brother made. He said he couldn’t stay in the SDU—not after that. He told us we didn’t have to follow.”

Koeng’s eyes lit with something fierce. Something proud.

“By then, Lang had served two years as a cop, five more in the SDU. He always had our backs, even against the brass. We believed in him. So we followed him into the Underworld.”

He straightens, posture firm.

“We became the Wolves of the Lau, with Lang as our Alpha. A year later, we’d wiped out most of the rival gangs, Golden Monkeys included. Hong Kong’s Underworld was ours.”

Koeng clenches his fist, like he’s holding the city itself.

Rudy glances at the ants swarming her boots and kicks them off.

“Still doesn’t explain why he treats me like one of the Wolves. I’m his friggin’ daughter, not a soldier.”

“While we control Hong Kong’s Underworld, it’s still a dangerous place, Rudy. Even under the SDU, Yan Yi wasn’t safe from its influence.”

Koeng’s eye turns solemn at the name.

“Your father’s teaching you everything he knows, so you can protect yourself. And your family. When he married your mother, he took a vow to protect her from anything that the Underworld threw their way. He knows you love her too, so he expects you to protect her just the same.”

Koeng sets a warm hand on Rudy’s shoulder. His grip firms, like he’s sending a son off to war.

“He doesn’t just see you as his daughter, Rudy, he sees you as part of the pack. That’s why he trains you as hard as the rest of us.”

“Huuuh.” Rudy exhales, pensive. The revelation sinks in.

“Alright… I’ll bear with the training for now.... but I still hate how he throws me around like a sack of meat every time we spar,” she mutters.

“Haha, that’s the spirit, Rudy. I’ll tell Lang to hold back just a bit. If he gives you too much trouble, tell him to pick on someone his own size,” Koeng chuckles, flexing an arm.

“Thanks, Koeng Suk.”

“C’mon, let’s get you some  as a reward for today’s training. Bet you were sweating like a stuck pig in that stuffy dojo.”

“Eh, really?! But my mom says I’ve had too many sweets lately…”

“We’ll keep it a secret then. Just between us,” Koeng winks.

“Hehe… okay. Dō ze saai*, Koeng Suk.”

She springs up, revived from Koeng’s offer. The two walk out of the alley as the ants scatter beneath their feet.

Only later, when the First Finger killed her mother, would Rudy truly understand why Lang pushed her so hard.