Dragon Lady
A Chinese cop imbued with the power of the Yengato Temple
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Ends and Beginnings
I travelled with Cypher, Sparks, Liliana, The Hot Shot, Lyzen, and Ghost to the Division headquarters. The New Champions had gotten a distress call from Division, which was under attack by Algorithm and his robot horde. The robots were of little challenge for all of us, with only Algorithm the actual threat. Ghost made short work of him with her super-strength and flying charges, which disappointed me as I hoped to use my new Spirit fist maneuver on him. There were many dead among the Division personnel and few survivors, also a great pity. It was the end of Division, but the beginning of something new- as Cypher revealed that this base provided an entrance to a "cyberplane", which could be used to launch a counterattack against Dr. Destroyer.
Unfortunately, it was the end of my journey in America as I informed the New Champions that I need to return to my homeland in order to carry out my duty to repair the spirit world. Ghost kindly offered to meet me there when needed, which I agreed to- as she was the only one of the heroes who spoke Chinese. The others on the team also had various missions and responsibilities to take care of, which was fine with me. I met up with Luo Jian, we packed for the journey, and made sure that we left nothing behind. We made sure to travel to China as incognito as possible, using the contacts I made as an agent of the ministry of state security. This sets up journal entries #11-13 and #16.
My entry into the ancestral realm was also an end, the end of my adventuring on the mortal realm. I had ascended into the spirit realm, assuming a new form. Gone were the Yengtao armor, the communicator, and the mundane martial arts. Now, I was down to the traditional martial artist uniform combined with that of a Yengtao monk. It seems that I was permanently stuck in my empowered form, complete with the striking green eyes and red hair. I realized I now possessed the secrets of the Yengtao masters: the ability to send foes flying great distances with a Catapulting Blow, a powerful Eagle Claw that could grab and crush foes with the force of Sandcrab or Ghost, the dreadded Dim Mak to drain an enemy's life force, the Dragon Fist to penetrate even the toughest of armor or weapons, the ability to stun a foe otherwise immune to pain or in armor with a pressure point strike, the Thunder Kick[/b] to strike enemies even after running or leap great distances, the ability to heal myself and my allies with my own Ch'i, and finally the Quivering Palm , capable to shattering barriers, foes, and armors even otherwise resistant to armor-piercing artillery.
As drastic a transformation I went through, it did not compare to that of Ghost. Ghost was seemingly returned to human form, that of a beautiful blonde-haired, blue-eyed young American woman. She told me that her new name was "Hope," or perhaps it was actually her old name. Her abilities seemed the same, but there was a confidence, humanity, and sense of purpose that Ghost lacked. We spoke briefly, but we understand that time was of the essence if we wished to stop Dr. Destroyer and carry out our mission to free his victims. The time of the old Dragon Lady and Ghost seems to have ended, but it is now the beginning of Hope and a new Dragon Lady- this time the spirit guardians of the ancestral realm. And hopefully, this will also mean the end of Dr. Destroyer as well.
Dragon Lady's Revenge
It seems that Dr. Yin Wu had broken the terms of the deal he did with Dr. Destroyer, earning the master villain's wrath. I tensed up as I sensed the dragons breach through the ancestral barriers, reading myself for the fight. Then Ghost came rocketing in, devastating dragons with her move-throughs. Destroyer earned his sobriquet, killing dragons with his battlesuit weapons; and doing so with ease. Dr. Wu dodged Destroyer's occasional attacks and then summoned forth a mirror image spell to confuse his enemies. I took advantage of the chaos by leaping from dragon to dragon, stunned them as I landed on them with my flying kicks. My nemesis got wise to my tactics and ordered the dragons to scatter, but then Dr. Destroyer obliterated his mirror images with some kind of powerful blast.
As Dr. Yin Wu turned to face Dr. Destroyer, Ghost slammed into the latter. Apparently Luo Jian made telepathic contact with her and urged her to defeat the world conqueror while he was distracted by the evil sorcerer. Normally she tends to knock her foes into oblivion with her sheer power and speed; but this supervillain treated her blows as if they were minor nuisances. Wu sent his full horde of celestial beasts after his former ally, but it was of little avail. He teleported away as I tried to close on him, while Ghost tried to bring down Destroyer but without success. Finally, Dr. Destroyer unleashed a presence attack and bellowed that Wu would suffer the fate of all the rest: vanishing. This actually terrified the evil mage, who begged for mercy as he teleported next to Copper Spear's body.
I tried to use this opportunity to strike, but Yin Wu showed his martial arts prowess as he blocked and then hit me with a counterstrike. This strike would've stunned or killed a normal human. However, he did not account for the blessings that the Temple had given me and his attack only bruised me. Then Dr. Destroyer stunned him with a concentrated energy blast, and then opened up a vanishing portal behind the staggered sorcerer. Now was my chance for vengeance! I darted forward and punched him with all my might, knocking him into the portal. I finally had my revenge, "this is for Huang Yuen!" I yelled. I suppose I had Dr. Destroyer to thank for it.
The power armored figure was about to speak to me, Ghost, and Luo Jian as the ancestral spirits began casting a ritual. Then suddenly dozens of Dr. Destroyers appeared to surround him- revealing that apparently these are some kind of robot copies of him! The destroyers were furious that he had broken his orders and attacked him. This was a welcome distraction to give us a chance to escape.
Thankfully, the spirits managed to whisk me, Ghost and Luo away to the safety of the spirit world. There they revealed that they knew where the victims of Dr. Destroyer's vanishing had been sent and wished that I would go there to free them. Unfortunately this would mean that I would have to become a spirit like what I had done to the other chosen. I had feared that this day would come, but I had my sworn oath to defend the Yengtao temple to honor. I agreed to it, and Ghost offered to assist me. I gratefully accepted her offer, and I know the spirits were pleased- including the same ancestor that Luo Jian introduced me to. I finally have my revenge, but now I must save the world. Ghost mentioned that she had been built for it by her creator. It seems that she must honor her purpose as well.
Girls' Day Out
Some of the girls on the New Champions invited me to a "girls day out" to find the final briefcase as a favor for Division. This included The Hot Shot, Liliana, and Ghost. The Hot Shot drove us over to a section of Millennium City where we were supposed to meet with a courier who had gotten his hands on the briefcase, along with a couple of heroes named Chiller and Ahem. Unsurprisingly, Destroyer's agents greeted us on the scene.
I hit the ground running, knocking agents out left and right with Kung Fu moves. Liliana unleashed her spirit magic, Ghost used her devastating strength and flight, and the Hot Shot opened fire with her heat rifle. My strikes were so potent that I nearly killed one of the agents with a ferocious strike. I felt little empathy for him as he had nearly killed the courier, but as usual Liliana expressed her strange empathy for him. I don't understand her ideology, as she is far too eager to spare her opponents especially when they have committed vile deeds. Unfortunately, Ahem, Chiller, and the courier were knocked out by the Destroyer agents and Ghost ran into a supervillain named Orion. It seems that Orion was hostile, and Ghost required Liliana's assistance against him. It is the first time I have heard of the cosmic being meeting her match! Truly this Orion must've been incredibly powerful!
I rescued the courier and the supers with Hot Shot's help, depositing them in the latter's car. I sprung out to retrieve the briefcase as well, and ran into the car when Liliana reported that Orion's allies were coming onto the scene and that we needed to extract ourselves from the scene. The extraction was successful and we returned to base, rendezvousing with Ghost and Liliana. Apparently, the briefcase contained some sort of advanced scientific information. I hope that the resistance will be able to make use of it, even if I don't understand it.
Reflecting on things, it was enjoyable to fight alongside those three other women in the New Champions. Ghost's power is always appreciated and I enjoy talking to her, even if in some ways she is like a child (which apparently in some ways she is given her young age). However, she is a very wise child beyond her years and has much experience fighting Destroyer. Apparently she has fought other foes as well that she doesn't understand. We will have to talk more in the future, perhaps when I return to China I can bring her along. Liliana's magical knowledge and abilities are quite extraordinary as well, plus I did enjoy having tea with her. It is clear we don't see eye-to-eye on ethical and philosophical matters, but I sympathize with her recent losses. It is devastating to lose those you care about, especially when it's the doings of a tyrant. I didn't like the Hot Shot when I first met her- as I found her to be a bit annoying and undeservedly cocky, but she has grown on me. She cares greatly about her family, plus a sniper is always appreciated in a firefight.
It is a shame I don't know the other women on the team very well, but the opportunities haven't presented themselves. Perhaps sometime in the future I can get to know Wildthing, Jamie, and Sarah. They are mysterious, but so were Liliana and Ghost when I met them.
Finding Cypher
It is clear that Lil' Rocket's defeat has caused great sorrow among the New Champions. Although I didn't know Lil' Rocket very well, it was an honor fighting alongside him whether it was in the danger room or out in the field. I hope he was able to do great damage to Destroyer's minions before he was vanished. He was a great warrior, possessing incredible speed, mighty attacks, excellent perception, exceptional versatility, and astonishing toughness. I pray that he attained enlightenment and is no longer suffering, but knowing Destroyer's resources I have my doubts and fears. I will avenge my fallen comrade, even if costs me my life- this I swear to Buddha, my ancestors, and Confucius!
The New Champions received a request for help from Division, a rebel organization that seeks to recreate the American justice system. I have mixed feelings on their goals (I remember the wrongs done by their government against my people), but the situation requires that we gather as many allies as possible. Cypher clearly was not a fan of them, and the last time I had seen him he was seething with resentment against them. After all, they had destroyed his beloved robot. He disappeared and cut off communication with his teammates, which was most unfortunate. Division blamed him for attacks against them, and asked for the team's assistance in rescuing an American politician from both Cypher and Dr. Destroyer.
I have some feelings for this man, as he was the first of the New Champions that I encountered. I've known him the longest of the group, plus his technical aptitude is a wonder to behold. I chose to accompany the superheroes on their mission, as I hoped to reason with Cypher like I had when we first encountered Division. I respect his desire for vengeance, even if now is not the time for it. Perhaps we are kindred spirits? I know I am supposed to be stoic, to refrain from emotional attachments, and to avoid anything that would compromise my duty to the Temple. Still, I wonder if my affection for him is more than the comradeship of teammates.
We traveled to a wealthy area outside of Millennium City, which was under attack by Dr. Destroyer's agents. There were resistance fighters, presumably from Division, engaging the black talons, destroids, and destroyer soldiers. I charged into the fray, knocking out a Black Talon mech pilot with a Kung Fu Flying Kick. This opened me up to retaliatory fire from the remaining Black Talons, but they failed to stun me. I then sent another agent flying in pain from a Kung Fu kick, who was finished off by Maximum Resistance. I ripped the head off of a destroid that had been weakened by Ghost's devastating passing strikes. As usual, Ghost and Maximum Resistance obliterated or disabled most of Destroyer's minions, letting me and the rest of the team to mop up the remainder. Meanwhile, the Division agents rescued the politician.
Then, I noticed that Cypher was on the scene. Lyzen had found him! And his robots helped us battle Destroyer. It seems that the attacks on Division were not his doing. He was speaking to Lyzen when suddenly a mysterious robot appeared on the scene, apparently the work of his nemesis Algorithm. Algorithm moved quickly and disabled him. Seeing my former teammate collapse and his armor destroyed, I leapt at Algorithm and struck at him with a flying kick. Unfortunately, Algorithm had a concealed barrier waiting for him- but it didn't stop it, it only slowed me down. I broke it with a Tai Ch'i joint break and struck Algorithm, but it wasn't powerful enough to break through his armor.
Then Ghost had to fly from the heavens and grab me. We could've defeated this supervillain! With her and Maximum Resistance's power, he had no chance against us! I cursed my fate as she flew me from his scene, perceiving the sights and sounds of the rest of my team fleeing the scene like cowards. I just hope that they managed to get Cypher to safety as well. I will have to ask Cypher more about this villain when he comes to. I will tell him of Dr. Yin Wu in exchange.
Szechuan Showdown
Over the past several weeks, Luo Jian and I travelled across China to complete my mission. We first went to Fuijian to deal with the Zhang clan. They put up a fight (as expected), but I triumphed in battle against the Zhang chosen in the Wisdom in Death challenge. We then travelled to Jiangxi and Hunan to deal with the Li and Wong, respectively. These two clans required some persuasion, but their chosen were far more accommodating. Once I explained to them about the current situation in the spirit world, their responsibilities to the ancestors, and my mission; they accepted my request. We then received a message from the Tong Clan in Szechuan: Copper Spear, one of the Four Sons of the Dragon, had taken on the power of the chosen of their clan. Copper Spear wished to challenge me to the Wisdom in Death challenge. Knowing that the Four Sons of the Dragon are all the sons of Dr. Yin Wu, I was surprised to hear of this but also pleased that I would get the opportunity for revenge for Huang Yen's death.
Copper Spear and I met in a field in Szechuan. We spoke briefly: he issued the challenge to me and I accepted, and then he warned me that his father disapproved of his actions and might intervene to stop it. I indicated that there would be consequences if he tried to do so. Luo Jian told me that Copper Spear was the only "honorable" member of Dr. Yin Wu's entourage, and would fight with respect for the rules. I summoned forth the ritual, which transported us to the arches of battle within the spirit realm. I started off the battle with a usual leap to the heavens, followed by a flying kick- which Copper Spear blocked. He proved himself far more capable than the Zhang or Liu chosen- as he utilized blocks and moved with incredible agility. He was so skilled with his spear that he even knew a spear cyclone maneuver that was impossible to block. This was the most frustrating as I was unable to block it, and diving for cover only left me vulnerable to a future strike.
However, his spear fatefully failed to penetrate my armor when he attempted to land a finishing blow. I responded by using a set of Tai Ch'i moves: first, I disarmed his spear and sent it flying. Then as he moved to collect it, I grabbed his arm and applied a joint break- shattering his spear arm. Although his father had clearly blessed him with great power, his power was insufficient to prevent me from disabling his limb. With the fight turning in my favor, suddenly a vast horde of dragons showed up outside the arches of battle. The dragons began attacking the arches with their flaming breaths, with their sheers numbers overwhelming its defenses. Copper Spear and I heard the booming voice of Dr. Yin Wu, who was furious that his son was about to lose and decreed that he was there to stop it. I turned to Copper Spear, informing him that as Yin Wu had interfered in the match- he had to forfeit the match. Surprisingly, the spear fighter knelt and declared that he had been defeated and he was voluntarily going to the spirit world to fulfill his duty.
Truly this man was worthy of the mantle of chosen and I told him that the Tong ancestors would be proud of his actions. I then sent his spirit into the spirit world with a successful use of Yengtao magic, while I heard his father rage with fury. I turned to face the dragon horde, noticing the malevolent sorcerer among them. The arches defenses were crumbling, and I think I saw Ghost diving into the dragon horde- coming to rescue me from the sore loser of a supervillain. However, then Dr. Destroyer suddenly appeared and revealed that he had warned Yin Wu that such abuse of his power would not be tolerated. It looks like the alliance between Dr. Destroyer and Yin Wu had just been broken. Does this mean that Ghost and I will be fighting alongside Dr. Destroyer?
Wisdom in Death
Since meeting Csar Zhou in Hebei, I traveled with Lao Jin to several more provinces. We visited the Chin clan in Shandong, the Yang in Jiangsu, and the Huang in Anhui. All of the chosen were willing to come willingly after conversation and persuasion. After completing the visit to the Huang; we headed to Hangzhou in Zheijang province, the homeland of the Liu clan. Along the way, Luo Jian warned me that the path will only get harder from this point onward. Many of the remaining clans are adversarial with the “light of the path” and will not willingly depart from the earthly realm. Their chosen must be subdued. The Liu clan would be the first of these.
He told me that "there is an ancient spirit realm ritual whereby Chosen Ones test their strength and learn wisdom and submission. The ritual is a single combat, called ‘Sǐwáng zhìhuì’ which means ‘Wisdom in Death’"'. I needed to perform that ritual to challenge these hostile chosen. His warned that the contest would be a battle to the death, with the victor claiming the other's soul. Knowing that I had no choice, I replied that I was ready to handle the challenge. Ghost met us when we arrived in the city, having flown there once she get my request for assistance after battling Dr. Wu's soldiers. She told me that she was sorry she was late, but she had to deal with a bunch of issues back over in the former USA and even space.
We found the Liu chosen in an outdoor market in downtown Hangzhou, whereupon I challenged him to the Wisdom in Death combat. Just before I stated the challenge, Luo told me that upon defeating the Liu chosen I would commit his spirit to the spirit world even if he was unwilling- he'd thank me later. I transformed into my Dragon Lady costume and he ordered his clansmen to stand back. Suddenly the Ancestor appeared, performing the ritual to bring forth the arches of battle from the spirit realm. This cut us fighters from the material realm, leaving Ghost to keep an eye on the Liu clan to prevent them from interfering. The Liu Chosen and I heard a ghostly court of ancestral spirits call out the consequences of winning or losing, and then ordering us to fight.
I started the fight by leaping to the heavens and performing a Kung Fu flying kick upon my opponent. He attempted to block, but he was too slow and my kick landed. My blow was powerful enough to crack a bone, transforming him into an ogre-like being with flamethrowers in the shape of bears for hands. I swept his leg to knock him to the ground, but he staggered back up and opened fire with his flamethrower fists at me. Thankfully, my Pakua dodge kept me safe and minimized his damage to me. His attack was intimidating, but his execution was highly flawed. This poor execution left an opening for me, which I exploited by using a Hsing-I Eagle Claw move to grab him. He failed to break free, which set me up to crush him with Kung Fu Dragon Claw. This knocked him out, finishing the fight.
Unsure if I had the approval to finish him, I knelt and asked the ancestral court for permission. They gave it to me, but my hesitation gave the Liu Chosen the opportunity to recover enough to fire his flamethrowers at me for one last time. Unfortunately for him, I noticed his clumsy attempt at a sneak attack- first blocking it, then grabbing his neck and finishing him with a Tai Ch'i Joint Break. It was the first time since I met the New Champions that I had killed a man. The Americans on that team had a reluctance to kill. I didn't understand it, but I respected it while I fought with them. Now that I was in China, this reluctance was happily gone and I snapped his neck.
I sent his spirit into the spirit world, joining with the other chosen and ancestors. His last look at me was one of fury, which I responded with a shrug. "You had your duty to your ancestors. You failed, so I made you do it." With that, I walked out of the arches of battle and back into the world of man. My next challenge, the Zhang clan, awaits.
Being Chosen Requires Sacrifice
The New Champions were indisposed of for the moment. It was unfortunate, but understandable. Left on our own for the moment, Lao Jin and I made our way outside of Tianjin. We made sure to travel as incognito as possible, using the contacts I made as an agent of the ministry of state security. He suggested that we seek out a contact of his, a street vendor named Deng Shangguan. As we made her way there, Master Lao gave me the list of clans to seek out:
Wang
Wong
Li
Zhang
Liu
Chin
Tong
Yang
Huang
Zhou
Wu
Lao suggested that I seek out the Zhou clan for my first quest to restore the spirit realm, as they were known for care, integrity and honesty. The clan's power zenith was during the Yuan Dynasty, where they helped ameliorate the damage done by the ruling Mongols to the Chinese common people. I purchased some delicious Dan-Dan noodles from Deng Shangguan, and asked him for information about the Zhou clan. He told me that the clan sadly had disappeared a while ago, leaving only an abandoned estate in the rural part of Hebei Province. He recommended that I go there to seek out any remnants of the lost clan, especially any zupu. Zupu are records of clan genealogy and history, often dating centuries and even millennia.
Lao Jen and I eventually arrived at the great estate, which was deserted. We searched the estate for relics, but found it mostly empty. Then, I saw a glowing path guiding me through the building. Lao advised me that I would notice the chosen ones by the light of the path provided by the ancestors The Chosen One of the clan must be convinced to accept his or her fate, and I should give them enough time to put their affairs in order before performing the ritual needed. I followed the path, which took me to a cloistered room. I heard rifling through pages in the room, knocked, and then hearing no answer- I burst into the room. After all, I didn't know if the inhabitant was an agent of Yin Wu or a spy from Dr. Destroyer's.
I ended up startling a 10-year old boy who was reading through a records library. It was a good idea for me to apologize for my rudeness, so I did. He calmed down, telling me that he had been skipping school to visit the estate. Apparently visions in his dreams had drawn him here. He sorrowfully mentioned that Dr. Yin Wu had destroyed the clan 10-20 years ago, leaving only the ruined family estate. He was one of the last of clan Zhou. I introduced myself, along my real name when the boy asked. He did the same, explaining that his name was Csar Zhou. He then pointed to my surname, Wong, in the zupu tome he was reading. It was wondrous, as I knew nothing of my family and clan beyond my great-grandparents generation (Lao had asked about them earlier and suggested that we research the Wong clan together).
With our introductions made and after I had done a cursory reading of the zupu, I brought Csar to Master. The old man answered the boys questions about his family, and then brought up a philosophical discussion about the necessity of sacrifice. The boy realized that he was a Chosen One, revealing a maturity and wisdom far beyond his years. I empathized with the boy, as I knew great responsibilities had fallen onto his adolescent shoulders. This persuaded him he had to take upon the duty to pass on into the afterlife to heal the spirit world.
Csar wished that his parents would participate in the upcoming ritual, to which I happily obliged. The boy convinced his parents to accept his decision, which they did with surprising ease. Perhaps what Lao had told me was true, and the clan's reputation had truly passed along their descendants centuries later. We all returned to the temple, bringing along a family heirloom in the form of a vase made from jade and gold. Once the ritual was complete, Csar's spirit would center.
This would be my first performance of this particular ritual. The Dragon Spirit showed it to me, but I was a little rusty with my knowledge of Yengtao Magic. I tried to think to myself, no pressure- but the pressure of the situation plus my sorrow at the boy's young age threw off my performance during the ritual. My performance was quite awkward, as I stumbled over the words and struggled to remember the gestures. Thankfully, the boy's father interrupted- he filled in the missing parts, as the family tradition of the Zhou awoke in his memory. The ritual was successfully completed thanks to his father's intervention and the boy vanished into a light form. The light then entered all the ritual participants, filling us with hope and joy. The boy's spirit then entered the vase. Unfortunately, the vase cracked as it did so- a permanent reminder of my incompetence.
Amusingly, my morale was restored when the father told me the sense of pride he felt from completing the ritual. He has my eternal gratitude, and I promised him that I would return when summoned if he ever needed my help. We bid farewell to them, taking the vase with us. It will need to go to a safe location, either the Yengtao temple itself or the New Champions' base.
As we walked into the sunrise, Lao Jin suggested that there might come the time when I would need to make the same sacrifice. I felt a sensation of fear and trepidation, but I shook it off as I must be strong and obey my duties as a Chosen One. I assured him that he should have no doubts as to my commitment. However, I won't do this before Dr. Yin Wu finally pays for his crimes, especially the murder of my fiancée and partner. Master Lao concluded with these words of warning: there may be a time when the chosen one will not be so willing.
Breaking a Generator's Joints
I was introduced to Liliana and Sharp, two members of the New Champions that I haven't met before. Liliana can control spirits and Sharp is a weaponmaster. Sharp seems determined to recruit additions to the rebel forces from our prisoners. I think her efforts are quixotic given that these men and women are inherently untrustworthy, but I stayed my tongue as it is not my place as a guest to disrespect the hosts (whom she seems to know well). Liliana's magic reminds me of Dr. Yin Wu's sorcery, but she comes from a different culture and so her spells manifest differently. When she introduced herself, she mentioned something about "divine intervention." Blessed by the gods! She must have great yang, as they must have sent her to battle the yin of Dr. Destroyer. Ghost is has great yin, but hers is benevolent- unlike Destroyer's.
The two asked me, Maximum Resistance, 'Lil Rocket, and Ghost to assist them in freeing captives from an "education" camp of Dr. Destroyer's outside of Millennium City. I was happy to oblige, as the team will assist me on my mission so I should return the favor. We arrived outside, and 'Lil Rocket and Maximum Resistance came up with a plan of softening the camp's defenses and drawing out the guards before the rest of the team attacked. Quite a few generators provided the camp's defenses and needed to be disabled. Things didn't go entirely to plan but enough went according to the plan: 'Lil Rocket took out a generator even if it drew out less guards than Resistance anticipated. The camp reminded me of the ones in my home country, before the coming of Dr. Destroyer. At the temple, Master Spirit Fist and I debated them; as he found them oppressive and I defended them as necessary to maintain social solidarity. We still haven't finished that debate. However, there is no defense of these camps- Destroyer does not use them against those guilty or dangerous, but rather against innocent people.
I closed in along with Ghost against separate generators. Ghost, as usual, obliterated her target with great speed and incredible strength. I leaped on top of the structure, then applied my Tai Ch'i Joint Break to the generator. Breaking a generator's joints was simpler than expected, as my strength was enough to break open the top and then I ripped out the electrical wiring below. It seems that my move impressed the rest of the team. Maximum Resistance, Sharp, 'Lil Rocket, and Liliana continued taking out the generators while me and Ghost engaged the garrison.
I managed to knock out one of the guards with a flying kick but a couple of them managed to blast me back over the wall. I landed on my feet thanks to my Yengtao training, and it was with great amusement that I watched as Ghost pile-drove one of the guards into unconsciousness. And the guards were focusing their fire on me! I'm sure they will shortly learn a very difficult lesson.
The generators around the camp seem to drain the endurance from their victims. Thankfully my Yengtao training provided some protection, but I know that I need to hone The Wall of the Heavenly Palace in order to better protect against similar attacks in the future.
Black Talons Pack a Punch and So Do I
The battle continued between the Black Talons, Destroids, and me, Lyzen and Maximum Resistance. We found out that while we had the superior power, they had superior numbers. Unfortunately, one of the Black Talons I was fighting really packed a punch: nearly knocking me out with a volley of shots. Its shots were even powerful enough to send me flying into the lake, but thankfully I retained consciousness and was able to swim. I remembered the Way of the Warrior training from the Yengtao temple as one of the Black Talons swooped in for a capture attempt. First I blocked it with Pakua and then finished it off in a single blow with a Hsing-I counterstrike. I learned that these black talons packed a punch, and they learned that so do I! I victoriously climbed on top of the unconscious black talon and did a leap to the heavens back onto the ship.
Lyzen and Maximum Resistance were also nearly overwhelmed. I wasn't able to pay much attention to them on account of being surrounded and pursed by black talons, but the other two also were at a numerical disadvantage. All of these Destroyer minions seemed upgraded from the previous encounters, or maybe they seemed more powerful due to fate's fickle fortune. I heard communication from the other team of New Champions that went to Nebraska. Apparently they had run into similarly heavy resistance, but had fared better (mostly likely due to the devastating power of some of them) and were able to send reinforcements our way. Now all we have to do is wait for the "cavalry" to arrive. I plan on making my way over to the beleaguered Lyzen as she said that she can help us rally while we are waiting for one or more of the other team to show.
As the battle continued, I remembered what Nightwind had taught me. He was far more experienced with the move but instructed me to begin by incanting the words to summon forth my own Qi. This Qi required considerable effort to imbue my fists with it, but I was able to perform the Ghost Strike. My memory may be a little hazy however, and I know that I will need to wait until the time is right to use it. Perhaps if these black talons are so cowardly to try to escape using their intangibility tricks. Yes, that should do it! Perhaps in the future I will tell the cosmic being known as Ghost about this particular Yengtao ability. She may find it amusing, although I doubt it will have much effect on her in a sparring match.
Nine Versus One
I travelled to Tianjin incognito as Detective Wong, with Master Jin Lao in tow. I used my connections with the (remnants of the) Chinese Ministry of State Security to arrange a flight under the cover of bringing a Chinese national back to the homeland for protective custody. This allowed us to avoid the scrutiny of Dr. Destroyer's minions, but as we made our way to his apartment; we were ambushed by eight minions of Dr. Yin Wu. These men and women were clad in traditional Chinese armor (roughly of the Ming Dynasty era), complete with helmets and deadly jian/tang swords (capable of penetrating armor). They used their superior numbers to surround me and knock out Master Lao, as well as injuring me with their penetrating blades.
I remembered my training, calling upon power of the Yengtao Dragon coupled with my knowledge of 4 different martial arts to battle the eight warriors. My best tactics involved Pakua blocks and dodges, followed by Hsing-I counterstrikes. Using these tactics, I managed to knock out half of them. Then I punished the lucky warrior who had managed to wound me by breaking the same arms that had swung the deadly blows. Meanwhile, a truck unloaded a gyro bot and sped off. The bot flew in to engage, but I noticed its arrival. I remembered a trick that Nightwind had taught me: the "sucker attack." This involved positioning oneself in between two enemies and then dodging at the last minute, using one of the inaccurate enemies to take out the other (the "sucker").
Time seemed to slow down as I saw the gyro bot close in and open fire with a powerful energy blast. I then performed a graceful dodge maneuver, throwing the unconscious Lao Jin up into the air as I did so. I landed behind the unwary Wu warrior, catching Master Lao as I did so The Wu warrior turned to face me, puzzled, and then was blasted 20 meters through a nearby wall by the bot's attack. This put a smile on my face, as I knew the Yengtao masters would be proud of me. The remaining 3 warriors, plus one who had woken up, charged at me but backed off when they noticed that their robot might not be on their side.
Their hesitation was costly, for this gave me enough time to lay Master Lao onto the ground. I performed the Eight Steps of the Heavenly Dragon as I leaped into the horizon, landing on top of the robot. The robot could barely process what had happened when I grabbed its limbs and ripped two of them off with super-strength combined with a Tai Ch'i joint break. The robot blasted me as it went down, the two of us crashing onto the recently re-awakened Wu warrior. I was left panting, exhausted from the fight- but the three warriors all looked at each other, then at the fallen robot, and then at their fallen comrades and decided to call it a day. Two of them ran after the truck, while the final one initially pursued his fellows and then leaped back to try to surprise me as I recovered.
However, his timing was off as I had already recovered some of my spent endurance. I recognized that he was the other minion who had landed a couple blows on me, and effortlessly blocked his attack. His eyes grew as big as saucers as I stunned him with a counterstrike. As he fell to his knees, I calmly walked over and broke his arm- tossing him into the heap with his unconscious comrades. Thankfully for them, I wasn't in a killing mood- but I was in an arm-breaking one. Nevertheless, I had more important priorities. I scooped up the reawakened Master Lao, running into the apartment. The two of us cleaned out the apartment before most of the Wu minions could reawaken, and those that did decided to carry off their wounded comrades instead of facing another painful beatdown.
We went running off into the shadows with the Master Lao's mystical research in tow. I called the New Champions for a rendezvous, knowing that I would need the rest of the team's help to deal with a seeming alliance between Dr. Yin Wu and that of Dr. Destroyer as well as to carry out my mission from the Yengtao Temple.
Secrets of the Yengtao Temple
The Yengtao Temple is located in a hidden valley in the Hengduan Mountains, where the Chinese provinces of Tibet, Yunnan, and Hunan all meet. The masters of the temple keep the temple secreted from the rest of the mortal coils through mystic rituals. They only allowed those with the necessary discipline and skill to find their way there. It was founded long ago, during the time of Emperor Yu the Great (roughly 2070 BC) who founded the Chinese empire (although his empire only encompassed the central-east part of modern-day China). The temple is located on a ley line and protected by an ancient, benevolent dragon spirit. The dragon spirit chooses a protector of the temple when it finds a worthy candidate, who keeps the title under their death. Dragon Lady is the new protector, with the previous protector (Jade Phoenix) betraying the temple to assist the Han Clan with their scheme. Jade Phoenix is now serving Dr. Yin Wu, having been saved by the supervillain who had need of his knowledge and abiltiies.
The masters of the Yengtao temple are:
Nightwind- from America but of Chinese origin, returned to the temple after Master Jade Phoenix's betrayal
Seeker- from Australia, the only non-Asian master
Fire Blossom- the youngest and the only female besides Dragon Lady
Spirit Fist- from Tibet, former member of the Tiger Squad, deserted over politics
Golden Tiger- the eldest and the most senior
Jade Phoenix- former master, betrayed the temple to assist the Han Chin clan with their scheme and now with Yin Wu
The remaining masters all adhere to a moral code of conduct varying from that of Buddhism, chivalry to superhero. This has earned them respect among much of the public, but the enmity of criminals, terrorists, and supervillains. Their reputation is global (at least among the mystic and martial arts worlds), spread by their past travels, deeds, and those that trained under them.
Dragon Lady learned martial arts from the various masters due to her being blessed by the Dragon spirit guarding the temple. Nightwind taught Dragon Lady Kung Fu, Fire Blossom taught her Pakua, Spirit Fist taught her Hsing-I, and Seeker taught her Tai Ch'i. Golden Tiger then taught her some special powers from the Temple such as Dragon Stance, Eight Steps of the Heavenly Dragon and the Wall of the Heavenly Palace. He also helped forge her mystic armor, while Seeker and Nightwind constructed a face mask for her. She also learned knowledge of Chinese arcane and occult lore, the martial arts world, yengtao magic and the temple itself.
The temple's greatest enemy is Dr. Yin Wu, who is a reclusive sorcerer who has terrorized China (and Asia) since the 6th century AD. His power has waxed and waned over the centuries, but seemingly rose to its heights in the 20th century. He was defeated by the Tiger Squad (China's official super-team) in 2000, then fled to his warded secret castle to brood.. He survived the "Vanishing" due to his ancient castle being protected from the spell by similar rituals as to the Yentgao temple. Dr. Wu is evil, insidious, ruthless, inscrutable, xenophobic, and extremely powerful. His power derives from his mastery of sorcery nd his arsenal of magic items; he despises all modern technology and ways. Surprisingly, he does have a code of honor that he follows (helping the poor, keeping his word, valuing loyalty, and respecting his enemies if they're worthy). He despises Dr. Destroyer, but his cruelty and selfishness earned him the enmity of the Yengtao Temple (who rejected him as unworthy of learning their secrets several times he's sought them out- and he didn't take his rejection well).
Of course, the ascent of Dr. Destroyer makes him just as worthy of an enemy of Dr. Wu for the Yengtao temple's masters. The temple's rituals protected the temple from the "Vanishing". However, this event coupled with the recent summoning of The Ancestor have weakened the temple's defenses and it is now vulnerable to being found. This is why Dragon Lady was sent off on her mission to America in order to restore the spirit world- which would also restore the temple's defenses. Now, she's gone to back to China; to the city of Tianjin (formerly Tientsin) with Lao Jin to find the latter's journals and research to achieve this. Unfortunately, Yin Wu's minions are waiting for the both of them in the alleyway outside Lao Jin's apartment- armed with deadly jian/tang swords (the Chinese version of a katana).
Incident at Thunder Bay
I had only just returned to Homestead after the visit to Master Lao's when the New Champions were alerted by their resistance contacts about sudden offensives by Destroyers' Black Talon agents. These agents wear suits of power armor that make them versatile combatants, far more dangerous than the airborne agents I fought at Master Lao's. They were attacking two different locations, both 1450 km away, one was a ship near the city of the Thunder Bay in Canada and the other was a gas station in small town Nebraska. Ghost, Sandcrab and Lil' Rocket headed to Nebraska while I traveled to Thunder Bay with Maximum Resistance and Lyzen. I barely know the both of them, and regrettably did not get much of a chance to know them on the trip there given that the mode of transportation was Lil' Rocket's super-speed.
I started off the fight by leaping onto the ship, then closing the distance to fight one of the Black Talons that was slaughtering the resistance fighters on the ship. I landed my new Kung Fu Flying Kick on him, and then performed a Pakua Block when he attempted to grab me. The other one didn't notice me. I had my back to Maximum Resistance and Lyzen, but heard the former's devastating electrical blasts and the latter's changing forms. I try to remain focused on my work, but I will learn more about those two once these Black Talons are taken care of. I did hear Lyzen bellow out in rage when one of the Black Talons suddenly became intangible.
At the Yengtao Temple, they taught me the Spirit Fist Strike. It applies my augmented ki to strike at an intangible target, regardless of its origin. I'm trying to remember it now, as it may come useful if these Black Talons try the same move against me. Could you imagine their surprise? Let's recall...how does it go again? They also taught me the Way of the Warrior, which let me fight offensively, defensively or to inflict damage on my foes in hand-to-hand combat. Perhaps that one might work better.
Broken Spirits
I was quite fortunate that the heroine who introduced herself as "Ghost" could speak Mandarin. In some ways, she could speak it better than me, as I often mix mine with Cantonese and Hu. She answered many of the questions I had, included on her peculiar appearance and nature. The most interesting thing that she mentioned was that her group had rescued a mystic scholar named Jian Lao from Tianjin. Master Lao helped the "New Champions" (as the super-team calls themselves) deal with the Ancestor summoning ritual. The ritual was the work of the Han Chin clan, who wished to summon a powerful ancestral spirit to defeat Dr. Destroyer. The Han Chin's methods were far less noble than their intentions, and their ritual caused disastrous collateral damage- thousands of deaths- as it was interrupted by Destroyer himself. I am surprised that Dr. Yin Wu was not present, as this certainly sounds like his doing. However, one of the ancestors was summoned and had been tossed into earth orbit by Ghost.
I asked Ghost to take me to Master Lao, as I knew he would provide the questions to resolve my investigation. The New Champions had arranged for him to hide out in a safehouse in rural Michigan. Apparently, communication with him had been interrupted several weeks ago but he was still accepting supplies. Ghost flew me there by herself, and I found that the house was surrounded by a mystic darkness. However, I could peer through it and noticed the old man meditating in the garden next to the cabin. The master had a guest: the ancestor. I informed Ghost that I had the situation under control and she could leave, as I suspected that she had other responsibilities.
I walked through the darkness and bowed before the scholar. He appreciated the respect and revealed that the Ancestor had come to visit him two weeks ago, and he had been teaching the Ancestor to help the spirit regain his memories. After he answered my questions as to what happened and the aftermath of the ritual, the Ancestor approached me and I was transported to the spirit/astral realm via an out-of-body experience. I found myself in front of the Dragon Guardian spirit that had given me my powers. The Dragon told me that the ritual had broken the spirit world, greatly weakening the temple's defenses. I accepted the mission to repair the spirit world, and he explained my tasks ahead of: find the genealogy of the various clans, persuade those worthy of the honor of becoming the new ancestral spirits to give up the mortal coil, and finally to perform ancient ceremonies to replace the spirits. I was returned to the mortal realm.
The Ancestor then gestured at me, and I returned his gesture; which established a psychic link between us. Hopefully he can assist me in the future, and I will be strong enough to assist him. However, our rapport was interrupted by the appearance of destroids. It seems that a battle awaits!
An Unfair Fight- For Them!
What I thought was 8 Destroids that came to interrupt my meeting with Master Jian Lao and The Ancestor ended up being only 5 flying Destroyer agents. The Ancestor wished to use an area of effect disintegration power upon the intruding minions, but I urged him to avoid doing so- after all Master Lao and I were within the area. I took Master Lao to safety as The Ancestor engaged the Destroyer agents. The agents managed to inflict pain on him, but he replied with devastating blasts. I engaged the minions, using my new "Flying Kick" that Master Lao taught me from a school of Kung Fu that he knew. It was extremely useful in allowing me to move swiftly and then devastate my enemies, much in the way Ghost has done in the previous fights.
Speaking of Ghost, she suddenly arrived to make the battle an unfair fight- for them! Whatever chance the Destroyer agents had of winning immediately dropped to zero when she made her usual introduction of knocking an agent into unconsciousness. The three of us quickly put an end to the battle. The darkness field around the cabin had provided a refuge, but it attracted the attention off the Destroyer patrol. Thankfully it did force some of the agents to land as they penetrated the darkness field, not that their flight would've helped them much against my leaping and flying kicks, Ghosts' passing strikes, and The Ancestor's ki blasts. The Ancestor will have to teach me some of his tricks. They will be quite useful against Dr. Yin Wu or Dr. Destroyer.
I suggested that the Ancestor go into hiding with the refuge discovered, and we will communicate via telepathic bond in the future. With The Ancestor departed, the communications array in the cabin came back to life and allowed Lao, Ghost, and me to communicate with SOCRATES. Ghost offered to give us a ride back to the New Champions' base, while Master Lao and I discussed our next moves. We will return to China in order to complete my mission, as well as retrieve Master Lao's research in Tianjin. Perhaps Inspector Wong of the Ministry of State Security can assist with the infiltration...
Distraction Extraction
Sometime before my encounter with Master Lao, the "New Champions" took me to their base. It was a refurbished version of the late super-team that they replaced. However, I had little time to get acquainted with their hospitality when they found out about a massacre in a small American town, no doubt Dr. Destroyer's work. Unfortunately, Destroyer's media monopoly allowed him to claim that it was the work of two of the heroes on the time. The story is quite preposterous, only the gullible and the coerced could believe it, but it weighed heavily on the team. It certainly made those accused rather paranoid of Destroyer's surveillance on future missions, but I fear that being victims of such operations is an inevitable in a war such as that we are fighting. I have learned to conceal my emotions. It was needed in the culture of law enforcement in China, showing sorrow among strangers is a sign of weakness- and it was how I survived there. I do feel sorrow at the deaths of those innocent Americans, and I will pray for their souls that they are cared for by their ancestors and find nirvana. I know that it is the duty of heroes like us to balance the great evil that has overtaken the world and to bring balance to the spiritual order.
Nevertheless, the team got a message that a rebel cell in a small Arizona town was under siege by Destroyer's soldiers. They vowed to extract the rebels from their hopeless situation, given the disparity between their forcers and Destroyer's. Even though I am not a member of the team, I offered my assistance as Destroyer is my enemy as much as theirs. We discussed plans and decided to split the team between those who were best at extracting the rebels and those would provide a distraction for Destroyer's soldiers. Thankfully, their advance party was small enough for us to handle in this "distraction extraction."
Once again, Ghost and Sandcrab showed off impressive power and felled many foes. I was embarrassed at my relative weakness compared to them, but it seemed like I was able to hold my own against the Black Talons and Destroyer agents. The Dragon and the masters of the temple gave me great power, but clearly I have more to learn. The Dragon's Power Flows to Me ritual has been invaluable, as it made my attacks more accurate and my improved my ability to avoid attacks. Unfortunately one of the agents got off a lucky strike with a taser gauntlet when they managed to surround me. Perhaps I was too overconfident and thought I could handle 4 agents at the same time, and I must assess my mistakes. I will not present an opening next time.
Thankfully, one of the heroes named Runeforce took care of the remaining agents and Ghost carried me to safety. The mission was a success, but I am not sure if I am a valued ally of these Americans or that my presence makes a difference. I am glad that my helmet and mask are large enough to conceal my internal shame. I must remember when Master Nightwind taught me his Flying Kick, from the school of Kung Fu. This will enable me to strike multiple opponents like Ghost did in the fight- as well as be better able to move and attack, but it is far more sophisticated than the fighting arts that she's picked up. He also taught me how to "sweep the leg," another classic Kung Fu maneuver. This will be useful when I am in a team environment, as knocking a foe to the ground makes them vulnerable to subsequent attacks before they can regain their footing. I will also hone my chi further and practice all the moves from the four schools I learned so that I can hit harder. I will also change my tactics next fight.
Coming to America
Shortly after I arrived on the scene, a group of American superheroes attacked Dr. Destroyer's minions who were razing what appeared to be a petrol station. The minions consisted of robots (the Americans called them "destroids"), power armor suits ("black talons") and agents with flamethrowers ("flamers"). The heroes possessed great power, devastating their opponents. Most notably, the nude silhouette of a woman finished off much of the minions single-handedly. The man in the blue outfit equally impressed me with his skill at taking down the destroid and black talons. Another man, called "Sand Crab" used earth powers to entangle the flamers, and a mysterious shot defeated the last one. I ended up fighting side-by-side with Cypher and a feral African woman whom Cypher called "Wild Thing". Wild Thing seemed overmatched, or perhaps her luck ran out. Cypher's swarm of robots seemed handy, mostly due to their quantity. I await to see whether or not Cypher's creations are equal or surpass my homeland's engineering. However, Cypher was the friendliest and most trustworthy of this gaggle of Americans as he assured the others that I was on their side.
My proudest moment of the battle was felling a "destroid" with a flying spin kick as it fell from the sky. A voice erupted loudly from the building above referring to my action as "hot." I think the Americans use that term for something "sexy". I guess it's some kind of compliment although I am presently unaware of the source or its motivations. This group of American heroes certainly has a variety of powers and talents, but some are certainly more powerful than others. None of them can speak Chinese, which is disappointing but to be expected given the quality of American education even before Dr. Destroyer's rampage. Still, I appreciate the Americans for their willingness to fight by my side.
What does trouble me is what exactly happened to the Ancestor and the ritual. I must investigate further. Perhaps these Americans know what happened. They have offered to take me to their base. It is interesting that there is an African on their team. It seems I am not the only foreigner in this place. Cypher tells me that the silhouette-woman can speak Chinese. Good to see that there is someone on their team who knows high culture.
Introducing Dragon Lady
I was once a normal woman, in fact pretty petite by western standards at 4'10". I guess I always wanted to be a police officer, having grown up watching them protect and serve my community. Plus it was my patriotic duty as a citizen of the Peoples' Republic China. I was too small for military service, but I did well on the entrance exams and they wanted to hire women so I got the job. I started out as a traffic cop, then I moved to handling cases involving women and children. After ten years on the force, I finally got promoted to inspector status. I had to thank to Inspector Huang Yuen for the promotion, as he had the connections and the pull to get me the job. He was handsome, tall, muscled, and had just as much brains as brawn. I don't know what he saw in me, but maybe he knew I had a crush on him. We started dating weeks into the new job, it was against normal protocol but as he told me, "Honey, this is Shanghai. We play by different rules than Hong Kong."
Two years later, we got engaged but we got called to check out a smuggling ring in the docks. Unfortunately, Dr. Yin Wu was there along with his minions. They were far too powerful for us to handle, especially without backup. The twisted doctor tortured and murdered Huang in front of me, then started on me. I was about to break when suddenly a mystic energy surrounded me and pulled me away before he could land the killing blow. I woke up in an ancient temple and was nursed back to health. The monks of the Yengtao temple did their best to rehabilitate me, but I had to complete the final part: dragging myself through an obstacle course. Somehow through sheer mental will I did it. My reward was a bath in a glowing underground spring. I didn't care. Everything hurt. I dove into the spring, and I swam to the surface. I watched in awe as the glow engulfed me and remade me. I was now 5'7 1/2" with an incredible body and muscles strong enough to pick up a SUV.
The old Betty Wong was gone. I dedicated myself into using my new abilities, after all the dragon spirit told me that I was worthy of its power. I picked up four different martial arts: each of them a traditional art of China. I decided on a new name: Dragon Lady and got a custom suit of armor provided by the temple to my specifications. It was perfect! The masters of the temple even had the connections to change my ID and biometric information so I could keep a secret identity, even if those that knew me swore that I was taller, must've been working out a lot, and had gotten a makeover. By day, I was Detective Wong and by night I got to be Dragon Lady. I built up a reputation throughout China as a heroine. I even got promoted to the Ministry of State Security (China's equivalent of the FBI or MI5). I maintained it even when Dr. Destroyer wrecked the world, in fact I was one of the few who survived- I guess the Yengtao temple's magic was strong enough to protect us.
Yesterday, I was summoned to the temple by the masters. Master Nightwind told me that I was needed in America, in a place called Millennium City. I had heard of this place- what was once one of the most technologically advanced cities on Earth. "But why America? I have no connection there," I replied. "There is a Chinatown there, underneath the city. The Ancestor spirit has been summoned- great power was used to do so. We had thought the ritual lost, but someone found it and did it. We need you to investigate what happened there, to deal with the aftermath, and protect Chinatown. The Dragon has given his blessing." Well, with that note- I didn't really have much choice. So Detective Wong went on sabbatical, and I was transported to Chinatown via mystic portal. Thankfully I learned English as a kid and teen- thanks to American TV, the internet, and growing up in Hong Kong.
After exploring Chinatown, I heard explosions coming from a tunnel and checked it out. It came above the tunnel, so I popped out of the manhole and found myself near a firefight between Dr. Destroyer's agents and a group of superheroes. I met some sort of technomancer named Cypher who can command drones. His drones seem suspicious of me, as I am of them. I never cared much for technology, except when it makes life convenient for me, and I really don't like it when it makes things inconvenient for me. However, Cypher and I have a common enemy: Dr. Destroyer. Like Dr. Yin Wu, he will answer for his crimes against the Chinese people- and I look forward to exacting both their vengeance and mine.
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