Chapter 162: Flash Point

Sammo Hung listened very attentively, speaking up to ask questions whenever he encountered a point of confusion.

"Why does Su Su betray Wong Po?"

"Gang leader Wong Po and his wife Su Su have been together for thirty years, but Su Su has long been infertile. Consequently, he took a concubine and finally fathered a son in his old age. The grand, lavish, and high-profile full-month banquet for the baby was stumbled upon by the police, almost sparking a conflict. Standing out as a tall tree catches the wind, the high-profile Wong Po has always been a primary target of police surveillance. At the banquet, Su Su played the role of the boss's wife with poise and grace, perfectly exhibiting the demeanor of a matriarch, while concealing her true intentions deeply all along."

"Is Wong Po's younger brother just a useless gambler?"

"Wrong, utterly wrong. In the truest sense, the person who actually usurps the command is Wong Po-tung. First of all, as Wong Po's own younger brother, he actually hasn't been given many opportunities to showcase himself. He is somewhat like that kind of idle presence in a company, just tagging along behind his older brother for a free ride, losing a lot of money to gambling, and later having Wong Po clean up his messes. When the two of them are in the park facing Wong Po's interrogation, Wong Po-tung actually breaks down in crying, claiming he is good for nothing. In reality, all of this is deliberately put on by him!"

At this point, Simon Yam slapped his thigh, looking thoroughly excited.

"Tai-po, I will play Wong Po-tung! It has been a long time since I tried such a well-rounded villainous role, and I love it!"

"Who is the best fighter in the movie?" Before Simon Yam's voice had even faded, Donnie Yen eagerly asked.

"Aside from the gang leader Wong Po, there is Lok Tin-hung, one of his two capable henchmen. This character is essentially similar to A-jit, the role I played, and at the very end of the film, he engages in a life-and-death duel with Wong Po! I imagine that fight sequence will become a classic scene of the entire picture."

Sammo Hung asked curiously, "Is Lok Tin-hung also one of the traitors? And why do I feel this plot is extremely similar to *SPL: Sha Po Lang*?"

Liu Qingshan smiled and said, "I wrote this script a full year ago, and at that time, I didn't even know *SPL: Sha Po Lang* existed. I can only say that Director Wilson Yip and I share the same heroic intuition. Actually, action films generally follow roughly the same formulas, and to become a classic, more iconic fight scenes are indispensable!"

"That is true. What about Lok Tin-hung's situation?"

"He didn't actually betray the boss. On one hand, he was unwilling to fall into the hands of the police, because they are all figures from the upper echelons of society, accustomed to living in glory and splendor, and unwilling to suffer the brutal interrogation of the police. On the other hand, both of them are martial artists. Wong Po is hailed as the number one under heaven, and Lok Tin-hung has always longed to have a duel with him. Wong Po grants him that wish. Isn't this a win-win solution that achieves the best of both worlds? It also gives the audience one final intense battle to watch!"

This time it was Sammo Hung slapping his thigh and cheering, "Indeed, the plot is far more exciting than *SPL: Sha Po Lang*! But I have one more question: how does the entire story relate to a game of chess? Shanzu, your big brother isn't questioning you, but I'm just eager to understand the deeper layers within it!"

Liu Qingshan waved his hand, not minding in the least.

***

"Although *SPL: Flash Point* looks like an action movie at first glance, it actually feels more like a suspense piece, leaving a lot of room for the audience's imagination. Wong Po-tung is the one who sets up the chess game, and everyone, including his own older brother, is merely his chess piece. The assassinations and plots scattered throughout are all lethal moves within the game, thrilling at every single step."

"Then how should we understand the two phrases: 'Those who follow the will of heaven meet a tragic end, those who defy the will of heaven die'?"

"The police officers who died unjust deaths, the low-ranking triad thugs, and other minor characters can all be seen as those who follow the will of heaven. If they do not resist, they can only act as chess pieces for the big bosses—mere bones among the ten thousand white bones left behind when a single general achieves success. Meanwhile, the big bosses act in defiance of heaven, and in the end, they can only face one outcome: divine retribution! The so-called 'barbarians have no hundred-year destiny'; here, barbarians serve as a synonym for using violence to defy the will of heaven in order to achieve despicable goals."

Only at this moment did Sammo Hung finally let out a sigh of relief, because after such repeated and detailed explanations, he finally grasped the core theme of the film.

"It's a good movie!" Simon Yam sighed. "Shanzu, I can almost foresee that once it is filmed, it will definitely be a bigger box-office hit than *SPL: Sha Po Lang*!"

Meanwhile, Donnie Yen showed not a shred of awkwardness for being the male lead of *SPL: Sha Po Lang*, because his entire mind was completely absorbed by that character, Lok Tin-hung.

However, assuming that Liu Qingshan was the absolute best choice for that role, he could only hint at it indirectly in a roundabout way.

"Shanzu, will you play Lok Tin-hung yourself?"

How could Liu Qingshan not understand what was on his mind? So he chuckled and said, "I don't plan to play the role myself. Instead, I have someone else in mind—Wu Jing, who also hails from the mainland."

"Do you think he is more suitable than me?"

By this point, it was obvious that Donnie Yen no longer wanted to hide his intentions, directly revealing his desire.

The smile on Liu Qingshan's face remained: "Brother Zizjian, it's not that you aren't suitable, but rather that I have prepared a completely different script specifically for you. It's a similarly themed subject, but the complete script is still being written and will be ready in about two months!"

The men were all startled. What Liu Qingshan had just said completely shocked them to the core.

One must know that a good script often requires years or even more time to slowly polish and refine. How could anyone be like him, pulling out three scripts in one breath?

As for Liu Qingshan's screenwriting ability, none of the people present doubted it. Something that could catch the eyes of Sammo Hung, Simon Yam, and Stephen Chow could hardly be an inferior work.

***

After several full seconds of silence, it was Donnie Yen who spoke up most urgently: "Can you briefly introduce it now?"

"Brother Zizjian, don't be in such a rush. Previously, its title was *Flash Point*, and right now it's just a basic framework. But after experiencing *SPL: Sha Po Lang*, I actually think it could be filmed as *SPL 2*. Of course, that requires Director Wilson Yip's permission!"

"There shouldn't be much of a problem on his end. But you called it *SPL 2* rather than a direct sequel? Is it because Ma Jun, the character in the first film, is already dead?"

"Of course. A true sequel requires a continuation of the previous plot, which leaves very little room to explore new storylines. I intend to simply reuse the character names from the first film, while the content itself will be an entirely different story."

"Tell us the story framework first, so we can seek Director Wilson Yip's opinion sooner, which will allow you to write it faster."

"The general plot goes like this: Inspector Ma Jun of the Serious Crime Unit is dedicated to arresting criminals. Possessing extraordinary martial arts skills and driven by an urgent desire to catch thieves, he often uses excessive force. The police have long been gathering criminal evidence against the Vietnamese gang brothers A-zha, Tony, and Tiger, so they dispatch Wah Sang to go undercover among them. The three brothers are ruthless and cold-blooded, and they want to eliminate the thorn in their side, A-shan. After A-zha is arrested, Tony also uncovers Wah Sang's true identity, and he resolves to kill Wah Sang and all the other witnesses in order to rescue his eldest brother. Wah Sang's girlfriend, Chau-tai, is taken hostage, forcing Wah Sang to abandon his testimony against A-zha. Both Wah Sang and his girlfriend are captured and held as hostages, prompting Ma Jun to bring A-zha along to rescue Wah Sang."

"Is that it? Just that simple?"

Clearly, after listening to the pitch, disappointment was evident on Donnie Yen's face.