On the surface, Zhong Guang appears no different from any other city: bustling, vibrant, colorful. No one suspects it to be the epicenter for a fringe gene modification lab and a top secret experiment aimed at producing super soldiers indestructible enough to conquer the entire world. But when the experiment goes horribly awry, a handful of average citizens, an elite government group and an experienced assassin are all implicated. What will it take to defeat the backstage manipulators controlling the fate of an entire city? Or is Zhong Guang destined to fall prey to forces greater than itself? Dark Leopard is a ten-part sci/fi thriller aimed at exploring the complexities of the human heart.
CHARACTERS
Gao Kaixin
Gentle, kind and timid, Kaixin is one of Zhong Guang's "lost souls". Abused by his father, he struggles against fate, longing for an avenue whereby to flee the city and thus escape the nightmarish cycle that's been engulfing him for twenty-six years. When a single night of violence turns everything on its head, Kaixin is thrust into an even darker world. All at once, he must learn to love, trust, and believe in a goodness more powerful than evil.
Wang Qi Qi
Qi Qi becomes a victim of circumstance when her innocence, youth and freedom are exploited to satisfy a business debt meant to preserve the dignity and honor of her family name. Qi Qi meekly submits - until desperation to save her unborn child ignites her courage. When she crosses paths with the troubled Kaixin, she opens herself to the true meaning of love.
Chen Lu
Chun Lu is a loner with a penchant for motorcycles, lucky cats and minding his own business. Not afraid of a fight, his martial arts is formidable enough to put him on top in any street brawl as he runs afoul of Zhong Guang's gangsters. When a spur-of-the-moment rescue forces him to confront his own checkered past, Chen Lu finds it impossible to stay on the sidelines. To save himself, he must first save the brother he never had.
Shu Yang
A second-generation rich kid, Shu Yang is set to inherit his father's research lab, Shu Genetics, a billion dollar industry leader boasting top investors from around the world. But Yang is left with more than just a wealthy inheritance. Government experiments, genetic mutations, super-soldiers: at the cusp of an ideological and spiritual battle for the hearts and minds of one city, Yang appears destined to repeat his father's mistakes.
Yu Meng
It's been years since Yu Meng worked for Shu Genetics on their top-secret "Apex" project. She now lives in seclusion deep in the heart of Zhong Guang, hoping to avoid her previous associations and connections. But her simple life is interrupted when she takes in the pregnant Qi Qi, resulting in a snowballing of events that leads to former flame, Chen Lu, and the harsh reality of their shared past.
San Shi
Known only as the mysterious "30", San Shi is an experienced and capable assassin. Although her price is exorbitant, many prominent customers still line up for her services - and her results speak for themselves. San Shi has never failed a mission. But when hired by Shu Genetics to track down a stolen vial of experimental serum, the ensuing cat-and mouse becomes more than she bargained for.
