"So how's Soo Yung doing?" Carter wedged his head in between the two front car seats where Lee was getting acquainted with the scenery in Oakland from the passenger's seat while Sammy tried his best to stay concentrated on the road. They were on their way to the Lux Plaza Hotel, a spot where Sammy claimed the new guys were based at. For the moment, it was the only lead they had.

"I haven't seen that girl since Paris," Carter rambled on, more than overjoyed to get back to his old action cop days. "Can you believe it's been almost five years, man? I still got it though, believe that. Yeah, I still go it."

"She is studying in England," Lee informed him. "Graduating soon, her father's very proud."

Soo Yung was like a goddaughter to Lee, he cared for her as if they were blood-related. Though she was always highly endangered by being Consul Han's daughter, Lee was always ready to drop everything and keep her safe. Her kidnapping had lead him to meet and team up with Carter, she had tied them together in a way. It was bittersweet to see Soo Yung grow into her own independent woman, but she always assured him that she would visit him as much as she could and send lots of letters.

"That's great, man," Carter patted his friend's shoulder. "Hoo, I missed this! You hear people falling off after their glory days, but baby my days have always been shining!"

Lee looked at him with a raised brow. "Oh yeah? Is that why you've been teaching karate to people twice your age?"

"What? Man, I've been giving back to the community, that's all! These people need me like The Lakers need Shaq. I'm more than a karate teacher, I'm a guru, a healer, a visionary..."

"Delusional is what you are," Sammy chimed in. "The only reason I took your class was for those freezies they sell across the street at the end."

"Don't listen to him," Carter waved him off. "His head's probably scrambled from the heat or something."

"Yours is probably too big from all that air you breathe when you speak," Sammy said." Now, stop talking! We're dealing with an important matter right now, this ain't a sorority sleepover."

"Man, please! What do you know about them sorority honeys? Speaking of honey, you think we could make some time for some mu-shu, Lee?"

"Nuh-huh, we already decided on Burger King!"

"We ain't talking about some damn food, Sammy! Mu-shu's all about women, man."

"Please, the last woman who's even looked at your crusty ass was probably your momma, boy."

"Ooooh, I know like I know that you didn't bring my momma into this!"

"Is that the place?" Lee disrupted the petty fight to bring Sammy's attention to an art deco-inspired skyscraper on the horizon.

"Yeah, that's the place," he swatted Carter's head away from him. "I heard the security's tight in there. Last time some of our guys tried to get in, they got smoked in less than a minute. But they respect you, Ch'u."

Lee straightened in his seat. It had been a while since he had dealt with members of the Triad, the organized Chinese crime circles that posed threats around the world. Since his early retirement from being a chief inspector, he'd settled in the Chinese countryside and lived a relatively unassuming life, taking up hobbies like gardening and sudoku.

Constantly putting his life on the line, Lee had felt like a break was long overdue, though he obviously missed his action-packed career. Overall, he wanted to take time for himself, be at peace and away from gangsters and criminals always lurking in the shadows. However, this case changed everything.

It was evident that his friend Carter had no idea of the gravity this case held, but he couldn't blame him. From the looks of it, his partner-in-crime had been finding it hard to fulfill himself during retirement. For Carter, his job at the LAPD was his life, it gave him the action and the entertainment he always craved.

All of the adventures Lee had with him, all of the memories they created together were mainly fueled by their respective careers in law enforcement. The difference was that Lee had found meaning outside of his job, while all Carter wanted was his job. It wasn't that he didn't like teaching karate, he'd actually chosen it because it reminded him of his best friend, but it could never equal the thrill of chasing bad guys on the road or flirting with beautiful lady spies.

Now that they were getting back into the groove of things, Lee was starting to sense that this particular case might have higher stakes than he thought. Although nothing personal (except their lives, but they were used to it by now) was at risk here, he hadn't kept up with the Triad's latest developments, so he had no clue what to expect.

Assuming that Ch'u was also part of a triad group, he wanted to find out more about him. But most of all, Lee knew that the danger was not going to stay in Oakland, but quickly spread throughout California and America if they didn't do something about it. After the hotel, they'll have to assess the explosion that brought him here.

Arriving at the Lux Plaza, Sammy stopped his car at the entrance where a group of Chinese footmen closely paid attention to their new arrivals.

"I'll wait for your here, sir," he told Lee, nervously eyeing the men who were observing them. "If anything happens-"

"I'll come find you," Lee reassured him as he unbuckled his security belt. "Carter, you stay with him."

"What? Hell nah!" Carter protested. "You want me to stay here and play babysitter while you go out there and have all the fun? C'mon man, we're a team. I'm coming with you."

"No, it's too dangerous. You have to stay here."

"You can't be serious, man? Let's just-"

"I have to go alone, it's too risky."

"But-"

"Please, Carter. I'm counting on you."

"Fine, you don't have to do all that emotional stuff, I get it. Go do your thing or whatever."

"Thank you, I'll be quick."

Lee got out of the car and adjusted his shirt before walking towards the hotel's front doors, where four men dressed in uniform waited to greet him, still skeptically glancing at the car behind him. Lee smiled at them, trying to look unsuspicious, but he was soon blocked by his greeters, unable to enter the hotel.

One of the footmen asked Lee in Cantonese the reason why he was here, a scowl on his face. Lee calmly responded in the same language, saying that he had been invited by someone to discuss business matters. The men looked amongst each other in silence before the scowling footman demanded he name the individual who'd invited him. Lee tried to deflect his demand, stating he was in a hurry and didn't have any time to waste, but his comment fell on deaf ears.

Hoping they would let him through if they 'knew who he was', Lee then told the footmen that he was Ch'u and that their behavior was unacceptable. But this just made the men laugh at him, joking that Ch'u's ghost was haunting them. Confused by their behavior, Lee started laughing along, trying to appeal to them. However, this had the opposite effect, with the footmen now thinking Lee was mocking them and disrespecting Ch'u.

Before he had time to apologize, Lee felt an arm wrap around his shoulders.

"Hey! What's good, fellas?" Carter charismatically said as he shook Lee a little. "I see you've met my assistant, Wang. He's hilarious, ain't he?"

"Who are you?" One of the footmen asked.

Carter placed his hand on his heart and gasped. "Oh, you don't know?! How dare you? You know, I haven't busted my ass for twenty years in the business just for some chump to ask me who I am! This is outrageous! Matter of fact, call up your manager right now, man. Better yet, I'll go see him myself!"

The men were already growing impatient with him. "We're gonna have to ask you to leave right now, sir."

"Oh yeah? You're kicking out the one and only Eddie Murphy out of your hotel right now? Wait till the Yelp reviews pour in, man."

"You are Eddie Murphy? From Coming To America?"

"And The Nutty Professor and Doctor Doolittle, but we don't have time to go through my damn filmography, man!"

"Are you crazy?" Lee whispered to his friend, leaning on his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"Chill, man," Carter whispered back. "You know they can't tell Black people alike."

"I can."

"Yeah, only 'cause you had training with me."

Meanwhile, the footmen were now staring at Carter with starstruck wonder.

"Oh my gosh, mister Murphy, we are huge fans!" One quipped as the other surrounded him in childlike excitement.

Carter smirked in victory. "Oh well, that's nice and all, but I really just want to go into the hotel, so let me in and I'll give y'all autographs later if I have the time."

"Of course, sir!" They all made way for him to pass. "Sorry for the inconvenience."

Carter gleefully strutted inside the hotel with Lee still wrapped under his wing.

"See?" He smugly said. "Told you I had everything under-"

"Carter?" Someone said behind them. "James Carter?"

A 'Wolf of Wall Street' like businessman with slicked back blond hair and a cold grey suit and briefcase was heading towards the pair.

Carter nervously looked around, checking if anybody was paying them attention. "Uh... N-Nah, man. It's Eddie Murphy. You know? Prince Hakeem!"

"What's up, my man?" The business man dapped him up. "I thought you were busy teaching kung-fu to sweaty elders or something. What brings you here?"

"Look, Carl, can we talk somewhere? In private?"

"Sure, man! I've been meaning to tell you some stuff anyways, maybe it's something you can get on like old times. The area's changing, man. Better get on the good side before things gets ugly."

"What do you mean by that?" Lee asked him, intrigued.

Carl looked at him with a concerning twinkle in his eyes. "Three words: Isaak O' Day."

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