Age of Legends Episode 1 Recap
> Age of Legends Recap
In 2012, deep within an armed drug cartel's base in M Country, Liu Ziguang was bound to a chair, resisting a tattoo. He cried out, "I don't want a tattoo! Let me go! My dad was murdered by a junkie. I won't traffic drugs!" His sworn brother, Ye Wanglong, tried to calm him, saying, "Ziguang, stop yelling. We will become Colby's friends after we are tattooed. No one will dare to bully us."
Their argument attracted the attention of the drug lord, Colby, who stormed in. Colby offered Liu Ziguang a stark choice: "Work with me, you get that tattoo. If not, I kill you." Though Liu Ziguang was not killed, he was brutally beaten and thrown into labor in the drug den. While working as a forced laborer, Liu Ziguang seized an opportunity to escape but was quickly spotted, shot, and recaptured. Colby then imprisoned him.
Ye Wanglong managed to reach Liu Ziguang in his cell, bringing him water. Ye Wanglong revealed, "I have pleaded with Colby. I gave him all the money I earned as a drug dealer. He promised not to kill you." He boasted, "Colby thinks highly of me now. I did a few big transactions for Colby and earned a lot of money."
He then tried to convince Liu Ziguang, "I think if you and I plead with him, he will definitely let you out." Liu Ziguang looked at him in disbelief, "You are trafficking drugs with him?" Ye Wanglong confirmed, trying to persuade Liu Ziguang to join him, but Liu Ziguang refused the water, his eyes blazing with fury. The story flashed back three years earlier to the border of China, where Liu Ziguang first met Ye Wanglong on a long-distance bus.
Liu Ziguang, whose father had passed away, felt lost and had no family in Jiangbei. Ye Wanglong, after paying for Liu Ziguang's ticket, suggested they go to M Country together, where he heard many people were making money. They introduced themselves, with Ye Wanglong stating his name and Liu Ziguang replying with his own. Upon arrival in M Country, they found work at a bar. The owner assigned them local-sounding names: Ye Wanglong became Sangkun, and Liu Ziguang became Sangbo.
Ye Wanglong, gazing at a portrait of Escobar, expressed his ambition to be "capable and devilish" like his idol. One day, when Ye Wanglong inadvertently angered a hooligan, Liu Ziguang bravely shielded him from a knife attack, taking the blade himself. Ye Wanglong, deeply moved, apologized, "Ziguang, sorry. You got hurt because of me." He then suggested they become sworn brothers, pledging, "We will share the blessings and endure the bad times together." Liu Ziguang agreed.
Soon after, Ye Wanglong sought to join Colby's armed drug trafficking group, eager to be "successful and stand out." Liu Ziguang vehemently opposed this, reminding Ye Wanglong that his own father had died because of drug addiction. However, Ye Wanglong argued that in a world where the strong prey on the weak, they needed power, urging Liu Ziguang to join Colby to make money and avoid returning home poor.
Torn between his hatred for drugs and his loyalty to his brother, Liu Ziguang reluctantly agreed to temporarily align with Colby. Back in the present, late one night, Ye Wanglong secretly visited Liu Ziguang's cell, intending to help him escape. He told Liu Ziguang he had "some stuff over there" for him to take. However, shortly after Ye Wanglong left, armed guards discovered Liu Ziguang, surrounding him and yelling "Freeze!"
Meanwhile, in Jiangbei, China, Officer Huang secretly met with Hu Yuejin. Officer Huang revealed that a new, highly potent drug called "Angel," originating from an armed drug trafficking group in M Country, was rampant. With his experience in combating drug criminals, Officer Huang was chosen to go undercover in M Country to investigate the drug's source.
He entrusted his daughter, Hu Rong, to Hu Yuejin's care, promising that upon completing his mission, he would retire to spend more time with her. Hu Yuejin reminded him that he "owed this child the most" throughout his life. Before departing, Officer Huang disguised himself and visited Hu Rong at a basketball court. He watched as she called out "Dad" while playing with her friend, but when he approached, she greeted him as "Uncle," indicating she did not recognize him.
A wave of sadness washed over Officer Huang. Arriving in M Country, Officer Huang assumed the identity of a bar owner to gather intelligence on Colby's drug trafficking organization and the "Angel" drug. During his years of imprisonment, Liu Ziguang endured constant beatings. He heard a guard threaten, "If you escape again, I will break your legs." Despite the harsh conditions, he relentlessly honed his combat and shooting skills, forging a body of steel and never losing hope.
Later, Hu Yuejin traveled to M Country for an International Police Exchange Conference and took the opportunity to visit Officer Huang at his bar. He assured Officer Huang that he was doing well and that work was going smoothly, while bringing him "Fish Gelatin Biscuits" from Jiangbei, Officer Huang's favorite. Hu Yuejin then shared news about Hu Rong, telling Officer Huang she was "doing extremely well" but was "getting more stubborn," taking after him.
He showed Officer Huang a photo of Hu Rong in her police uniform, proclaiming, "Police Officer Hu Rong. Here!" Officer Huang was filled with pride, commenting on her beauty and how she resembled him. They reiterated their agreement that once Officer Huang's mission was complete, Hu Yuejin would "hand over your daughter to you," and Officer Huang would raise her, though Officer Huang insisted Hu Yuejin would always remain a father figure to her as well.
Hu Yuejin reassured Officer Huang that Hu Rong would eventually acknowledge and be proud of his work. Back at the drug base, Liu Ziguang, enduring immense pain, managed to untie himself. He fought off two drug dealers but was quickly discovered and surrounded by others pointing guns at him. In the tense standoff, Ye Wanglong suddenly appeared, ordering the guards to "Hold your fire! Calm down! Don't shoot! Mr. Colby allowed me to get him out."
He then calmly approached Liu Ziguang, took the gun from him, and quietly told him, "I know you have always wanted to leave here. I won't persuade you (to stay) today. Just leave." Liu Ziguang, concerned for his brother, asked, "What about you? Colby will never let you off." Ye Wanglong confidently replied, "Colby locked you here for four years. He has almost forgotten about you. I'm doing well here. I know he won't do anything to me."
He urged Liu Ziguang to leave, adding, "If you can't survive out there, come and find me. As long as you are alive, we will always be brothers." Liu Ziguang made his escape. Shortly after Liu Ziguang's departure, Colby furiously confronted Ye Wanglong, demanding to know if he had let Sangbo go and threatening to kill him. However, to Colby's shock, his own subordinates suddenly turned their weapons on him.
Ye Wanglong, with a cold smile, declared, "Mr. Colby, you make too much money but you share too little. So from now on, I am going to be the boss." As Colby pleaded for his life, offering all his money, Ye Wanglong proclaimed, "I'm finally going to become my idol, Escobar. It's going to be my era now." Colby was killed, and Ye Wanglong, now the new leader, stood triumphant, determined to build his own drug empire.
