City of the Lone Boat:1944
In 1944 newly appointed defense commissioner Song Wen crushes an assassination attempt then publicly executes the would-be killers When his brother Song Wu gets poisoned in Harbin Song Wen goes undercover as his comatose sibling.His hunt for the rare "Deer Revival Herb" leads to Changhai Commerce Guild's deadly auction After stealing an invite from gangster Lei Hu he's forced into their "Sky Lantern" ritual—win the bid or die succeed and marry the guild's heiress Guan Ruxue.Outbidding rivals at 120 million silver dollars he wins only to get a ginseng not the cure When Song Wu's treacherous fiancée Chen Wenjin arrives mistaking him for Song Wu chaos erupts Song Wen dominates the auction fights off Lei Hu's ambush and gains Guan Ruxue's loyalty.The herb barely stabilizes Song Wu Infiltrating Chen Wenjin's circle Song Wen uncovers her family's treason—colluding with enemies to loot China's treasures In a fiery reckoning he destroys the Chens exposes their bioweapons lab and crushes the enemy's "Cleansing Protocol".
