Chapter Text
Prologue: The Rise & Fall of the Chi Vampire
Many years ago, Grandmaster Xiong Wu was a legendary martial artist and the beloved teacher of a young Chan Lee. However, his obsession with immortality corrupted him. He discovered an ancient talisman capable of stealing chi from others and began secretly draining the life energy of villagers to fuel his own eternal life.
One fateful day, Chan Lee caught his master in the unholy act. Horrified by the betrayal, he exposed Xiong Wu to the village elders. The grandmaster was condemned for his crimes. For his sins, he was buried alive in an unmarked grave, sealed inside a specially crafted coffin reinforced with ancient blessings and a powerful curse.
But the stolen chi and the curse twisted him into something monstrous — a terrifying Jiangshi, a Chinese Vampire. Decades later, he rose again, far more powerful than before. He could drain chi on a massive scale and transform his victims into lesser Jiangshi servants. These thralls would hunt for more victims, feeding their master’s endless hunger and building him an army of the undead.
At the peak of his power, Xiong Wu could even walk in daylight. In a final, desperate battle, Chan Lee confronted his fallen master. Using the talisman the honorable way — not to steal, but to restore chi — he forcibly returned the stolen life energy to Xiong Wu’s servants. One by one, the thralls were purged of the curse and reverted to normal humans.
Weakened and furious, the Grandmaster was sealed once again inside the blessed coffin. The coffin was locked away and hidden deep within a forgotten temple, where it remained undisturbed for many years.
To this day, Chan Lee has never revealed the full truth to anyone — not even Ace. He only speaks of “the monster who murdered my master,” choosing to bury the shame of his grandmaster’s betrayal forever.
Chapter 1: Lingering Shadows
In the year 2773, Acmetropolis was as bustling as ever. Flying cars weaved between skyscrapers while citizens went about their daily lives. Whenever danger threatened the city, the Loonatics were there to protect it. But today, the team had a more personal mission: helping one of their own.
Tech E. Coyote was still shaken from recent events. While the nightmare involving his dark half, Ethan Hyde, had been terrifying, nothing haunted him more than the Kinetic Amplification Ray — the machine he had built to make the team stronger, which instead turned him and several others into helpless, sphere-shaped blimps. Last night, he suffered an even worse nightmare in which the ray came alive and inflated him until he filled the entire lab… and popped against the broken skylight glass. Thankfully, Rev had been there to comfort him, pulling him away from the lab and holding him through the night.
The next day, the team waited for Tech and Rev to return to the lab to examine what had occurred during the misadventure.
Lexi Bunny: “Are they coming, Ace?”
Ace Bunny: “Rev assured me that they were on their way.”
Danger Duck: “Well, wherever they are, they'd better hurry. I do have other important things to do today.”
Ace Bunny: “Yeah? Like what?”
Danger Duck: “Oh… uh… well… okay, I can’t really think of anything else to do today, but I’m sure there will be something.”
Slam Tasmanian: “Hahahahahaha. Duck with no excuse.”
Tech and Rev finally arrived, but Tech was visibly trembling as he stared at the covered machine.
Rev Runner: “Don’t worry, babe. We’re all right here. Just take your screwdriver and wire cutters. We’ll scrap this thing for good. Everything’s going to be fine.”
Tech E. Coyote: (gulping) “O-okay… Yeah. You’re right. It’s gonna be fine.”
Rev handed him the tools and stayed close behind, sipping coffee while Tech approached the ray. He was still shaking.
Danger Duck: “I haven’t seen him this nervous since we fought The Stomper.”
Ace Bunny: “Rev, is he okay?”
Rev Runner: “He had a really bad nightmare last night about the ray. This time… he popped. I stayed awake with him so he could finally get some sleep. That’s why I’m running on coffee.”
Lexi Bunny: “He popped? Oh, Tech…”
Ace Bunny: “Dang… poor guy.”
Tech reached the machine’s chrome casing, but he still couldn’t bring himself to open it. Every time he looked at the laser beam pointer, he brought out a scared whine like any canine would when they’re afraid.
Danger Duck: “So… you gonna open that thing or what?”
Ace Bunny: “Have some patience, Duck.”
Danger Duck: “Guh!”
Despite his nerves, Tech began removing the casing. When he struggled, Slam stepped up.
Slam Tasmanian: “Need help?”
Tech jumped with a startled yelp.
Tech E. Coyote: “Aaaah! Oh… sorry, Slam. I’m just a little jumpy today. Could you open this casing for me?”
Slam Tasmanian: “Sure.”
With one powerful tug, Slam ripped the casing off and tossed it cleanly into the scrap bin.
Tech E. Coyote: “Thank you.”
Danger Duck: “Wait… we could’ve done that the whole time?!”
Rev Runner: “Tech has a strict ‘keep your hands off my stuff’ rule — especially failed experiments.”
Danger Duck: “Yeah, like you’ve been following that rule.”
Rev Runner: “Like okay, maybe I have broken that rule a few times, but still…”
Danger Duck: “A few times?!”
Suddenly, both birds were cut off by Lexi and Ace, holding their beaks individually.
Lexi Bunny: “That’s enough, you two.”
Ace Bunny: “Yes, he has that rule, but I wanted us to wait until he arrived to tell us if he needs us.”
Once the casing was removed, Tech examined the internals and eventually held up a tiny screw between his claws.
Tech E. Coyote: “One screw. That’s all it took. A single loose retention screw caused the feedback chip to misalign. That’s why the ray wouldn’t shut off. That’s why it kept inflating us.”
He placed the screw on the bench, then looked up at the team, visibly more relaxed.
Tech E. Coyote: “One millimeter gap turned my invention into a nightmare machine.”
Danger Duck: “So… all that chaos happened because of a loose screw?”
Tech gave a single, exhausted nod.
Ace Bunny: (placing a hand on Tech’s shoulder) “You found the problem. You fixed it. It’s over now.”
Tech stared at the tiny screw for another long second, then swept it off the bench into a lead-lined disposal box and sealed the lid with a loud clang.
Tech E. Coyote: “From now on, every single fastener on every single prototype gets thread locker, torque stripes, and a second inspector sign-off. Starting with this one.”
Tech picked up a plasma torch and began cutting the ray into pieces. The team watched in silence as the machine was destroyed. When the last piece clattered into the scrap bin, Tech killed the torch.
Lexi Bunny: “Coffee’s on you tonight, right?”
Tech E. Coyote: (smiling tiredly) “Coffee, donuts, pizza — whatever you want. For a month.”
Rev zipped over and hugged him.
Rev Runner: “Deal. And hey… we still love you, loose screws and all.”
Before the moment could settle, Ace’s wrist communicator beeped.
Ace Bunny: “You may want to hold off on that, Tech. It’s Zadavia. She wants to speak with us right away.”
Lexi Bunny: “Must be super important. Let’s get to the command center.”
Danger Duck (Sighs): “More work.”
Tech E. Coyote: “You hardly did anything today.”
Danger Duck: “Pfft. Whatever. And I doubt you’ve overcome all your fears.”
Tech E. Coyote: “With that thing gone, nothing can startle me.”
From there, all it took was one tiny prank from Duck’s phone, playing a repeated popping sound from an app, making Tech jump.
Tech E. Coyote: “Yeeeaaaaaaah!”
Tech jumped right into Slam’s arms while he held the big Tasmanian devil’s shoulders, trembling. Everyone turned to Duck in annoyance.
Everyone except Tech: “DUCK!”
Danger Duck: “Nothing personal. Just proving a point.”
Rev Runner: “You okay, darling?”
Tech E. Coyote: “Um… well, okay. (Gets down from Slam’s arms.) Maybe I don’t fear the machine anymore, but maybe popping balloons might still get me.”
The Loonatics head for the command center to meet with Zadavia via a holographic communications system.
Zadavia: “Hello, Loonatics. I hope you are all well.”
Ace Bunny: “Came down as soon as I got the heads-up, Zadavia.”
Danger Duck: “So, what is it this time, boss lady? Sypher stealing, Mastermind manipulating, Massive dropping in, Weathervane striking, Otto clowning around?”
Zadavia: “Loonatics, I’ve received an urgent request from a man in a remote region of China. A land that is occupied by villagers, who grow most of their food and raise their animals. A very peaceful village.”
Slam Tasmanian: “China. Beautiful land. (Slurps his tongue.) Delicious food. Yum.”
Danger Duck: “China. What a beautiful country, a great land to go on a vacation, show off our martial arts skills to the best fighters in the world, and…”
Tech E. Coyote: “Yeah, yeah. Hold that thought, Duck. If the village is so peaceful, why are we being summoned there?”
Zadavia: “Because, despite being a peaceful village, it has also seen a dark history from within. Incidents throughout the years have resulted in many villagers becoming long-time victims. He fears an old evil may be awakening, which is why he has asked for you.”
Ace Bunny: “Zadavia, if you don’t mind me asking, who sent you this request?”
Zadavia: “I’m glad it is you who asked, Ace. This request came from a man from your past. Someone who taught you everything you know about defending yourself, whom you taught your friends. Your old master.”
Ace Bunny (Slight gasp): “Master Chan Lee?”
Zadavia: “Yes. He has asked you and your team personally to come and investigate this mystery, for he fears that history may repeat itself.”
Rev Runner: “And what exactly is this mystery and history that he fears will happen again?”
Zadavia: “I’m afraid I cannot explain the exact details at this time. Ace’s master shall explain upon your arrival. You leave immediately for China. Good luck, Loonatics. Zadavia out.”
The hologram shuts off.
Rev Runner: “Holy cow, I've never been to China before. This will be super exciting to go and see the other side of the world. And we get to meet Ace’s old teacher and master. How cool is it seeing your old teacher again, Ace? Uh… Ace?”
Lexi turned to see that Ace had already left his chair, but the team caught a glimpse of him just exiting through the doorway.
Lexi Bunny: “Ace?”
Ace just ignored their call and moved forward.
Danger Duck: “What’s gotten into him?”
Slam Tasmanian: “Uh, Ace okay?”
Tech E. Coyote: “Something’s wrong. Let’s check on him.”
The Loonatics follow Ace down the hall to attempt to figure out why Ace suddenly left. One thing was for sure: Ace was concerned after he heard his former teacher’s name.