MAJOR DEEJ UNIVERSE

Zou ZhenKang was born a true test tube baby and a product of Chinese government science.  Using what little they could amass of the old World War I chemical gas that was infused with the (at the time unknown) X-65 mutagenic compound. Chinese scientists worked feverishly for decades to unlock the secrets of the X-65 in a lab in Shanghai but with only a limited amount available and no way to replicate it, there was little more that could be done...except for one particular 'hail Mary' maneuver.

 

Using the last of the X-65 mutagenic compound they had access to, they used the embryo and DNA to two Chinese citizens who had the highest potential yield of becoming mutants with just a tad bit of an evolutionary push...a push that was the X-65 compound. Mixing the embryos, the X-65 and the best DNA splicing they could perform in 1999, they created a test tube baby, born in a lab.

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The day before Experiment C00-001 was to be born in January of 2000, the Soltan Star Empire invaded Earth. The facility that housed C00-001was obliterated in the initial attack by the Soltans. One of the janitorial staff women, Xia ZhenKang, survived the initial assault. On her way out, she saw C00-001's birthing cylinders failing. She went over the broken cylinder and extracted C00-001 just as the baby stopped breathing. She performed CPR on the baby and brought it back to life.  The baby, interestingly enough, didn't cry but seemed to form an immediate connection to his new 'mom'.  Xia and C00-001 barely escaped capture, eventually finding their way into the woods and away from the Soltan death and destruction.

 

Amidst the ruins of the city, Xia found several other survivors and they all banded together to help one another out. Xia was able to find a baby products warehouse and was able to load-up on all she needed to take care of her new 'Zou' as she called him (he sounded like an elephant the few times he did cry). Together, they hid amongst the relics and displays in the Shanghai Museum, a building that the Soltans did not destroy not did any damage to. Several months later, the Soltans were driven off of Earth, leaving Xia and Zou to what was left of a highly damaged Shanghai.

 

For the next several years, Shanghai was rebuilt by the the Chinese government at an accelerated pace. Xia knew she'd eventually be found out to have taken the baby and as such, stayed away from any government jobs, forcing Xia to live in a far-from-reputable zone of prostitutes, thieves and degenerates.  She did what she could to survive in those tough streets, but never turned to crime. Zou became home-schooled by Xia, and thanks to superhero comic books, he was taught how to read.  Zou loved reading the superhero stories and all the 'good' he saw those heroes do on every page of their comic book. Zou wanted to be like them...and he soon learned he could be.

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At age 11, Zou and his 'mother' Xia, while walking home one night, were surrounded by street thugs trying to steal Xia's purse, rape her and steal Zou for human trafficking purposes. Zou, using abilities he had no idea he was capable of doing, fought like a warrior against the thugs, unleashing powerful kicks and punches, stronger than that of an Olympic fighter. The thugs ran off hurt and frightened of Zou, never again daring to attack them. Xia survived and finally told Zou of where she'd found him and how she was not necessarily his true mother. Zou was shocked, but didn't hold these new truths against Xia; instead, Zou thanked her for saving him as a baby and raising him 'right'.

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Over the next few years, Zou picked up martial arts from a variety of ways; a few 'unofficial' lessons with martial arts school masters, some sports boxing and wrestling pointers from the local college athletes and of course old TV shows and movies he watched.  At age 13, Zou would, on occasion, sneak out in the dark of the night and go on patrol, hoping to stop crime and villainy in the dirty streets of Shanghai.  As such, he did, wearing a gaudy red and gold costume and mask.  He stopped dozens of crimes and criminals, eventually gaining the unofficial name as 'Captain Shanghai'.  Luckily for him, Zou was never identified that he was the masked boy now called Captain Shanghai, that is, until he turned 15.

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Days after his 15th birthday, Xia believed it was safe enough to finally try to find some of her supposedly 'lost' relatives, none of whom she'd tried to contact since the invasion for fear that the Chinese government might backtrack her and find Zou which would most likely lead to her arrest and Zou being used in whatever nefarious plot they had designed for him.

 

Her fears came true.

 

After visiting the aunt who'd survived the invasion, Xia brought Zou to Xia's aunt's new home outside of Shanghai to introduce them. When Xia and Zou arrived, they were quickly surrounded by government troops. Xia was immediately locked away into interrogation where she was kept for months, forced to tell the government everything about Zou and his upbringing. Zou, on the other hand, fought his guards daily, breaking out of his cell and/or demanding to release his mother. After hospitalizing over four dozen soldiers, Zou's 'handlers' sedated Zou to keep him under their control.

 

For the next few years, Zou was 'retrained and conditioned' to become the perfect soldier. He'd learned that the lab he'd come from had nothing left to make another 'Zou' and as such, Zou was truly one-of-a-kind.  His master, "Master Zhang", as he was called, allowed him to visit his mother once a year for 1 hour at her prison in Tibet.  Although not the solution Zou wanted, he was (and continues to be) able to be allowed to visit her.

 

Recently, Zou was placed in the ranks of China's new superhero team called the "Champions of China". Although he has been conditioned and retrained and continues to be a valuable super-powered asset to the team, Zou still escapes the hero group's compound on occasion at night and still goes out on patrol to the streets of Shanghai, taking down thugs, criminals and thieves.  The Chinese government and Master Zhang...tolerate...Zou's behavior, however, should his extra-curricular activities interfere with the team's missions, there are controls that the Chinese government will more than likely employ to ensure he knows 'who's in charge'; controls that most likely would deal with his (as far as Zou is concerned) 'mother', Xia.

 

Today, Captain Shanghai is one of the most popular heroes of the Champions of China. He is idolized my tens of thousands of young Chinese school boys and girls.  The government has 'allowed' several superhero comics to be done of him, but of course with him praising and supporting the leadership and ethics of the China and its communist party.  Zou is a conscientious, forthright man with a 'Captain America'-like outtake on his role except in his case, with China. He is not stupid, but is not particularly well educated. He can make his own decisions and still has a bit of youthful exuberance and tenacity, but he is also tempered with his 're-education' and submits to Chinese authority almost always. He sneaks out to go on patrols, however, if he is caught, he will submit to his hander's (and master's) demands without issue.  He loves Xia like a mom and wants more than anything to be a 'real' superhero and help save lives and make a difference.

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