Liu Shang

After killing the policeman who arrested him, drug dealer Zhang Hu flees. Three years later, Zhang Hu's drug gang finds the illegal-truck driver Li Jun and forces him to transport goods for them. Anti-drug captain Tang Xudong succeeds in convincing Li Jun to be an informant with pay as Li Jun needs the money for his wife’s medical treatment, and thus begins his informant operation laden with danger. As things develop far beyond Tang's plan, it turns out that Li Jun has a bigger purpose.

In 2004, on the vast Gobi wasteland of northwest China, the violent gang led by Xu Sihai robs a mine escort vehicle, committing a series of bloody crimes before fleeing for their lives. During the escape, the gang falls apart, turning against each other over stolen loot. Criminal police captain Yang Zhigang traverses the desert to hunt them down based on trace clues, leading to a slew of hardcore gunfights and car chases. Moral gray areas complicate this showdown between good and evil.

Border troops tracking a multimillion-dollar drug shipment from a major cartel are ambushed by Liu Laosan's gang, igniting conflict between law enforcement and criminals. Police recruit Dafei, Liu’s imprisoned sworn brother, to help recover the drugs. With gangster Lao Xu’s help, they plan a peaceful return to the Xudong Chamber of Commerce. But Liu double-crosses them, stealing more goods during the swap. Police arrest Xudong’s henchmen, enraging cartel boss Huang Xudong, who hires international mercenaries. Meanwhile, Lao Xu kidnaps Dafei’s mother. As Liu’s gang prepares to flee, they face a final, fateful decision.