MERCILESS

Kuala Lumpur, 1999.

Seventeen-year-old Devarajan has always dreamed of becoming a superhero. Growing up poor with his sick mother, Dev sees Malaysia's heroes as symbols of justice and hope-everything he wishes he could become.

But the heroic world isn't what he imagined.

After a humiliating experience with the prestigious Vanguard, Dev finds himself increasingly drawn toward a world he once wanted to escape: organized crime. Desperate to support his mother, he becomes involved with the Black Dragons, a powerful criminal organization operating across Malaysia and Southeast Asia.

Under the charismatic gangster Shan Wai Kit, Dev discovers that his extraordinary ability can make him a valuable asset. What begins as a means of survival gradually becomes something far more dangerous as Dev earns money, gains respect and becomes increasingly comfortable with violence.

Caught between two worlds, Dev struggles to maintain a respectable facade while hiding the life he's building in the shadows. His loyalties are tested, his ideals begin to crumble and the line between the boy who wanted to save people and the man capable of destroying them grows thinner with every choice.