Triads in GTA IV Era
The Triads are the Chinese crime syndicate in Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars that operate out of the Chinatown district in Algonquin as well as parts of Dukes in Liberty City. They are mostly involved with drug shipping. The LCPD database states that there are three different sets of the Triads. The most important group of Triads are under Hsin Jaoming and his son Chan Jaoming. Another group is led by Wu "Kenny" Lee and his nephew Huang Lee. The third group is controlled by Zhou Ming.
In Chinatown Wars
Spoiler Warning: Plot and/or ending details are in the text which follows. |
Just prior to the events of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Mr. Lee, father of Huang Lee and top contender to replace the retiring Hsin Jaoming as Triad leader, is murdered under mysterious circumstances in Kowloon. Huang travels to Liberty City to deliver his father's sword, Yu Jian, to the new head of the Lee family, Uncle Wu "Kenny" Lee, who intends to present it to Hsin in order to gain favor for the position of Triad boss. Unbeknownst to Hsin, the sword is actually worthless, it's tradition having been invented by Mr. Lee after he won it in a card game. As Huang Lee arrives at Francis International Airport, he is ambushed by several mysterious thugs, who steal the sword and leave Huang for dead.
Having fallen out of favor with Hsin for the loss of the sword, Kenny enlists his nephew's help in regaining lost territory and reputation, while Huang continues his search for both the burglars of Yu Jian and the identity of his father's killer. He goes on to work for underbosses Chan Jaoming, the feeble minded son of Hsin with a penchant for street races, and Zhou Ming, a narcisist who sometimes displays borderline psychotic behavior.
Hsin's instance that a federal informant is compromising Triad business leads to severe retribution. Under Hsin's orders, Huang executes several Triads suspected of being the rat, and a brief war between the Triads and the Korean Midtown Gangsters, who had long been loyal to the Triads. With the aid of LCPD detective Wade Heston, Huang discovers that a sect of the Midtown Gangsters, a group of assassins known as the Wonsu Nodong, was responsible for the theft of Yu Jian and harboring the FIB rat. A document recovered by Heston names both Chan and Zhou as rats, and Huang kills them on Hsin's orders. Hsin promptly passes Triad leadership to Uncle Kenny and announces his intention to retire to Macau.
However, Heston learns the document incriminating Chan and Zhou was a fake, and at a meeting on Charge Island, Huang discovers that his uncle Kenny is the rat, murdered his brother, the father of Huang, and orchestrated the theft of Yu Jian with the Koreans. Huang pursues Kenny to Hsin's mansion, where he injures Hsin with Yu Jian, the weapon having been in his possession all along. Huang takes his revenge and kills Kenny, leaving the Triads without a leader. The wounded Hsin offers the position to Huang, who does not respond.
Vehicles
The Triads are seen to drive a number of customized vehicles from 2008 to 2009, the time periods of Grand Theft Auto IV and Chinatown Wars.
In GTA IV, a Triad variant of the Feroci, known as the JDM VIP, can be seen driven by Triad gangsters in Chinatown, Algonquin. It features a chin and spoiler not seen on standard Ferocis, as well as gold rims, a dark blue paintjob, and Chinese knotting hung from the rearview mirror. It displays superior performance to the standard Feroci.
In addition to the JDM VIP, the Triads also drive custom variants of the Intruder known as the Intruder VX, which sport a red paintjob, sideskirts and a spoiler, and the same knotting seen on the Triad Ferocis.
In GTA Chinatown Wars, the custom Ferocis and Intruders have seemingly been replaced by a custom variant of the Hellenbach. Painted in the Triad's signature lavender purple, it features a white stripe running the length of the car, large bumpers and sideskirts, blue neon undeglow visible only at night, and nitrous-enhanced top speed. It can be seen patrolling Triad territory in Cerveza Heights and Chinatown, and typically contains one or two Triad gangsters armed with SMGs.
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JDM VIP variant of the Feroci driven by the Algonquin Triads in GTA IV.
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The "VX" variant of the Intruder driven by the Triads in GTA IV.
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A render of the custom Triad Hellenbach seen in Chinatown Wars.