David Ling Po
David Ling Po is a character in the Cyberpunk universe.
Biography
1990s - 2020s
Born in Hong Kong, David was the son of Daniel Ling Po, owner of an export business. Back in 1997, David's father had started Ling Po Imports in an old building in Night City, where he established his store by selling a range of luxury and collectible items from all parts of Asia. Over the years, his store became a respectable venture for the Little China community as a whole.
In 2014, David finally emigrated with his family to the United States, where he managed to become a graduate (Summa Cum Laude) of Stanford University. By 2020, in every respect he appeared to be a model businessman and pillar of the community. But behind his mask of respectability, Ling Po was the crime boss of the Weng Fang Tong, a criminal gang who controlled most gambling, loan sharking, and prostitution in Night City's Little China. Almost all the boostergangs operating in the area were on Ling Po's payroll and he used them as enforcers for his various dealings. Operating from the top floor of his father's export business, David monitored the district through the use of numerous hirelings, each equipped with a telescopic video micro camera replacing one eye. Their information was sent back via scrambled signal to Mr. Po.
One of the joygirls working under the Weng Fang Tong was Tani Chow. In reality, she was Helen Leigh Atkins, a student from Stanford University and who Ling Po took a liking to. When she spurned him, Po had her kidnapped, injected with an addictive drug, brainwiped, and biosculpted to look Chinese. A language chip completed the job, and after Po had his way with her for a few weeks, he put Tani to work on the street.[1]
At some point after the Fourth Corporate War, David inherited Ling Po Imports from his father.[2]
2030s - 2040s
During the initial restoration period of Night City, David preferred to focus on becoming the ruler of a rebuilding Little China rather than taking care of an import/export business.[3] Soon after, David joined the Little China Redevelopment Association (LCRA), a group that wanted to revitalize that warring district.[4]
By the 2040s, David was still the boss of the Weng Fang Tong, though their influence had expanded over much of Night City.[2] David's power was prominent enough that he was elected as the city manager for Little China thanks to the LCRA. He also controlled local gangs such as the Gold Dragons.[5]
By 2045, the LCRA had only managed to secure and rebuild a few blocks, but David's involvement indicated they could have a darker side to the project. The library at Guăngbō Tower was financed by him, and the LCRA named it after David to represent his investment in the future of Little China.[4] That same year, one of David's multiple hidden cameras monitoring Little China caught a Maelstromer underboss known as Ripper activating a detonation device that caused the destruction of the Forlorn Hope bar. The owners survived and rebuilt, but were intending on finding out who the culprit was. When David heard Harriet Woodward, a close friend of the Hope's owners, was looking for evidence, he decided to sell her Ripper's recordings. This ultimately led to the downfall of the Maelstromer underboss.[3]
Stats & Equipment
Cyberpunk 2020
| Stats | Source(s): Night City Sourcebook (p.159) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INT | 8 | REF | 7 | DEX | — | TECH | 6 | COOL | 9 |
| ATTR | 8 | LUCK | 9 | MA | 6 | BODY | 7 | EMP | 4 |
| Skills | Gamble 4, Streetwise 6, Drive 2, Streetdeal 8, Human Perception 3, Thief 4, Persuasion/Lie 4, Pistol 4, Awareness 6, Intimidate 6, Specific Knowledge (Art) 9, Seduction 2, Martial Arts 2, Culture 3, Complex Language (Chinese) 5 | ||||||||
| Cyberware | Interface plugs, memoryware, cyberhand | ||||||||
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 PONDSMITH, M. Night City Sourcebook. Berkeley, CA, R. Talsorian Games, 1991. (pp.156–159)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 PONDSMITH, M. Cyberpunk RED Core Rulebook. Kenmore, WA, R. Talsorian Games, 2020. (p.304)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 SPIVEY C. et al., Tales of the RED: Hope Reborn. Kenmore, WA, R. Talsorian Games, 2024. (pp.22,27,147)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 PONDMITH, M. et al., Tales of the RED: Street Stories. Kenmore, WA, R. Talsorian Games, 2022. (p.96)
- ↑ GRAY, J. Night City 2045 Atlas. Kenmore, WA, R. Talsorian Games, 2025. (pp.7,15)