Shock Wave 2 (2020) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Poon joins Vendetta because he felt betrayed by the Hong Kong Police Force. After losing his leg in a rescue mission five years earlier, his superiors forced him out, fearing that employing a disabled officer would damage the force's reputation. This betrayal, combined with his need for purpose and sense of injustice, led him to align with Vendetta's violent agenda.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes show Poon's resentment toward his former bosses and the public humiliation he suffered at a formal ceremony.

• vendetta
• police betrayal
• disability
• revenge
• motivation

Poon is found unconscious after placing a bomb at a hotel, which detonated while he was still present. The explosion knocked him out and resulted in significant memory loss, leaving him unable to recall the events surrounding the bombing. This memory gap becomes central to the investigation and his own identity crisis.

• memory loss
• hospital
• amnesia
• bombing
• investigation

The truth is complex: Poon is revealed to be Blizzard, Vendetta's elite operative. However, he claims his involvement with Vendetta is actually an undercover plan to reclaim his police career and expose corruption within the force. He frames his terrorist actions as a form of underground justice rather than genuine allegiance to Ma Sai-kwan's cause.

Foreshadowing: Poon's ambiguous loyalty and his continued contact with friend Tung Cheuk-man hint at possible ulterior motives.

• blizzard
• undercover
• identity
• vendetta
• police

The Davy is revealed to be a small nuclear warhead capable of causing catastrophic destruction on a scale Hong Kong has never experienced. Vendetta plans to use it in their coordinated attacks on the IFC building, MTR, and Airport Express, making it the most dangerous weapon in their arsenal.

Foreshadowing: Earlier references to a devastating device and Al-Qaeda-inspired planning foreshadow the nuclear threat.

• davy
• nuclear
• warhead
• terrorism
• explosion

Poon and Tung plant a countermeasure and force a final standoff. While Tung escapes by helicopter, Poon stays behind and ties Ma's train to the severed bridge, causing it to sink and detonate away from the city. The explosion creates a submarine-like shockwave that shields Hong Kong from the full nuclear impact, but Poon dies in the process.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes establish Poon's willingness to make amends for his earlier actions with Vendetta.

• tsing ma bridge
• sacrifice
• death
• train
• nuclear

After the crisis ends, Pong Ling chooses to have the neurology team erase all her memories connected to Poon, keeping only one defining moment. This appears to be her way of coping with the immense pain and loss from his sacrifice, choosing to move forward without the burden of their complicated and tragic relationship.

• memory erasure
• pong ling
• sacrifice
• emotional
• loss

Ma Sai-kwan (codenamed Maverick) leads Vendetta in orchestrating widespread bombings across Hong Kong. While the specific personal motivation isn't fully detailed, Vendetta operates as a shadowy terrorist organization targeting public institutions, specifically the education system initially. Their attacks are designed to create maximum casualties and disruption, with Ma planning increasingly ambitious operations including the use of the nuclear Davy device.

Foreshadowing: The opening education bureau bombing establishes Ma's violent agenda from the start.

• ma sai-kwan
• maverick
• vendetta
• terrorist
• leader

Ma uses a board game called Mastermind as a psychological trap to force Poon to confront his true identity. Feeling betrayed by Poon's desire to withdraw from Vendetta, Ma challenges Poon to recall the correct Mastermind code sequence before he can leave. Success would prove Poon's loyalty, while failure would confirm his betrayal. Poon ultimately succeeds in recalling the sequence, allowing Tung to break him free.

• mastermind
• board game
• ma
• identity
• psychological

During Sniper's city-wide attack involving poisoned gas pipelines, both Chan King-to and Tung Cheuk-man are wounded in the ensuing firefight. Chan dies from his injuries despite attempts to save him. Tung survives because he was wearing an armored suit that protected him from fatal harm, while Chan was not as fortunate.

• chan
• tung
• death
• injury
• survival

The final flashback reveals that at a police dinner, Poon deliberately spilled a little red wine on Pong Ling's uniform to catch her eye, a small, intentional gesture to initiate contact. This moment becomes the single memory Pong Ling chooses to preserve after erasing everything else about Poon. It represents the origin of their complicated bond and the last, lingering trace of their relationship.

• wine
• flashback
• pong ling
• relationship
• memory

Fung (Poon Shing Fung) was a highly skilled Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer who lost his leg during a rescue mission five years before the story. Rather than accommodate his disability, his superiors forced him out, fearing the scandal of employing a handicapped officer would taint the police force's image. This betrayal and public humiliation became the catalyst for his turn toward Vendetta.

Foreshadowing: Pong Ling reminds Poon of his former life as a model EOD officer during their hospital confrontation.

• police career
• disability
• injury
• betrayal
• eod

Pong Ling is the chief inspector of the Counter Terrorism Response Unit (CTRU). She is assigned alongside CID Chief Inspector Lee Yiu-sing to investigate Vendetta's attacks and uncover the mysterious figure known as Blizzard. She becomes central to tracking Poon, who is a prime suspect, and ultimately helps coordinate the rescue efforts and final confrontation with Vendetta.

• pong ling
• ctr u
• investigation
• police
• blizzard