Thief of the King tells the story of a high-intelligence gangster named Zhang Zihao who planned several kidnappings in succession. After his accomplice Ye Shiguan was arrested, Zhang kidnapped the Chief Secretary for Administration in exchange for hostages. After the defeat, he fled back to China and was arrested by the police.
The prototype of Mongolian teenager in The Thief King is Zhang Ziqiang, who is called "the thief king of the century" by Hong Kong media.