Black Scorpions

The Black Scorpions is the supporting antagonistic faction in the 2004 live action film Around the World in 80 Days. It is a Chinese extremist military group led by the ruthless General Fang.

Role
According to Lau Xing, the Black Scorpions were known of their countless failed attempts to invade Lanzhou, due to a certain protection by a Jade Buddha resided in the village. However, Fang sends a few of her agents to steal the Buddha and smuggle it into England, where she offers the jade to the corrupted Lord Kelvin in exchange of receiving British arsenal in order to take over Lanzhou.

Though Kelvin gladly accepts the offer, Lau Xing was able to retrieve the Jade Buddha by breaking into the Bank of England where it was stored. Around the same time, the famed scientist Phileas Fogg wagers a bet against Lord Kelvin, offering to travel the world in 80 days in exchange of becoming the new head of Royal Academy of Science. Lau Xing (going under the pseudonym Passportout) offers to tag along with Fogg by becoming his new valet in order to return to Lanzhou and bringing a French artist named Monique La Roche. As Kelvin fumes over the loss of the jade, General Fang assures to him that she will have the Black Scorpions to steal back the Jade Buddha.

Having caught wind of Lau's secret identity, Fang sends in several of her agents to Paris, France and Agra, India to kill Lau Xing, but he manages to fend them off while helping Fogg and Monique on their journey. Around the same time, Kelvin learns of Lau's identity from Inspector Fix and declares the trio to be criminals just to raise the stakes against them. As soon as the trio finally reach Lanzhou, Lau Xing confesses of his true identity to Fogg, just as group of Black Scorpion warriors (led by Fang's second-in-command) come by to capture the trio and steal the Jade Buddha. However, Lau Xing brought in his old friend Wong Fei Hung and the Ten Tigers of Canton to defeat the warriors, forcing them to retreat and never return to Lanzhou again, right before the Buddha is returned to its rightful place.

As the trio made their way to North America, General Fang proposes a new deal: beneath Lanzhou are untapped jade reserves and that she would hand them over to Kelvin if he lends in the arsenal as agreed. Though Kelvin accepts the proposal, he states that he won't have the power to do it if Fogg wins the bet. At that point, Fang agrees to personally deal with problem herself. To that end, Fang and the remaining Black Scorpions head over to New York, where they they ambush the trio in a warehouse where the Americans have started building the Statue of Liberty. However, the trio were able to defeat them all (including Fang, who ends up being knocked out by Monique) before boarding on the next ship to England.

Finally seeing that they have lost, a humiliated Fang sends over a telegram to Kelvin, angrily telling him that the deal is off and that she and the Black Scorpions are conceding defeat, much to his fury. It is unknown what happened to the Black Scorpions after Kelvin was exposed and arrested for his crimes.