Ringo Chen learned to fight in the Chinese army. He was imprisoned and tortured for desertation after he refused to kill his fellow citizens in the Tiananmen Square Massacre. He eventually managed to escape to the United States, where he worked as a hitman for his uncle in

Gotham City. When Ringo found out his uncle had tricked him into killing a union man who spoke out against sweatshop conditions, he killed his uncle and went freelance. He quickly became known as one of the fastest shots in Gotham City, and was often paid more than other assassins for similar work.

Chen eventually befriended Tommy Monaghan, Hacken, Natt the Hat, Sean Noonan, and Pat Noonan due to their respective hitman professions.

After Chen completed a job involving the death of the son of a man known as Sir Richard Harcourt, he and Tommy Monaghan were captured by the criminal enforcer known as the Waterman, who tortured them for Harcourt's satisfaction. Chen and Tommy eventually managed to free themselves and made short work of the bulk of the Waterman's forces. But after the Waterman incapacitated Tommy, Chen chased after him, leaving himself open to gunfire from the Waterman's remaining thugs. As he sat dying, Chen asked Tommy to help him with one final task: setting an unpinned grenade under his body so that when he would be lifted up by the Waterman, the grenade would go off. Tommy complied, and the Waterman was killed. Tommy made sure to kill Richard Harcourt soon afterwards.