Shadow Empire

Chapter 1105 Failure, Phone Call, and Surprise
"call……"

"call……"

A middle-aged man in his late thirties was sitting against a car tire. His clothes, which cost more than a thousand yuan, were filthy and stained with blood.

He was one of the "commanders" of this operation, a senior member of the Perez family.

He was panting heavily, one hand pressed against his left side, and the other holding a pistol.

Blood was slowly and stubbornly flowing from between his fingers from his waist and abdomen, and his face was somewhat ashen. He might not be able to hold on for long with such an injury.

At that moment, he was filled with resentment and anger towards Bob and the rest of the family.

People are always like this: when they fail or make a major mistake, they certainly won't think it's their fault; they'll only think it's the fault of those who made the decision.

He was the one who carried out the order, he wasn't wrong. The one who was wrong was Bob. He didn't understand the situation and rashly sent them to their deaths!

He seemed to have forgotten that when he left the estate, he had assured Bob and the other family members that he would make Lawrence Farm a thing of the past!

He will burn the crops here, destroy the wineries, and make the name of the Perez family resound throughout the state of Licale!
He forgot all that; now he felt only fear, a numb unease, and a strong will to survive.

The gunfire around us had mostly stopped; it was a failed attack.

They had considered that Lawrence Farm might have defensive forces, but Bob and the others believed that these forces would be concentrated on the farm and the winery.

This would place them on the offensive side, giving them greater freedom and space in the fight.

No one would have expected that these people would not only fail to defend the farm and winery, but would also launch a surprise attack on the convoy, and that they would be numerous and have heavy firepower.

The middle-aged man, leaning against the tire, still had a look of fear and defeat on his face. As footsteps sounded around him, he glanced at the pistol in his right hand, thought for a few seconds, and then casually tossed it under the car.

There's still one person here.

Someone spotted him, and soon a group of people carrying rifles, or even several rifles, emerged from the gaps between the vehicles.

This made the middle-aged executive of the Perez family, looking at the gradually gathering country cowboys, feel a mix of resentment and said, "I want to see your boss."

A cowboy suddenly put his fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly, but the others continued to stare at him.

About a minute later, another guy who looked like their leader came over.

This guy looked to be in his mid-forties. He was the son of the farm steward, the next farm steward—depending on how long his father could live.

If his father had held on for a few more years, he would most likely not have been the next farm manager, as his sons and the like would have grown up.

And there's a saying on the farm that the next owner of the farm won't be any of the current adults in the Lawrence family, but rather the little one who follows Patricia around.

Ace.

Therefore, when selecting the next head butler of the family, priority was given to those who were not too far apart in age from him, namely Patricia's generation, as well as the grandchildren who were growing up and were four years older than Ace.

Although there is a high chance that he will not become the farm's head steward, his position on the farm is below a very small number of people but above the vast majority, and he has no complaints about it.

He carried two guns on his back, had two pistol holsters hanging from his waist, and had magazines and two grenades on his belt.

Seeing this guy's attire, the middle-aged manager of the Perez family was almost laughing out loud in anger.

Their firepower was almost as strong as that of the militia or the army. He even had a hallucination at one point, thinking that he heard the sound of heavy machine guns during the firefight.

He initially thought it might be a hallucination caused by his intense emotions, but now he thinks it might not be.

"Do you want to see me, or someone higher up?"

The middle-aged cadre glanced down at his bleeding wound and knew he couldn't delay any longer; if he did, he might really lose his life.

He didn't care about other people's situations; he just wanted to survive.

“I am a direct descendant of the Perez family, and I know the Perez family… well enough, but I am injured.”

As he spoke, he moved his hand away to show the muzzle of his gun, which did look a bit scary, but only on the surface.

The housekeeper's son did all sorts of work on the farm and had participated in some illegal "fights" in the strictest sense. He knew very well that if he hadn't died from such injuries before, he probably wouldn't die anytime soon either.

Injuries like internal bleeding mean a person can't survive more than a few minutes.

It's been forty or fifty minutes since the firefight started, and this guy doesn't look dead yet, which means he can hold on for at least another ten or twenty minutes.

"I don't care who you are, I just want to know what you can bring to us."

The middle-aged cadre pursed his lips. "I have some information that Lance wants to know, some information that he can't get his hands on!"

These words touched the butler's son. Everyone knew that the rise of Lawrence Farm was because of Lance. Hearing that he had what Lance wanted, the butler's son immediately made a decision.

“Take him back; we have a doctor there. You’re lucky.”

"The rest of you continue cleaning up the battlefield..."

Several cowboys volunteered to take on the task. They first treated the middle-aged cadre's wounds, then threw him into a truck behind the crops and sped off towards the farm.

The others stayed behind to continue dealing with the scene.

They will dispose of the bodies properly, and some of their clothes will be stripped off, especially those that look expensive.

Although these cowboys earn a decent income, it's still somewhat less than the Perez family's income. Furthermore, their lives are quite monotonous, so even if they wanted to sell a few nice outfits, it wouldn't be easy for them to do so.

Then the weapons and such would be left behind. Eventually, these stripped, naked corpses would be piled up, a pit dug, burned, and then buried to prevent the spread of plagues during the hot summer.

They'll drive those vehicles away and haul them away for repairs; those are the farm's property.

A little over an hour after the battle began, the two vehicles returned to the farm, accompanied by a dozen or so cowboys on horseback.

By this time, the middle-aged cadre had witnessed the power of the farm, and in his mind, he cursed Bob and everyone else responsible for planning this operation.

He saw a lot of people and very strong firepower. This time, they lost very unjustly.

They were wronged because they underestimated the farm's strength and overestimated their own abilities.

"Who is this?" After being lifted out of the car, he was casually thrown on the ground.

Three men who looked like old cowboys were sitting in rocking chairs under the eaves. One of them, holding a pipe, pointed at him and asked.

The cowboy beside him immediately replied, "He said he was an executive of the Perez family and knew some information that Lance might not know, so I brought him back."

The three old men all looked at him; they looked no different from the old farmers in the countryside.

They weren't what people imagined; they had upright postures, robust physiques, and silver hair but didn't look old.

No, they are not like that. They look no different from ordinary old farmers.

They were all a bit hunchbacked and not very tall. Apart from looking clean, you couldn't really find much of what people would expect.

But they possess a very obvious aura and presence; even without outstanding appearances, their mere presence is impossible to ignore.

"Let the doctor take a look at him."

How are the others?

The cowboy standing next to the middle-aged cadre grinned, revealing yellowed teeth stained with tobacco. "They're almost all dried up."

The three old men nodded in agreement. The one on the far left asked, "How many men have we lost?" The cowboy's expression remained unchanged. "Quite a few were injured. We haven't really counted them, but around a hundred?"

"Not many people died, maybe twenty or thirty at most?"

"I don't know, we'll have to wait until they get back."

This is the most direct effect of good strategy and tactics in war.

This was a very typical ambush, a surprise attack launched against the enemy in the most unexpected circumstances, and with overwhelming firepower.

Even after the battle had begun, the Perez family still hadn't figured out where their attackers were or how many there were.

Being pinned down by overwhelming firepower, coupled with the use of explosives and grenades, this battle was unfair from the start, and of course, it could never be fair.

The three elderly people nodded in agreement, seemingly satisfied with the outcome.

One of the old men put down his pipe, stood up, and said, "That's fine."

"I'll go call Lance."

He stood up, holding onto the handrail. The middle-aged cadre finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was helped up and taken to the farm's hospital.

Since Patricia became pregnant and was resting on the farm, Lance had recruited a private medical team for her.

Considering that the farm is quite far from the hospital, this can actually be considered a small hospital.

In addition to the specialized obstetrics and gynecology department, there is also a general surgery department, which is the department with the highest demand on the farm.

Cowboy life is always full of surprises. For example, you might be riding a horse when suddenly your mount steps into a ditch and you fall over.

Even a cowboy on horseback would be thrown off hard, and plants that usually appear soft would reveal their roots to be terrifyingly hard and sharp at this moment.

They often ended up with bloody heads.

In the past, when they injured themselves, they would just have the farm's veterinarian do a quick fix, but since the hospital opened here, they've started to like the doctors and the hospital.

At least in the hospital, you don't have to deal with the rough treatment from veterinarians; the nurses are gentle and beautiful.

When the medical team first arrived, there were instances of cowboys deliberately injuring themselves to receive free medical services.

After being severely reprimanded by the three old men, this kind of idiotic behavior subsided.

Later, Ace was born, and the hospital did not leave. For the medical team, living there was actually quite convenient.

Lance built a train station, making it convenient to travel to nearby cities and even return home. The income was much higher than in the hospital, and everyone was very satisfied.

The moment the middle-aged cadre lay on the operating table, the anesthetic was injected into his body. Looking at the operating lights, he felt an unprecedented sense of peace.

"...Well, that's basically it. I'll have to wait until they get back to find out the specifics, but in any case, the crisis is over."

The voice coming through the receiver was full of confidence, and Lance smiled more. "That's good. I will continue to strengthen the farm's capabilities during this period. They will send some things over later."

Hearing that something had been delivered, the old man Herbert, who had made the call, was a little curious. "We don't lack anything here!"

He first emphasized that the farm was well-stocked, then asked, "What did they send?"

"More heavy machine guns and ammunition, and two armored vehicles, which are nominally new tractors. Once they arrive, the accompanying personnel will help you assemble them."

While heavy machine guns might be procurable through connections, purchasing and transporting armored vehicles within the Federation is a much more difficult task.

At this time, the federation was far from stable, and localism had not been suppressed. If local forces had too much armed power, it would definitely not be a good thing.

So these two armored vehicles were first modified into the appearance and parts of tractors. After they were transported to their destination, they were modified again and then converted back into armored vehicles.

Hearing that there were new big toys, old man Herbert also seemed a little excited, "Could you try to get us a few howitzers..."

"I'll consider it if the opportunity arises," Lance said dismissively upon hearing the old man's request. He told the old man to keep an eye on the high-ranking official and have Lance's men bring him back once his injuries had healed somewhat.

Meanwhile, some of those who escaped during the battle had already left the Lawrence Farm area.

The attack from both sides of the road did not eliminate all the drivers immediately. Several vehicles were lucky enough to realize something was wrong and turned around to escape.

Even after they had run a long distance, they were still trembling all over!

They are gangsters, synonymous with viciousness, brutality, and cruelty, but they also have fears when they encounter even more vicious, brutal, and cruel opponents!
The group ran to the side of the interstate highway, found a motel, and then called Bob. They needed to tell Bob what had happened, rest for a bit, and then leave quickly.

The phone rang for a while before being answered. Bob was also annoyed; some of his plans weren't going well, which wasn't good for his personal prestige.

However, these problems can be solved if the Lance family's rear is severely damaged.

Fortunately, he received calls from these people.

There were other people in the room. He gestured for silence, and after everyone quieted down, he asked into the microphone, "How's the situation over there?"

He sounded quite relaxed; he had heard that some farms had cowboys or armed forces, but he didn't take it to heart.

This is actually a huge informational error. Of the farms Bob had dealt with before, not many could pose a threat to Perez or defend against their attacks.

They mainly dealt with small and medium-sized farms, and his empirical error led him to believe that Lawrence Farm was also such a farm, so he made a mistake.

"It's bad, Bob." The words and the trembling voice coming through the receiver made Bob's relaxed, slightly smiling expression stiffen.

"What happened?" His expression turned serious, and his tone was no longer as expectant and relaxed as before.

The trembling voice on the other end of the receiver immediately said, "We followed our plan and traveled from the wilderness and along trails to the vicinity of Lawrence Farm. About four or five kilometers away, we were attacked."

"I don't know how many of them there were, but their firepower was intense, with rifles and grenades. We were trapped on the highway and getting beaten."

Bob's expression grew increasingly grim. After a moment of silence, he asked, "How many men have we lost?"

There was no sound coming from the receiver, it just kept going, which gave him a bad feeling. Uncomfortably, he raised his voice even louder, "Fuck, I'm asking you a question!"

How many people did we lose?

Everyone in the room felt the dangerous aura emanating from Bob, and no one dared to breathe, including those who didn't get along with him.

The guy who called Bob was too low-ranking, and Bob shuddered in fear, but finally had to answer, "Only about thirty of us escaped..."

Upon hearing this, Bob's tense body relaxed instantly. "So, they're almost all dead?"

"This should be."

"Fuck!" Bob's breathing became much heavier as he gasped for air. "Get back as soon as possible. I need some more details from you."

"do you understand?"

The captain who called Bob immediately nodded in agreement and then hung up.

It was getting late, and they were frightened, so it wasn't a good time for them to continue their journey.

After discussing it, the group decided to rest there for the night, have something to eat, and then continue their journey early the next morning, hoping to leave Likale State next year.

Unbeknownst to them, the moment their car entered the parking lot outside the motel, the motel owner, who had been dozing off, became wide awake upon seeing their out-of-town license plates!

(End of this chapter)