Chapter 774: The score of fate was composed long ago

In the evening, after dinner, Lanse came to the third-floor room facing the manor gate and sat down. The butler brought the latest coffee, which cost over a thousand dollars a pound.

Lanse had drunk plenty of good coffee, but he could never take a single sip and identify the coffee's origin or the season it was picked.

He could never understand those wine tasters and coffee connoisseurs who, after a tiny sip, could even call out the name of the farmer who planted the raw materials. Was this real or fake?

He didn't know. Perhaps it was an open-book exam, but he had no test paper, and it wasn't an exam, so he didn't know the answer.

"... So, what exactly makes this stuff taste good?"

The butler stood to the side, smiling as he watched Lanse take a small sip, then bowed slightly. "Sir, its oils, its unique complex fragrance, and the roasting process ensure you won't find it overly bitter, nor will there be the slightest hint of astringency."

"Everything is balanced perfectly, leaving only the best side of the coffee. That is its value."

"Of course, if you need me to tell you more of its story, I can certainly do that."

"The person who delivered the coffee said that from planting to the final roasting and packaging, everything was handled by devout virgin believers who are unmarried, have never had any sexual life, and are loyal to God."

He walked to the side of the coffee table to pour himself a cup, then used his hand to swirl the air toward his face, followed by a deep inhalation. "This allows you to clearly perceive the special, pure milky aroma within its complex flavor, as well as a taste that can pierce the soul!"

He took a small sip himself and rattled off a bunch of things Lanse couldn't understand, but it had to be said, his act was very convincing.

"Is it the same when you work for the nobles?" Lanse was a bit curious, with no malice, purely curious.

The butler put down the coffee cup and was silent for a moment. "You know, as a job, and as a worker, I have to fool them so I can have a meal, don't I?"

A smile appeared on his face. "The nobles are obsessed with these things. They believe that 'what is made by pure people is a pure thing,' and using these items will bring God's blessing."

People value most what they lack the most.

Lanse shook his head slightly and turned to look at the sky outside the window.

Even when the summer sky was dark, it wasn't as heavy as a winter night, which was as black as a pool of stagnant water.

A summer night is a bright night; even in the wilderness, one can vaguely see everything around.

Lanse waited until past nine, nearing ten o'clock, when the moon rose in the sky like the sun, its silver light gently illuminating everything on the ground.

Lanse put down the book in his hand, feeling a bit impatient. "Play some music."

The butler walked to the phonograph. "Sir, what type of music would you like to hear?"

Lanse looked back at him. "Choose something suitable for me to listen to right now."

The butler bowed slightly, picked through the records, selected a symphony, and placed it on the turntable.

The moment the music began to play, Lanse leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes slightly. His left hand tapped rhythmically and lightly on the armrest, without making the slightest sound.

The opening was a piano solo, sounding quite cheerful, like an elf running through the wilderness.

But as the orchestral instruments joined in, a hint of heaviness was added. It was no longer a free-leaping, chasing elf, but a person running to escape disaster.

The wonder of music lies here: it can take you into another, higher-level spiritual world, allowing your spirit to resonate with the content the music expresses!

At this moment, the soul is vibrating and trembling. Those who cannot understand music cannot understand this point.

The cheerful piano sound began to become urgent. The moonlight falling into the mortal world began to stir up dust, and the relaxed mood was instantly tightened. More instruments joined in, and Lanse could already feel that on the vast earth, a lonely, proud, yet unyielding figure was competing with everything.

Whether it was dark clouds, lightning, strong winds, or the beasts or devils chasing behind him, nothing could stop his determination to rush out and break through everything!

His body began to relax, and he began to enjoy the wonderful encounter brought by the music on a deeper level.

The butler left the room on tiptoe, then slowly closed the door and stood at the entrance, taking on his responsibility.

Ted, who had arrived near the manor on a swaying bus, looked with some confusion at the brightly lit manor in the suburbs. In his ears, some sounds seemed to ring out... he didn't know how to describe them.

Grand, majestic, filled with suppressed emotions that didn't know when they would erupt!

Was it music?

He didn't know. He had also learned from people like Fran to attend concerts, and the feeling it gave him was that it was dull, boring, and a waste of life's time.

But at this moment, he suddenly seemed to vaguely understand something, understand why those people were willing to spend dozens or hundreds of dollars to buy a ticket and go in to waste time.

The ash of the cigarette in his hand was blown away by the night wind. He glanced at the dim cigarette butt, wanting to take another puff, but seeing it had already gone out, he casually threw the butt out the window and lit another one.

"We're almost there, Ted."

The speaker was Ted's trusted subordinate. The Perez family, like all gangs, went from the bottom, to combat captains, to executives.

Only here, above the executives, there were two classes: collateral family members and direct family members.

For an ordinary person, an "outsider" not surnamed Perez, the end they could reach was collateral family member.

They needed to marry a girl from the Perez family to become part of the family; only then could they move up a level.

As for wanting to become a direct member?

For them, this was impossible, but their children had a chance. If they were willing to have their children surnamed Perez, then after years of effort, they or their children might become direct family members.

However, becoming a direct family member didn't mean one would necessarily be glorious or have great power; everything had to be earned through one's own efforts.

The only thing that could be said was that the starting point for direct family members was higher; as long as they worked hard enough, they had a chance to enter the family's core circle.

This guy who walked over was an executive of the family. He had been following Ted for over twenty years and was in his forties this year.

Ted's expression was a bit complex. In the dark night, the light in his eyes flickered as the moon appeared and disappeared between the treetops.

He had actually wanted to say something else, but the moment he opened his mouth, the words he spoke became something else.

"Get the brothers ready."

Before they came, they had actually arranged for people to tail Lanse, and Lanse also knew someone was watching him.

Those old men who had gone crazy wanting to get a little money from strangers wished they could gouge out their eyeballs every day to wipe them clean before putting them back!

They could spot people who were acting suspiciously, so Lanse knew Ted was watching his movements.

Since Ted was definitely coming, rather than letting them have a "chance encounter," it was better to choose the battlefield himself.

At this moment, the symphony reached its first climax, with torrential rain, yet it still couldn't stop the determination to keep running.

The emotions progressed violently, layer by layer, just like a pot of the strongest liquor!

Three buses and over a dozen small cars crashed directly through the manor gate. The room where Lanse was had excellent soundproofing, and the phonograph brand was also very high-end. The entire room's setup and layout were specifically designed for this phonograph.

Never mind what was happening outside, even if it were thundering outside, he wouldn't hear it!

He closed his eyes, feeling the eruption of emotions in the symphony, shaking his head continuously with the changes in emotion.

Outside the glass window one meter away from him, Ted's men had already rushed into the manor.

On the first floor, behind the gardening and those things that could serve as cover, Lanse's men suddenly stood up with submachine guns and began to sweep fire at those who had broken into the manor.

The firefight broke out from the very first second, like a summer thunderstorm—it came as soon as it was mentioned, and when it came, it was earth-shattering!

Bullets flew wildly in the space with a "piu-piu-piu" sound. Ted lowered his head and directed the driver. "Ram through, ram through, don't stop here, ram through!"

He pointed to the manor gate in the distance. Only by driving the car closer to the manor building would they have a higher chance of winning.

When Lanse's men fired directly at them, he knew they had been exposed.

But he didn't feel surprised.

If the Lanse family couldn't even figure out this much, couldn't even reach this point, then they wouldn't have achieved what they had today.

So, essentially, the battle today was just a head-on firefight the moment they arrived at the manor!

The driver of the bus he was riding in floored the gas pedal. He knew this battle was dangerous, and he also knew he was very likely dead.

But at this moment, his individual will was covered by the collective will, and he completely lost his self!

The windshield instantly developed many cracks, bullets darted back and forth in the carriage, some people let out cries of pain, and others fell to the ground with a thud.

Some people couldn't handle the immense pressure and began firing at the people outside. The bus finally stopped less than twenty meters from the gate.

It crashed into a flower bed. Because of the huge inertia, the people in the carriage also suffered a huge impact and all fell to the ground.

Ted held onto a seat to let himself fall to his knees on the ground. There was gunfire all around, and he was also firing outward.

He actually couldn't see clearly who the enemy was at all, but as long as there was fire somewhere, he would fire at that place.

This wasn't too remote a place. The moment the gunfire started, Mayor Williams called Lanse, but the call was blocked by the butler.

"Mr. Lanse is enjoying music and cannot take your call for the time being, Mr. Mayor."

"After he finishes, I will notify him of your call."

"Firefight?"

"There is a little, but those are small problems. The specific matters will have to be explained to you by the master himself."

"Okay, that's it, goodbye."

Mayor Williams couldn't get any information, let alone anyone else. But because this firefight happened in the suburbs, although the people in the city were panicked and didn't know what had happened, they weren't that scared!

He wanted to call Chief Bulu, but the police station said Chief Bulu had left with his men, which also made him realize that Lanse had arranged everything.

He sat quietly, smoking, with a glass of wine in front of him.

Never before had he so strongly hoped that a gang that was actually a threat to him would win a complete victory!

Many people were destined to be unable to sleep that night, and the police station's phones were blown up, but the gunfire still hadn't stopped.

Ted had already rushed out of the bus. He leaned his back against a flower bed only one meter high, firing continuously at the enemies on the flower bed and all around.

On the roof, there were also some riflemen harvesting the lives of the enemies on the "battlefield." Coupled with being surrounded by more people, Ted already had a feeling of realization.

He looked back. The people he brought were hiding behind the cars, hiding behind those flower beds, still fighting fiercely.

In an instant, his ears suddenly became quiet, with only his own heavy breathing and the sound of his heartbeat.

At this moment, he was a bit dazed, his mind a blank. He instinctively raised his hand and pulled the trigger at a young man he had spotted who was firing.

Then he was attracted by the gunfire lighting up nearby. He seemed to have entered another realm.

His thoughts and body were separated; his thoughts were still dazed, but his body had instinctively gone to fight.

The high-pitched music ringing in his ears made his blood boil. He raised his hand and fired a few shots, forcing some people in front to lower their heads to hide.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, he rushed onto the flower bed, closer to that gate!

Just a little more!

He told himself.

There were lights in the manor, plus the lights of the house and the moonlight in the clear state, everything was so clear.

Just a little more, as long as he could rush into the room, he would be able to see Lanse!

But his wish was likely to fall through soon, because another group of people had come, from behind them.

Seeing the "reinforcements" arrive, although Hylam didn't say anything, he still let out a sigh of relief!

These people from the Perez family were indeed good hands. It didn't exclude those who were afraid of death, but most of them were not afraid of death. They dared to fight, and facing more gun barrels, they still dared to stand up and fire!

Sometimes he didn't know if this was stupid or if they really had courage!

The enemies coming from behind made Ted and his men feel immense pressure. Watching these subordinates who had followed him for a long time, and watching the good hands Robin had transferred from the family all look a bit panicked, he said loudly, "Charge, rush into the door, and we can live!"

Whether they could really live, he didn't know, but he knew that if they did nothing, they were definitely dead.

He didn't want to die so soon. He wanted to avenge Miro; even if he couldn't kill Lanse, he had to spit on him!

His voice had an effect. First, his own group of people began to gather toward him, followed by those Robin had transferred.

Those military instructors would always say—

The more afraid of death, the faster you die. In fact, one needs to add a sentence: not afraid of death, you die even faster!

But this lack of fear of death could precisely bring threats to their enemies. For a time, these people who were not afraid of death began to gather, and they really forced Hylam and the others to the point where they couldn't even raise their heads.

Looking at the gate getting closer and closer, Ted was excited inside.

He didn't know if there were still enemies in the house, but looking at the battle array tonight, even if there were, there wouldn't be too many.

People were falling around him continuously. Everyone was gathering their strength at this moment; as long as they could enter the house, the situation could be turned around!

But what they didn't realize was that those Lanse family gunmen weren't stopping them from approaching the gate!

After paying the price of at least thirty or forty people, the remaining less than one-third of the people finally pushed open the gate.

Ted directed people to go in while keeping those outside from chasing in. They surrounded the entrance and exchanged fire for a while, leaving behind over a dozen corpses, and finally guarded the gate.

But in the next second, many people holding submachine guns suddenly appeared in the second-floor corridor. Ted just froze for a moment, and intense gunfire rang out.

The intense, dense gunfire was like the climax of the symphony in Lanse's ears at this moment!

The eruption after that kind of emotion was compressed to the extreme!

The whole person, spirit, body, hair, all exploded at this moment. The whole person was stretching themselves, and the soul was like a water plant in the ocean, drifting in the palace of music!

He had broken through all the difficulties, finally broken the layers of shackles of fate, and also shaken off those terrible things chasing him, rushing out from the pitch-black, ink-like thunderstorm night!

All the music, the moment he rushed out, stopped abruptly!

It left no "lingering sound," breaking cleanly and neatly, yet unexpectedly giving people a kind of long-lasting aftertaste.

After two minutes, Lanse slowly opened his eyes and let out a long sigh.

Music can indeed cleanse a person's soul. That shocking feeling is something those who have never experienced it will never understand.

He turned to look at the glass window. There were two cracks on the glass window, and he could even clearly see the bullet between the two cracks; it was stuck on the bulletproof glass.

The cracks caused him to be unable to see everything outside, nor could he hear the sounds outside, but he knew he wouldn't lose.

A knock on the door came from outside at the right time. Lanse felt two buttons on the side of the sofa and pressed one of them, and the door opened.

This was a very ingenious design; rich people always like these original things.

The butler walked in from outside and bowed slightly. "Sir, are you satisfied with the content I chose?"

Lanse nodded very satisfactorily. "This guy... is he still alive?"

Lanse was talking about the composer of the symphony. The butler shook his head with regret. "He has been dead for a hundred years."

"However, this symphony is still performed by people today. If you want to hear it live, you might need to go out of town or invite them over."

Lanse straightened up and let out a breath. "Call them. I want to hear them perform for me."

As he spoke, he turned and walked toward the outside. "Is it over?"

What he asked seemed to be about the music, and it also seemed to be about what happened below.

The butler was still standing by the door, bending his waist and lowering his head. "It's over, sir."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 775 =====