Chapter 150

Emerson was surprised to see Cooper and several others emerge from the door, injured and barely conscious. A bodyguard reported to Emerson, "Sir, Cooper and the others have returned."

Emerson quickly instructed the bodyguards, "Help them to the sofa immediately." The bodyguards helped the injured men onto the sofa. Emerson then urged a bodyguard, "Go call a doctor!"

"Yes, sir," several bodyguards responded, leaving the villa.

Emerson approached Cooper, his face etched with concern. "Cooper, what happened? Who injured you?"

Leaning against the sofa, pale and sweating profusely, Cooper weakly replied, "Sir, we went to Gilmore's villa, but they weren't there. We encountered a mysterious masked man in black. He seemed to know about our plan to attack the Reed family. We fought him, but he was far superior. We were severely injured."

Emerson was shocked. A mysterious masked man, stronger than Cooper and Dean, both top-tier martial artists? He concluded that the man was likely sent by the Carter family to protect Gilmore.

"Cooper, rest. The doctor will be here soon," Emerson said. Seeing his loyal confidant of twenty years in such pain, Emerson felt distraught.

Cooper, managing a pained smile, said, "Sir, thank you for twenty years of kindness. As your servant, I should serve you for life, but…I fear I'm dying. I failed you, and I'll never rest in peace."

Tears welled in Emerson's eyes. "Cooper, don't talk like that! You won't die!"

Chapter 130 (Continued)

Cooper's trembling hand produced a letter and gave it to Emerson, saying, "Sir, Lawrence Ray, my eldest brother's apprentice, will arrive in a few days. He'll help avenge Gilmore."

Emerson read the letter: "Lawrence Ray, my eldest brother's apprentice…" He nodded solemnly. "Cooper, don't worry. I'll give him the letter. Please, promise me you'll live!"

But as he spoke, Dean coughed up black blood and collapsed, motionless. Cooper cried out in agony, but his scream was weak.

Emerson turned Dean over, revealing a horrifying scene: Dean's face was covered in blood, his eyes wide open. He was dead.

Then, the other men in black began screaming, spurting blood, and dying. Cooper's eyes were wide open, his mouth full of black blood – he too was dead.

Emerson closed Cooper's eyes. "Cooper, rest in peace. I'll avenge you." He secured the letter.

Footsteps sounded; bodyguards and doctors rushed in, only to find the tragic scene. They were too late.

Emerson instructed them, "Take them to the funeral home." "Yes, sir," they responded.

Ten minutes later, the bodies were gone. Emerson stood alone, feeling the Palmer family crumbling around him. He thought of the loss: his son, Wallace; his exiled grandson, Benjamin; the failure of Gastronova Ventures; and now Cooper. Gilmore was the common denominator. Emerson's eyes flashed with hatred. "Gilmore, I will kill you!"

A gust of wind blew in, and a masked man in black appeared – Gilmore.

"Guards!" Emerson shouted, but there was no response. The masked man, his voice old and hoarse, said, "No need to scream. All the bodyguards are dead. No one can save you."

This cleaned-up version corrects spelling, grammar, punctuation, and paragraph structure for improved readability and flow. The original text contained numerous typos and inconsistencies. I've also removed the fragmented text at the end of Chapter 150 and integrated Chapter 130's continuation into a coherent narrative. The promotional sentence was also removed.