America: My Time

Chapter 1082 The Dark Hand

Chapter 1072 The Dark Hand

Exhausted! John felt exhausted after his trip to Russia. He had to be careful in everything he did, because Russia was not safe now, and John didn't want to be watched by Kerberos. After all, Russia was fundamentally different from the old Russia of the past. Better safe than sorry, and John didn't want to take the blame for anything.

"Christmas is coming soon, Grandma. Have you and Grandpa thought about going to the United States for the holidays? Shall we go together?" Before he knew it, it was already December, and John had to start thinking about going back to the United States, after all, he had been away for quite a while!

"No, we're doing just fine here. If they don't have time, then let's not bother them!"

“John, you don’t need to worry about us. It’s much better here than in France, and your grandmother has made new friends and can even go to a school in the north to continue her work!”

John immediately recognized the school in the north as the Central Academy of Drama. He just hadn't expected his grandmother to have the ability to get in and contribute her remaining energy. But that was fine; the old lady just loved being around people and enjoyed being with young people.

“Alright then, I’ll go back to the US by myself this time. But I’ll ask my uncle about the situation!” John didn’t give a definitive answer. After all, without his grandparents’ 'restraint,' his uncle had already gone wild, especially in the romantic land of France and Spain, where there were even fewer constraints.

If he could, John wouldn't want to go back and scheme against those guys, but since he had already resolved his conflict with his family, he should still go back and see them. He also needed to communicate with them so that his child's identity could still be recognized by the family. Even if he didn't care, he couldn't disregard the old man's feelings!

Of course, if the family were involved, his relationship with the donkey would gradually ease and wouldn't become so intense, especially given all of this. Now, his relationship with the White House has also become more subdued. Although Paramount Pictures' 'Black Hawk Down' project is underway, the White House hasn't reacted, and even Hollywood hasn't reacted much. The family's influence is partly to some extent in this regard.

Of course, everyone in Hollywood is smart enough to know the reasons behind this project. Even Donald wouldn't want to jump out and say anything. If they were to do something wrong, Elephant would seize on it and deliver a fatal blow. After all, Donald doesn't want to damage his reputation. But the White House Zipperton went a bit too far, directly shifting the blame onto his own military-industrial complex. This will be a problem for Donald in his future vote-getting campaigns.

If it weren't for the prior agreement between Donkey, the White House, and John, the consequences this time would have been far more severe than simply launching a film project in retaliation; someone would have to take the blame. Of course, John didn't want to escalate the situation either. After all, Richardson's friend had died in July, all for the huge sum of money in Project Vantaa. But that guy overestimated himself, thinking that as the president he could act recklessly and touch money that didn't belong to him, which led to someone's death.

It was precisely because John knew everything about this matter, and because he himself had participated in the plundering of the Russians, and was still cooperating with Russia, Russia II, and Kazakhstan, that he couldn't go too far at this point, lest someone shift the blame onto him and leave him with no way to defend himself.

John never overestimated those guys' bottom line, because these bastards had no bottom line. It was precisely because of this that Zipperton escaped a disaster, but John kept all of this in his little notebook. He would definitely teach him a lesson he wouldn't forget in the future, and let him know why the flowers are so red!

"John went back to the US, but not to San Francisco. He went straight to New York and then went to see Old Martin. That's a bit strange. This guy isn't usually like this. Does he have some new plan, or has his conflict with the White House intensified? But I haven't heard anything like that. By the way, did he meet with Morgan?"

“No, John didn’t contact Morgan. Instead, he went straight back to his family to see Old Martin, accompanied by his women and several children. It’s hard to understand what he’s thinking. However, we can’t let our guard down. This guy went to Russia before and even had some cooperation with them!” “Let’s ask Morgan first and see what they’re thinking. Who would have thought Morgan and his ilk would be so cunning, completely ruining our plans and gaining John’s approval once again? They’re making a fortune now, and even the Bayard family has benefited. It seems John has become even more formidable!”

"Perhaps we can make another move in Hollywood!"

"Enough. Don't even think about it anymore. They're already very dissatisfied with us, and they've been suppressed as well. If it weren't for George Lucas mediating, things probably wouldn't have turned out this way. But, that guy George Lucas is planning to sell Lucasfilm as well, and Paramount Pictures no less!"

After some deliberation, and given the current economic climate, George Lucas decided to sell Lucasfilm and has already reached an agreement with Paramount Pictures, or more precisely, Phoenix Media.

The reason is something that Hollywood bigwigs all know: it's the actors. The huge costs have made it impossible for Lucasfilm to continue making new films. The cost of the actors for Indiana Jones was too high, and the asking price was too high, so Lucasfilm had no choice but to give up. Therefore, after thinking it over, they had no choice but to sell Lucasfilm!
Today, Hollywood giants have all realized this problem, and they are all feeling helpless. They are under increasing cost pressure, which is making it hard for them to breathe. After all, they are not Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media, who can ignore all the demands of talent agencies and just follow the rules. Now, some people want to learn from these two giants, but they can't do it. Their abilities are insufficient. Most of the good ideas and scripts have already been registered by John.

In Hollywood today, only Warner Bros. can barely compete with the two major media conglomerates. As for MGM, Disney, Fox, and Columbia, they are completely inferior to these three giants. This is a qualitative difference. Now Hollywood has the saying of "three big and four small". The three big are Universal, Paramount, and Warner Bros.

"Forget it, let's stop making trouble. Continuing this will only make things worse for us. Now is not the time to confront this guy. We need to strengthen ourselves first and not get involved in his conflicts with the Middle East. We are us, and they are them. If anyone thinks they can't do it, then perhaps you should be out of the game!"

Although these words sounded somewhat ruthless, at this point no one was willing to risk their own interests, and no one wanted to continue to be enemies with John, this little fox. After all, they had never succeeded before, and in Hollywood, John was the real giant. Their power was still far behind. If things really escalated, they might even lose their market share in Hollywood!
"Well, that's all we can do for now. The White House isn't even making a move, so what are we even doing? Besides, nobody wants to see John, that little fox, set his sights on the United States. After all, many people are shocked by his expansion. If it weren't for the fact that his foundation is still far from sufficient, he would be the largest conglomerate in the United States. The wealth that this madman controls is far beyond everyone's imagination, since all of this wealth is in his own hands!"

Currently, the consensus among American conglomerates is that they don't want John to focus his attention solely on the US. This is also the real reason why no one has yet stepped forward to target John. No one wants to see John continue expanding in the US; they fear that their own interests will be affected if things continue this way. John is now so successful in every industry that it inevitably instills a sense of fear in everyone. Look at John's current assets in the US: retail, entertainment, high-tech, military, pharmaceuticals, energy, and finance—he's a giant in each industry. If John's mining group weren't not primarily based in the US but had a global presence, people would assume he's achieved this level of success in every sector. How could they not be worried?

John was well aware of the situation in the United States. It was precisely because he knew this that he chose to expand overseas, avoiding competition with American conglomerates for the American market and interests, so as not to become a target of public criticism. At the same time, John also reduced the time he spent in the United States, just to put those old guys at ease.

Keep your distance—that was John's plan with those old guys in the US. That's why everything went so smoothly; otherwise, getting pelted with bricks would be perfectly normal. After all, there are plenty of envious scoundrels out there, and even the slightest mistake could result in heavy losses, given how cunning and treacherous those guys are. This is also why John didn't linger in New York, but instead went directly to his family home to see the old man—everything was done with extreme caution.

Now, John only needs to define the company's development direction, and everything else is handled by professionals. Moreover, John has his own financial companies, and not just one, but cross-audits, which fundamentally eliminates the greed of some people. Especially in the banking sector, John is even more strict in his audits, not giving those people any chance. This ensures that his expansion can proceed smoothly without being affected by those guys.

(End of this chapter)