America: My Time

Chapter 1188 An Expected Change

Chapter 1178 An Expected Change
"Grandpa, were you affected too?" John asked upon seeing his grandfather. Although his grandfather lived in China, he still maintained connections in France, especially with his uncle. With the Southeast Asian financial crisis, it was no surprise that French banks were taking action.
"John, don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you. I've already turned down all those guys' requests. I wasn't involved in your business. I'm here because of these figures. When will Japan be able to finish these life-size figures? So much time has passed, why haven't they finished them yet?"

A man is a boy until he dies, and this is perfectly exemplified in the old man. It is obvious that the old man's love for the Saint Cloth has reached a crazy level, otherwise he would not have asked John about it.

It's not that there's no activity in Japan, but rather that Japan's production is prioritizing the needs of Middle Eastern tycoons. After all, this is a major money-making project for the Phoenix Group, and even if John is the boss, he can't let his personal interests affect the company's development.

"Grandpa, don't worry, those guys in Japan will finish producing the Saint Cloths soon. Not only are you anxious, but I am too. It's just that there are too many orders from the Middle Eastern tycoons, and it will be difficult to meet their needs in a short time. I can't let my own reasons affect the company's development!" John also wanted to have a complete set of Saint Cloths, but it was not an easy thing to do. Not to mention the problem of raw materials, the time required for polishing and manufacturing alone was very long. After all, these were all handmade, not mass-produced products.

John hasn't even assembled the complete set of Saint Cloths yet, while Japan is producing them at full capacity, but handcrafting takes a long time. Of course, it's not impossible to use machinery, but that would greatly reduce their value. Middle Eastern tycoons don't want industrial products; they want works of art, so handcrafting is the only option!
This project alone consumes an astonishing amount of precious metals such as gold and silver. If it weren't for the full support of Quantum Mining, such production would have stopped long ago. This frenzied production would even affect the price fluctuations of precious metals worldwide. This shows just how crazy and terrifying the orders from Middle Eastern tycoons are!
It is precisely because of the madness of the Middle Eastern tycoons that John's accumulation has been severely affected. So much time has passed and he still hasn't collected all eighty-eight Saint Cloths, including the Gold, Silver, and Bronze ones, not to mention the numerous figurines of the Sea God Cloth and the Underworld Cloth.

"We've only managed to gather the Gold and Silver Cloths so far. The Bronze Cloths will take a while longer, and as for the Poseidon Cloth and Hades Cloth, we don't know when we'll be able to get them!" John sighed as he looked at the Cloths before him.

Just as John and his grandfather were talking about the Saint Cloths and these large figurines, his grandmother appeared. Seeing that the two of them were engrossed in their conversation, she said, "You two should stop talking about these toys. Teacher Chang Li has arrived with her team!"

John snapped out of his daze and looked up to see that Teacher Chang Li had arrived with several students. This made John look a little embarrassed. He was no longer a boy, but he had been so engrossed in talking to the old man about large figurines that he had forgotten he had other things to do.

Not only was John embarrassed, but Teacher Chang Li and the students were also a little embarrassed. They hadn't expected that someone as big as John would have this side to him, talking so enthusiastically about some toys and figurines. If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't have believed it was real.

In contrast, the old man was not embarrassed at all. Perhaps this is a change in mindset. As he got older, he became like a child again, not caring about other people's opinions, only about his own preferences.

Putting down the golden bow and arrows, John said with a slight embarrassment, "I'm sorry, I got too engrossed in it and neglected you all!"

"It's alright, we just arrived a little early, before the agreed time!" Teacher Chang Li smiled calmly, not caring too much. After all, she often came here and naturally knew some things about this place. Not only did John like these figurines, but even the old man was very happy with them. This was a man's pleasure.

The competition for roles in period dramas like "Kangxi's Incognito Visit" and "Young Justice Bao," along with other projects, is fierce. These are all high-quality projects, which is why Teacher Chang Li stepped in to fight for this opportunity for her student, leading to all of this! Just as John was about to speak with Teacher Chang Li, his personal secretary rushed in, her expression grave: "Boss, Malaysia has given up resistance, the market has collapsed, and the situation in Indonesia is also deteriorating. The situation has changed slightly! They're asking us if we should intervene!"

Because of John's interference, the Asian economic crisis broke out rather quickly, and Malaysia did not hold out for long before it was defeated. This was a little different from John's plan, so Hurricane Investment and Standard Chartered Bank inquired whether to make changes.

"Tell them not to be nervous and to proceed according to plan. We can't rush things at this point!" Although there was a slight mishap, John didn't care. Things can't always go exactly as planned. If they did, John wouldn't dare to make a move. If everything was under his control, it would be a trap. Unexpected events are normal.

John did not want to interfere too much with the changes in the Southeast Asian economic crisis, as that would only make the situation more uncontrollable. As long as the general direction was correct, Hurricane Investment and Standard Chartered Bank could adjust the minor changes on their own without John's intervention. Moreover, this inquiry was not made by Standard Chartered Bank and Hurricane Investment, but by Jaguar Security Company. After all, they did not know much about the situation and were worried that bigger problems might arise.
John wasn't nervous. Although things had changed a little, the general direction was still fine, so there was no need for any drastic reaction. If he made too many moves at this time, it would only alert Soros and his cronies and cause the situation to change even more, which was not the outcome John wanted to see.

Now that John has tracked down those guys on Wall Street, he's confident they're aware of his investigation. At this point, it's best to refrain from further action, as it could only escalate the situation and push it in an undesirable direction. If he alerts Soros and prevents him from launching a full-scale attack, the consequences would be dire.

As John had predicted, Soros and his cronies discovered his investigation. Fortunately, Standard Chartered Bank and Hurricane Investments remained unchanged and made no moves, which relieved them and prevented them from preparing for the worst. Otherwise, the economic crisis would not have turned out this way, and some unexpected changes would have occurred.

While it's possible that if John were to involve Standard Chartered and Hurricane Investments at this juncture, it might delay Soros and his ilk's actions and cause a slight setback in their profits, this is only a possibility. More likely, the situation will escalate in an unpredictable direction, or even cause these guys to turn against him.

Under such circumstances, John naturally wouldn't let anyone interfere with everything. He would only tell them to wait quietly. At times like these, they should be extra cautious and not act impulsively, or they would suffer unnecessary losses!

Seeing John's change, Teacher Chang and the others felt a chill in their hearts, thinking that things had changed and that their meeting today would be unexpected. But they were overthinking it. John did not interrupt the meeting and quickly sent his private secretary to deal with the Southeast Asian economic crisis. It was not yet time for John to make his move. John could continue to wait. The show had just begun, and it was not yet time for him to make a big move!
John wasn't too concerned about the situation in Southeast Asia. No matter how many changes occurred, it wouldn't affect his own interests or the profits he made from Standard Chartered Bank and Hurricane Investment. John's opportunity to act would only come when Soros and his ilk set their sights on Hong Kong. Moreover, John's target wasn't just Soros and his ilk, but also his plans for the Hong Kong stock market.

Standard Chartered Bank had previously sold off many of its shares to raise funds and prepare for the economic crisis. When Soros targeted Hong Kong and the Hong Kong stock market crashed, it was also an opportunity for John to buy back those assets, making a considerable profit in the process.

Although such a move might seem like taking advantage of someone's misfortune, John didn't think there was anything wrong with his plan. If he didn't do it, someone else would. Besides, he was just taking back his previous assets, so even the big shots in Hong Kong couldn't say anything. Moreover, his involvement could stabilize the market and reduce their losses!
With the outbreak of the Asian financial crisis, although it has only started in Southeast Asia, the guys in Hong Kong have already noticed it. Not only are they on guard, but China is also making preparations and carefully watching the actions of Soros and his ilk. After all, these guys are financial assassins, each one cunning and treacherous. Since they have targeted Southeast Asian countries, how could they possibly let go of Hong Kong's financial market!
(End of this chapter)