America: My Time

Chapter 1296 Prank

Chapter 1286 Prank
"John, word has spread that you sent a gift to Zipperton. What were you thinking, going to provoke them at this time? Isn't that going a bit too far?" The White House has no secrets. Even the bigwigs of the conglomerate know about John's actions and that he sent a 'Victory' record!

The financial tycoons all knew about it, and Calvin naturally knew as well. He told Smith about it, making him worry that John's actions would once again anger President Richardson, which he found somewhat incomprehensible.

"Dad, you're overthinking it. I didn't mean to provoke him; I just wanted to play a joke on him. It wasn't a real 'Victory' record; it was just an ordinary Christmas record. I was just playing a prank. If Zipperton could calm down and listen to the record, everything would become clear. But he won't even listen, which means he has no intention of reconciliation. So naturally, I have to be more prepared!"

A prank? Is there such a prank? This is clearly a test, a test of Zipperton, and it's obvious that Zipperton didn't satisfy John, otherwise Calvin wouldn't have informed him. This made Smith gasp.

"John, is this some kind of prank? This is probably more dangerous than you think. What you're doing will cause a lot of trouble! It will make people think you're too domineering, which isn't good for you!"

Hearing his father's words, John shook his head and said, "I don't care what those old guys think, and it's more to my advantage if they think that way. Otherwise, they'd just think I'm easy to bully. Things have proven me right; that guy, Laughlin, is completely untrustworthy. I still need to prepare for the worst. Maybe after I finalize the deal with Morgan and the others, that guy will come after me again. General Motors is really a problem, a real headache!"

John sighed. If possible, he wouldn't want to take over General Motors, but he couldn't refuse now. If he didn't prepare for the worst, he would be caught off guard if something unexpected happened! John had reason to believe that Donkey and Zipperton would make a move against him, and the best option would be General Motors, since that was what they were best at.

"If you really do this, even if you're prepared, the impact will be huge, and it won't be good for your reputation!" Smith still wanted to persuade John to abandon that crazy decision; its impact would be too great!
“Dad, I understand what you’re saying. I’ve also come to some conclusions these past few days. Reputation can sometimes be a shackle. The reason those old guys like Rockefeller dared to target me wasn’t because I wasn’t strong enough, but because I was too ‘kind,’ making them think I was easy to bully. Donkey was the same. Many people have forgotten my last operation, so I need to remind them again, to let them know what they can and cannot do! Fighting and killing will only make more people uneasy. The best option is for General Motors to take action.”

Upon hearing John's words, Smith was taken aback, as were the beautiful women present. Soon, Smith understood John's intentions and why John had not paid attention to the women around him. It was because John had already made his decision and had been planning it for a long time.

"John, was all your expansion in Oregon for this day? Was all that factory construction for this moment?" Smith's eyes widened in shock. His words shocked Allen even more, as did Christie Turlington and Jennifer Connelly. They all knew about John's expansion in Oregon, and many people were wondering about the construction of those factories, with various speculations.

“I’m not targeting Donkey, nor am I targeting General Motors. It’s about gaining better control of Oregon. Originally, this was a preparation for Nissan, but now it seems Nissan is no longer needed and has to make way for General Motors!” John said, a faint, cold smile appearing on his face. Unless Donkey and Zipperton can hold their tongues, once they make a move, things will spiral out of control, and General Motors will pay a heavy price.

"Nissan, you originally planned to have it produced in Oregon?" A hint of shock appeared in Smith's eyes. He was well aware of the impact that would have, but now that things had changed, he found it hard to accept.

"That's right, that was the original plan. Otherwise, why would I have made so many preparations? And this was also Bentley's strategy. But now I have to make changes, since that guy, Zipperton, isn't trustworthy. Now it seems my choice was right; everything is going in the worst possible direction!"

“John, don’t be impulsive. It’s best not to change the plan. Even if there are problems with General Motors, it won’t change Nissan’s investment. You can do much better. Since you want to win over the hearts and minds of Oregon, take this opportunity to launch a bigger operation. Even if you suffer some losses, it’s nothing. It’s a truly permanent solution!”

Upon hearing these words, John's gaze sharpened, and he immediately understood his father's intention. Taking a deep breath, he nodded and said, "That's right. At that time, I could indeed bear such a loss, and I would have won the hearts of the people of Oregon even more!"

At this point, everyone understood how crazy this plan was. Even if they didn't know, they could understand how staggering the losses would be. If they didn't know how amazing the market value of Dreamworld and Nvidia was, and how amazing John's assets were, they would have all tried to persuade John to stop, since such an investment was too crazy.

The fact that General Motors is willing to suffer huge losses to move its production to Oregon is enough to make one imagine the impact. Given John's good reputation in Oregon, if such a dramatic change occurs, no one in Oregon will oppose John anymore, or they will face the hostility of the people of Oregon!
By then, although the Asian financial crisis will not be over, John will still have a lot of money. Even if he earns less, he can completely control Oregon. As long as he is alive, there will be no more turmoil in Oregon. Everything will be under his control, and even if someone wants to cause trouble, it will be impossible!
For powerful families like the Morgans and Rockefellers, this wouldn't matter. After all, they had already completed their strategic layout in the United States and no longer needed such a plan. But it was different for John. Sacrificing a small amount of paper losses in exchange for the approval of the entire people of Oregon was a worthwhile price to pay. With this thought in mind, a hint of madness flashed in John's eyes as he said, "If we're going to do it, let's go all out. Let's completely relocate General Motors out of Detroit. The apparent losses are nothing; we can make up for them administratively. After all, Oregon is under our control; a tax break can offset it!"

"A complete relocation? John, this is no joke. One wrong move and the entire market value of General Motors could plummet!" Smith was shocked. This was not what he wanted. If it were a complete relocation, the losses would be enormous!

"I'm not worried. Even if we suffer a major blow within a year or two, it won't be a problem. At least it will put a lot of people at ease. Just like when I took over the Permian oil field from those old guys like Rockefeller, this loss is nothing. We'll make it back slowly. If we're going to do it, we should do it thoroughly. We need to show those old guys what's what! And things might not be as we think. After all, only in this way can we truly cut off the production of those unimportant parts and reduce costs."

“I understand what you mean. A General Motors that has been losing money year after year is more valuable than a profitable General Motors. You will have more benefits in its hands!” Smith quickly understood John’s idea. As long as General Motors continues to lose money, no one will have designs on it. At least with this relocation, General Motors will be in a loss for several years. At least the loss on paper is inevitable, which will save John a lot of trouble.

If you're not ruthless, you can't stand firm! The current situation has forced John to make this arrangement and prepare for the worst, otherwise things will become even more complicated, and no one wants to see John continue to grow stronger.

This time, John made a tough decision to give up 'Dream World' and 'Nvidia' in order to retaliate against Donkey. However, this also created a hidden danger. Will someone use Donkey to target John again next time in order to share more of the profits John has? It's not that John wants to think of people in such a bad way, but he knows very well how greedy Rockefeller and his conglomerates are. There is nothing they wouldn't dare to do, so only in this way can he dispel their greedy thoughts.

General Motors' losses could be amplified, and the profits generated from these losses could even be redirected to parts manufacturing, steel, or finance. A loss-making General Motors could offer even more benefits. Moreover, after a complete acquisition and delisting of General Motors, no one knows what the situation is overseas. As long as the funds don't flow back, there's nothing the US can do.

"John, when do you think Zipperton will find out about your 'prank'? And what will his reaction be when he does?"

"I don't know, it depends on fate. If this guy is lucky, he will find out everything soon. If he is unlucky, it's hard to say when, or he may never find out. After all, no one cares about a record! In contrast, I think those old guys like Morgan and Rockefeller will find out soon."

John's gift was no secret within the American financial world; tycoons like Rockefeller and Morgan knew about it, and each reacted differently. When Morgan learned of it, a hint of suspicion crossed his eyes. He wondered why John had acted so 'impulsively,' and felt that such a humiliating move shouldn't have happened. He feared that if word got back to the public, it would severely damage John's image.

"Jimmy, are you sure that record is the previously released 'Victory'? I have a feeling something's wrong with this. Do you think John would do something like this?" Morgan looked at Jimmy with a serious expression, wanting confirmation from him!
"Boss, there's no mistake, it's 'Victory,' the same record as before. The White House won't be wrong about that. Do you suspect there's something wrong with this 'record'? But what could possibly be wrong with a 'record'?" At this moment, a hint of doubt appeared on Jimmy's face; he couldn't quite understand his boss's suspicion. Although John had acted a bit impulsively and domineeringly this time, it was still within the realm of possibility!
"That's right, I do suspect there's something wrong with that record. John isn't that impulsive. Now that he's backed down, there's no need for him to provoke Richardson further. If he really wanted to, there's no need for him to go and slap him in the face, leaving himself with potential problems and giving others an excuse. There must be something wrong with this. Think about it, if this matter were to reach the public eye, how would people view John? His previously good reputation would be completely ruined. Would he be such a fool as to leave himself with such a huge problem just to vent his anger? Is that still John?"

“I understand now. The record John sent out wasn’t the ‘Victory’ we’re familiar with; it was a problematic record. This was a test. John was testing LP Dunn’s reaction!” Jimmy instantly understood his boss’s thoughts, and a look of shock appeared in his eyes. This was too crazy.

"Indeed, this was a test, and it's clear that Zipperton failed; he didn't realize the problem in time. What do you think would happen if Zipperton, or Donkey, used this to target John, and the truth came out? What a terrible price they would pay then!"

"Hiss! This is insane! How could this guy come up with such a cunning scheme? But there's a question: how did he prove that the 'record' was problematic?"

“Since John did this, he must have made thorough preparations. And do you think John wouldn’t have planned this beforehand? However, I believe it won’t be long before Donkey and Zipperton realize what’s happening. They’re just blinded by anger right now. Now I finally understand why John chose to send this gift at that time. It was all for a more insane plan. This guy is amazing! He’s changed now. He no longer has any scruples. Zipperton and Donkey have completely extinguished the last bit of 'kindness' John had left!”

(End of this chapter)