America: My Time

Chapter 1387 Rules?

Chapter 1377 Rules?
"Good heavens, this is insane! They don't care about the rules at all and ignore everything!" Seeing the beautiful women around John as he entered, not to mention that Miho Nakayama and others didn't enter with him, made some people in Japan unhappy. They felt that John was ignoring their existence.

Rules! Talking about rules with John is just wishful thinking. The strong never care about rules. Besides, this time the organizer is the Japanese government, and even the officials don't dare to say anything. These guys who aren't even top-tier conglomerates naturally have no right to talk about rules with John, not to mention that these Japanese are inherently inferior to the Americans!
Of course, to these guys with poor judgment, all they saw was John ignoring their rules, but to the big shots in Japan, it was a different kind of love story. John's actions were also a way of showing their attitude. As for what they thought about it, that was their own business. John's attitude had been made clear, and now it was up to them to choose.

"You're free to do as you please. Akiko, you look after them. I'm going over there!" John smiled calmly and said to the beautiful woman beside him. Then he walked towards the Japanese guys, who had been waiting for a long time. They were all incredibly nervous, after all, this negotiation was definitely not just about tens of billions of dollars, it might even be more. How could they not be cautious?

When the Japanese guys saw John walking towards them, they breathed a sigh of relief. At least John hadn't ignored them; he had come to talk to them on his own initiative, so they didn't need to ask him to come. Although it seemed like a trivial matter, it was something that showed John's attitude and made the Japanese guys understand that John hadn't changed anything yet, and everything could continue as before.

“Mr. John, we are ready. We can all contribute some assets, whether from Japan or Asia, for the transaction. What do you think?” The Japanese guys didn’t try to probe. After all, in the face of such a big deal, probing would only make them more cautious. It was better to get straight to the point and express their sincerity, and also to understand John’s thoughts!

"I don't need just any assets. As for resources, I believe none of you will contribute them. I don't lack anything in manufacturing either, and you are all aware of my current transformation. If it's entertainment assets, I'll accept them all. From now on, I will focus my energy on entertainment. As long as you can provide enough assets, it's no problem for me! Port and logistics assets are also acceptable, it just depends on whether you can afford the price!"

Upon hearing John's words, the Japanese guys became incredibly excited, as if they'd been injected with adrenaline. One of them asked, "Mr. John, is what you're saying true? Can you really make such a deal?"

"That's natural. I believe you all know about my situation in the United States. Some people don't want to see me control so many internet companies. I can tell you clearly that, apart from a few companies that need to cooperate with other companies, all of my internet companies there can be listed on the stock exchange. Moreover, if you can offer me assets that appeal to me, I can let go directly without any problems. I can even accept your direct acquisition."

Upon hearing John's answer, the Japanese guys' eyes narrowed. They hadn't expected John to answer so directly and so resolutely. They weren't unaware of the assets John possessed; at least they knew how tempting they were. The dot-com bubble had greatly increased their value, and John's internet companies differed from other American internet companies, each with its own profit-making methods. In particular, his portal websites were thriving, making the Japanese guys very interested.

These internet companies are no ordinary entities. They have networks not only in the United States but also in Europe and even in Asia, including Japan. Naturally, the Japanese were tempted. John's promises were astonishing, especially the last sentence, which made them even more excited.

Acquisition – this is a direct acquisition, there's no need to wait for an IPO. Moreover, judging from their current development, these internet companies have enormous potential. If they can complete the acquisition at this time, it will maximize their profits.

Unfortunately, these guys from Japan were completely unaware of the hidden dangers behind it. Faced with such temptation, they were indeed unwilling to let go. However, John's conditions were not simple and had clear requirements, which made them hesitate. The entertainment aspect was fine, but the port's cargo transportation aspect made them hesitant to make a decision.

John understood their concerns and smiled calmly, saying, "I can't help it. I need to further improve my logistics. Air transport is okay, but there's a significant gap between sea and road transport. As you all know, my current development direction is manufacturing, mining, and food processing. Without a complete logistics system, it's naturally not feasible."

Does John have little logistics? Not at all, especially his layout in North America, which is even more comprehensive and has been expanding over the years. The same is true in Asia, especially now that the Asian financial crisis has given him more opportunities. Everyone only sees John's other layouts and does not realize that John has secretly taken control of the logistics and transportation of many ports in Southeast Asia, which, together with his previous layout, has formed a complete maritime transportation line.

Although Japan will face a long period of stagnation in the future, its demand for external resources will not decrease. In John's eyes, this is a valuable asset, even more important than the entertainment industry. However, if he were to prioritize it over entertainment assets, given the nature of the Japanese, they would never sell it to him.

Seeing that no one had spoken for a long time, John sighed again and said, "You can go back and think it over carefully, but it won't be long. I've been in Japan for quite some time now, and there are many things waiting for me to deal with. I don't have that much time and energy to waste here. If you find the logistics inconvenient, then just pretend I didn't say anything. These are my conditions. You can choose for yourselves. Besides, I don't necessarily want you to do business with me. It's just that out of consideration for our past relationship, things are more urgent in Europe than in yours!"

At this point, John used the Europeans to pressure the Japanese, forcing them to take action. Although John had considerable assets, they were only personal assets and were not much on a global scale. Moreover, if they were to share them with Europe, the amount they would receive would be limited, not to mention the Americans.

“Mr. John, this is nothing. If I offer my shares in Universal Studios, could I acquire your internet companies? Of course, everything will be based on the current price. These are our core assets, and naturally, we want to get the corresponding returns.”

Good heavens, faced with John's temptation, some people finally couldn't resist. After all, seeing the market value of internet companies soaring, who could resist such a tempting profit? Compared to that, the profits from projects like Universal Studios Japan were nothing, even though those profits had been stable. Naturally, they were more interested in the exorbitant profits of the internet.

“Sure, but those shares aren’t enough to acquire any internet company right now. If you’ve done your research, you’ll know that the internet companies I own are industry giants, portal website giants. As long as you can provide the corresponding assets, I have no problem with that.” John’s answer shocked the Japanese guys. They all trusted John’s integrity. Saying this in front of everyone meant it was a promise, an agreement that wouldn’t change. As long as the assets were equal, the acquisition could be completed without any problems.

"Mr. John, we can make up the difference!"

Upon hearing this, John shook his head and said, "I don't lack funds. What I need to do now is industrial restructuring, so the transactions between us are business transactions, not the sale of funds. This disappoints you. If it were just about funds, there wouldn't be so many problems in the United States. It's precisely because they don't want to offer more assets that we have conflicts and this situation has arisen."

John's explanation made the Japanese guys nod in approval. They knew John thoroughly and were aware of the situation in the US. If John had actually agreed to their proposal, it would have made them wary, wondering if there was a conspiracy or something going on. Now they didn't have to worry about that, but the issue of assets was still a headache for them.

As John said, it's impossible to get these guys to part with their resources, so they'll only focus on entertainment and port logistics. Besides, they control several of Japan's major ports. Even though John has made investments, there's still a significant gap between them and John.

“Mr. John, we have a few days to consider this. You know how shocking this news is; we need time.”

Upon hearing this, John's expression hardened slightly, and he shook his head, saying, "There's not much time left for you all. I've already received a call from Morgan, so you need to make a decision quickly, otherwise I won't be able to explain it to them. I only have three days at most, that's the limit of my delay."

Three days is neither a long nor a short time, and after John said those words, the guys in Japan understood that this was the limit. After all, they all knew the situation in the United States. Many people were eyeing the internet companies John owned, hoping to make a fortune. It would be a lie to say they weren't under pressure.

Of course, the Japanese did consider taking advantage of the situation, but they ultimately had to give up because they weren't the only option. The Europeans were still around, and if they dared to do so, they would definitely be kicked out.

"Three days it is, we will definitely give you an explanation within that time!" At this point, the Japanese official's expression turned serious, and he continued, "Mr. John, we will also give you an explanation for what happened before. Those guys who plotted against the Nakamori family have all been apprehended. How do you want to deal with them?"

For Japanese officials to say something like that, it's clear these guys are going all out to curry favor with John and extract as much benefit as possible from him. They are officials, that's true, but they also have friends and family. Who could resist such a feast of wealth? At least these guys couldn't.

Upon hearing this, John was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Forget it. I know the details of the matter. Although they had some ulterior motives, everything was within acceptable limits. Everyone has to pay the price for their mistakes. Let them go!"

John's answer shocked everyone present. It was something they hadn't expected. The Nakamori family was indeed hateful, but those who plotted against them were also at fault. Yet now John didn't seem to care about the matter and even asked them to release these guys. This attitude made everyone feel somewhat heavy-hearted.

Making mistakes comes at a price. Is this only directed at the Nakamori family? Could there be other implications? Could it be hinting at something else? In an instant, these guys' minds started racing, trying to understand John's true thoughts. Unfortunately, in such a short time, and without much information to refer to, it was difficult for them to understand John's ideas.

However, these guys had no choice but to respond, nodding and saying, "You're so generous. We'll do whatever you say. These guys are lucky to have met someone like you, otherwise they wouldn't have gotten away so easily."

John smiled calmly and said, "It's not that I'm magnanimous, it's that I follow the rules. They haven't done anything wrong, so why should I target them? Is it just because the Nakamori family is Akina's family? I'm not that domineering; I'm very reasonable."

No one took John's words seriously, but they had to carefully consider their meaning. No one present was a fool; anyone who dared to take John's words seriously would pay a heavy price. When had the crocodile ever been so easy to talk to, especially to a group of 'ants'? His words were definitely a warning to them.

(End of this chapter)