America: My Time

Chapter 1414 Human Greed
Chapter 1404 Human Greed
"Boss, I still don't quite understand why John did this, even though he knew it would give the enemy something to hold against him. Wasn't he worried about the worst-case scenario?" Jimmy couldn't help but ask Morgan on the plane, after all, this was too much of a shock for him.

"Why should he worry? Do you think he needs to worry about such trivial matters with his current strength? Besides, you understand that this will give the enemy leverage. John must know that this is an open and obvious scheme. Is John's donation important? Not at all. Even if someone brings it up, it won't make any difference. You've always overlooked John's charitable contributions. This donation is incomparable to his previous charitable efforts. He did this to scheme against those impulsive guys, but judging from the current situation, those Thais haven't fallen for it. They've all held back. John is likely to be disappointed; his scheme has completely failed!"

"Isn't this too crazy and too risky? If it goes wrong, the consequences will be too severe!"

"No, you're overthinking it. There won't be any serious consequences. Just like the schemes of Rockefeller and his ilk, even if someone targets us, it won't have any impact. You don't think it's just the situation in Southeast Asia that's dangerous, do you? If things really escalate, those guys will suffer even more terrifying blows. John's security company is no joke."

"But if the worst happens, John's influence among the American people will be affected, which will damage his public image. His huge investments in China are enough to make many people attack him, not to mention this time he made such a large donation, which is exactly what his enemies have to use against him."

"You only see the disadvantages for John, but not the advantages. Leaving aside how formidable John's Southeast Asian network is, just considering his actions in this matter, you've forgotten a crucial factor: charitable donations and disaster relief. If the Taiwanese capital dares to criticize John, what do you think will happen to them? You only see the impact on John, but not the extent of the damage to themselves. If they dare to criticize John, they'll instantly fall into the trap he's prepared for them. They'll be branded as greedy and ruthless. The Taiwanese already have a bad reputation; if they criticize John for making charitable donations, how terrible will the storm be? They have media power, but John's media power is even stronger. This is the trap John has meticulously prepared for them! If the Taiwanese capital makes a move, not only will they themselves be attacked by John, but their reputations will also be ruined, and even their media outlets will face a credibility crisis! Tell me, is John's reputation better in the US, or is the Taiwanese reputation better?"

“It’s John, of course. Even though some people have been targeting him and using John’s factory relocation as an excuse, John’s reputation in the United States has not been affected. After all, he has a legitimate reason for doing so!”

"Yes, John has such a good reputation. What will happen when Oil Capital makes a move? Needless to say, they'll retaliate directly. Just if John puts his charitable donations over the years in front of the public, that will be enough to make the enemy pay a heavy price. For the past ten years or so, John's charitable foundation has never stopped donating to charity, not only in the United States, but also in Africa, with an astonishing amount of donations. Otherwise, why do you think he has such a great influence in Africa? But what have those guys from Oil Capital done? How much of their donations are real?"

"Hiss!" Upon hearing this explanation, Jimmy gasped. He hadn't expected John's scheme to be so terrifying. His worries were unnecessary; John had already made comprehensive preparations and didn't care about the enemy's plot at all!

"Alright, don't think about that too much. Instead, let's think about how to arrange for those companies to go public and raise funds. We don't have much time to prepare. If something goes wrong, we won't be able to explain it to John. Besides, we also need to be wary of those old guys like Rockefeller plotting against us. They won't just watch us complete the plan step by step."

The struggle for interests is eternal. Although Morgan was representing everyone to talk to John in China, the old guys like Rockefeller did not trust Morgan and were even wary of him. Otherwise, there would have been no successor, and they would not have questioned John.

Although no investigation was conducted, Morgan, with his understanding of Rockefeller, could tell there was definitely something wrong behind it. However, it was best not to get involved in such matters to avoid escalating the situation beyond control. Looking at John's reaction, once those guys compromised, things immediately calmed down in Southeast Asia, and there was no further movement.

While Morgan was talking with Jimmy on the plane, John in Beijing, upon learning that nothing 'unexpected' had happened in the US, sighed and said, "It seems I underestimated these guys. Even after handing them all the leverage, they still held back. Hatred hasn't made them lose their minds. Oh well, let's leave it at that. I don't have time to argue with them. These guys pose no threat for now!"

John was surprised that Oil Capital hadn't attacked him. After all, he had a deep-seated hatred for Oil Capital. It was rare for these guys to be able to hold back when they saw such an opportunity. They weren't on the same page, but now they seemed to have reached a consensus!
Where there are people, there is a world of intrigue. Oil Capital itself also has conflicts of interest. If it weren't for the existence of John as an enemy, they would probably have had their own conflicts. Interests can move people's hearts, and these guys would also do greedy things in the face of interests. It's just that someone has now suppressed these guys.

Now that his plan had failed, John had no intention of doing anything further. Failure should be acknowledged; there was no need to escalate the situation or force anything. John didn't have much time to deal with them; his most important task now was to complete the restructuring of his assets.

"Impossible, they won't agree to such conditions!" When John presented his conditions, Lee Boo-jin shook her head and said this, shocked by John's demands!

"Hehe, nothing is impossible. You can go ask them. If they want shares in those companies, they can offer their own shares in exchange. The choice is theirs!" John smiled calmly. He had proposed this condition when those Koreans tried to test him again, wanting a share of his profits. They offered shares from Korean conglomerates in exchange for his profits. John couldn't accept their offer of money. "That's almost impossible. Even if their current situation isn't ideal, they wouldn't offer shares in exchange. Not to mention others, even Samsung wouldn't do that. You should know they're all on guard!"

"I know, but they have no choice. In this Asian financial crisis, if they don't want to go down the road to destruction, they can only accept it. This is not just my calculation, but a calculation that they have to face. If they don't hand over enough benefits, they can forget about turning the tide. Moreover, they will have to pay the price for their past stupidity. Do you think their scheming against the American financial groups has no consequences? This Asian financial crisis is when they will have to pay the price!"

John shook his head, finding the naiveté of those Koreans amusing. Even at this point, they still hadn't grasped the situation and were still working for the Americans, thinking that doing so would make them let off the hook. It was clear that the Koreans were overthinking things; they had no bargaining power. In the face of absolute strength, they were nothing but 'ants'!
"Alright, I'll tell them your demands, but I'd better not get your hopes up. They won't make such a compromise. If they were that easy to talk to, you wouldn't have had to go through so much trouble and pressure regarding energy. They won't easily share their interests with others!"

Lee Boo-jin knows those South Korean conglomerates very well. They won't make any changes unless absolutely necessary. But now they don't even have the chance to change anything; they have to face John's scheme directly.

Profits are a powerful motivator. Faced with such enormous profits, these Koreans are not giving up, and even those old guys in the US are not giving up. They are all still testing John's reaction, still wanting to get as much profit as possible!

"You just need to tell them my terms, and I trust they will make the right decision. I'm only doing a share transaction with them, and it's a reciprocal transaction, so what impact will it have? But if they fall into the hands of other Americans, things won't be the same. They'll pay a much higher price for their stupidity and bear much more pressure!"

John is right. The South Korean conglomerates are all in dire straits right now. Even Samsung and Daewoo are struggling. This isn't just a problem for one company; the entire South Korean capital system is in trouble, so they have no chance at all. They've agreed to John's offer now, it's just a share transaction, so there's not much loss yet. But if it drags on, things will be different, and they'll have to pay a much higher price.

"Sigh! If I could, I wouldn't want to get involved in this kind of thing. If there are no problems, it's best if nothing changes. South Korea can't withstand any shocks right now; the situation there has never been truly resolved!"

"Heh, you don't actually think that such a small price can end this Asian financial crisis, do you? Look at the situation in Southeast Asia, and you should understand that under such circumstances, they have no choice. If they have agreed voluntarily, they will not suffer suppression. But if they don't know when to back down, they will pay the price for their foolishness!"

At this moment, John didn't want to get entangled with these Koreans anymore, nor did he have time to communicate with them. He had to either accept it or give up. It was obvious that the guy who was causing this hadn't figured out his own situation yet. Otherwise, he wouldn't have encountered such a big problem, and Lee Boo-jin wouldn't have asked John again!
“But the situation in South Korea is improving now. As long as they have enough time, everything can be restored!” Lee Boo-jin didn’t think John was right. After all, the situation in South Korea hadn’t worsened, so she felt that things hadn’t reached the worst point yet and there was still hope for a turnaround!

"Improvement? That's just on the surface. Without paying a sufficient price, do you think those guys from the oil capital will let you Koreans off the hook? Do you think they're all naive? They have no choice in this matter. They don't want to make normal deals with me, so they'll be forced to make those unpleasant deals!"

John was right. He didn't intend to push the Koreans to the brink. He didn't want much, and he didn't plan to replace them. He just wanted to trick the Koreans once. If he succeeded, great; if he failed, it wouldn't be a big deal. If Lee Boo-jin hadn't brought it up again, John wouldn't have bothered with these guys at all.

John understood the Koreans' greed and arrogance. Expecting them to agree in a short time was almost impossible, unless they were desperate and offered up their shares to escape bankruptcy.
John was so familiar with the shamelessness of the Koreans that he remained so calm about the matter, unconcerned about their thoughts or how dangerous their schemes were. He didn't believe the Koreans could outmaneuver him or make him pay such a heavy price.

Lee Boo-jin didn't understand the current situation, nor did she know how much pressure John was under. She knew, but she had no choice but to accept the request. Besides, this wasn't the first time she'd done something like this, so she didn't feel much pressure. Success would be great, but failure wouldn't matter much either! Now, Lee Boo-jin would only relay their message; she wouldn't bother trying to persuade John to agree to these foolish guys' request. They weren't willing to pay any price, only thinking about taking advantage of others. There's no such thing as a free lunch. If you want something, you have to pay a price. This was all their own doing; they were leading themselves step by step towards destruction!
(End of this chapter)