America: My Time

Chapter 1438 Fear Under Madness
Chapter 1428 Fear Beneath the Madness

"Then I'll go back and arrange everything!" Since John had put it this way, Lee Boo-jin naturally understood that this was unchangeable, so she didn't plan to stay in China any longer and wanted to return to South Korea as soon as possible to finish everything.

"No rush. Let these guys keep causing trouble. At least we need to know which bastards have jumped out and who our enemies are. Otherwise, we might easily target the wrong people when we settle accounts later! This matter is not as simple as it seems on the surface. Since we're here, let's stay a few more days and let them keep making trouble so I can carry out a new round of planning. This year is a crucial year!"

John believed that many people were watching him, as well as those in South Korea and Europe. After all, the changes at the Irish bank were enough to worry many people. They were concerned about Standard Chartered's next move and whether John would make a move in Europe. In the eyes of the Wall Street giants, it was no secret that John had hidden assets in Europe, but they had not yet identified their targets. Now that John had taken the initiative, they naturally wanted to take the opportunity to find out more!
After hearing John's words, Lee Boo-jin nodded in understanding. Although she did not know the details of John's plan, the fact that John attached so much importance to it showed that this arrangement was extraordinary. The situation with South Korea was no longer significant and needed to make way for other arrangements, or rather, to attract everyone's attention. This made her think of the split between Quantum Mining and Standard Chartered Bank, which were all part of the overall plan.

The more one delves into John's assets, the more astonished one becomes by his extraordinary talent. The fact that he has been planning for so long, and orchestrating this at this particular time, clearly indicates that he is strategizing for the long term. Just look at the Asian financial crisis to understand how formidable John's methods are.

For John, having made such a great sacrifice and said those words to Morgan, he naturally expected something in return. With those old fogies all eyeing their businesses, this was the perfect time to make strategic moves.

“Ms. Mary, let’s get started on our plan. It’s time to make a change, or many people will have their own opinions.”

“Understood, I’ll begin right away!” Mary Barra, the CEO of the Bentley Group, became serious. She had been waiting for this day for some time, and the pressure on her was considerable.

As soon as the phone call ended, the Bentley Group quickly took action. Nissan was spun off immediately, along with its used car, car rental, and repair shops. Nissan then directly acquired Subaru. It was only then that everyone realized that Japan had made another deal with John, and this deal had been kept secret all along.

However, Bentley's actions were just the beginning. Soon, even more outrageous news came: a host of car brands, including McLaren, Lamborghini, Bugatti, and Pagani, were acquired by Bentley, as were the motorcycle brands Ducati and Moto Guzzi, causing a sensation in both the automotive and motorcycle industries.

By this point, even a fool would understand that this was a well-planned move by the Bentley Group. Otherwise, how could they have completed the acquisition so quickly? Their deal was likely finalized long ago, just waiting for the announcement. Soon, everyone realized Bentley Group's transformation; they were going to directly pursue a high-end strategy.

Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Land Rover, Jaguar, Volvo, Aston Martin, McLaren, Bugatti, Lamborghini, and Pagani are all luxury car brands, as are Ducati and Moto Guzzi. It can be said that apart from its sedan brands, the Bentley Group is determined to take the luxury car route, which has stunned many other car brands that were preparing to enter the market.

At this point, some people understood why Nissan was spun off—to prevent the enemy from having a chance to scheme against it. There was also Dong-A Motors on the Korean side, but now it has merged with Daewoo Motors. Dong-A Motors no longer exists; now Daewoo Motors is everything.

Only now did everyone realize that British car brands were almost completely wiped out, and only then did they understand why Bentley Group's production centers in Britain had never stopped expanding. Compared to this frenzied acquisition spree in Europe, the situation in Japan received little attention; only bigwigs like Morgan, who saw through John's scheme, took it seriously. The breakup of Nissan and the acquisition of Subaru made them realize that Japan was also preparing for asset restructuring.

Although some people wanted to stop it, John's name was no longer on these groups, and they were all going their own way, leaving those with ulterior motives helpless. At least for now, they couldn't stop it, and even if they wanted to, it was impossible. At most, the Bentley Group would undergo another split. If all else failed, it would merge with the Chinese auto parts group, since that company had now become a conglomerate, with Carmash Used Cars, Dallux Car Rental, and Dunlop Tires all being split up and incorporated into the auto parts group.

"A madman," was the general consensus about John. This restructuring left him with control of four major automotive giants, all incredibly powerful. After the split, those who wanted to criticize Bentley were rendered powerless; after all, Bentley was now focused on luxury cars, and accusing it of not creating jobs in the US was going too far. The addition of these brands led to an increase in Bentley's dealerships in the US.

The auto parts group's headquarters are now registered in Hong Kong, but it's just a shell company. Everyone understands John's intentions, but no one can say anything. Most importantly, Standard Chartered Bank holds a significant stake, as the acquisition was funded by them, along with Hurricane Investment and family funds. This restructuring has completely eliminated any potential problems. Although John paid a considerable price in this restructuring, it was worthwhile compared to eliminating all hidden dangers. To others, it was a crazy move, a complete waste of money, but John saw it as the best opportunity to clean up the mess; missing it would be foolish.

After witnessing the Bentley Group's frenzy, Morgan and the other old guys understood that the groups John would take over would undergo a similar transformation. Previously, it was media and entertainment, but now it would delve even deeper, which left them all deeply impressed.

Soon they all learned about the situation on the Korean side. John directly attacked the Koreans, attempting to forcibly acquire Da Xiong Pharmaceuticals without giving them any face. Moreover, he seemed ready to fight at the slightest provocation. Seeing the Bentley Group's madness, how could the Koreans withstand John's intimidation? They had no choice but to accept. The Koreans did try to seek help from the people behind all this, but unfortunately, none of them were willing to help. This result broke the Koreans' defenses, forcing them to compromise. It also taught them a lesson: don't trust these bastards, or you will only pay a heavy price.

This outcome shocked Morgan and Rockefeller, who saw it as a warning to themselves. Of course, the oil capital was no exception. If John could be ruthless against the Koreans, he could be ruthless against them. Moreover, in their eyes, John was already impatient and tired of fighting with them; further conflict would be extremely disadvantageous for them!
In these people's eyes, John had already offered enough benefits to share, yet some were still not satisfied and insisted on causing trouble. This was intolerable, and John's reaction was the best explanation. This thought silenced them once again, and they abandoned their original schemes. They dared not provoke John any further, dared not play with fire, and feared that John's next target would be them!
During this period, everyone has been using underhanded tactics. Now that the Asian financial crisis is coming to an end, continuing the conflict would be disastrous for them. They do have a lot of money, but John also has a huge amount of capital. No one wants to see a financial war break out. If someone really angers John, they worry that he might overturn the table and set his sights on Wall Street.

And so, the old guys in the US reached a tacit agreement: none of them would provoke John's bottom line again, and they all warned the guys at Oil Pacific Capital once more not to play with fire, or the consequences would be unbearable. In their minds, John's overseas expansion was better than his expansion within the US, which threatened their interests. Thus, the issue of South Korea directly reduced many troubles for John's asset restructuring, and no one dared to interfere.

Many people are unaware that within a short span of ten days, such undercurrents were swirling, and that a financial war and a commercial war might erupt. In this silent confrontation, only the Koreans suffered. Who told them to be so willing to be used as pawns, to forget past mistakes, and to be so greedy and foolish? It would be strange if they didn't suffer!
Of course, in this incident, John also saw the impetuousness of the United States and Europe, and realized that if he delayed any longer, things would become more dangerous and his plans would be disrupted. Just the Bentley Group's actions had caused such a huge uproar, and those "interested parties" were still making moves. This forced John to speed up his pace.

“Even if it’s chaotic, even if the losses are huge, the asset restructuring needs to be completed by the end of the year!” John sighed, his eyes gleaming with unwavering determination. From this moment on, anyone who dared to stand in his way would face his full-force attack. Having made up his mind, Standard Chartered Bank and Hurricane Investments quickly received calls from John, slowing down their transformations. This situation was immediately noticed by the Wall Street players, causing them considerable concern!
Nobody's a fool. When this situation arose, they all understood that John was taking precautions and preparing for the worst. Right now, the precautions were only financial; the security measures hadn't been activated yet. But nobody wanted to see this happen; they all understood how terrifying the threat behind it was.

"Damn it, I told you not to act rashly, not to scheme against that madman John anymore. He's already offered huge sums of money to those old guys from the financial groups. Making trouble will only make the situation more dangerous. Now what do you suggest we do? Don't forget, those Rockefeller guys already warned us!"

"It's too late to say all this now. Everything has already happened. All we can do is wait and see what happens. We must not make any moves. At this point, we absolutely cannot provoke John, that madman. Otherwise, no one can stop him. If something goes wrong, don't blame me for not warning you beforehand!"

“We really can’t let this go on. The Koreans are already furious and hold a grudge against us. If we provoke John further, the consequences will be unimaginable. Even those bastards at the Federal Reserve won’t stand up for us. After all, we’re just pawns in their hands, and they can replace us whenever they want!”

"Yes, we are just knives in their hands. Knives can be replaced. We shouldn't be fighting John now, but rather we should find a way to forge our own path and not be controlled by those guys!"

These guys at Oil Pacific Capital want to break free from the control of the Federal Reserve. This isn't just Soros's idea; it's their collective idea. However, achieving this won't be easy. In finance, they're no match for John, and John has already taken the lead in media and entertainment, and in entertainment, John can completely crush them.

"Let's try to reconcile. Continuing this will be very bad for us. We can't get ourselves involved just because of what happened on the other side of the Iserlohn side, and completely stand on the opposite side of John. We've paid such a high price, but what have we gotten in return? Have they helped us at all? No. We can't keep giving without getting any help in return. We can't just be the ones paying while they don't have to bear any cost."

This is human nature. Having paid such a high price without gaining anything in return, Soros and his ilk are unwilling to continue. After all, their losses are substantial, and no one wants to keep making sacrifices without seeing any reward! Do they have a deep-seated hatred for John? No, it's just a conflict of interest, and initially, it was merely a matter of perspective. Considering the current reaction from South Korea, and then reflecting on their own situation, they suddenly feel like they've been deceived, just like the South Koreans!
"It's definitely time to make a change. If we keep making trouble, we'll suffer too much. Those guys have been inciting us to fight against John, but they won't take responsibility for our losses. Since that's the case, we should live for ourselves and fight for ourselves, instead of fighting for that ridiculous stance. At least John has never been hostile to us or taken the initiative to be our enemy. We've been incited to go looking for trouble with John!"

(End of this chapter)