America: My Time

Chapter 1456 Determination
Chapter 1446 Determination

"It's not that I don't want to give them a chance, but they've gone too far themselves. Today they can target me like this, tomorrow they can target you, they can target everyone. They're jumping around too much. Since California doesn't welcome me, then I'll leave and go back to my own territory. I'll gradually sell off those properties in California!"

Upon hearing John's words, Morgan took a deep breath, a look of shock flashing in his eyes. John's determination was stronger than he had imagined, and his counterattack was more ferocious. Moreover, he sensed a hint of defensiveness in John's words, indicating that John was worried and wanted to strengthen his own security to the extreme.

"Has it really come to this? The donkey did indeed overstep his bounds this time, but it was just a scheme by some people!"

Upon hearing this, John smiled calmly and said, "That's not just some people's scheme, but a test of us, or even a scheme against us. You don't think there aren't other schemes behind this. Have you ever thought about what will happen to us if the US economy falls into trouble one day, when the debt reaches a certain level? Without absolute power, we ourselves are not safe. Human nature is greedy!"

John wasn't just saying this casually. He knew how crazy things would become in the US later, and how many people would be killed. What caused all of this was debt, and the allure of their wealth. That's why John was hiding behind the scenes, why he was investing heavily overseas, reducing US investments, and even using this opportunity to transfer California's wealth to Oregon—all to prevent future crises.

“Yes, people are greedy, I understand your concerns. But this time you've gone a bit too far. If those guys from the Donkeys really cause trouble, it will have a huge impact, and might even ruin your plans!” Morgan quickly understood John's thoughts and voiced his own concerns. If the Donkeys really retaliated relentlessly, John's plans would inevitably be affected!

"Is it big? Not at all. As for them wanting to cause trouble, let them have their way. If my plan goes wrong, it's not a big deal. At worst, I can just give up this part of the assets. But they also need to pay the price for their actions. No one can escape responsibility for their actions. Perhaps I'm too kind, making them think I'm easy to bully, making them all incredibly greedy. This time, even if it costs a lot, I will not compromise. If they want war, I will fight them, no matter who the opponent is."

Seeing John's reaction, Morgan realized that John's bottom line had been crossed by those guys, and that this meant a full-scale war was about to begin. Any counterattack from the Donkey and the White House would only result in an even more insane retaliation from John!
"Taking a step back will open up a whole new world. Everything should be for the greater good. If your plans are affected, the losses will be substantial. You should understand that. As a friend, I don't want to see that happen!"

“I don’t want the worst to happen either, but it’s not in my control. The initiative isn’t with me. Everything depends on the donkeys, on those greedy guys, and those treacherous bastards. Don’t you think they’ve overstepped their bounds? This is America, our territory. They can’t just do whatever they want here. If we let them continue to be so arrogant, it will harm our interests. Don’t forget the upheaval in Germany back then!”

Although Morgan felt John's words were a bit too harsh, he was still wary. Those guys were indeed overreaching and significantly encroaching on various aspects of their businesses, impacting their interests. Wealth was finite, and their rampant expansion naturally affected established wealthy families like theirs.

Of course, Morgan and Rockefeller, these old guys, were prepared. They could understand John's reaction, but they didn't want to see a bigger crisis. If something went wrong, it wouldn't be good for them. Moreover, they were worried that John's retaliation would affect the US economy!

Seeing the worried look on Morgan's face, John said again, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing and I won't make things difficult for you. These guys started this whole thing, so they have to bear all the consequences themselves. I won't stop this relocation. What they think is their own business!"

"John, I heard you're going to give up funding for universities like Stanford and UC?"

"That's right, they've all come to you. It's not my fault, it's their own fault for being in California. Besides, I'm currently relocating my business, so the funds will naturally be directed to universities in Oregon, which is my territory! You'll have to take care of the upcoming company IPOs. Next year, I'll completely divest those companies, and I'll clear out all my shares."

This is blatant temptation of profit. John made this promise to tell those old guys that he would not compromise. They either stand on his side and enjoy the benefits, or stand on his side and face his counterattack!
"I believe they will make the right choice; no one will give up this hard-won benefit!"

"I hope so. Some people don't think so. Their underhanded tactics have never stopped. I could tolerate it in the past, but I won't tolerate it anymore. They can't take my benefits and then target me in secret. I don't want such people to get any more benefits from me! In California, apart from some companies and assets that can't be moved, I will complete the transfer of everything else within six months. No one can stop my decision!"

John's last words were very serious. They were a message to the enemies: stop trying to stop him, or all-out war would break out, and John would not compromise.

Faced with such a powerful John, Morgan was also quite unsettled. This guy he had watched grow up had become somewhat unfamiliar, and John's transformation this time made him realize that the boy he once knew was gone.

“I’ll remind them. Let’s go see those guys!” “Alright, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen everyone. It would be good to sit down and talk about the future, so that some people won’t still be worried!” John naturally wouldn’t refuse the Morgan bigwigs. Since he was here, he would have a good talk with these guys to put their minds at ease. After all, many people on Wall Street were worried that he would back out!
As the dot-com bubble intensified, many worried that John wouldn't truly relinquish his profits. After all, internet-related industries had experienced explosive growth in value in a short period, naturally causing concern. For their own benefit, backing out wasn't out of the question, and if John dragged things out even slightly, their gains would be significantly reduced. No one doubted John's capabilities.

John and Morgan are being closely watched, including by Wall Street figures and some from Oilfield Capital. They are all worried about John's potential counterattack. The Asian financial crisis once again demonstrated John's capabilities, and his influence in finance remains formidable.

John had initially thought this was a cocktail party exclusively for Wall Street, but upon entering the conference room and seeing Lloyd Morgan and the bigwigs from Morgan Stanley, his expression darkened considerably. Although he understood that the Morgan tycoon was also under considerable pressure, this situation still left him somewhat disoriented.

“John, I have no choice. Besides, this wasn’t my decision alone. They just came to seek peace; they didn’t mean anything else!” Seeing the change in John’s expression, Morgan sighed inwardly, realizing that even such a small matter had affected his relationship with John!
"It doesn't matter. Since they're here, let's just listen to their decision!"

The more John acted this way, the more uneasy Morgan felt. If John had shown anger or even lost his temper, things would have been fine, but John's calm reaction made Morgan feel incredibly heavy-hearted.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's been a long time. The Asian financial crisis has brought you all considerable gains, and I congratulate you all!" John's reaction surprised everyone. They hadn't expected John to say such a thing, and even Morgan was somewhat surprised. However, everyone quickly recovered.

Seeing John's reaction, both Donkey and President Lancelot sighed inwardly. They felt even greater pressure. They weren't fools and naturally understood why John had brought up the gains from the Asian financial crisis at this time.

“Mr. John, please state your demands directly. We will do our best to fulfill them. We hope you can halt the relocation of Gulfstream Aerospace and a number of pharmaceutical companies. This is not good for anyone. We will be affected, and your own interests will also be affected. We can sit down and talk about it!”

Upon hearing this, John glanced calmly at the Donkey Boss, shook his head, and said, "It's too late. You should have understood what would happen when you made this decision. Although I will indeed suffer considerable losses in the short term, in the long run, my losses are not that great. I believe everyone here is aware of how high California's taxes and production costs are, while Oregon will effectively reduce all of these. I believe everyone is also aware of how much pressure the military industry is under right now. For the survival of the company, I have no choice but to do this."

John's answer made many people frown. They could not accept such a statement. It was indeed a lot of pressure for other military industrial companies, but it was different for Gulfstream Aerospace. With the support of Middle Eastern tycoons and the freedom to export, the impact on them was the least. Most importantly, a lot of Gulfstream Aerospace's production was in Oregon!
Faced with John's answer, zipperton couldn't object, since John was talking about the survival of the company. So he could only turn his attention to Rockefeller. He couldn't count on Morgan. Now he could only wait and see how Rockefeller performed!

“John, we understand your anger, but this relocation is no small matter. It will affect the interests of the United States, and the military has objections as well, since it affects their orders!”

John shook his head and sighed, "There's nothing I can do. With California's talent bill in place, who isn't afraid and worried? If it's applied to the military industry as well, how can Gulfstream Aerospace develop? There's nothing I can do about it. I need to prepare for the worst, after all, some people's integrity is no longer trustworthy!"

John wasn't just referring to donkeys, but also the military. Gulfstream Aerospace suffered the biggest order reduction, and without the support of Middle Eastern tycoons, John would have had to cut even more research and development. Therefore, the issue of integrity has always been a concern for John!
"We can guarantee that it will absolutely not spread further and will not affect other businesses!" Faced with John's anger and accusations, the Donkey's boss had no choice but to speak up. After all, if this matter is not resolved, the entire state of California will be in turmoil. This time, John started relocating his business, and soon more businesses will follow suit.

Nobody's a fool. If even a big shot like John is doing this, how can others not have concerns? As long as the Donkeys can't solve this problem, the impact will continue to spread. You could say they've done something stupid. They used the Talent Act against John, but they didn't expect John to be willing to suffer huge losses himself to deliver a fatal blow. John can withstand it, but the Donkeys can't.

John sneered dismissively, “Guarantee? What guarantee do you have? I’ve heard this guarantee more than once or twice. When have you ever kept your word? Your guarantees are worthless to me. I don’t want to be deceived by you again.”

Faced with John's slap in the face, the donkey's boss sighed. He had no words to refute it, because what John said was true. They had made promises to John every time, but they never kept their promises. They had no credibility with John, and their promises were a big joke!

In fact, not only John didn't believe their guarantee, but everyone present didn't believe Donkey's guarantee either. Their credibility had been ruined to the extreme. It was only because Laugh Tale was still the president that everyone gave him face; otherwise, they would have started mocking him long ago. So when they heard John's words, no one stood up to plead for Donkey, because they didn't want to be tricked by him. They were all worried that if they opened their mouths, Donkey would entangle them and put them in danger, since Donkey's credibility simply didn't exist!

(End of this chapter)