America: My Time

Chapter 1470 Distress
Chapter 1460 Distress
"Don't worry, unless the oil giants aren't interested, once they are, it will inevitably lead to conflict with those old guys like Rockefeller. Moreover, they won't gain anything from John. No matter how much assets they offer, John won't sell. John won't aid the enemy, and they might not even be able to offer the highest price!" Morgan wasn't worried at all about the impact this would have on him. On the contrary, he felt this was a good opportunity. Although he had missed the initial advantage, many times, this outcome was more advantageous to him!

“However, being kicked out will have a significant impact on Morgan’s reputation!” For a conglomerate like Morgan, reputation is very important. Jimmy is worried that such an outcome will cause problems for Morgan itself. After all, Morgan is not a monolithic entity, and the Morgan boss cannot control the whole situation.

“I understand your concerns. There’s no need to worry about this loss of reputation. If someone tries to cause trouble, we can take the opportunity to cleanse them up again. Don’t you think this outcome isn’t entirely without its benefits for us? After we’re out of the game, we can observe everything from the sidelines and truly see through the current situation?”

Morgan was not concerned about such a small loss of profit; he valued long-term benefits more. Moreover, he had a new idea: he should cut his losses decisively and not risk a greater crisis for a small gain. Although the profit seemed tempting, there were considerable troubles behind it.

“Jimmy, don’t underestimate anyone, especially John. He’s more formidable than you think. His absence from the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is a statement. Whatever the reason for his unwillingness to appear, it’s a declaration of his stance. It’s good that we’re out; we don’t have to worry about too many issues. Otherwise, we’d face other pressures. Don’t forget John’s current actions. In this situation, we need to make choices! Even John is making choices; do you think we don’t need to? We can’t fight against everyone!”

Morgan Stanley's words are correct. Given Morgan Stanley's current situation, it cannot afford to be at odds with everyone. If it becomes the target of everyone's criticism, Morgan Stanley will be in big trouble. You have to understand that the voices on Wall Street are quite loud now. Under the temptation of profits, how can those financial professionals not have their own ideas? And is Morgan Stanley capable of making the same arrangements?

Impossible. Although Morgan has the capability, they are unwilling to pay such a high price. They are not John, nor can they do all this in a short period of time. Moreover, John's plan did not just come about at this time, but was laid out for years, even more than a decade, and was only revealed to everyone at this moment.

"The real estate madness! Boss, I don't understand what John is trying to do. Even if he wants to stabilize the situation, there's no need to make such a huge sacrifice. It's more harmful than beneficial to him. How long will it take to recoup such a huge investment? And doing this will also make many people have inappropriate thoughts about him!"

"That's John's scheme, and the result he wanted. When you look at all this from an outsider's perspective, you can understand how insidious and terrifying John is! Okay, don't overthink it. Let's stabilize ourselves first, at least let our employees calm down. We're not John; we can't make such a huge sacrifice, even though there are considerable benefits involved, we can't do it!" After calming down completely, Morgan had also seen through John's scheme and the interests behind it all. The profits from real estate were insignificant compared to the enormous profits from community services, which would further stabilize morale and even give Jaguar Security Company less to worry about!
This arrangement will provide jobs for many families of employees of Jaguar Security, and John's scheme will become even more insidious. He will consolidate much of his assets through social means, creating a more insane monopoly on profits, including high-quality resources. John's employees, by accepting this arrangement, will have more money for consumption, which will then flow back into John's hands. Although John's apparent sacrifice seems significant, a closer look reveals how quickly he will recoup all of this!

"Also, don't forget, John has always wanted to establish his authority. If someone jumps out to cause trouble at this time, that's the perfect target for him to do so. Right now, John's plan is only progressing in New York. Do you think his nationwide expansion will accelerate, especially in his home state of Oregon? Think about all the legislation and changes in Oregon before; they were all part of John's plan. Being sidelined is actually a good thing for us!"

Morgan gradually saw through John's scheme. Of course, John made no attempt to hide it; anyone with a discerning eye could see it, only those caught in the middle couldn't. In this situation, any fool who dared to attempt a sabotage would become a target for his own assertion. Only when he truly stepped outside the game and observed everything detachedly did Morgan realize how terrifying John's plan was and how masterful his calculations were.

With a little effort, more information will naturally be found. Those assets in New York were not acquired in recent years, but were already there more than a decade ago. Even a fool would understand what was going on. A smart person would naturally realize that this was not the first time John had done this; he had done it once before in the layout of communications and networks.

"Jimmy, what do you think John is doing?" Suddenly, Morgan asked Jimmy again, a faint smile in his eyes. Was he testing Jimmy's abilities? No, this was just a small reminder!

"He's watching everyone, waiting for their reaction!" Jimmy replied cautiously.

"No, you're wrong. John didn't do that. If I'm not mistaken, he's enjoying being surrounded by beautiful women. It's impossible for this guy to keep his energy focused on Integrity Bank, Hurricane Investment, or even the overall social structure, because these were all pre-arranged plans, do you understand?"

Jimmy didn't quite understand. He could only figure out a small part of the problem. He still couldn't understand John's schemes. After all, John's methods this time were too crazy and too terrifying. Moreover, if John was really playing tricks and scheming as his boss said, it would be another disaster if some foolish guys jumped out!
"I don't quite understand!" Jimmy didn't lie to his boss. If he understood, he understood; if he didn't, he'd say so directly. There was no need to hide anything; doing so would be a foolish decision! "Many people don't quite understand because you all still have stubborn ideas and are influenced by interests. Remember, at John's level, he's not just considering profits anymore; he's thinking more about influence and control. If he acts too recklessly, what do you think the public will think? Many people will envy those employees, but even more will be jealous, which will create more problems. If John then gets embroiled in a playboy reputation, people will have a different opinion!"

"I understand now. He's using this method to mitigate all the potential risks from the social impact, minimize his own influence, and prevent his plans from being further disrupted or damaged?"

"That's right, that's exactly it. If he continues to focus his energy on his previous schemes, it will make many people dissatisfied. But it's a completely different story when he focuses his attention on beautiful women. Just watch, soon there will be more news. John's control over the media is getting more and more powerful, and his calculations of people's hearts are becoming more and more terrifying! Even if you see through his schemes, it's useless. You can't stop all of this from happening!"

Morgan sighed softly. If he could, he would like to target John, but as he said, he simply didn't have the chance. As soon as he made a move, John would notice. He believed that John had already made full preparations. Whoever jumped out at this time would be discovered by John and would have to bear John's wrath. Moreover, this was part of John's plan. Being suppressed by a competitor would change John's image in the eyes of the American people, and they would no longer regard John as the target of their scorn.

To put it bluntly, John was using the attacks of those fools to quell the discontent among the American people. Everyone understood this, but understanding didn't help; there would always be some fools who would become John's tools.

Just as Morgan said, John is indeed surrounded by beautiful women. He is handling many things with the modeling agency and the management company, as well as some issues with Victoria's Secret. Although John did not attend the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, everything about the show is under his control. Moreover, the end of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is not the end of his arrangements for Victoria's Secret, but just the beginning!
John dared not neglect his retail strategy, and this time he was arranging plans specifically for the future. Why was John so confident in this arrangement? While it seemed the money from the community project would ultimately return to his hands, those retail companies were publicly listed companies with profit-sharing arrangements. Therefore, even if Morgan Stanley saw through this, he wouldn't take any action, nor would anyone else, since a significant portion of those publicly listed companies' shares were held by conglomerates!
Of course, this is also an open and aboveboard scheme. For a company that John controls alone, those people can't do anything even if they are dissatisfied. But it's completely different for a listed company. Some people will definitely be unable to hold back and jump out to stop him. As soon as they make a move, they will fall into John's calculations and be resented by the employees. If more people jump out, that would be great. John will completely control the employees and can even use them to kick those people out!

If you carefully analyze the calculations behind John's scheme, many people will be shocked, because John's calculations are too crazy and too terrifying. The slightest carelessness will lead to falling into John's scheme and becoming the target of everyone's criticism!

In essence, John's actions this time resulted in more personal losses than gains, but in terms of reputation and influence, the gains were absolute. Those with foresight understood that what John wanted this time was not profit, but influence and reputation!
The White House is also in a dilemma, especially Laugh Tale. He originally thought John's real estate plan would be a good thing for him, but as everything unfolded, Laugh Tale became extremely worried. After all, John's scheme was too terrifying. If John succeeded, it would mean that no one would be able to damage John's reputation for a long time to come. This was something that Laugh Tale did not want to see, and even Donkey did not want to see.

They wanted to take action, but the thought of the serious consequences forced them to give up. Under these circumstances, not only President Richard Lamb, but also the bigwigs of the conglomerate, the oil tycoon, and John's enemies dared not make any rash moves. They all knew that this was John's conspiracy, a trap, but they also knew that they could not resist. However, there would always be some fools who would walk into the trap and become John's pawns.

At this point, if someone were to cause trouble, it would not only not harm John, but would also eliminate the biggest problem in John's image. They wanted to stop it, but were afraid that John would notice and kick them out. After all, John was offering a lot of benefits, and no one was willing to sacrifice their own interests.

"Still worried? There's no need for that. It's a done deal. Nobody dares to mess it up. Otherwise, why do you think the donkey didn't act? It's because they understand that the consequences are beyond their capacity to bear, and if they did, they would face John's retaliation. Nobody will even step in to plead for them."

"I know, but I'm not reconciled! I know I was outmaneuvered by John, but I can't do anything about it. I, the president, have become a laughingstock!" Zipperton sighed deeply. This series of events had dealt him a heavy blow and put him under immense pressure.
"So what? This is something you have to face. The more critical the situation, the calmer you need to be, and the less impulsive you can be. Otherwise, you'll only put yourself in a bigger crisis. Think about the military's losses, and then think about how terrible John's methods are, and you'll understand how to make the right choice!"

"I understand, but I still can't accept it!" Not only could Zipperton not accept it, but all the guys who had been tricked by John couldn't accept it either, but they didn't dare to make a move, didn't dare to jump into the trap that John had carefully prepared for fools.

(End of this chapter)