America: My Time

Chapter 1558 The Ugliness of Human Nature
Chapter 1548 The Ugliness of Human Nature
In Hong Kong, John looked at the travel-worn Lee Boo-jin, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes. Although he wasn't in South Korea, he understood how ruthless the Samsung Lee family could be, and he was also aware of the shamelessness of those South Koreans. As his representative in South Korea, he knew the immense pressure Lee Boo-jin faced. However, this was also an opportunity for Lee Boo-jin to truly see her family and the shamelessness of South Korea. Only by seeing all this could she escape her inner turmoil.

"I know you have many questions in your mind. Just say what you want to say. There's no need to worry!"

Upon hearing John's words, Lee Boo-jin's expression changed. She took a deep breath and said, "There's really no way to change anything. I'm so unwilling to accept this. I never wanted to compete with him for the family fortune, so why is he targeting me at this time? Have they forgotten everything I've done for them?"

"You resent them and are unwilling to accept this outcome? You should know that it's pointless. If you insist on arguing with them, you'll only suffer in vain. Haven't you seen through their true nature after all these years? You're just a pawn they can use. In their hearts, they never consider you family. Perhaps they were already on guard when you decided to join me, just like the demands Rockefeller and his group made—they didn't want me to help you take control of Samsung. Rockefeller was worried about me getting involved with Samsung, and they were worried too. As for family ties, just let it go. The rest is even less worth your concern. As long as you have a clear conscience, that's enough!"

Lee Boo-jin has indeed done her best for the Lee family of Samsung, at least she has stood up for them many times and fought for many benefits for them. Similarly, Lee Boo-jin has also done her best for South Korea, she has done a lot for South Korea, but she has not received the reward she deserves. On the contrary, she is just a pawn that those people can use!

John could continue to persuade her, but in this situation, persuasion wouldn't be very effective; only Lee Boo-jin could figure it out herself. Just like Nakamori Akina, the two women shared a similar plight, both having unreliable partners and cold-blooded family members! And the cause of all this was the same in both cases: wealth and money—it's almost laughable!

John knew exactly what the Samsung Lee family was thinking. Not only could they gain the protection of those old guys like Rockefeller, but they could also eliminate him, a potential threat to them. It was a win-win situation. As for family ties, they were dispensable to them. If they valued family ties, they wouldn't have done such a heinous thing!

"But I'm not reconciled. Why am I being targeted like this? I didn't mean to do anything to them, but they didn't even leave me with the last bit of dignity. I'm not reconciled." Lee Boo-jin's expression was somewhat agitated. When she learned of the Samsung Lee family's decision, and that she had been removed from the inheritance list, or even removed from the Lee family altogether, she couldn't accept it!
"There's nothing to be resentful about. It's their loss that they abandoned you, and you don't need to care. As for this agreement, I've already agreed to it. When Rockefeller and the others made this request, the Samsung Lee family had already made their decision. Do you think it's necessary to continue entangled since they've already decided to give up on you? It's not that you've wronged them, but that they've wronged you. From now on, you don't need to pay attention to them anymore, or even those guys from South Korea. Trust that they've made their decision. From the moment they made their decision, the whole of South Korea has changed!"

"Impossible, they couldn't possibly do that. That would mean the entire lifeline of South Korea is in the hands of the United States, which the government cannot accept!" Upon hearing John's words, Lee Boo-jin refused to believe it, thinking it was simply impossible.

John smiled calmly and said, "Officials, do you think the South Korean government still has the ability to interfere with all of this? They can only blame themselves for making a wrong decision. I gave them a chance. My cooperation with South Korea was the best way to resist the power of those Rockefeller guys, but they insisted on believing the lies of those old Rockefellers and choosing to become my enemy. They thought that taking market share from me would give them independence. They're overthinking it. I don't want much; I just want a portion of the market share. But those old Rockefellers want much more. Most importantly, those South Korean officials underestimated the greed and madness of their own conglomerates. When their own interests are harmed and they see no opportunity, what do you think they will do?"

"You mean they'll choose to cooperate with the Rockefeller conglomerates? How is that possible? Those people have huge demands; they practically want to take the lion's share of the profits. That's an outcome no conglomerate can accept!"

"Unacceptable? No, you're underestimating these guys' reactions. Nothing is impossible. Losses can be recovered through other means. Do you think that with the protection of American conglomerates, those guys will still care about official pressure? They'll completely let loose and act recklessly. Just watch, soon they'll be frantically interfering with the authorities. Once their madness begins, it won't stop, and it will eventually drag the entire country into a dead end. Once human desires and wants are unleashed and there are no external constraints, humans will turn into beasts!"

Lee Boo-jin couldn't believe John's words because she hadn't seen the dark side of those people. But John knew how insane and arrogant the South Korean chaebols would become. He had initially thought his presence could slightly change the situation in South Korea, but now it seemed he had underestimated the greed and madness of human nature; it had all still happened!

"Then what should we do? If they all choose to cooperate with the American conglomerate, it will have a huge impact on us, affecting our development in Korea and our interests!" Lee Boo-jin had gradually calmed down from her anger. In her heart, she did not want to see John's interests in Korea suffer, because in her eyes, this was her own interest, her own wealth, which would be passed on to her children!

"Just ignore them. We only need to protect our own interests. I believe that no matter how crazy those guys are, they won't dare to target us unless they want a direct confrontation with me, which is impossible given the current situation in South Korea. Also, you don't think those guys will keep supplying them with enough cheap energy. They won't be able to hold out for long. As soon as the situation in the United States changes, those guys will understand what pain is."

John was fully aware of the schemes of WorldCom, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, and Enron. These companies were all trying to gain market share in South Korea to repackage themselves, boost their stock prices, and escape the crisis—but they were overestimating themselves. Others might not understand their calculations, but John knew them perfectly well. He had long since figured out their bottom line, and once the time was right, these companies would face bankruptcy and liquidation! John's media influence in the US had already begun to act, targeting these companies bit by bit. They believed that John couldn't possibly affect them in the short term because, in their view, his focus was on Wall Street, and Hurricane Investment was primarily shorting tech stocks, so they would be minimally affected.

Unfortunately, reality is not like that. John has a global presence, so how could he let these guys get away with it? In the short term, these guys are capable of supplying the Koreans with enough cheap energy, but can they afford the losses in the long run? That's obviously impossible. So John can just wait and see them fail. But John doesn't want to foolishly wait for all this to happen. He wants to take the initiative. After all, his time is precious and he can't waste it on these guys, or he'll lose a lot of benefits!
John was well aware of how unreliable and insane human nature could be. Not to mention how insane the South Korean tycoons were, the United States was the same. The United States may seem great on the surface, but that's just a facade. The real American upper class was incredibly insane and vicious.

Although John was somewhat influenced, he kept telling himself that his bottom line was inviolable. Once he crossed it, he would completely transform from a human into a beast, which was not the change he wanted. It would not only make him lose his mind but also put him in danger. If he did such a thing, those old guys would have something to hold against him, and he would become a threat! Whether from a humanitarian perspective or from his own self-interest, John was unwilling to cross his bottom line and was unwilling to become as crazy and inhuman as those old guys.

A good reputation is the greatest protection one can have. It's not a problem for a man to be a womanizer, but he can't be vulgar. But those old guys in the US are not like that, and neither are the Europeans, nor the Japanese. Now the Koreans will also get involved, because once they take that step, there's no going back.

"You should rest here and relax. Let those guys in Korea play with fire and get burned. When they can't hold on any longer, they'll have to compromise because they won't get everything they want. Rockefeller and those old guys are indeed very powerful, but they can't sacrifice too many interests for Korea! Now that the undersea oil pipeline is shut down, they'll soon be facing an energy crisis. Don't forget, Korea needs more than just oil and natural gas; they need all kinds of minerals, and these are not things they can control!"

John's iron ore project has begun, and he is also making more arrangements for those guys in South Korea. The power plants he controls have begun to be gradually shut down for maintenance. Unless there is absolutely no problem, even a minor problem will be treated as a major one. Before long, power shortages, energy shortages, food shortages, and mineral shortages will all be triggered. At that time, South Korea will have no choice but to bow down!

Just as John had predicted, things quickly changed dramatically in South Korea. Initially, they could hold on, but the loss of resources from Asian energy companies and quantum mining companies gradually became unbearable. Knowing that John was going to confront South Korea, only a fool wouldn't take advantage of the situation. The major mining and energy giants naturally took action. Middle Eastern tycoons, in particular, acted on their own, targeting South Korea even without John's prior notice. While they didn't directly cut off their energy supplies, they still significantly impacted South Korea.

For Middle Eastern tycoons, causing trouble for the Koreans is incredibly easy. The fact that John is being jointly suppressed by Rockefeller and other old guys is exactly what these Middle Eastern tycoons want to see, because they dare not let John fall. If John falls, it will be a disaster for them; only with John around can they rest easy.

"Damn it, how could this happen? Why is there another problem with their delivery schedule? If this continues, we'll soon face a power, energy, and even food crisis. What's wrong with those guys in the US? Why aren't they fulfilling their promises on time? Don't they realize how serious the consequences will be for us?"

Soon an energy crisis emerged, and food became scarce. Just as John had predicted, after gaining market share, the Americans not only stopped supplying the Koreans, but their greed was also aroused. They wanted to take advantage of the situation and make a killing off the Koreans!
"I'm afraid this is their conspiracy. These guys have already asked us to raise prices, and only such a short time has passed. If it goes on for longer, I'm afraid the pressure we will face will be even greater. In addition, Asian Energy has completely cut off our supply, the undersea oil pipeline has been completely shut down, and the major power plants are almost unable to hold on."

If a power shortage occurs, it will affect all the factories in South Korea. Without electricity, how can they continue? Once they are in a situation where they have no electricity available, they will suffer a devastating blow, which they cannot afford!

Why did this happen? Enron could no longer hold on. The reason was that their true colors were being revealed bit by bit, and the shocking calculations stunned the American public and Wall Street. Hurricane Investment's calculations showed that Enron had committed serious fraud, which naturally had a severe impact on them, causing their shares to fluctuate wildly.

(End of this chapter)