America: My Time

Chapter 1567 Acquisition Exposed
Chapter 1557 Acquisition Exposed

John wasn't tempted by power? No, he did have that desire, but the situation in the United States was too dangerous. He dared not reveal his intentions, otherwise he would be directly on the opposite side of all the old American families. No one was willing to accept John's joining them, even though John had become so powerful. He was still rejected by many people. The reason was simple: in their eyes, John was still an outsider. John was not closely connected with them.

Although John didn't monopolize the profits, he also didn't share all the benefits with these old men, nor did he arrange marriages with them. This was the biggest problem. As long as John didn't take this step, he would be seen as an outcast by those established families and would be ostracized. Unfortunately, John had a very low sense of security and didn't trust these old men at all, so he wouldn't give them any chance to scheme against him. Therefore, their relationship was destined to remain as it was. Perhaps only when John's descendants grew up and married into other established American families would everything be resolved.

John was well aware of all this, so he didn't force himself to integrate into the elite circles of the established families. Instead, he continued to live the life of an outsider. However, this didn't mean John had no other plans. Oregon was the best proof, and Korea and Japan were also part of his scheme!
The decisive battle began with a multi-pronged attack under the guidance of Standard Chartered Bank. No matter how much Anran and his cronies resisted, it was no use. They were soon forced to surrender and admit defeat because their capital was quickly exhausted, and many of their internal violations were discovered by Jaguar Security Company. Under such circumstances, if they did not admit defeat, they would face certain death!
"What? John, that madman, wants to acquire Enron and WorldCom for one dollar? Is he crazy or am I crazy?" Rockefeller was shocked when he heard this, because it was beyond his imagination.

"It's not John who wants to acquire them, but Western Energy that has already made its move, offering to acquire Enron for one dollar, and Bell Labs offering to acquire WorldCom for one dollar. Compared to them, they are in a slightly better position, but Pacific Gas and Electric is in dire straits and hasn't even received an acquisition offer. It seems that Hurricane Investment and Standard Chartered Bank want to bring them down directly. Their ruthlessness is beyond our imagination. They accomplished everything with lightning speed, giving everyone no time to prepare. Most importantly, many of their internal secrets have been exposed."

"This is not a decision I can make alone. We need to discuss countermeasures together. I originally thought there would be some time, but now it seems that John's attack power is too terrifying. We need to discuss it together. After all, his move this time shocked me. I'm afraid the whole of Wall Street is trembling. Nobody wants to be targeted by this madman!" Although he was unwilling to admit his defeat, Rockefeller now realized that it was a mistake to be enemies with a monster like John. This battle forced him to take it seriously.

Of course, Rockefeller wasn't the only one to know about this. The financial giants in the United States, the guys from Donkey and Elephant, also knew about it. Although no one saw Enron and WorldCom, they didn't expect them to fail so miserably and so quickly, with almost no chance to fight back!

They initially thought that Hurricane Investment's influence would be limited while John was not in the United States. However, everything changed when Hurricane Investment made its move, with Standard Chartered Bank cooperating on multiple fronts. It caught them completely off guard and showed them just how formidable John's financial prowess was, making them realize just how terrifying the threat he posed.

Although Lotte was unwilling to host Rockefeller and his ilk at the White House, he had no choice. No matter how dissatisfied he was, he had to accept reality, after all, John's actions this time had shocked them all.

"Please be quiet, everyone. I believe you are all at ease with the situation. Now that John is so assertive, we need to make a decision. After all, this is not just one person's responsibility, but ours alone!" Although Rockefeller was unwilling to stand in the forefront, President Rockefeller was unwilling to continue being cannon fodder and take the blame for them, so he had no choice but to step forward himself.

“Rockefeller, we know all that you’re saying. Just get to the point. I remember we had an agreement. Are you calling us together to break your promise to John again? If so, we won’t participate. I don’t want to be targeted by John, or besieged by Hurricane Investment and Standard Chartered Bank. Standard Chartered Bank has already started its expansion into the US. I believe you all understand what that means!” DuPont’s response made everyone present sigh. They naturally understood how unfavorable this situation was for them, and it was understandable that DuPont didn’t want to get involved.

"No, I have no intention of defaulting, nor will I do so. I just want to ask if everyone can accept Western Energy and Bell Labs' acquisition for one dollar, and what everyone thinks of Standard Chartered's expansion? Although Hurricane Investment and Integrity Bank have not continued to expand in the United States, the arrival of Standard Chartered should not be underestimated!"

"A one-dollar acquisition sounds crazy, but WorldCom and Enron both have problems. If they refuse the acquisition, they'll go straight into bankruptcy liquidation. These guys have some underhanded dealings we don't know about, so they're basically beyond saving now, unless someone on our side is willing to complete the acquisition at that price. But doing so would mean going to war with John, and I believe no one wants to face that. As for Standard Chartered, negotiation is useless. We can't stop Standard Chartered's expansion! Unless the White House can directly block Standard Chartered's entry, but that's clearly impossible. No one is willing to take that risk and pressure!" Morgan's bigwig stepped forward to explain everything. After all, this whole thing happened too suddenly. No one expected that while John was keeping an eye on the situation in Asia, he could also reap the benefits of his US operations, and with such ruthless methods!
Of course, John can't be blamed for all of this. The blame lies with WorldCom and Enron for being too greedy. As for Pacific Gas and Electric, nobody cares. Everyone knows that Western Energy won't stop there; their expansion will continue! The discussion now isn't about the immediate crisis, but about how to fight them in the future.

"What's there to hesitate about? I don't think there's any need for discussion. Given the current situation, even if we intervene, it won't make a difference, and discussion won't yield any results. Even if we can stop Standard Chartered's expansion this time, what if it's another bank next? Can we stop them then?" These old guys were all expressing their opinions, while the owner of the White House, President Lancelot, remained silent and didn't offer any opinions. For him, this was the best choice. After all, this wasn't the time for him to show off; doing so would only bring unnecessary trouble. The previous agreement had only been signed recently, and if something went wrong now, the consequences would be uncontrollable!
In truth, Richard Dunn understood why Rockefeller and the other old guys wanted the meeting held in the White House—they wanted him, the president, to take the blame. They wanted to shift the infamy onto him. Since he couldn't resist, he would remain silent. No matter how eloquently these guys spoke, as long as he didn't speak up, they couldn't do anything to him.

Although Zipperton's choice was a bit too reluctant, or even too cowardly, it was the best choice compared to his own safety. He could resolve the matter without offending anyone!
Unfortunately, while Laughlin's plans were grand, reality was far from what he envisioned. And those old fogies like Rockefeller weren't about to let him off the hook. Since Laughlin was unwilling to speak, Rockefeller directly questioned him, forcing him to take a stand!
"Mr. President, this concerns the financial security of the United States and its development. What is your view on all of this?"

"Of course I see with my eyes, do you think I can see with my mouth!" Zipperton was incredibly annoyed. He had already expressed his stance with silence, but that old man Rockefeller still wouldn't let him go and still wanted to drag him into this! As the president, he couldn't remain silent, after all, this was indeed related to the financial security of the United States. Both WorldCom and Enron were not small companies, not to mention other companies that were also being besieged by Hurricane Investment and Standard Chartered Bank.

If he still had a year or two left in his term, he would naturally not allow such a thing to happen. But now he doesn't have much time left and will soon be kicked out of the White House, so why should he cause himself unnecessary trouble?

Taking a deep breath and suppressing his anger, Zipperton said in a calm voice, "Gentlemen, I don't have much to say, because this is not a decision I can make. If Mr. John has not breached the contract, I think it's best for everyone to keep their promises and not do anything inappropriate, lest misunderstandings arise and the situation spirals out of control!"

"I knew this guy couldn't be trusted. Even now, this bastard refuses to stand by us, refuses to help us through this crisis. Doesn't he know the strain on California's power grid? Doesn't he know how serious the consequences will be if this continues? Or is this bastard also a beneficiary of this situation?!" The California power tycoon was naturally dissatisfied with Richardson's performance. The situation in California was extremely dangerous. If things continued this way, several energy and power companies would go bankrupt and be liquidated. They had all been shorted by Hurricane Investment and were powerless to retaliate! If the situation in California hadn't been so perilous, he wouldn't have appeared at the White House, wouldn't have sought their help!

Zipperton's answer did not satisfy everyone present. After all, many people hoped that the White House would take the initiative at this time, take on this responsibility, communicate with Western Energy, Bell Labs, and even contact John to discuss how to resolve the crisis. No one wanted to see changes in the US market.

"President, now is the time for you to step forward for everyone. After all, if you don't step forward, we will all face considerable pressure, and if something really goes wrong, the impact will be too great. If possible, we would like to ask you to talk to John and suppress this matter, or at least prevent it from becoming too serious and causing a city-wide uproar!"

Good heavens, even at this point, this guy still wants to scheme against everyone and drag them all into crisis. Is John such an easy person to talk to? Under these circumstances, how could John possibly accept their demands? And even if they are determined to scheme, so what? When the contest begins, they will know that no matter how well they scheme, without corresponding strength, they will ultimately be no match for them!
“I also want to take this responsibility for everyone, but as you all know, the election is coming soon, and I simply don’t have time to deal with these issues. Why don’t you all step forward and talk to Mr. John? I believe that with your reputations, you will surely win and achieve your goals!” Zipperton was not going to take the blame, so he simply threw it aside and absolved himself of the responsibility!

At this moment, some people below had already turned their attention to Rockefeller. After all, this was an agreement they had made, but they hadn't expected things to turn out so erratically! The situation had reached such a dangerous point, and if it really escalated, someone would have to pay the price. Many people didn't want to see the danger fall on them.

"Alright, everyone, don't force the President. He can't do anything about it. Not to mention the election, his term is already up, and he won't interfere in this matter. Otherwise, he'll be responsible for any problems that arise. Whatever your thoughts or plans, do them yourselves. Once you do, you'll bear all the consequences and control all the benefits. No one is stopping you. I can tell you clearly that the decision-making power is in your hands, not in the President's!" At this moment, Morgan pulled back the zipper, preventing the President from falling into a crisis, falling into a coma, or experiencing any other situation.

Regardless, Larrynton is the President, so we should give him some face, otherwise they will take everything away, and they will have to bear the consequences themselves. After all, many people have been schemed against during this period! At the same time, they also felt the financial pressure. No one thought that their companies could withstand John's counterattack, after all, the power John is showing now is so amazing and awe-inspiring!
(End of this chapter)