America: My Time

Chapter 1572 Hidden Taboo

Chapter 1562 Hidden Taboo
"Boss, is it really necessary for John to do this? With his strength and influence, is it really necessary to be so cautious? Even if Oil Capital has many schemes, with his control over the media, his power of speech and influence, he can completely guarantee his own safety. Isn't he being a bit too cautious?" Jimmy understood, but he still thought it was too crazy!

"It's necessary, absolutely necessary, because John is looking for long-term benefits, and he's considering things from a long-term perspective. He can't change that on his own; he carries too much on his shoulders. You don't really think John doesn't want to integrate into high society; it's that he's afraid. He's afraid someone will try to take advantage of his wealth through marriage. After all, as long as he doesn't get married, even if people have suspicions, they won't know John's true wealth. It's different after marriage. Also, why do you think John isn't surrounded by American beauties, but rather by many Asian women? To put it bluntly, he's afraid someone will use their beauty to set him up. You know how treacherous people can be; once someone harbors greed, everything can become incredibly crazy. Do you think someone like John would accept a potential threat that could explode at any moment?"

"No way, that's too exaggerated. Even if it's an arranged marriage, how could it become a hidden danger? He could have made preparations in advance!"

"Hehe, you're still too naive, or rather, you underestimate the ugliness of human nature. As long as John doesn't get married, the beautiful women around him won't pose much of a threat and won't become a hidden danger. But if he gets married, do you think he'll need to be careful of the people around him plotting against him? If John dies, how do you think his wealth will be divided?"

At this point, Morgan shook his head and sighed, "Jimmy, although you are older than John, you are far less insightful about human nature than John. He is the one who truly understands human nature. Perhaps the cause of all this is not outsiders, but his own family. Repeated disappointments have made him more pessimistic about human nature, and he can't afford to gamble! However, it won't be long before all this changes. When his children grow up, he will have fewer scruples, and no one will dare to make such calculations anymore. After all, with an heir, no one will dare to have such thoughts again; it would kill people, and a whole family at that."

For Morgan to say such a thing means that someone in the United States did indeed make such a plan, but it failed. John has also realized it. Because there was no life-or-death struggle between them, everything was suppressed. John did not pursue it, and the other party did not dare to continue. However, the identity of this family remains a mystery!

Jimmy sighed, naturally understanding the warning behind his boss's words. This sent chills down his spine. There was actually such a family in the United States, and someone was actually making a move on John, and even using a honey trap. This shocked Jimmy immensely!

Anyone who dares to harbor evil intentions towards John must be from a top-tier family in the United States. Only such a family would dare to make such a scheme, and only such a family could prevent John from retaliating. After all, everyone in the American high society knows how petty John is. However, the other party did not suffer any retaliation from John, and there is no record of any family being targeted by John. Therefore, all of this has become a mystery and a taboo.

"Isn't it crazy and terrifying? This is the most real side of high society, and also the cruelest test. Why is it like this? The reason is simple: John's wealth is too great, enough to tempt anyone, even if it crosses everyone's bottom line. The lure of profit will make them do anything! Of course, everything is calm now, but when the opportunity arises, it may be a bloodbath, and someone will pay a heavy price. John is not a good person; he is very vengeful."

At that moment, a thought flashed through Jimmy's mind, and he said, "Boss, is it because of his existence that all these things have happened? Is he afraid of John's revenge, so he has been secretly pushing all this forward, trying to wear down John's strength, or even looking for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow?"

"That's right, it's good that you think that way. He is indeed behind all of this, and this guy has already joined forces with Oil Capital, and may even have betrayed his former stance! The United States is more dangerous than you think now. Many people have changed, becoming unrecognizable. Remember, no matter what, never stand against John, because he has made full preparations!"

If John were here, he would be shocked to hear Morgan's words. Unfortunately, John is destined never to know. Jimmy was able to hear them because he had Morgan's approval and was a trusted confidant; otherwise, such words would never have been uttered in any other family!
"I will. Although I am not smart enough, I understand that compared to a prodigy like John, I am nothing. To become his enemy would be a disaster. Even as a partner, I have endless pressure, let alone becoming his enemy. That would crush me. I have no confidence to face such an enemy!"

Morgan was pleased with Jimmy's answer and nodded, saying, "Yes, making an enemy of a monster like John is a disaster. Even the slightest flaw could lead to John's annihilation. Just look at the fates of Enron and WorldCom to understand this. It's a Pyrrhic victory; he'll stop at nothing to harm his enemies. If it weren't for the American cause and the situation in the Middle East, he would have already dealt a fatal blow to the oil money. Those oil money people think they're so great, but they're far inferior to John. Just look at their reputation these past few years to see how ruthless John's behind-the-scenes maneuvering has been."

While Morgan was handing everything over to Jimmy, John's men were already in Beijing. Meanwhile, Standard Chartered Bank had also begun its expansion in the United States. As for the acquisition battle between Western Energy and Bell Labs, it did not attract much attention. It wasn't that people didn't want to pay attention to it, but rather that it was suppressed by certain individuals.

However, sitting in front of John at this moment were Anne Malcasi, Meg Whitman, and Pat Woltz. They had all come to see John about the acquisition, since this acquisition would have a significant impact on Asian Energy, Bell Labs, and the communications group.

“Ms. Anne, the breakup of WorldCom is necessary. We should only keep what we need and give up the rest. After all, monopolizing everything will kill us, and we shouldn't be thinking about making exorbitant profits, especially in communications. Although Bell Labs has an absolute advantage and a large number of patents, excessive profits will make many people dissatisfied and revolt, turning them into our competitors. Moreover, exorbitant profits are not sustainable.” John did not agree with Bell Labs' plan. Although it would bring huge profits in the short term, in the long run, it carried too many risks. Bell Labs had finally persuaded those old guys in the US to accept their upgrades, and if patent issues arose again, the consequences would be severe. Now, he needed to seize the initiative and suppress the Europeans. If the Europeans lost this time, they would never have a chance to recover. Therefore, John did not intend to let Bell Labs collect too much patent fees, giving the Europeans an opportunity to unite.

"But this would put a lot of pressure on Bell Labs itself, and there wouldn't be much benefit!"

“Remember, Bell Labs isn’t after profits, it’s after patents and technological advancements. Only by staying ahead of the competition can we keep them firmly in check. Do you think the Europeans can withstand a few more failures like this? Can they really afford to invest so recklessly?” John smiled calmly at Anne Malcasi, a hint of confidence in his eyes.

"Impossible. No matter how crazy they are, they can't compete with Bell Labs forever. After all, every failure will cost them dearly. It's just that this time they are unwilling to accept our 'goodwill' and our technology. The Europeans want to get rid of us, which will cause us to lose a significant portion of the market!"

"So what? Even if they have such thoughts, it won't have much impact on us. The Europeans aren't a monolithic entity. Britain and Northern Europe won't side with them. Don't forget we still control a significant portion of the European market. At most, they might form a coalition of a few countries, but that won't affect the overall situation. What we need to do is seize the market overseas with all our might, gaining control at the lowest possible cost. As long as they don't recoup their investment, they won't be able to compete with us next time. That's one of the reasons I spun off communications. If they want to fight, we'll fight them. I'm curious to know if they can be just as reckless with their costs overseas as we are."

At this point, John changed his tone and turned his gaze to Meg Whitman, saying, "Ms. Meg, how is the integration of Global Communications going? Have you achieved global mobile network connectivity? Can you further expand your network communications and seize more market share?"

"It will take some time. After all, Global Communications has a lot of assets to integrate, including not only mobile communications companies but also Global Online. It's impossible to form a whole in a short period of time. It requires a period of adjustment, and the investment is also quite large!"

"Funding is not a problem. You don't need to worry about short-term profits at all. What I want is global market share. Only by controlling global market share can we have a broader space and greater potential. Remember, don't pay attention to those guys' accusations. We don't need to waste our energy on technological research. Everything should be focused on seizing the market. When our mobile communication network can cover the whole world, do you think those people will have the right to compete with us?"

"This requires a significant investment, which is insufficient given Global Communications' current financial situation!"

“I know that Chengxin Bank and Standard Chartered Bank will fully cooperate with your global expansion plan, as will the situation in South Korea and Japan. There is no need for any financial pressure. We need to take control of all overseas markets before the Europeans can react. By the time they finish, there will be no place for them overseas!”

Disregarding temporary gains and losses, and focusing all efforts on seizing market share, only John could make such an arrangement, and only John has such strength. After all, the entire industry chain is under John's control, and with the cost advantage in Asia, he can drive prices down to the lowest level, making it perfect for expansion.

"Finally, there's the energy issue. From this moment on, Western Energy will go all out. After absorbing and digesting Enron, our target will be the United States. As for Enron's investments in India, we'll just sell them off; we don't need to worry about the gains or losses in that area. We won't participate in the US power grid development for the time being. The power crisis won't end in a short time; the interests involved are too great. We don't have the time or energy to get involved. We'd rather invest that time and energy in developing offshore oil fields."

Although Pattwaltz was somewhat prepared, she was still shocked to hear John's words. Western Energy had been researching deep-sea oilfield extraction technology for a long time, and she knew that her boss had also been working on the development of deep-sea oilfield extraction equipment. However, going all out to develop oilfields in South America would require a massive investment of funds!
Many people believed that Western Energy's next step was to expand its power supply in the United States, and even many within Western Energy itself thought so, given that Western Energy once controlled a massive power supply. However, the reality was quite different. John's goal was not to expand its power supply in the United States, but rather to expand its oil field network in South America.

If this news gets out, the entire United States will likely be shocked. Western Energy's all-out expansion overseas at this time—is this another instance of suppression? Will it cause further shocks to the US? Many power companies are preparing to be acquired by Western Energy, believing that US electricity is Western Energy's other pillar. But John won't give them that opportunity; he won't let their schemes succeed. How many old-timers want to use the electricity crisis to reap profits from John and sell their power companies to Western Energy? They're dreaming; John won't get involved!

(End of this chapter)