America: My Time

Chapter 341 The Arrival of Danger

Chapter 341 The Arrival of Danger
John didn't see anything wrong with Akio Morita's existence. Even if the old man wanted to do something, it was impossible for him to, because after Jimmy's words, Hurricane Investment would immediately take action and launch an attack on Freeport first thing tomorrow morning. All of this was already part of Hurricane Investment's plan.

After ending his conversation with Jimmy, John immediately called Hurricane Investments, instructing them to launch an attack on Freeport. From John's reaction, Akio Morita could tell that this sly fox had already obtained evidence against Freeport and was prepared to retaliate.

The leak of Quantum Mining's secrets is known not only to American mining giants but also to global mining giants. Many are secretly trying to obtain the leaked information. Some Japanese have done so, but unfortunately, they have gained nothing. It's as if the leaked information has sunk without a trace, leaving no ripple.

These guys had no idea that this was all John's scheme. Freeport was simply too arrogant, being the first to jump out. If John didn't deal with them, who would he deal with? Moreover, the reason John arranged for security personnel to hand over that document to Freeport was also because he had designs on them; this guy had something John wanted.

After arranging everything, John smiled calmly and said, "Mr. Morita, as you've heard, Morgan also has concerns. It seems we need to wait for them to discuss things further. However, I believe Morgan won't refuse. Even if there are major problems, they will find a way to solve them. But, since you're in such a hurry to acquire Columbia Pictures, you need to be prepared for the takeover, and even be prepared to lose money in the short term. Hollywood isn't so easy to compromise with; those guys are extremely cunning. I was tricked by them before. Even though we had reached an agreement, they were still secretly causing me trouble."

"Short-term losses are nothing, as long as we can make adjustments quickly. I'm mentally prepared!"

Upon hearing Akio Morita's words, John thought to himself, "You're prepared? Your little bit of preparation is useless. How are you going to complete the adjustment? And what are you going to do with it? In the current environment, as long as the trade relations between the United States and Japan do not ease, as long as those guys continue to incite suppression against Japan, there will be no good outcome."

John knew how badly Sony lost money when it took over Columbia Pictures. If it weren't for its huge resources, it wouldn't have been able to hold on until the dawn of a new era. He just wondered if, after the changes, another Japanese company, Panasonic, would also participate in the acquisition of Hollywood. There was no Universal Pictures for him to acquire now!
"It's good that you're prepared. To be honest, Phoenix Group will be affected in the short term. Taking over a Hollywood giant will bring considerable pressure. They may not confront you openly, but they will use various methods to target you in secret. If possible, Sony should make more preparations, especially in terms of film production!"

Unfortunately, John's good intentions were not appreciated by Akio Morita. He did not think there would be any major problems with Columbia Pictures. After all, Sony had been preparing for a long time and knew more about Columbia Pictures than John did. Although they could not be said to know everything, they had a general understanding of the situation.

"John, thank you for reminding me. I'll be careful. As long as there are no problems with Morgan, Sony will be fine. Sony can accept losses for a year or two!"

"That's good. Since I still need to go to school, I don't have time to entertain Mr. Morita. Tomorrow, I'll have Naoko and the others accompany Ms. Riko on a tour of San Francisco. I'll let you know as soon as there's anything going on with Morgan!"

Actually, the reason Akio Morita brought Riko with him to the United States this time was to exploit the relationship between Riko and Naoko. However, it seems he was overthinking it; John had no intention of refusing at all.

How could John refuse such an acquisition? If Sony were to enter the fray, the situation in Hollywood would become even more chaotic, and the pressure on Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media would be greatly reduced. With Columbia Pictures leading the way, Paramount Pictures would have enough time to complete the integration.

Back at the hotel, Akio Morita sighed and said, "Riko, when you meet Naoko and the others tomorrow, try to learn more about them. They've been in the US for a while now, so they'll know more or less about Paramount and Phoenix Media. If Sony acquires Columbia Pictures, they'll need to learn from their experience!"

Akio Morita, that old fox, is truly cunning. He simply doesn't understand the fundamental difference between Columbia Pictures and Paramount Pictures. Furthermore, Phoenix Media isn't fighting alone; it has Legendary Entertainment behind it. Most importantly, Legendary Entertainment has already established its dominance in Hollywood, deterring hidden enemies from making any rash moves. Sony lacks this power and cannot achieve the same. Even if they wanted to emulate Paramount's integration, they couldn't; they couldn't afford to offend the editors' guild or the actors' guild. Paramount Pictures has no such concerns, no pressure whatsoever—that's the difference. And Paramount's situation is far better than Columbia Pictures', which is why John chose Paramount.

"Naiko, Akina, and Akiko, you three should spend time with each other tomorrow, relax, and don't put yourselves under so much pressure. Akina, in particular, you still haven't relaxed. What's done is done, and you can't change it. Instead of dwelling on the darkness of the past, let go of your burdens and embrace a new beginning. Akiko, you should do better than you in this regard. Smile more; as the saying goes, a smile makes you ten years younger. A cheerful face brings good fortune. Life is short, don't let past sorrows defeat you. Your life has just begun."

Even though a considerable amount of time has passed, John can still sense that Akina hasn't emerged from the darkness of the past. Perhaps being betrayed by her family is something she finds hard to accept. However, outsiders can't help her with this; she has to pull herself out of this darkness on her own. After all, it's not something Naoko and Akiko can easily bring up.

The Akina of today is different from the beautiful girl in John's heart. If John is most familiar with the Akina who sings "The Broken Ship," then he is also familiar with the Akina who sings "Gypsy Queen" in a green dress. The former evokes endless sorrow and heartache, while the latter is breathtakingly beautiful.

Such matters should be touched upon briefly. If Akina herself cannot move on, saying more will be of no use and may even make things worse. When it comes to family members, there are many things that cannot be said.

After ending his conversation with John, Jimmy didn't actually wait until tomorrow to inform his boss. Instead, he immediately took action, calling Morgan to tell him about John's conversation.

"You said that little fox John found us a buyer, Sony is going to acquire Columbia Pictures, it seems this is quite unexpected. But, this is good, we can make more money. As for your worries, there is no need, we only guarantee the completion of the acquisition, the rest has nothing to do with us. If Sony also demands to purge Columbia Pictures' management, then it will have to pay a higher price. But that is almost impossible, Sony is not that little fox John, who can act without restraint. If they purge Columbia Pictures, it will definitely be severely damaged."

"That's what I think too, but John, that little fox, is going after Freeport. It seems he already knows that Freeport is behind the Quantum Mining leak. How should we handle this?"

"Spread the word, tell those guys on Wall Street what they do. We can't control what they do. Morgan will naturally cooperate with that little fox, John. If I'm not mistaken, Hurricane Investments will make their move as soon as the market opens tomorrow. You need to arrange everything in advance; this is a great opportunity. Speaking of which, I'd like to know if anyone on Wall Street will stand up against Hurricane Investments. Will Lehman Brothers have a showdown with Hurricane Investments?"

"Probably not. Lehman Brothers wouldn't sacrifice their own interests to help Freeport. I'm more worried about the White House intervening. After all, Freeport and the White House have a good relationship. If they get involved, things might change. John's plan might be thwarted. We can't afford to deal Freeport a fatal blow!"

“Jimmy, you’re overthinking it. This is normal business practice. The White House has no right to interfere. If they dare to do this, they should be prepared to face a backlash from Wall Street. Nobody wants to see this happen. If Lehman Brothers is reckless enough to get involved, it will inevitably face destruction. Wall Street doesn’t need traitors.”

The White House's intervention for the sake of Freeport is a provocation against Wall Street's bottom line. Even the White House cannot afford such consequences. It is unacceptable for Wall Street, and even more unacceptable for John, to have normal business activities obstructed by the White House. As John said to Jimmy, Legendary Entertainment is not just for show.

If the White House is determined to stop Hurricane Investment, the consequences will be extremely serious, even unbearable for the White House itself. Giving Donald the opportunity will also cost the White House dearly. If Lehman Brothers dares to get involved, it will inevitably face the wrath of Wall Street. These guys who make a living in finance don't want the White House interfering with their normal business operations, not even if the White House wants to target John. Because if you can target John and Hurricane Investment without restraint today, tomorrow it could be Morgan, or some other Wall Street giant!

(End of this chapter)