America: My Time

Chapter 359 Oil Plan
Chapter 359 The Oil Plan

When the Western Energy Operation comes, what will happen when the refinery's plans are exposed, what those old guys will think, and how they will react—these are not within John's considerations. He will not change his plans because of what those old guys think. Only when those old guys know how powerful he is and understand how crazy and terrifying his overseas expansion is, will they realize how ridiculous and foolish everything he did before was.

When Western Energy took action, the first to notice the problem was Morgan. This situation was both expected and unexpected, because Morgan did not expect John to act so quickly, having only taken over the US oil refineries for such a short time before starting new operations.

"What exactly is this little guy trying to do? He doesn't hide his intentions at all, building an oil refinery in both Taiwan and Japan, and he also intends to build an oil refinery in South Korea. Is this little guy so confident that he can make further progress in the petrochemical industry, or is this little fox intentionally trying to interfere in oil field development?"

Unfortunately, Morgan has no answer now. He can only say that as John began his full-scale overseas expansion, Morgan lost touch with John. Many things are beyond Morgan's control, especially John's trip to China, which made Morgan uneasy, believing it would accelerate the development of the situation.

When John's expansion left the United States, Morgan was willing to continue cooperating with him, but he was powerless to do so. Now, no one knows what this little guy John is up to. He is expanding in almost every direction, making it impossible to see his true intentions.

"I really don't know what those old guys are thinking. Are they limiting John's development or giving him a chance to grow? Once he leaves the United States, with his full power unleashed, no one knows his true intentions. The worst ones are those guys in Japan. If it weren't for their funding, John wouldn't have been able to develop so quickly. Needless to say, the oil refineries in Taiwan and Japan got their loans from Japanese banks."

At this point, Morgan turned his gaze to Jimmy, who hadn't uttered a word since entering. It seemed he was frightened by him, worried that he would once again send him to see that little fox, John.

"Jimmy, how's Quantum Mining doing these days? Any new moves? How far has Pan Am expanded? Is that little fox really going to go all out?"

"Sigh! It's bound to happen again. The boss has his eye on it again!" Jimmy was extremely helpless, but he had no choice but to speak up. He shook his head and said, "Quantum Mining has stopped expanding and is focusing all its efforts on the mining arrangements. This time, it has new contacts with those guys in Japan. Japan wants to discuss iron ore prices with John, and they even intend to invest in John's two major iron ore mines in Australia. Pan Am's situation is a bit strange. They seem interested in acquiring those airlines, but they're not in a hurry to do so. I don't know what they're up to! However, we estimate that with Gulfstream Aerospace's current financial situation, if they continue to expand, it will put enormous pressure on their cash flow, and they could easily collapse."

"You mean John is worried about the cash flow, which is why he's slowing down the transactions?"

"Yes, that's what we think. We believe John doesn't want Gulfstream Aerospace to face more pressure, so he's chosen this method to delay things with those airlines while waiting for his funding to come in!"

"Impossible. If this kid had a problem with his cash flow, do you think he would be frantically acquiring estates and wineries in Europe? The Cultural Oriental Group is expanding like crazy, and even the Southern Group is expanding like crazy. John is not short of money; he has a lot of cash on hand. Perhaps this is just bait. This little fox wants to use Pan Am to scheme against the enemy!"

“That’s impossible. Everyone knows how shrewd John is. No one wants to make an enemy of this kid at this time and under these circumstances. Besides, Japanese airlines are worth very little, and so are Taiwanese ones. The most valuable one is Lion Air in the UK. How could we possibly outmaneuver the enemy with just one airline?”

“Nothing is impossible. With John, this little fox, anything is possible. Two years ago, did you believe John would have developed into what he is today? You wouldn't have believed it; you'd think it was a joke. But now John has accomplished it all, accumulating such vast assets. Even if his financial operations are a bit too reckless, there's no denying that John's assets are astonishingly large. The European side should keep a close eye on him. I have a feeling this little fox's trip isn't simple; it might even be a ploy to attract our attention. His real plan is in Europe.” John's rapid actions put pressure on many, but John himself didn't care, accelerating his expansion in China and quickly handling matters there. When the Australian railway began its operations, John also received advice from think tanks. They weren't optimistic about building refineries in Asia. In their view, the current development in Asia was far from worth the significant investment from Western Energy. They believed that the two existing refineries in Taiwan and Japan were sufficient; if further expansion was necessary, they could acquire and renovate a refinery. This would be more profitable and alleviate the pressure on Western Energy.

In short, these guys at the think tank believe that acquisition is the best option. Building it themselves would take too long, put too much pressure on Western Energy, require large loans, and involve a lot of uncertainty.

After receiving this news, John also pondered the issue. Entering the refinery business now is indeed a good choice, but the think tank's opinion is not without merit. It is somewhat unreasonable to want to build refineries all over Asia. The economies of those countries cannot support a large refinery, and it could easily put Western Energy in trouble.

Regarding ports, the think tank believes it's a good business opportunity. Large-scale trade cannot function without ports, and controlling one's own ports would be highly beneficial for the future development of Quantum Mining and Western Energy. Moreover, the think tank suggests either entering the steel industry or venturing into the oil field development industry, which would have a greater advantage than expanding into oil refineries. Acquiring an oil field overseas and getting involved in oil field development is also a good option.

John did not insist on his own opinion on this issue. Although he had the foresight to know about the situation in the future, he still wanted to listen to the opinions of the think tank. The reason he established the think tank was to keep himself closer to the development of the times, rather than to make excessive expansions and put himself in crisis.

The think tank's opinion was simple: since they had already chosen to expand overseas and had Japanese banks as a source of funding, acquisitions were better than building from scratch. Acquired assets could be used immediately to generate profits and repay loans, while building from scratch would take too long and there was no telling what might happen. Everything was uncertain, and in short, the risk was too great.

As John pondered what to do next, Smith, somewhat disapproving, said, "John, we're here for vacation, not work. You need to learn to relax. Although you have various things to handle, your life isn't all about dealing with work. Put down all that work, change your mindset, and perhaps you'll get different results. Don't rush things; you have plenty of time."

Do I have enough time? John shook his head slightly. He didn't have that much time. If he hadn't completed his plans by the time the Plaza Accord arrived, he would pay a much higher price. However, John felt there was something to it: a different mindset might yield different results. He didn't need to rush into expanding in the oil refining and petrochemical industry; he had plenty of time to wait.

For now, the priority is to finalize the plans for the oil refineries in Japan and Taiwan, and complete the strategic layout in Europe. Other matters can be put aside for the time being. As for South Korea, there's no need to care about them; let those guys be arrogant. After changing his mindset, John also actively participated in his family's trip, visiting various attractions in Beijing with the group.

Once he relaxed and stopped thinking about overseas expansion, John's mood changed. He no longer carried a heavy burden and instead exuded a lighthearted feeling. This change relieved Smith and Anna, who didn't want John to remain constantly busy with work and facing heavy pressure. In their opinion, John had already done enough, and there was no need to ask for more.

However, John himself did not think so. As the conflict with those old guys continued, the pressure on John increased day by day. Especially after deciding to expand overseas, the pressure on John became greater and greater. He did not get a good rest at all, which had a significant impact on him.

Although it was only a few short days, John felt much more relaxed, as if his body and mind had been cleansed. He wasn't disturbed while choosing to travel with his family. However, this time was destined to be short-lived, and soon the group had different ideas. With different choices, it was finally time for the large family to split up. Everyone had their own plans, so the original large group became several smaller groups, each with its own goals.

(End of this chapter)