America: My Time

Chapter 406 Endless Worries

Chapter 406 Endless Worries

With the signing of the cooperation agreement between John and China, everyone was stunned. No one expected that the ongoing investigation would suddenly change, that the investments of the three major companies would be changed so quickly, and that the remaining six oil refineries would be invested entirely in China. This left many who were eager to attract investment dumbfounded.

Many people thought John's decision was insane. Although the details hadn't been revealed, the sheer scale of the investment—hundreds of millions of dollars—made it seem incredibly risky. Such a massive investment was difficult for many to comprehend, as even the slightest mishap could cause significant damage. Yet, John did exactly that, and immediately began operations after signing the contract. Quantum Mining took over the steel mill, and construction began on the port and oil refinery.

John's feat also attracted more investment to China. The impact of the investment of over a billion dollars was astonishing, no less than the investment in the two major ports before. South Korea was dumbfounded. They originally thought they had a chance to persuade John to reinvest in their factories, but now it seems that everything has been ruined.

"John has really made a move, and his target is China. This news is unbelievable. What is he thinking? Does China really matter to him that much? Why would he make such a big investment so easily? Although I admit that his previous investments in China have been successful, making such an amazing investment in such a short period of time is just too crazy!"

"Boss, perhaps only John himself understands all of this. Nobody knows why he's so confident. Even the Chinese are hesitant to invest, but John did it anyway, and on such a large scale. Although his other investments have made money, it's all been used for expansion and investment in China. John himself owns quite a few properties in China. Now everyone is saying that John has an inexplicable confidence in his investments. Many people are not optimistic about his crazy investments, believing that it will only increase his debt and there's no chance of recouping his costs!"

"No, those who say that are just being foolish. Although John has a ten-year agreement with China, his assets are there for all to see. Do you dare say John's semiconductor business in China isn't profitable? Do you dare say his car business in China isn't profitable? Besides, these guys only see John's large investments in China. His smaller investments don't have a ten-year agreement. Clothing and food are very profitable. Otherwise, why do you think the Forever Group expanded so quickly? Why did 7-Eleven expand so quickly? It's because they have investments and factories in China, giving them an absolute price advantage. 7-Eleven's profits are beyond everyone's imagination. Everyone only sees its huge debts, but they don't see that 7-Eleven has become the largest convenience store chain in the US, controlling almost the entire US market. The Forever Group and the Southern Group aren't as bad or weak as they think."

At this point, Morgan couldn't help but sigh. Many companies were acquired with the help of Morgan, and now Mandarin Oriental is also expanding rapidly, especially in the catering sector. This is giving Morgan a bit of a headache, because everything is getting beyond his control. John, the little fox, is not developing in the direction he expected.

After a moment, Morgan Stanley asked again, "Jimmy, what are their demands now that the acquisition of Mandarin Oriental has reached this stage?"

"Negotiations are still ongoing. Those guys are making crazy demands. I'm starting to wonder if they're really planning an acquisition. They're practically going to complete a full-scale layout in the restaurant industry, including Subway, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Starbucks, and Dairy Queen. They're practically trying to take over the entire fast food industry. Sandwiches, pizzas, burgers, coffee, ice cream—they have it all!"

"With such ambitious plans, having just completed the integration and acquisition of hotels, they now want to fully enter the catering industry. Aren't they worried about failure? This kind of expansion is too crazy. Is there a time limit? Did they request these acquisitions themselves, or were we providing them with options?"

"There isn't a huge time requirement, but we have to complete one of the options we provided this year. We just didn't expect them to be so crazy, trying to take all the options we offered."

"It seems that John, that little fox, is refining the company's structure. He doesn't want to put all his eggs in one basket with hotels. He wants to achieve true diversification to prevent himself from suffering a devastating blow if a hotel crisis occurs. He wants to control everything from food and clothing to housing and transportation. He's quite shrewd. I have to say, his calculations are remarkable. Is this little guy still acquiring wineries and wineries?"

"They're still acquiring companies. All of Southern Company's profits are being invested in acquisitions, and the same goes for the Forever Group; they're constantly expanding, especially in Japan, where their expansion is astonishing. The Mandarin Oriental Group seems to have huge assets in the US, but compared to Japan, they're still a little lacking. Their real estate holdings in Japan are staggering—commercial centers, shopping malls, you name it—and their real estate holdings are growing rapidly. The Mandarin Oriental Group is like an inflated balloon, making people nervous; one wrong move and it'll burst. Not only in Japan, but they're also expanding frantically in Hong Kong, swallowing up a large amount of assets in Britain. If it weren't for their high debt, their assets would probably be no less than other hotel groups." "Is this bottom-fishing, or do they have other plans? Have you done any investigation?"

"They've done it. Hong Kong's expansion was all about buying at the bottom, entering the market when Hong Kong's real estate market was at its lowest point, and using a lot of money to acquire all the real estate they wanted. The situation in Japan is a bit hard to understand. Although they are also acquiring land at low prices and building, their main focus is still on commerce, as if they are intentionally cooperating with the Forever Group. Forever Group companies have moved into shopping malls. Moreover, throughout the development in Japan, John has a mysterious confidence, investing heavily in luxury goods in Japan and promoting their luxury brands. At least in terms of brand promotion, they have already overwhelmed other companies."

"What's the latest news on financial investments? What changes have occurred at Pacific Investment in Hong Kong and financial investment companies in Japan? And has Hurricane Investment's investment in the UK changed?"

"These investment companies are all very calm, and there's no sign of them making any crazy moves. They've been operating normally without any surprising actions, which makes them a bit hard to understand. However, South Korea is getting anxious now and is speeding up its communication with John, intending to use Quantum Mining's power to negotiate iron ore prices."

"Iron ore, it seems the success of those guys in Japan has tempted the Koreans too. Taiwan got John's approval in exchange for their rapid expansion in Taiwan. Asus's success is also due to Taiwan's support. Those Koreans don't want to contribute anything, they just want to take advantage. How is that possible? Look at how much Japan has paid, hundreds of millions of dollars invested, various collaborations, and Taiwan has done the same, with various cooperation and support to achieve today's results. What has South Korea contributed? Western Energy wanted to build an oil refinery in Busan, but they made exorbitant demands, forcing John to give up. Now they want to take advantage. There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. They're too greedy."

"The development of quantum mining is accelerating. All previous investments have been exposed one by one, shocking everyone, especially in Canada. The development is too fast, with one mine after another emerging, which has shocked many people. As long as the mines are in operation, there will be a continuous flow of funds. Some people used to laugh at John's arrogance for ordering a large number of heavy industrial machinery from Japan. Now those guys are dumbfounded. These heavy industrial machinery have been put into those mines, almost emptying the inventory of Komatsu in Japan, which has brought huge profits to Komatsu in Japan."

"Are there any failures? Quantum Mining can't possibly have had all its explorations yield huge results, can it?"

"Yes, very few, almost negligible. Only a few mine explorations failed and didn't yield the expected results, but they didn't lose much money. There are still some resources, but overall it's not a big deal. Quantum Mining will soon enter a period of frenzied mining and become profitable; those open-pit mines are already producing ore. However, one thing is puzzling: Quantum Mining is not only expanding in the steel industry, but also intends to build its own uranium refining plant. They are currently negotiating with Canada, but we don't know the outcome!"

"If I remember correctly, Western Mining controls Australia's largest uranium mine, and Quantum Mining's mine in Canada is also a world-class uranium mine. They wouldn't have any problem controlling the downstream refining process."

"Boss, in the mining industry, very few mining companies are involved in uranium refining. They all sell ore instead of refining it themselves. Quantum Mining is just too crazy. If we follow their development model, it's obvious that they want to participate in the downstream refining process. They have this idea for iron ore, copper ore, and uranium ore. Such an investment would be astonishing."

"It's nothing. Isn't this John's usual investment style? He wants to control the upstream and downstream of every industry. But will this affect the development of Quantum Mining? Can Quantum Mining sustain such a large investment? After this series of investments and acquisitions, his funds must be running low!"

(End of this chapter)