America: My Time

Chapter 445 Worry
Chapter 445 Worries

"I just don't understand why they can't just focus on making money honestly instead of fixating on the profits from the game world. Without the game world platform, their fate would be even worse!"

"This is human greed. When faced with survival, they have no choice but to accept the 'goodwill' of the game world. Once they get through the difficulties and make a decent profit, they will have even greater ambitions. This is perfectly normal. I'm just a little worried about John's reaction. I'm afraid that this guy is setting up another scheme. I just don't know what the outcome will be this time."

"Boss, we could actually get the White House to step in and keep those guys quiet for now, so they don't keep causing trouble!"

"It's no use. The donkeys are in charge of anti-monopoly and monopoly power now, and the White House can't do anything about them! Now we have to see how John deals with this storm. I wonder if these guys will let us have a good New Year. Let's not make a move before the New Year, otherwise no one will have a good New Year."

"Boss, do we really need to sell our shares in the game world?"

"Let's hold off on any moves for now. This is just the beginning of the contest. As long as John is prepared, I believe this contest can still change. I just don't know what choice John will make. If he really gets to that point, his losses will be the greatest. I don't believe he can be indifferent to such a huge loss!"

Although John's stake in Game World was steadily decreasing, the market was not affected by his monetary easing; on the contrary, Game World's stock price continued to rise, and many people were optimistic about John's control over the company. Morgan was no exception; in fact, similar crises had occurred before, and they believed John would have a way to resolve them.

Despite the continuous outflow of shares from John's hands, it has only stimulated the market without affecting the stock price. John's transactions are too small, truly aiming for a steady and gradual flow. Moreover, all of this is being handled by Hurricane Investment, making a group of Wall Street bigwigs extremely anxious.

"But the game world isn't reacting at all..."

Before Jimmy could finish speaking, Morgan smiled calmly and said, "No reaction is the best reaction. He has even made arrangements for Nvidia and Dream World. Do you think he wouldn't care about the game world? Don't worry, even if something happens, we can handle it. No decision can be made in a short time, let alone by an industry giant like this."

"Boss, are you saying that John might be plotting something?"

"It's not impossible. Those guys made a fortune using the game world platform, and now they want to turn against the game world. Who do you think can accept such an outcome? Will that little fox John accept it? I just don't know who's pulling the strings behind the scenes. There are always some guys who can't stand to see others do well. After the Plaza Accord, some guys thought they were in charge and couldn't help but jump out to cause trouble and make things difficult for others!"

The benefits John gained from the depreciation of the US dollar have made many people envious and even more wary. The game world is their best target. As long as they can destroy the game world, Dream World and Nvidia will not be a problem. The current situation of the game world is obvious. How can this not be tempting?

Greed is ingrained in the capitalists' bones. When problems arose in the gaming world, even the crocodiles of Wall Street were tempted. Despite having learned their lesson before, these guys wouldn't give up their pursuit of wealth because of past failures. More than the depreciation of the dollar, they were convinced that the gaming world had no chance of recovery and would inevitably be dismantled.

Driven by the greed of capital, the game franchisees quickly filed a lawsuit against Game World. There was no discussion, and the case quickly entered the judicial process. The judicial authorities launched an investigation into Game World, but this was all unnecessary. It was obvious that Game World was monopolistic without any investigation.

"Heh, these guys are really annoying. Choosing to make their move at this time, it seems they can't resist their greed. Last time, I didn't really hurt them. This time, I hope they'll know what pain really means!"

When the game world was investigated for antitrust violations, the entire United States was reporting on it. Although there had been constant talk of the game world's monopolistic position in the past, there had been no action from the judicial authorities. Now it was different. Soon the market became chaotic, and some people who couldn't withstand the test began to sell their game world stock, causing the game world's market value to plummet.

"How could this be? John, that little fox, is letting the game world's stock price plummet without making a single move!" The once confident Morgan tycoon was now starting to panic. The game world's market value had shrunk dramatically, and there were people frantically selling their shares—in huge quantities, as if they wanted to bring the game world down with a single blow. "Boss, why don't you ask John? If the game world's stock price continues to fall like this, the consequences will be unimaginable. To be able to offer so many shares, it can't be just one company doing it; it's the power of the entire Wall Street!"

“I know John’s rise to prominence has been too short, making those guys uneasy. Even though he has gained recognition, they are still wary of John. Now that this opportunity has come, they will naturally go all out. However, their shares are limited. As long as those guys from Japan don’t get involved and we don’t make a move, everything is still under control. Don’t you think the game world is too abnormal? The hearing was not taken seriously at all.”

"That's right. Normally, it shouldn't be decided so quickly, but the game world's reaction has accelerated their pace. Could it be layoffs? No, unless they've gone mad, they wouldn't make such a decision!" In an instant, Jimmy seemed to understand: layoffs, the game world is going to lay off employees!
Indeed, Game World was going to lay off employees, completely ignoring the pressure from the judicial authorities and not caring about the final outcome. Soon after, Game World issued a statement saying that in order to cope with the current crisis and ensure the company's profitability, Game World would be laying off employees, and we deeply regret the loss of thousands of employees.

Because the compensation from the game world was quite generous, there weren't any major problems within the company. Although some people were dissatisfied, they had no choice but to accept it, since it wasn't the game world's fault, but rather a consequence of the prevailing circumstances; the company couldn't afford to employ idle people.

"John, are you crazy? Announcing layoffs at this time? Do you understand how much this will affect the game world? The Christmas season is coming soon, the most important season of the year. This will cause huge losses to the game world!" Even over the phone, John could hear Jimmy's anger.

Although Game World is a gaming giant, its stock price plummeted by half immediately after the layoff announcement. Many people believe that Game World has resigned itself to its fate, resulting in dramatic fluctuations in the stock market.

"I know what I'm doing. What else do you think I can do? Don't you know what's going on in the game world, or is it that Morgan doesn't understand? They don't want me to have a good New Year, and I won't let them have it easy either. If we're going to be sad, we'll all be sad together. This is just the beginning. They think the game world is in their way, right? Then let it be destroyed!"

Upon hearing John's words, Jimmy was startled. It seemed John was serious this time; those guys were using the game world as a test, and John was using it to retaliate. Naturally, the minority shareholders were furious at this situation. A profitable company had suffered such an undeserved disaster!

"Boss, John's gone mad! He's abandoning the game world!"

“I heard everything he said. It seems these guys have really upset him. Hopefully, this wave won't be too big, or it will be another storm. The devaluation of the dollar has only just begun, and the game world has already collapsed. Do you think that will have a huge impact? And don't you think this is a good opportunity to return the shares? Let's wait and see, let the stock price drop even more, and then buy at the bottom. We are very clear about how big the prospects of the game world are.”

"Boss, there's a lot of short selling pressure on the gaming world right now. Will we run into problems if we try to buy at the bottom?"

"No, this big battle has nothing to do with Morgan. We just believe in John's abilities and vision, so we think the gaming world has potential and naturally we want to invest heavily! Besides, do you think those guys on Wall Street have enough shares to cover their short positions with all the short selling? This is just the beginning, and the fiercest battle is yet to come. Call John now and tell him that Morgan is always on his side and respects his choice."

"Boss, if we do this, there will be no way out. We can only grit our teeth and bear it. We hold a lot of shares in the game world. We can't explain such a huge loss to the board of directors!"

"You don't need to worry about the board matters; I'll handle everything. Especially now, we must stand firmly behind him. These guys think they can short the game world? It's utterly laughable. If they had control of the shares held by Neon, perhaps they'd have a slight chance, but now there's absolutely none. If those guys are shorting to lock in profits, it's fine; the impact on themselves won't be too great. But naked selling is disastrous. If they haven't used leverage, it's okay, but if they have, they'll definitely suffer a terrible fate. It's as if they've forgotten what happened to Lehman Brothers!"

At this moment, Morgan paused, then said to Jimmy, "What's the situation with Lehman Brothers now? Have they also entered the short-selling arena? If they have, the situation will become even more intriguing. John, that little fox, isn't easily fooled; at least for now, I don't see any possibility of success!"

(End of this chapter)