America: My Time

Chapter 452 Laying out the future
Chapter 452 Laying Out the Future
John's answer was exactly what Jimmy had guessed. Almost all of John's top-tier manufacturing plants were in Taiwan, making Taiwan John's largest manufacturing hub. ASUS was the best proof of this, and ASUS's growth was accelerating. Many of its products, such as cases, power supplies, cooling systems, keyboards, and mice—small components—had already shifted to China. ASUS itself no longer manufactured these components, focusing entirely on chip manufacturing.

As ASUS PCs flooded the US market, ASUS began to abandon peripheral production and shift its focus to research and development. This led to the establishment of several new factories in China, dedicated to producing the small components it needed, such as chassis, power supplies, and cooling fans—all with ASUS's technical support. The benefits were obvious: ASUS's production costs plummeted, allowing it to dominate the US market with a significant cost advantage.

American semiconductor companies all say that John is in cahoots with the Japanese, that he doesn't care about their lives and has no humanity whatsoever. But Jimmy just sneers at these words. He knows very well that John is most wary of the Japanese. It is only because of these guys' stupidity that John has no choice but to cooperate with the Japanese, and that the game world has no choice but to be affected.

The more these guys cause trouble, the greater the impact on them. Now, because of their stupidity, Japan has obtained all the patents for the previous home video game consoles. These guys still have to pay the toll, and nothing has improved. However, this time Morgan benefited, Japan benefited, and John also gained something.

Although it's a newly established company, and its production is all in Japan, its market value is considerable, with a valuation of at least a billion dollars. Moreover, these guys have only been back for a short time, yet they're already eager to take things further, wanting to have their own game development team and no longer wanting to rely on Japanese game companies or be held hostage. This was one of the reasons Jimmy was so eager to meet with John. John could observe detachedly, could remain indifferent, but Morgan couldn't. They worried that these Japanese companies would use this as a pretext to continuously reduce their shareholdings.

"John, what do you think of the situation in Japan? If we let these bastards continue like this, our interests will be affected!"

"Heh, Jimmy, do you think we can still maintain control over this part of the game world's assets when we divest ourselves from it? Actually, I knew these guys would do it, and there's no stopping them. I'll sell my shares little by little. We shouldn't stop them; only when they have more autonomy will the company's market value increase, and only then can we reap more benefits. If the new company's market value reaches a level I'm satisfied with, I'll reduce my shareholding to half."

"John, are you really not joking?" Jimmy's expression turned serious at this point, an outcome he hadn't anticipated.

"No, I'm just stating the facts. Actually, those guys in Japan bypassed the patents for the gaming world, and with the foolish actions of those ignorant guys in the US, the gaming world has been severely affected in the home gaming sector. Those guys in Japan will gradually force us out of the market because they have a cost advantage. You can only blame those bastards for choosing the wrong time to attack the gaming world; they destroyed the foundation of the gaming world. Right now it's just home game consoles, but before long, handheld game consoles and arcade machines will also be gradually controlled by Japan."

"John, haven't you ever thought about using this opportunity, with the help of the White House, to deliver a heavy blow to those guys in Japan and take back everything you've lost?" At this moment, Jimmy came up with a crazy idea. It wasn't impossible to take back everything with the help of the White House, but the enemy wasn't stupid, and those guys in the US were too foolish for John to give up.

"There's no need for that. When that time comes, I'll relinquish my shares in the game world. I don't lack good projects; there's no need to drag a bunch of fools into this struggle. These bastards who only care about their own interests aren't worth my time and energy. They chose their own path, and they'll bear the consequences themselves. I have no responsibility to them, nor to help them make money. Actually, I'm also curious to know what those guys will be like if the game world is no longer under my control, and whether their situation will be better than it is now!"

Seeing John's expectant look, Jimmy couldn't help but sigh. In his eyes, John was a madman, a completely insane guy. To let go of such a company with unlimited potential, to split it up just like that, without any hesitation or regret, was something he couldn't accept.

"John, if you really want to give up, is there any future for the game world?"

"I don't know. Nobody knows what the future holds. If those guys were certain, if the game world didn't have so many problems, I naturally wouldn't let go so easily. But right now, I really despise those guys. They're a bunch of good-for-nothing bastards who're more trouble than they're worth. Expecting them to follow our orders and guide the game forward is impossible. If the situation is right, I'll choose to sell my shares to Japanese banks to repay part of their loans. You know I still have a lot of debt. I have unimaginable loans from various banks in Japan."

In Japan, the wealthiest are undoubtedly the major banks. They hold vast sums of money, and if John were to sell his shares in the game world to repay his loans, they would be more than willing to take them on. After all, game world shares are highly sought after, and this was part of John's long-planned strategy. By abandoning the game world, he could repay many of his loans and use the funds for other developments. "John, are you serious? This is no small matter!" Jimmy's expression was tense. He didn't want this to happen, but he knew it was something he couldn't stop.

"Of course I take it seriously. I can already feel the changes in the game world. Those old guys are constantly eroding it. Since they've already made their move, they won't give up easily. Otherwise, why do you think I would warn those old guys? But whether it will have any effect is hard to say. Besides, I don't have time to care about the game world right now. The problems in the Dream World need to be solved more. This affects the entire computer industry. In comparison, the game world can be put aside! You have to give up something to gain something. If those old guys are determined to fight me for control of the game world, I really don't have time to fight them."

John was well aware of the state of the game world. When he proposed porting a portion of the game to various computers, he understood that the game world was spiraling out of control, and the refusal of those players was the best proof of that. A game world that was no longer under his control, a game world that was originally only used to earn initial funds, was not a big deal to abandon.

"Jimmy, you're saying John's going to give up the game world?" Morgan was shocked after hearing Jimmy tell him what John had said. Such a decision was insane. Using the game world to pay off debts was crazy. It generated amazing dividends and huge profits every year.

"Yes, that's John's thinking. He says the game world is already out of control, and those guys have chosen the wrong time. John is powerless to control everything, and things will only get worse. Instead of wasting time and energy, we should give up now and focus our energy on other investments."

"Only this crazy guy would dare to say something like that. Who would believe that such a company with an astonishing market value would just give up like that? He certainly doesn't lack projects. Quantum Mining, Western Energy, Bell Labs—all of them need financial support, and their profits won't be much less than those in the game world." At this point, Morgan couldn't help but sigh.

If John gives up the game world, what will Morgan do? Will he also give it up, while those old guys will get their wish and John will hand over the game world to them intact?

After a moment's careful consideration, Morgan shook his head. With John's petty nature, how could he let those old guys profit from him for nothing? Perhaps the game world wouldn't ultimately fall into the hands of those old guys, but rather into the hands of Japan. If John sold his game world shares to a Japanese bank, he could definitely get the largest market value. He wouldn't suffer any devaluation or exploitation from the Japanese bank, something no one else could do.

“Jimmy, we’re prepared too. If we find out that John intends to give up the game world, we’ll find a buyer in advance. If the Japanese bank is willing to take it, we can sell it directly to them. Those guys in Japan are more generous than those old Rockefellers, and we can get a higher return!”

“Boss, if we do this, we’ll be severely criticized. John has a reason because he has a lot of loans to repay, but we have no reason at all. If we sell our shares directly to the Japanese bank, we’ll definitely be criticized by those bastards on Wall Street, and Morgan’s reputation will be ruined!”

Morgan smiled calmly and said, "What does reputation matter? Even if we don't do this, will those guys stop calling us Wall Street crocodiles? Will they like us? No, whatever we do will have no impact!"

(End of this chapter)