America: My Time

Chapter 676 The Game with Britain
Chapter 666 The Game with Britain

"What a charming young man, always surrounded by beauties. But Jimmy, we don't need to worry about that. What we need to do is quickly understand the retail situation of the Forever Group and the situation of 7-Eleven convenience stores, and accurately determine their market value. This is no small matter. John, that little fox, is not joking with us!" Morgan knew about John's estate even faster than John himself, because Morgan also had people watching the situation there.

“Okay, I’ll arrange for someone to investigate right away. But boss, isn’t there a problem with John rushing to go public? I don’t know much about the situation at Forever Group, but I do know 7-Eleven. 7-Eleven dominates North America right now, it’s the real industry leader with huge revenue. Why would this little fox choose to go public? I’ve never heard of 7-Eleven having any cash flow problems!”

"Jimmy, you didn't actually take John's words seriously, did you? You really think 7-Eleven is facing a cash flow crisis? If you think that, you're a fool. That's just his excuse. Going public has only two possibilities: one is to reduce its own visibility and share the profits. After all, John now controls too much wealth. Having such a huge amount of wealth in one person will make some people uneasy, even if they have to make arrangements for their own safety; the other is expansion, further expansion. Although 7-Eleven doesn't have financial pressure now, it's impossible for it to expand any further."

"He wants to get involved in the European convenience store market and continue to expand, so he wants to go public to raise funds!"

"That's one possibility, and there are others. Perhaps this little fox is thinking the same way he did with the game world's initial IPO—just wanting to recoup some of his investment to invest in other areas. After all, this little fox is too cunning; no one knows his true intentions, so we have to be cautious. Whether he's sharing profits or has other schemes, it doesn't really concern us. All we need to do is focus on arranging their IPOs and fundraising. This is just the beginning. I believe John's other companies will gradually go public, and that's when this guy will disappear behind the scenes. I have to admit, he's truly cunning; he's already thinking about the future!"

"John's wealth is truly astonishing. In just a few years, it has grown to its current level. No one knows how much wealth he controls. Even the wealth he has on the surface is enough to make many people hesitate. If it weren't for the continuous divergence of shares in Quantum Mining and Western Energy, and the changes in the shares of Mandarin Oriental Group, his assets would have more than doubled. However, this has also exposed many of his trump cards."

"Jimmy, you're overthinking it. That's not John's trump card. Don't mistake that offshore company, Quantum Mining, for his real trump card. His true trump card is nothing. John, with his elite education, can't possibly be unaware of this. So, this little fox John has hidden assets—that's his real trump card. Every family has such a trump card. And if we're talking about openly displayed power, it has to be John's Jaguar Security Company. From beginning to end, this security company has been under his sole control and only obeys his orders. Now it all depends on the White House's decision. Let's see what this little fox John does next. I believe it won't be long before those guys in Japan also make their move, and the battle in the gaming market is about to begin."

With the arrival of the Christmas season, everything will change, not only regarding the election, but also other issues. The battle for the gaming market is about to begin, and Japan is ready.

The White House did not disappoint John and quickly responded. John's plan had been initially successful, and everything could proceed to the next stage. After receiving the White House's reply, John did not stay in New York any longer and chose to return to San Francisco to avoid the attention of those with ulterior motives. As for the situation at Bell Labs, everything would be handled by someone else.

When John returned home, he was stunned. He was about to become a father; Naoko was pregnant. This news surprised John, but after the initial shock, he quickly adjusted. With his mother's arrangements, everything was fine. However, John also needed to consider the child's future. He believed many family members would know about this, which might lead to another ridiculous argument, given that many people had inappropriate ideas.

With the intervention of the US government, John quickly gained more initiative in his confrontation with the British. At this time, Christmas was approaching, and just as John was preparing for Christmas, an accident occurred. The Lockerbie bombing still happened to Pan Am.

John was furious upon hearing the news. He had made arrangements to prevent this danger, yet it still happened. Although Pan Am wouldn't be forced into bankruptcy due to the crash, the most important question was why it had occurred despite his efforts. The issue of compensation also needed to be carefully considered. If the crash was indeed related to the management of British airports, as later accounts suggested, then the British would have to provide an explanation. Pan Am had consistently demanded changes to its safety protocols; if the British had done nothing, they would bear the responsibility.

John harbored another concern: could this be the work of those old fogies, or perhaps the work of oil-rich capital? After all, Gulfstream Aerospace had just signed a contract with a Middle Eastern tycoon for the development of a multi-purpose aircraft. It wasn't impossible that those guys were secretly targeting Pan Am, given that they weren't exactly benevolent figures. The British were also furious at this time. John's relationship with them was currently very strained, and this air disaster would exacerbate their antagonism, potentially even impacting Gulfstream Aerospace and Bentley's investments in Britain.

Originally, they were preparing for a wonderful Christmas, but this unexpected event made John and his family feel very uncomfortable. After all, such a big thing happened, and it needed to be dealt with. As the owner of Pan Am, John needed to make arrangements.

The compensation issue cannot be delayed. Although the cause of the accident has not yet been determined, Pan Am's compensation process has begun without any delays. However, Pan Am is once again questioning the security measures at London airports. Under John's vigorous reforms, Pan Am has placed great emphasis on safety and should not have experienced any problems, especially since the cause of the crash was quickly determined to be unrelated to the aircraft itself.

Faced with Pan Am's claim, the British were dumbfounded, and a wrangling ensued, with various attempts to shirk responsibility. However, the evidence presented by Pan Am forced them to back down, arguing that airport management was flawed and that an inside job was responsible for the disaster. Therefore, Pan Am had every right to demand an explanation and compensation from them.

Such matters cannot be resolved quickly; they require a long period of wrangling. As 89 approached and George H.W. Bush came to power, relations between John and the British gradually improved. However, the production tasks that had been transferred would not return to Britain; Bentley's military production had been completely relocated. Another serious issue affecting the British was Bentley's intention to sell Leyland Trucks.

When this news broke, it excited many people, especially the automotive giants. Leyland had developed rapidly under John's strong support, and its market share was constantly increasing. However, the fact that it now intended to sell was incomprehensible to many. Even if there were conflicts with the British and they were dissatisfied with the British's betrayal, they should not have taken such an extreme action, which would be detrimental to the Bentley Group.

However, when everyone inquired with the Bentley Group, the news was immediately confirmed without any problem. The Bentley Motors Group was indeed going to sell Leyland Trucks, with the perfectly valid reason of repaying loans. Even though the British knew that this was not the case and that it was John's deliberate act of defiance, there was nothing they could do. They wanted to reconcile, but they couldn't find anyone to help them.

This is a game of strategy, a game between John and the British, and also a contest between the Americans and the British. The British's betrayal made John uneasy. The British automotive industry was already in a slump, and he had finally managed to turn it around, but the British made such an unfriendly move. John then intended to give up car manufacturing in Britain, at least in the heavy truck sector.

No matter how much the British tried to negotiate, it was to no avail. Mary Barra, CEO of Bentley Motors, showed them no mercy. Her demands were clear: a sale, even a reduction in staff in Britain, and the closure of the European production center there. This move struck at the heart of the British weakness; Britain has exported a significant number of cars in recent years, and halting production would have serious consequences.

Although relations seem to have eased, Bentley Motors continues to make various underhanded moves before any results are achieved. While these actions will have a significant impact on Bentley itself, the losses are still within acceptable limits. If the opponent cannot be defeated in one fell swoop, John's investments in the UK and Europe will be in trouble!

(End of this chapter)