America: My Time

Chapter 814 The final layout
Chapter 804 The Final Plan
"Mr. Morita, are you sure you're not mistaken? The answer I received from the official sources was completely different."

“How could I possibly be wrong about such a major event? This is John’s promise to me, and there has indeed been such action in the Middle East. The tanker is already at sea and I believe it will appear in Tokyo soon. If you think it’s false, then just pretend I didn’t say anything.”

"Hehe, you're joking. How could I doubt you? Don't worry, I'll arrive on time. However, we can't ignore whether you've notified the authorities. After all, they're under a lot of pressure right now, and this good news can ease their burden a bit."

"We've already spoken with them, and they know this is their last chance. If they don't seize it, they'll never have another!" In Akio Morita's view, this was the result of John's trip to the Middle East. If they didn't grasp the opportunity, they would only be able to wait. The reason they hadn't spoken openly to the officials before was due to concerns. After all, this is a society based on personal relationships, and John wasn't friendly to everyone, nor was he without any demands. At least for now, John still had his own ideas and plans.

Akio Morita understood that he was merely a middleman and couldn't make any promises to others. His own promises were useless; it was clear that even in the distribution of spoils, there was a sequence, and this was no exception. The oil shipped from the Middle East was the spoils, and how much each party received depended on their respective preparations.

Akio Morita quickly notified everyone, leaving no member of the zaibatsu out. He didn't care what those guys thought or how they viewed it; he only needed to accept the favor.

Akio Morita's phone call soon kept many people in Japan awake at night, as they all needed to work overtime to find out the details. No one could resist such a temptation. They had thought all hope was lost, but now they saw new hope. They all wanted to know how much 'support' John had received in the Middle East, and each of them wanted to get a bigger share. This required them to use their own methods.

The situation with the Middle Eastern tycoon quickly came to a conclusion: the tycoon would cover the remaining oil shortfall in Western energy resources. This outcome shocked many, as it was no small order. Yet, the tycoon willingly took on this responsibility, thus revealing the true origin of the oil in John's possession. Recovering their lost share was no easy feat, especially at this time.

If anyone had ever doubted John's relationship with the Middle Eastern tycoon, no one would think that now. They all understand how difficult it was to achieve this outcome; it's not a decision anyone can make lightly. Previously, some doubted John's ability to help them secure the Middle Eastern tycoon and a one-year contract, but now they no longer have those concerns.

"Alright, don't put too much pressure on yourselves. The matter is over for now. After the party tomorrow night, you won't be affected anymore. You should all attend the party tomorrow night; it will put this matter at rest. Naoko, feel free to do as you please. With Akio Morita protecting Mitsui, there won't be any problems." John had quite a few plans for Mitsui, but whether he could succeed depended on how the situation developed. After all, Japan was now in the late stages of the bubble economy, and the zaibatsu were all making preparations.

"Sachiko, bring out the Middle Eastern tycoon's gifts, and you can choose whatever you like!" It has to be said that the Middle Eastern tycoon is quite generous. Seeing that John was with a female companion, he gave her an extra large gift for the ladies, which John had no choice but to accept. After all, the tycoon is not short of money. He doesn't care how much money he spends. He only cares about his own safety and his reputation.

Soon, his oil investment ventures will come to an end, and his investments in Japan will also be completed. All the necessary arrangements have been made; now he's just waiting for the right time. Although John hasn't noticed many changes in Japan, the current situation is very unfavorable for the Japanese stock market. Stock prices continue to fall and will soon reach John's predetermined sell-off threshold. However, John doesn't have the energy to think about these things right now; his trip to the Middle East has been exhausting.

Although the Middle Eastern tycoons were very hospitable, there were too many people watching him, and the situation on their side was also very serious. So John himself was under a lot of pressure. After all, no one knew if Saddam Hussein would suddenly go crazy and do something rash, or if he would send troops straight to Riyadh. Right now, that guy still didn't regret it at all, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with his military action. Moreover, the fact that he succeeded so easily made him have more ideas.

As long as the Middle East issue remains unresolved, oil prices will not return to their initial levels. Everyone is waiting for the US to intervene, but there's no sign of war yet. While everyone's focus is on the Middle East, John has already turned his attention to Europe, to Germany, and to Britain. "Sachiko, go and rest, you're tired too!" The Middle East trip was completely unexpected. Although it seemed glamorous, the pressure was immense. John hadn't anticipated such enthusiasm from the other side. Perhaps this is what 'adversity reveals true friendship' means; under external threats, the Middle Eastern tycoons were extremely anxious.

John's trip to the Middle East wasn't just about making a goodwill gesture towards the wealthy; it was also about diverting attention away from Jaguar Security Company so that the gold he had stolen from Saddam Hussein could be transported out smoothly. This time, the gold would be stored directly in Standard Chartered Bank in Hong Kong, rather than being shipped back to the United States.

With such a large acquisition of gold, John's foundation in banking has become even stronger. After all, gold is the most reliable store of value, and Standard Chartered will no longer be constrained by others in terms of expansion. Standard Chartered has sufficient gold reserves, and with its current strength, it is in no way inferior to other major international banks. Previously, it lacked sufficient foundation, but now, with this large acquisition of gold, this weakness has been made up for. After a little more consolidation, once this financial battle in Japan is over, Standard Chartered will no longer be bound by funds, and its pressure will be much less.

"Akiko, how's the research I asked you to do before I left? What changes have occurred in these Japanese banks? If there are no problems, then allocate this oil share according to the proportion of my loans with their banks. We won't participate in the specific allocation; just give the shares directly to those zaibatsu and let them handle it themselves. Prepare the list and hand it to them at the reception."

“Aside from receiving requests from some people, we haven’t encountered any problems during this time. There haven’t been any major changes at the bank either. I’ve prepared the list you requested!” Kuroki Hitomi quickly produced a list in her hand, which clearly listed all the people who had asked them for favors, as well as the companies behind them.

"That's good. As long as nothing goes wrong, that's the best outcome. Don't worry too much about the rest, and don't worry about the expansion of the internet cafe alliance. This expansion will stop soon, and Japan's crisis is coming. Although opportunities for development in the entertainment industry will appear, it's hard to say whether the internet cafe alliance will be affected. After all, it's not ordinary entertainment; it's related to technology!" With the continuous decline of the Japanese stock market, John had lost hope in them. Even if he could solve their oil problem, Japan's bubble had reached the point where it had to be burst.

Although John has said more than once that Japan's economy has problems and that the stock market and real estate market are too crazy, not many people believe him. Now the stock market has gradually disappointed many people. Under these circumstances, there is no sign of recovery. Anyone who invests in the stock market is a fool and will be left holding the bag.

Even though John had been eyeing Japan for a while, he hadn't considered buying in at the bottom of the market at this time. After all, this was just the beginning; the real frenzy was yet to come, and that day wasn't far off. John was also aware of the development of the internet cafe alliance in Japan. Even though it was Akio Morita who was driving it, the alliance had earned a considerable amount in franchise fees and management fees, and with its widespread expansion in the United States, it had also generated astonishing profits.

What was initially something that no one paid much attention to has now grown rapidly, which surprised John. His appearance has accelerated the development of communications in the United States, completed the upgrade and improvement of the US Internet ahead of schedule, and the network superhighway has been built. Now only content is lacking, which is not something he can accomplish by himself.

Of course, John also knew that he couldn't keep this spoils for long. Soon other personal computer companies would join in. After all, when they saw the huge profits, they could unleash amazing power to catch up with Nvidia's chips, accelerate the development of semiconductor chips, and allow the United States to enter the Internet age one step ahead.

Japan is currently experiencing explosive growth, heavily supporting the construction of its internet superhighway and expanding its network across major cities. With ample funding, Japan's network expansion is accelerating, and its internet cafe alliance is developing at an astonishing pace. Sony has reaped enormous profits, practically dominating the entire Japanese personal computer market. Every internet cafe in the alliance uses their machines, and the sheer volume of profits has left Sony reeling. Many others want a piece of the pie, but unfortunately, they lack the scale of such a project and the compelling games to drive the market. The advent of the internet age has transformed gaming itself.

(End of this chapter)