America: My Time

Chapter 97 Slap in the face
Chapter Ninety-Seven: Slap in the Face

Morgan Stanley is acutely aware of the fierce and brutal competition in the semiconductor industry. Many US semiconductor companies are currently struggling, impacted by the rise of Japanese semiconductors. Unless Motorola is foolish enough to betray Morgan Stanley, especially since Morgan Stanley holds shares in Motorola! Thanks to numerous preparations and prior agreements, Morgan Stanley is at the forefront of this semiconductor acquisition, unafraid of competition from other Wall Street giants!
Similarly, Morgan understood John better than anyone else, knowing he wasn't a man of his word. Once an agreement is made, it's final; as long as Morgan himself doesn't cause problems, the acquisition will proceed smoothly! Morgan's excellent reputation in his dealings with John was crucial. How many people can match Morgan's level of trust, cooperating with Legendary Entertainment to clean up the acquired Universal and NBC networks, and withstanding pressure to support Legendary Entertainment?

Of course, this doesn't mean Morgan can rest easy. Morgan still takes its competitor very seriously. John is currently in a special period of integrating Legendary Entertainment, and it's not a good time to continue discussing acquisitions or expansion. Otherwise, it would only make Morgan appear insecure and have ulterior motives. For a Wall Street giant like Morgan, it's not about making a one-off deal with John, but about continuing to cooperate, so they need to be patient.

Morgan also needs to make some preparations. They need to investigate the real data, technology patents, and other issues of Bell Labs and Motorola Semiconductor. If John needs them, they can deal with Bell Labs and Motorola in the same way as before. All of this needs to be based on big data!
Morgan was preparing, and so was John—not for the duel, but for Legendary Entertainment. Having acquired Universal, John was ready to enter the film rental market. The rental market was huge, with considerable potential, and would become a significant part of future film revenue. At the same time, John had his sights set on bookstores!

The early 1980s were the perfect time to consolidate bookstores. If the consolidation of the publishing house was completed, adding another bookstore to Legendary Entertainment would be a good option, at least ensuring they wouldn't be at the mercy of others in terms of sales. Expansion and acquisitions were necessary. Everyone thought John needed time to consolidate Legendary Entertainment and couldn't afford to be distracted, but he made a move that no one expected. Even Robert Iger was shocked by his idea of ​​further expansion!

After carefully considering John's suggestion, Robert Iger quickly realized that this was indeed an area Legendary Entertainment hadn't explored. If perfected, it would make Legendary Entertainment more comprehensive, truly enabling it to establish a presence across the entire industry chain. Although Legendary Entertainment is currently facing significant financial pressure and burdened with substantial debt, this doesn't hinder its expansion!

To succeed in new businesses, more research, time, and preparation are needed! Neither John nor Robert Iger will choose to continue taking out loans and increasing the company's debt for future expansion.

Excessive debt could jeopardize Legendary Entertainment's normal operations, and even though NBC is no longer a burden, it cannot afford to be complacent. Legendary Entertainment's recent acquisition spree has had a huge impact on Hollywood, and even the media and entertainment market, attracting the attention of many investors and corporations! In particular, the ease with which NBC has transformed itself has driven many investors crazy, believing they could achieve the same results if they acquired NBC.

The appointed time for the duel arrived quickly, and everything unfolded as John had predicted. To turn their fortunes around, almost all the bastards who had stood against him and followed Warner Bros. showed up, ranging from writers to musicians. Of course, there were also some madmen looking for fame who deliberately caused trouble. The NBC broadcast hall was so full of writers and musicians that there was no need for staff!
At the outset, John wasted no time, speaking directly: "Since you have accepted my challenge, I presume you have all been prepared for this long. Today, in front of the entire nation, I will respond. You can speak your minds. If you think I am not capable enough, or doubt my character, I will give you this opportunity. You will set the challenge, and I will complete it. I hope that after this battle, there will be no more dissenting voices. I have no time to argue with you, nor do I wish to waste my precious time! Let's begin. You can tell me what you want me to do!"

“Mr. John, I admire your abilities, but I think you should demonstrate your writing speed to us. You publish books too quickly, which is not something a normal writer can do. Even if you have a wealth of knowledge, it still takes time to write, and this is one of the biggest reasons why many people doubt you!”

"Okay, no problem. Please have a typewriter prepared. I'll demonstrate my typing speed for everyone. If anyone has any other questions, please feel free to ask, and I'll be happy to answer them! If you feel uncomfortable asking questions, you can also discuss proposing a new writing topic."

“Mr. John, since you’ve put it that way, we won’t hide anything. We have indeed had discussions during this period. It’s a bit difficult for you to write on professional topics, but your work has a strong sense of history. We would like to ask you to write a book about the history of the country, which we believe will not be difficult for you!”

"Shit! I knew intellectuals were treacherous and vicious. No wonder John said he was hoping for the death of his colleagues. If this isn't a difficult situation, what is? Making an eighteen-year-old write a textbook on national history! These people are too insidious! I really feel sorry for John; he was too careless and got tricked by these old guys!" At this moment, viewers watching NBC on television were cursing these people's shamelessness. Originally, some people sympathized with these old guys being challenged by an eighteen-year-old, which was indeed a bit sad, but now no one thought that way. These old guys were truly too insidious and their methods too vicious!

"No problem, you're sure this is the topic. If so, I have no problem, I'd like to confirm it one more time!"

"That's right, we only have one request. As long as you can do it, we are willing to admit our mistake and apologize. We will never doubt your ability again in the future. This is our common thought!" It has to be admitted that these old guys are really amazing. They said these words in unison without any difficulty. It is obvious that they have been preparing these words in their minds for a long time!

"Okay, that's good. A book about national history, no problem. As for this topic, I'll use the title 'The Rise of a Great Power,' no problem, right? Now, in front of you all, and in front of all the American audience, I'll write a passage for you right here. This topic is yours, and no one will question that I knew about it beforehand."

Just then, the staff brought a prepared typewriter to the scene and placed it in front of John. The photographer next to him pointed the camera at the typewriter so that the audience could see John's every move!
John quickly familiarized himself with the typewriter, then looked up and said, "Alright, now that your problems as writers are solved, you musicians can also raise any ideas you have, and I can answer them on the spot!"

As he spoke, John's hands didn't stop; he kept typing away at the typewriter at a speed that astonished the audience and surprised the host. His typing speed was simply incredible. With a series of taps, a text appeared before the audience. In that short time, John had written a preface to the rise of a great power!

"Multitasking! Mr. John can multitask, that's truly astonishing!" At this moment, the NBC presenter stood up and exclaimed in surprise, his eyes filled with astonishment.

"Yes, I can indeed multitask. Now I want to tell those who doubt me that people are different. There are geniuses in people, whether you like it or not, they exist! Now, I invite all the musicians to make your requests. Compared to novels, writing lyrics and composing music is much easier. I can give you three themes to choose from!"

Upon witnessing John's astonishing abilities, the writers' eyes revealed disappointment and regret. They all understood that they had lost, and lost badly. This kid was too powerful. If they had known it would turn out like this, they shouldn't have listened to Warner's advice, and they shouldn't have made an enemy of this crazy kid. But now it was all too late!
In these people's eyes, John shouldn't have such extensive knowledge; his age limited him. But these old folks were wrong. John's knowledge far exceeded their imagination. The book "The Rise of Great Powers" was also in John's vast database. Copying it was naturally no problem; he could easily complete it without even thinking or making changes. If there was any impact, it was his typing speed. To meet the challenges from others, he needed to be steady and not too fast!

At this point, no one doubted John's abilities anymore; he had demonstrated them with facts. However, this duel could not end so abruptly. The writers' group had fallen, but the musicians who followed Warner in suppressing John had not. Moreover, they could not retreat without a fight; they all depended on Warner for their livelihood!
At this point, if these musicians dared to retreat without a fight, Warner would not let them off easily. Even if they knew they had no hope of victory, they would still have to fight. Moreover, these bastards had already considered all sorts of scenarios and made comprehensive preparations. Now, the key was to discuss what difficult problem to choose for John.

(End of this chapter)