[T/N: Original chapter: 456]
"Sir, the Japanese stock market has gone crazy. The think tank believes that while there's still room for growth, there are serious systemic risks."
William White felt conflicted. If he hastily sped things up, would it change anything? After all, he wasn't some small fry anymore.
"Let's maintain our current speed. There's unlikely to be any major changes this year, and we need to enjoy the dividends of world peace. How about we accelerate our selling next year instead? Filson, relax a bit; we'll be able to cash out our principal by the end of the year."
"Alright, sir, I'll keep a close watch."
In fact, the U.S. investment banks were still pouring money in indiscriminately. For them, it was just a game of musical chairs; as long as they could find a fool to take the bait, they were fine.
If worse came to worst, there was always the short-selling mechanism.
William White didn't have the guts to squeeze the last dime out of it. He felt that the current pace was just right. As for the office buildings, he would only act when the timing was right.
Making high-quality property transactions was hard to hide; everyone knew about William White's recent massive investments.
Three super projects; although the Japanese were cocky, they had no plans to buy out William White's enterprises. Individually, they couldn't compete with someone who had so much money.
The Japanese certainly attracted some resentment. They already drew enough hate without flaunting it by writing books.
[T/N: Book: Made in Japan: Akio Morita and Sony.]
"Sir, the Koreans invited you to the opening ceremony. Are you going?"
"Yeah, I'm going. You don't know, Filson -- they're really sensitive. If I don't go, they'll be furious."
"Isn't that a stretch? You don't have much business there."
"Still, it's close enough. I might as well go."
...
"Master, some suspicious boats have recently tried to approach here."
"What? Investigate. Find out who is so reckless -- could it be reporters?"
"Possible, but doesn't seem like it."
"Tch, are there pirates around here?"
William White couldn't fathom why these guys weren't off to Mogadishu. What were they doing in Hawaii? There were military ports around.
"Pirates are everywhere; most of the time, they're just people with ulterior motives posing as pirates."
"Uh-huh, I see. Dispatch all the Sea Eagles to patrol and buy a few high-speed patrol boats. I'll contact someone to see if we can send in some GIs for a sweep."
William White couldn't afford to overlook security here. If it weren't for the intense pressure from Africa, he might have insisted on bringing the soldiers back. He had hidden too much on Lanai Island; no matter how careful he was, it couldn't hurt.
[T/N: His soldiers are in Angola for the war and other African countries for the diamonds with some conflicts with Gaddafi.]
Anyone who got to this place was either wealthy or powerful. If something happened to anyone, his reputation would take a hit.
This world lacked nothing -- except for bold and crazy fools. Gathering so many wealthy individuals together without someone getting ideas was impossible.
"Tanner, check our connections with the Soviets to see if we can get two satellites -- that type that can monitor the ground. The ocean is too vast; this isn't acceptable."
"They exist for sure, but I doubt they'll sell."
"Come on, they're nearly starving; what couldn't they possibly sell? I didn't ask you to go through official channels."
"I know that, but, master, how exactly are we going to launch this?"
"Well, that'll depend on our friends. Don't worry; no one cares where you get it; they only care about the structure of the thing."
"Alright, I'll contact personnel. If we can get them, I'll go personally."
"Don't! This is best done through black market dealers; we can't appear in public."
Though William White said this, Tanner seemed skeptical. He didn't believe the Soviets had such advanced technology. The Americans definitely did, but it was a shame that it was still restricted for private use.
It wasn't that William White lacked security; the gold in his underground vault was staggering, along with various antiques, and treasures.
Goodness! If William White were a pirate, he'd absolutely target this place. With so many valuable things, how could he not have a major weapon?
*****
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