[Chapter 494: The End of an Era]
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Soviet camp collapsed.
In early December, a treaty was finally signed in Malta by the U.S. and the Soviets, revising the Yalta Agreement in a formal way.
The world had been in such chaos these years, and it had to be said that the Yalta Agreement played a crucial role.
The Soviets agreed to sign this somewhat humiliating treaty, of course, with conditions. Everyone could put aside hostilities, but they wanted something in return, claiming, "We're feeling a bit insecure right now, so how about a few benefits?"
The Americans, of course, didn't really care about these demands. First of all, they could print their own money, so they didn't have to bear the costs alone. Europe seemed pretty wealthy now; they could chip in a bit more.
With the Soviets holding a whole lot of military might, the Americans were feeling a bit on edge. To avoid seriously provoking the Soviets, financial matters were really no big deal.
Some said that if the Soviets used these funds to develop their economy, they might not thrive, but they wouldn't suffer too badly either.
Well, that was unrealistic; if even 30% of the money actually made it to them, the Soviets could survive for another two years. But getting even 10% would be a good achievement. Although the United States is annoying, everyone likes green bills.
...
"Sir, Africa's in a bit of trouble. we plan to head back soon."
"Did you resolve things in Detroit? You left no traces, right?"
"Nope, it was just a gang conflict; we were merely spectators."
William White laughed to himself, these men are really something. Why do you have to learn your buddies' jokes when you can learn something else?
"What's going on in Africa? Did Gaddafi switch sides again? That old guy has too much time on his hands," he continued.
"No, it's the Soviets this time. They seem to be completely giving up, which means the factions will have to reshuffle. Besides the CIA stirring the pot, the Europeans are also starting to back their own proxies."
William White realized the trouble was about to get even bigger. Those troubled folks in Africa seemed unlikely to enjoy world peace any longer.
"That bunch can't catch a break. Max, I'm not interested in the oil and other resources there. Just keep a hold of what we've got for now. As for the French, let them do their own thing; I bet they care more about energy security," he instructed.
"Sure thing, sir. I got it," Max replied before leaving to continue making money in Africa.
...
"Gang conflict? That's the FBI's conclusion?" he asked.
"Yes, sir. At least that's what the surface evidence shows," someone answered.
"Do you believe it?"
The old guy's question indicated the despair on their faces. They didn't believe it at all; those rascals were in it together. Unless there was a huge profit at stake, nobody would just start shooting each other.
"Sir, I don't believe it either; it just seems like all the evidence points in that direction. Besides," he added.
"Besides what?"
"There are indications that both Ford and General Motors may have some involvement."
Hearing this made the old guy even more frustrated. After all these years, when had they ever been caught like this?
What frustrated him the most was that he had told his subordinates to keep tabs on this matter.
...
Detroit was still in turmoil, and the troublemakers had chosen to leave. Max didn't understand why the boss was doing this. He didn't care; those were not good eggs anyway.
One thing he was sure about was that the boss seemed to want to disrupt the balance. As for why -- well, that didn't really matter. The mess in Africa was bigger; he didn't have time to focus on things here.
William White had proven he could handle things on his own for a reason. An idiot would never be able to shoulder such responsibilities.
Yeah, he really needed to break some balances. The auto union had become a freak show, and if it wasn't contained soon, it would spiral out of control.
The auto plants floundering in the U.S. were not just the big three. In fact, to gain the union's sympathy, several companies from Japan had set up plants in the U.S., and not just one.
Unfortunately, due to similar wage levels, American plants were experiencing severe losses.
With NBC digging deeper, the auto union was starting to sweat. They might not directly say it, but they laid bare the backgrounds of those unions.
The American public was astonished; it seemed there were issues with their union. First, they threw dead fish at others, and now they were facing internal conflict. Could these people actually protect the workers' interests?
Protests?
Sorry, NBC had done its homework and exposed their protests, embellishing the story along the way.
Lawsuits?
NBC didn't care; their legal team was top-notch. If they still didn't manage to sort things out, weren't there always tricks up William White's sleeve?
As for those politicians, they were already getting thrown under the bus. They could rely on unions to pull votes, but colluding with gangs was crossing the line.
Those idiots in Detroit finally understood what it meant to have a media giant in the mix. When they laughed at Tesla, it must have been quite enjoyable. Now they were calling for higher tariffs and quotas.
Well, that was just great; they could keep talking.
Of course, they didn't know that the mastermind behind all this was William White. Once they pointed their attacks at Tesla, these events became unavoidable.
*****
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