[Chapter 562: Greed is Original Sin]
In William White's view, since the mask had been torn off, it was time to create some chaos. "If you dare let the Americans set up camp, I'll wipe you out directly." William believed that as long as that Saddam dared to say such a thing, the desert tyrants would submit.
If things had developed to this point, the Americans would indeed have a hard time wrapping things up. The distance was simply too great, and without a proper landing spot, how could one compete?
Furthermore, even if you had six aircraft carriers, they wouldn't be of much help. In long-term combat, aircraft carriers were not very useful.
"Master, some of the gold we tracked has stayed behind in Kuwait."
"Huh, are they splitting the loot? Or is someone hiding it away secretly?"
"The possibility of it being hidden is very high. It seems that Saddam can't control everything."
"Haha, he might know but is intentionally ignoring it. How much is roughly involved?"
"Not sure, but based on the images, there's at least twenty tons."
"Tsk tsk, there's no need to worry about anything else, just keep an eye on this batch. If the opportunity arises..."
"Yeah, we're already watching it. By the way, master, there's been movement in that pirate stronghold near Lanai Island. They have submarines, and we lost track."
"When did this happen?"
"Yesterday."
"Stuff like that isn't easy to hide. Keep an eye on the Soviet Union ports; see if there are any leads."
"Sure thing, master."
William felt quite frustrated. It seemed those who intended to set him up had quite a few tricks up their sleeves. It was simple to steal a submarine from the Soviets, but to do so without anyone noticing was definitely not easy.
Alas, people die for money and birds die for food, that's how things are in this world. William didn't have any deep personal grudges, so the question arose: with such a significant setup against him, their clear motive was money.
If he couldn't track it this time, it would be more troublesome next time. Seeing the scorched little island, those guys would probably be terrified.
William's security firm was formidable; that was old news. After wrapping up Saddam's affairs, even the bystanders would likely know he was not to be trifled with.
From a certain perspective, he welcomed this outcome. It was better to make people fear than to make them love; that was his unwavering principle.
Angry?
Maybe a little, but not too much. He was a monster of capital; whether in apparent wealth or hidden riches, it all amounted to an extraordinary figure. Even so, when he heard there were dozens of tons of gold, he couldn't help but feel greedy.
These feelings were more instinctual. Ever since robbing the treasure from Robinson Island, he had never lacked for gold. Sometimes he wondered why he was so greedy; was it some kind of illness?
...
"Sir, about the Jurassic matter, our people can't access it. There are reports claiming that the Bahamian government is very displeased and plans to restrict the use of those islands."
"Haha, those fools. This means that the prices of the islands sold earlier will go up. Why didn't they restrict it back then? You really think William White is easy to mess with?"
"Yeah, I heard the Morgan family is also getting interested. That guy has two islands, which are really valuable now."
"Haha, better not count on it; that kid isn't short on cash. By the way, have their stocks shown any unusual movement?"
"They've been gradually reducing their holdings, although not significantly. Even the well-performing defense stocks have been affected -- it seems he's not optimistic about the course of the war."
"Alas, this means Japan issue will be troublesome."
Morgan indeed found himself in a fix; the old man was feeling regretful. If he had been a bit closer to William White, he wouldn't be in such a dilemma today. At this point, he might need to step back; his current position would be better suited for someone else.
...
William couldn't care less if others were comfortable or not. A group of movie theater owners finally realized something was off.
They knew that Jurassic Park had finished filming. They were not surprised the film would sell big. What astonished them was that Lucas's Star Wars was also starting to get remade.
No way, could it be that all those old movies could become IMAX movies? If all this was true, they really couldn't ignore it.
Watching the dinosaurs on the movie screen, a group of old-timers was dumbfounded. They realized one thing: this was far from just a 3D movie. Wait a minute, the sound effects seemed different too.
Those fifteen short minutes felt like a century to these old-timers.
"Mr. White, if I may ask, what do you plan to set the ticket prices at?"
"Well, hard to say. Depending on the time, there will be a tiered pricing. If you come in the morning, it might only be around ten bucks. Generally speaking, twenty bucks is the baseline. Those movies over two hours will cost a bit more."
"Mr. White, are there any specific requirements if we want to join the IMAX theaters?"
"In North America, there are ten slots available each year. If demand is high, it can be expanded to fifteen. Who qualifies is decided by lottery. One thing you can rest assured, White Cinemas won't be increasing the number of locations."
What William White said was taken to heart by these old-timers. They even thought that the current chain might very well be sold off.
It wasn't too problematic for the theater chains to keep up. The Hollywood big shots were the ones in dire straits. The grand performance they anticipated never materialized.
Ten slots per year?
A lottery to decide?
Come on, are you guys even serious? What's this IMAX movie all about? I haven't even heard of it!
...
Steven Spielberg was very busy.
In the past week, he was either reading scripts or on his way to read scripts.
At his level, price was a secondary consideration. He wouldn't take on a project without a suitable script. What dumbfounded a crowd of Hollywood moguls was that Spielberg wasn't too fixated on making a IMAX movie.
...
Well, faced with a headstrong director, even the giants were at a loss. Judging by the current situation, William White obviously planned to proceed gradually.
The tycoons were somewhat angry. "You're really pushing it. With so much money, why play it so safe? When do we ever get a chance to shine?"
In the eyes of these folks, as long as William White didn't slip up, they would never have an opportunity. What could the Sony big shots do? They couldn't outdo White Films either.
As for Universal?
Ha, they were in trouble. If this continued, Panasonic would be packing up and leaving.
You can't manage Hollywood with the ways the Japanese do; it's not even funny. Movies are not products on an assembly line; how could you implement lean production?
And now, what was this IMAX movie? Whether to keep waiting or to jump in was an incredibly tough choice.
Japan's economy showed no short-term hope. Faced with this bottomless pit called Hollywood, the Japanese were quite lost. They discovered that if they wanted to fit in here, it would be best to follow the rules of the game.
*****
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