Chapter 174: Worthless Junk

Words : 1160 Updated : Oct 6th, 2025

When William White saw the dilapidated factory in front of him, he almost fainted. In his previous life, not only did he choose a Bentley as his car, but even the sofa in his house was a Bentley. But what was he seeing now? Was this run-down factory actually Bentley? William White lost interest in discussing and after a quick tour, he tossed the matter to Filson. "Boss, William White bought a car factory." Pfft, an old guy at Morgan Stanley nearly spit out his coffee. "Cough, cough, no way, is he crossing into another industry again?" His subordinate also looked puzzled and didn't know how to respond. "Boss, although it's a car factory, it's very small, just a kind of handcraft workshop, nothing related to those large enterprises. Not even as valuable as his yacht." "So, he's planning to build a custom car for himself?" "That's possible. There's a rumor that Rolls-Royce wouldn't sell him the black armored version, so he plans to make one himself. The engine Bentley uses is from Rolls-Royce." "Alright, I guess that's the only explanation." ... William White really had no way to explain to these country bumpkins that with good marketing, even a set of sofas could sell for hundreds of thousands of pounds, not necessarily cheaper than a car. In essence, luxury items are about heritage. They might not be profitable now, but once the Plaza Accord is signed, the flashy folks from Japan would be buying nonstop worldwide. They even coined a term for semi-luxury -- affordable luxury. Good heavens, those junk items have nothing to do with true luxury. They're just shams trying to ride the coattails. Feeling uninterested, William White decided to relax a bit, steering clear of London's offerings to avoid being ripped off. There wasn't really much to see around London -- or in Europe, for that matter. Daytime was for visiting places of worship, and night was for sleeping. How about today's visit to Stonehenge? Haha! "Suzuki, do you know? This is fake." "What? The guide didn't say that." "Haha, 7,500 years old? What a joke. Back then, not only were there no people here, there weren't even monkeys." "How can they dare?" "Haha, why not? It's just to drive tourism and satisfy their vanity. I mean, they keep talking about four great civilizations, but if they managed this 7,500 years ago, it would be five. Yet all they have are these rocks -- no writing, no simple totems, right?" "Yes, that seems to be the case. So why did you come here? Planning to expose them?" "Haha, no way. If I really did that, how would I mix in here? I'm just checking their handiwork. If there's too much exposure, I might need to give them a heads-up." The assistant glanced at him with a blend of surprise and admiration. She knew William White was joking. If he really discovered something, the British would be in big trouble. Walking amongst Stonehenge, William White had to admit his admiration for the Brits. These stones were enormous. How on earth did they manage to bring them here? There were none nearby. Yeah, how to explain this inconsistency? Did they have ships over 50 tons 7,500 years ago? Alright, the British say it's the giants. It's as comical as the tales of Midas, just a myth, perhaps even a hoax. ... The Brits took William White's visit seriously. Just after his arrival, his words had already been interpreted in various ways. Essentially, the message was clear: our stuff's cheap, even America's richest is here to bargain hunt. As for what he actually bought, nobody really knew. Within days, William White had acquired a car factory. Who knew what others thought, but Bentley's workers were thrilled. Not only was there no talk of layoffs, but the boss had even started expanding the factory, enlarging the design department several times over. ... While William White was splashing cash in London, the top guy in Washington was grinding his teeth. The pressure was immense. If taxes weren't cut soon, people might actually pack up and leave. The Elephants now controlled Congress, and while they could easily pass most bills, there was a serious issue: the treasury was empty. Any more tax cuts would really kill them. At the same time, the British decided to help out the U.S. The Americans seemed clueless, unable to come up with a sensible plan. Reagan was a decent actor, even if he wasn't great when it came to actual acting jobs. This time, stepping on the Soviets' tail wasn't his fault. The script was terrible; no matter how good his performance, it was all in vain. Nicolas Cage is a good actor too, but just look at those pile of bad movies he ended up in. Getting the Soviets into an arms race was a good idea. But turning it into the largest military drill? Come on. They had to convince the Soviets that even their arsenal of missiles would be futile because their defense system was solid. Not just against the Soviets -- next target, aliens. You have to admit, with the British on board, Washington's script was indeed much more engaging. The Soviets likely didn't anticipate that their exercise would be so terrifying. Europe was scared senseless. Despite economic setbacks, they rushed to advance their Star Wars program. Without NBC's interference, the media in the States was jubilant. The common theme was clear: the wicked Soviets faced public condemnation, Afghan people were truly miserable, and the possibility of war erupting in Europe increased again. This farce directed by the U.S. continued fervently, and even the usually independent NBC joined the frenzy. There was no other choice, really -- such was the overarching principle. Without this level of sensitivity, they'd soon be everyone's target of criticism. Now the Soviets, who'd just been observing, were getting restless. "What? We're not interested in land." The Soviet explanation was met with global mockery. How did they explain the situation in Afghanistan? Yeah, and the four islands near Japan. The Japanese wanted to buy them back, but unfortunately, the Soviets deemed them too important to return. The Soviets were adamantly protective of their sea access; they'd never give up those islands. Another crucial point was they're not afraid of the Japanese, but what if the U.S. showed up? They couldn't handle that! Completely letting loose, William White spent his days indulging in entertainment, dining with nearly every British aristocrat in sight. Don't say aristocrats are useless. That's just on the surface. As long as their descendants don't mess up too much, the legacy left behind is more than sufficient. ***** https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.

Chapter 174: Worthless Junk

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