Chapter 40: Chapter 40 Deception

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

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"Right, William Jefferson Clinton?" Adrian nodded, affirming Claude's response.

"Is there something wrong with him?" Claude still didn't understand what he was trying to say.

"No, there's no problem with him. The problem is with Albert Gore, the one he wants to nominate as his running mate," Adrian said slowly after thinking it over carefully. "You know, Uncle Anderson and the former chair of the Democratic Party, Cliff Babcock, have always had a good relationship. I happened to hear from him…"

"Wow, quite a coincidence." Claude immediately whistled.

"Alright, alright, I did it on purpose. Satisfied now?" Adrian glared at him, then continued speaking amid Claude's laughter, "I didn't hear much, nor anything of real value, except for one thing: the information superhighway!"

"The information superhighway?" Claude's interest was finally piqued.

"How should I put it… Although it was just bits and pieces, it was like a window opened for me, allowing me to see many things I hadn't seen before!" Adrian's voice was much louder, and his expression was somewhat excited.

"If possible, could you explain it in detail?" Claude gestured with his hand.

"Alright, let me think about where to start," Adrian tapped his fingers on the desk a few times. "Claude, do you still remember the World Wide Web? Do you remember before graduation, those kids who wanted to join the Brotherhood that we teased at the club? One of them often surfed the Web and even introduced it to us."

"To be honest, I can't remember, even though I know about the World Wide Web." Claude shook his head after pondering for a moment.

"No worries," Adrian wasn't discouraged. "Then I'll keep it simple. Five years ago, the World Wide Web was very primitive, like a building with just the foundation laid. But five years later, small houses have begun to appear on that foundation."

"Please, go on. I'm listening." Claude adjusted his posture, continuing to listen to Adrian's explanation.

"I won't talk much about the technology since I don't understand it very well. What I'm concerned about is its value," Adrian took a sip of water to moisten his throat. "We all know what those guys who love the Web are obsessed with: visiting websites, exchanging emails, communicating with people throughout Stanford and even Silicon Valley from their dorms. It's convenient and quick, unlike letters that take time or phone calls that are expensive and limited. Now, imagine if the whole world was on the same network. They could communicate as seamlessly as Stanford's students. What would that look like?!"

"Communication!" Claude's eyes lit up. He wasn't an idiot and naturally understood what that meant.

"Exactly, communication!" Adrian clenched his fist. "Imagine if people in Rome could access a website with a server in California at any time, or if someone in Shanghai could communicate with someone in Brasilia at any time. What does that mean for the media industry? Sure, we can only upload and download some text and pictures on the Web now. But who knows, in a few years, could we upload and download music? Could we upload and download TV shows and movies? Could we even watch them online? It's not impossible; it's just a technical issue to solve, which is based on hardware, and don't forget Moore's Law!"

Faced with such an inspiring proclamation, Claude couldn't help but tug at his collar. There was no denying Adrian's words moved him; he was a young man full of adventurous spirit himself.

After taking a deep breath, Claude, however, showed a dismissive smile. "Your speech is impressive, Ed. You know, I've always reminisced about your entrance speech at the Brotherhood back then. But, speech is just speech; you can't prove that what you say will definitely come true…"

"But it can't be disproven either!" Adrian quickly interrupted him, looking at Claude with a confident smile. "No matter which expert you ask, they can't prove these things will definitely come true, nor can they prove they absolutely won't!"

With that, he stood up and leaned on the table with both hands. "Now, back to the information superhighway. Although it was just bits and pieces, I believe that if Gore becomes Clinton's running mate, they will include this topic in their campaign platform. Well, let's go back to an earlier question: why do we all think the Democratic Party will have the upper hand?"

A few seconds later, the two of them, facing each other, answered simultaneously: "The economy!"

Their synchronous words made them laugh, and Adrian waved his hand to continue. "That's right, even though Bush won the United States' first regional war overseas since the '50s, he ignored the most pressing issues facing the United States. The media's exclamations when the Japanese bought the Rockefeller Center back then were the best proof. The Plaza Accord solved the Japanese problem but didn't solve the fundamental issue. If I were Clinton, I would unquestionably make a big fuss about economic issues."

Here, he couldn't help but shrug. Unfortunately, the election was in 1991. If it were delayed by a year, the collapse of the Soviet Union would add significant weight to Senior Bush's campaign, making it hard to predict the winner. Of course, it can't be said now that Clinton will definitely sit in the White House. God knows what changes my arrival might bring, but that's not a big deal.

"I know what you want to say, Claude," Adrian glanced at Claude, who seemed hesitant to speak. "Yes, Clinton may not necessarily defeat Bush, but if he raises this issue during the campaign, even if the government doesn't support it, someone will push it forward. It's inevitable, with the only difference being the speed of development. Besides, Bush shouldn't be that stupid; if he truly gets reelected, he would surely shift his policy focus to the economy."

"This is an entirely new field, Claude. If what I said comes true in the not-too-distant future, how much change will it bring to the media industry? You and I both know that although new fields involve significant risks, the profits from success would also be unparalleled by other industries."

Claude flexed his fingers and sat quietly in his chair for a while. After several minutes, he let out a long breath. "You've convinced me again, Ed. I think you should run for president."

"Come on, if I became president, I'd take the United States straight to Hell without hesitation, I guarantee it." Adrian waved his hand. "Let's get back on topic."

"Alright, venture capital companies, what else?" Claude adjusted his position.

"Acquiring a small publishing company." Adrian also sat back in his chair.

"A publishing company?" Claude raised his eyebrows, rubbing his chin.

"That's right. Since it's a media company, there ought to be involvement in these areas—movies, TV, records, newspapers, publishing, games…" Adrian counted on his fingers. "Basically, any industry related to information."

With that, he suddenly pulled a floppy disk from his coat pocket and handed it to Claude, then pointed to the computer in his study. "These are a few novels I've written—popular fiction. You might want to take a look at it now, even though it's not completely finished. But I believe you can see its value. I just don't have much time to spend on the novels, and I'm not a professional writer, so you might need to find someone to do the editing and add to it. I don't mind putting someone else's name on it too."

"Hah," Claude took the floppy disk and shook it. "Apparently, you came prepared."

"Of course. I put a lot of effort into persuading you and winning you over." Adrian spread his hands.

"Tsk, tsk, how touching," Claude jokingly remarked, then turned and opened the computer, which took several minutes to boot up before he could insert the floppy disk.

Claude roughly browsed through Adrian's novels over about thirty minutes.

"Viruses and zombies, a female Indiana Jones, and cyberpunk; you've got a lot of ideas in your head, Ed." Claude smacked his lips, turning his gaze back to Adrian. "However, the first two concepts are at most second-rate popular fiction. The cyberpunk theme and structure are quite good, but to elevate it to first-class work, it needs careful handling."

"It's all up to you," Adrian shrugged. "Remember, you're the CEO."

"Alright, is there anything else? Go ahead and tell me; I've already heard plenty tonight." Claude leaned back in his chair with an expression of "bring it on, I'm not afraid of you."

Adrian couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Next is acquiring a small brokerage company, retaining shares in a theater chain, preparing a shell for a foreign trade company, and… keeping an eye on the movements of the Quantum Fund."

Claude furrowed his brows. "I understand acquiring a brokerage company as it will be beneficial for resource allocation in the future, and holding shares in a theater chain is fine as long as we don't hold a controlling stake, then the government won't hassle us. But why prepare a shell company for foreign trade and watch the Quantum Fund?"

"You know, I've just returned from Germany, a unified Germany," Adrian reminisced, "I made a special trip to East Berlin. I have a hunch that the red giant in Europe is about to fall."

"That's not news, Ed, we all know. If it was terrifyingly large before the Gulf War, now anyone can see its weakness. It's just a matter of time," Claude shrugged.

"Yes, indeed," Adrian didn't deny it. "But what if it falls by the end of this year?"

Claude's eyelid twitched involuntarily.

"Think about it, Claude; think about what the Soviet Union has done from the late '80s until now. Full of holes—once this behemoth disintegrates, how much profit can we gain if we're well-prepared?" Adrian stared unblinkingly into Claude's eyes.

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