Chapter 180: The Nonsense Association

"Have we as humans degenerated? Are we not as intelligent as our ancestors?"

Seeing his story attracting the interest of many bystanders, Carter suddenly waved his hand dramatically and exclaimed:

"No! Absolutely not!"

"If our intelligence were constantly degenerating, then today's America wouldn't be our America anymore; it would be a bunch of America filled with baboons or gorillas!"

"In my understanding, the reason for this scene is due to the development of our society. With more and more unknowns being explored, to continue exploring the unknown areas, we must invest more and the threshold is higher!"

"For example, digging! Something we all did and played with as children. If you're just digging a few centimeters underground to find some pitiful little worms to feed the sparrows by the window, it's easy, just use your hands!"

"But if you want to dig down several meters to bury a deceased loved one, then you need the help of a shovel or a spade. If you want to continue digging down to create a solid foundation, you might need construction vehicles. And if you want to dig a bomb shelter or an underground refuge, a couple of construction vehicles won't cut it; you need a large team to work together."

"If you want to do what our old rivals the Soviet Union did and try to dig through the Earth to see how many resources they've put into this endeavor!"

"What are you trying to say? Mr. Blake, it's hot out here, we came to learn how to make money, not to study the development of civilization. If you want to talk about that, you should go to Georgia Southern University, not here!"

Amidst the laughter of the crowd, the middle-aged man couldn't hold his temper any longer. He felt that Carter was changing the subject, and he was getting increasingly agitated.

"Haven't you understood what I mean?"

Feeling that the stage had been set, Carter returned to the main topic:

"What I want to say is development! We must look at things from the perspective of development! Technology develops, and so does business!"

"The old model of starting from scratch and building a business on your own is no longer applicable. The core idea of future business must be: cooperation!"

"Only through cooperation can we win together. Common interests, common pursuits will bring us tightly together, and together, we will not fear any opponents! We will not fear any competition! And united, we will unleash tremendous energy, no less than that of 'Little Boy', enough to destroy any opponent!"

"Ha! I thought you had something meaningful to say, Mr. Blake. We're here to learn how to make money, not to discuss the development of civilization. If that's what you want to talk about, then you should go to Georgia Southern University, not here!"

As the middle-aged man spoke, some people in the crowd wrinkled their brows. Indeed, if it's just about cooperation, forming alliances, they could do it themselves, why did they need HT Corporation to interfere? Even worse, to encroach upon their interests?

With Carter's abrupt comment, almost everyone fell into a brief stunned silence. The middle-aged man seemed not to have expected Carter, who was young but had quite the audacity.

Weren't they just thinking about how to convince the restaurant owners of Pearson to join their plan a moment ago? How come Carter suddenly criticized Pearson's restaurant industry like it was garbage?

Isn't this slapping the face of the customers?!

On the other side, since Carter suddenly went off-script and started going on about something else, Goodman had begun to worry. After all, this small business owner of theirs had a mind that was different from the rest, and Goodman had experienced this firsthand.

From the childish lending to black people to unsecured loans, to reckless borrowing, and even trading futures...

Some of these things he had done, some he hadn't, but no matter how you looked at it, these ideas! How could they be the thoughts of a proper savings banker?!

If all the savings bankers in the United States were like Carter, thinking and acting like this, then this country's reserve system would have long gone to the dogs, and the Federal Reserve would have closed shop!!

The most worrying thing finally happened. Just as Goodman was hastily preparing to step forward to salvage the situation, or at least shut Carter's damned mouth, his arm was suddenly grabbed by Rayburn.

"Don't worry! Just wait a bit longer!"

"Wait for what? What else is there to wait for? If we let him continue speaking, our whole plan will be ruined! If these restaurant owners don't take out loans, who else will dare to lend?"

Watching Rayburn, whose expression was serious but whose body reacted unusually calmly, Goodman became anxious!

For Pearson, if the plan failed, the worst that could happen was an unemployment problem. Rayburn could still be the mayor, he would still be the mayor, and at most, he would have to take a pay cut.

But for Blake Bank, if this plan went south. The initial investment of millions of dollars by HT Corporation would gradually be lost over the next few years. At the same time, this would mean that the demand for loans would be severely reduced, or even completely gone. Then, how would the bank spend the surplus deposits in the future, and how would it make a profit?!

In other words, once the plan failed, the severity of the consequences could very well result in the bankruptcy of both HT Corporation and Blake Bank! This is seriously a big enough problem to make anyone want to climb up to the top of the stage! How could you not be in a hurry?!

"I believe Carter has his reasons for saying this. Besides, now that he's said it, there's no rush for the next minute or two, right? Let's just see how he handles it."