Tech Giants: Starting from Bankrupt Companies

1: Chapter 1: Bankrupt CEO and the Technology SystemA splitting headache.

Su Chen woke up in a fit of severe dizziness, the dull pain coming from the back of his head making him gasp. He propped himself up and looked around blankly.

This was a rather spacious office, but the decor was dated, the leather sofa was heavily worn, and a thin layer of dust lay on the mahogany desk. In stark contrast to the office was the mountain of documents on the desk—not ordinary files, but court summonses of various colors, supplier demand letters stamped with ”URGENT,” and several crumpled resignation letters that had clearly just been balled up and then smoothed out again.

”Where am I?” He pressed his throbbing temples as a vast and unfamiliar flood of memories surged into his mind like a bursting dam.

A few minutes later, Su Chen—or rather, the original owner of this body—had completely integrated the memories. He understood his situation.

He had transmigrated.

He had arrived in a parallel world extremely similar to Earth, in February 2015. His identity was the twenty-five-year-old Chairman and CEO of an A-share listed company called ”Spark Technology.”

The original owner was a standard ”second-generation rich,” but unfortunately, his luck had run out. Spark Technology was the foundation his father had built from scratch, and it had been glorious in its early years, mainly producing color TVs and small appliances. However, over the last five years, due to industry shifts, poor management, and several major investment blunders, the company’s performance had declined year after year. The deficit grew larger and larger, and it eventually received the ST (Special Treatment) designation. The original owner’s father, suffering from extreme exhaustion, had a sudden cerebral hemorrhage and was now receiving treatment in Singapore. After realizing the situation was beyond saving, he made a seemingly irresponsible decision—he transferred ownership of the company and this entire mess to his son, who had just graduated. The elderly couple then took what little savings they had left to recuperate in Singapore, calling it ”giving their son an entrepreneurial opportunity.” Spark Technology was a limited liability company with a paid-in registered capital of 50 million yuan. Even if the company eventually went bankrupt, Su Chen would only bear limited liability because his father was the legal representative.

And Su Chen, this freshly minted president of a listed company, had taken over such a total disaster.

His gaze swept across the desk, and the title of the topmost document was glaringly obvious—”Notice of Appearance.” Beside it lay an open financial newspaper, with the front-page headline printed in bold black letters: ”ST Spark Reports Losses for Five Consecutive Years, Delisting Alarm Sounds, Tens of Thousands of Shareholders Lose Everything!” The accompanying photo was a desolate scene outside the company building.

Despair, helplessness, anger... all sorts of negative emotions spread from the depths of his memory like a cold tide; these were the last imprints left by the original owner. Su Chen could even faintly feel that the original owner might have died from a sudden illness after staying up late working overtime, unable to withstand the immense pressure, which allowed him from another world to take over.

Knock, knock, knock—

A soft knocking at the door interrupted his thoughts.

”Come in.” Su Chen took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound steady.

The door was pushed open, and a young woman in a professional suit walked in. She was about twenty-five years old, with a clear and pretty face and a tall figure, but at the moment, her brows were tightly knit, and her face bore an unmistakable look of worry and fatigue. She was the president’s secretary, Lin Wan. According to his memories, she was one of the few veteran employees who hadn’t left immediately after the company fell into trouble; she was exceptionally capable and felt a sense of gratitude toward the Su family. She had joined Spark Technology three years ago after graduating from Fudan University and had worked her way up from administrative assistant to president’s secretary.

”President Su,” Lin Wan’s voice was a bit dry as she gently placed a new document on top of the ”mountain,” ”I just received a call from ’Innovation Capital.’ They... they’ve cancelled this afternoon’s investment meeting.”

Su Chen’s heart sank. Innovation Capital was the last interested investor on the list.

”The reason?” he asked, his voice a bit raspy.

Lin Wan pursed her lips and said in a low voice, ”They said that after a final evaluation, they believe Spark Technology... lacks investment value and the risk is too high.”

As expected. Su Chen gave a self-deprecating laugh. Who would be willing to throw money into a sinking ship that was about to go under?

”Also,” Lin Wan paused, her tone becoming even heavier, ”the Finance Department just reported that the available cash flow in the company account is only 487,000 yuan. If there isn’t a new infusion of capital by next Monday, we... we’ll have trouble even paying basic employee salaries and social security. Additionally, President Wang from Hongda Electronics called again to demand payment, saying that if we don’t clear the three million yuan debt for goods by this Friday, they will apply to freeze our corporate account.”

480,000... 3 million...

These numbers hit Su Chen’s heart like a heavy hammer. He stood up and walked to the large floor-to-ceiling window. Outside was a gray sky, and below he could vaguely see a few scattered figures holding white banners that read ”ST Spark, give me back my hard-earned money!” and ”Unscrupulous company, defrauding shareholders!”

The cold wind swirled the fallen leaves on the ground, adding a touch of desolation.

Once, this company might have been glorious, but this scene of ruin, these glaring banners, and the desk full of debts and lawsuits behind him all declared that it was terminally ill and on the verge of death.

Delisting? Bankruptcy liquidation? Perhaps in less than a year, or even a few months, he would go from the president of a listed company to a debt-ridden deadbeat?

A cold sense of despair gripped Su Chen, more real and piercing than when he first transmigrated. He had inherited this body, and he had also inherited this crushing predicament.

Am I going to sink with this broken ship just after gaining a new life?

He clenched his fists, his nails almost digging into his palms. He wasn’t willing! Why should he?!

Just as he was in utter despair and the thought of ”would applying for bankruptcy protection preserve a shred of dignity” began to flash through his mind—

”Ding—”

A crystal-clear mechanical voice, sounding as if it were coming directly from within his skull, suddenly appeared!

[Strong unwillingness and will to survive detected from the host, meeting binding conditions...]

[Hyper-Dimensional Tech System is activating... 10%... 50%... 100%!]

[Activation successful! Host bound: Su Chen.]

Su Chen was startled, his pupils instantly constricting. A hallucination? Was he having auditory hallucinations from too much pressure?

[Greetings, respected host. The Hyper-Dimensional Tech System is at your service.] The cold, emotionless mechanical voice sounded again, and at the same time, a light blue semi-transparent interface full of futuristic technology was projected directly onto his retina.

It wasn’t a hallucination!

The massive shock almost made Su Chen cry out, but he forced himself to restrain it, his body only trembling slightly. Fortunately, his back was to Lin Wan, so she didn’t notice anything unusual.

”System?” he asked tentatively in his mind.

[Yes, host. This system originates from a higher-dimensional civilization and aims to assist the bound individual in climbing the technology tree and leading the progress of civilization.]

[The Newbie Gift Pack has been delivered to the system space, please check it, host.]

Su Chen’s heart pounded wildly. As an internet user of the new era, he knew exactly what the word ”System” meant! This was the only straw to clutch in a desperate situation—no, this was a golden thigh dropped from the sky!

He focused his mind and looked at the interface that only he could see. A shimmering gift box icon was pulsing. With a thought, he ”opened” it.

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Newbie Gift Pack:]

[1. Asset Reward: 80% non-reducible equity in the A-share listed company ”Spark Technology.” (Note: The equity is forcibly bound; the company’s fundamentals must be improved through the host’s own management to realize its value. The direct cash-out function is locked.)] Equity can be transferred after the company achieves profitability before December 31, 2015.

[2. Technology Reward: [Entry-level Drone Technology Set] data package (Includes: core flight control system algorithms, high-precision gimbal mechanical structure and stabilization programs, low-latency image transmission module design and patents, high-strength low-weight composite material formulas, and a complete set of production process guides. Note: By adopting this technical solution, the overall production cost can be reduced by approximately 80% compared to current mainstream similar products on the market.)]

[3. System Functions Enabled:]

[① Tech Mall: The host can use system reward currency to purchase higher-level science, technology, and blueprints from the system. (The mall will unlock more areas as the host achieves more.)]

[② Sales Incentive: For products produced and sold by the host’s bound company (currently bound: Spark Technology), the system will return 10% cash to the host’s system account based on the final sales volume (after taxes and fees). The return will take the form of legal and compliant ”technology innovation tax refunds,” ”special government subsidies,” etc.]

Even though he was mentally prepared, Su Chen was still dumbfounded by the generosity of the Newbie Gift Pack.

The 80% equity binding eliminated the possibility of him selling his shares and running away, forcing him to manage the company well. This system had some depth.

And the [Entry-level Drone Technology Set]! As someone from the future, he knew very well that at this point in 2015, the consumer drone market was on the eve of an explosion. The future industry giant ”Lingyun Technology” had already begun to emerge but was far from forming an absolute monopoly. This ”entry-level” technology actually included all the core patents for flight control, gimbals, and image transmission, and the production cost could be reduced by 80%! What did that mean? It meant that once mass-produced, he could use an absolute price advantage to perform a dimensional strike on the existing market!

And those two system functions... buying technology with money? 10% sales cashback? This was practically a custom-made money-printing loop for him! As long as the products could be sold, he would have a steady stream of cash returns, which could be used personally or reinvested into company R&D and buying even better technology, creating a snowball effect!

A desperate situation? No, this was the starting point to the throne!

Just then, the system’s mechanical voice sounded again, with an unquestionable authority:

[Main Quest Released: Spark Reborn]

[Quest Content: Please make Spark Technology’s annual financial statement net profit positive (i.e., profitable) before December 31, 2015, and successfully revoke the ST special treatment (commonly known as ”removing the cap”).]

[Quest Reward: Based on the completion evaluation, unlock new system functions and high-level technology purchase permissions.]

[Quest Failure: The system will unbind and retract all related rewards, including the host’s memories.]

The failure penalty made Su Chen’s eyes twitch. Retracting memories? That meant he might turn back into that desperate original owner, or worse? There was no way out.

One year to take an ST company that had lost money for five consecutive years and was on the verge of delisting and make it turn a profit and successfully remove the cap!

The pressure was immense, but in Su Chen’s eyes, the despair and confusion that had previously pervaded had completely dissipated, replaced by a flame of fighting spirit and ambition that burned like something tangible.

He had the system, he had technology that transcended the era, and he had a window of time! All of this was not impossible!

He slowly turned around, the dejection and despair on his face swept away. Although he was still tired, his gaze had become sharp and determined.

Lin Wan had been looking at the president’s back with worry, and when she saw the change in his eyes as he turned around, she couldn’t help but be taken aback. It was a look she had never seen on the young president before, full of confidence and... power?

”Secretary Lin,” Su Chen spoke, his voice steady and powerful.

”President Su, you...” Lin Wan was a bit hesitant.

”Notify all employees currently on duty,” Su Chen walked behind the desk and sat down again, his fingers lightly tapping the tabletop as his gaze fell on the drone technology data (though what he saw was only the system interface), ”In half an hour, there will be a meeting in the large conference room.”

He paused, looked up at Lin Wan, and even curled the corners of his mouth into a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

”Tell them that Spark Technology will not fall.”

”We are going to start our counterattack.”

The sunlight outside seemed to break through the clouds, and a ray of golden light spilled into the office, landing right on Su Chen, outlining his determined and ambitious silhouette with exceptional clarity.

The glimmer of a spark had been quietly ignited in the ashes of despair.