Tech Giants: Starting from Bankrupt Companies

13: Chapter 13: A Spark Ignites a Prairie Fire, The First Enlightenment of the Spiritual EyesFebruary 1, 2016.

For Su Chen, this day carried extraordinary significance. One year ago today, he woke up from an abyss of despair, inherited a heavy ruin named ’Spark,’ and bound himself to the [Super-Dimensional Technology System] that would change his fate. One year later, today, Spark Technology was no longer the pushover it once was, and he would personally ignite two more dazzling flames for this world.

The new Spark Technology headquarters campus was decorated with lanterns and festoons, with a giant countdown board standing in the central plaza. Tonight, a product launch, highly anticipated by the global tech circle, would be held here. It was not just for the new products, but also to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Spark Technology’s rebirth.

Backstage, Su Chen adjusted his suit tie. The young man in the mirror had sharp eyes and a steady demeanor, looking like a completely different person from the lost and helpless figure of a year ago. Lin Wan walked over gently and pinned a miniature microphone with the Spark logo onto him. Her eyes held her usual trust, along with a hint of indescribable emotion.

’It’s been a year,’ Su Chen said softly.

’Yes, a year,’ Lin Wan replied with a smile, ’Everyone is ready.’

Su Chen nodded, took a deep breath, and walked toward the door leading to the spotlight.

When Su Chen stepped into the center of the stage, the audience fell silent instantly. All eyes, including those of millions of viewers watching the live stream online, were focused on him. On the giant background screen, the theme ’Spark Anniversary, Seeing the Future with Intelligence’ shone brilliantly.

’One year ago today, Spark Technology stood at a crossroads of destiny, or rather, on the edge of a cliff,’ Su Chen’s opening remarks did not avoid the past, but instead highlighted the difficulty of the present. ’Thank you to all the partners who have never left us, and thank you to all the users who trust us. Today, we are not just here to celebrate our rebirth, but to fulfill our promise to the future.’

He didn’t dwell on emotions and went straight to the topic.

’First, is our understanding of the future of drones, and also the latest answer we have delivered—’ Su Chen waved his arm, and the screen behind him lit up, showing a drone with smoother lines, more precise structure, and dual cameras in the front, rotating slowly.

’xinghuo no. 2—an intelligent aircraft that sees the world.’

Immediately after, Su Chen began to reveal the shocking technical parameters one by one.

’The world’s first consumer drone equipped with computer vision!’ He emphasized his tone, ’We have installed eyes for it. Through this pair of front-facing cameras, it can perceive obstacles in front in real-time and automatically detour. This means that whether it’s in forests, buildings, or even flying indoors, the risk of crashing will be minimized! It no longer relies entirely on GPS; it has the instinct to fly autonomously in complex environments!’

The first wave of uncontrollable gasps erupted from the audience. This meant that drones had officially stepped from ’remote-controlled toys’ into the category of ’intelligent robots’!

’This is just the beginning.’ Su Chen continued to drop a blockbuster, ’We have ushered in the era of intelligent flight.’ He demonstrated the intelligent tracking function. The drone, like a loyal elf, firmly locked onto the moving target in the audience, performing circling and parallel tracking. ’Based on machine learning algorithms, it can recognize you and follow you.’ Then came the tap-to-fly feature. He clicked randomly on a distant point on the tablet screen, and the drone automatically planned the optimal path, nimbly avoiding all obstacles, and flew precisely to the target.

’Operating a drone has never been so simple.’

The imaging system and image transmission also ushered in a leap: ’4K ultra-high-definition camera, 12-megapixel RAW format, 1080p/120fps slow motion... What we pursue is no longer just clarity, but ultimate color and dynamics. And our Lightbridge image transmission system extends the distance to 5 kilometers, allowing the world you see in real-time to be displayed in every detail.’

Performance introduction finished, price revealed.

[xinghuo no. 2], China price: 7000 yuan! Overseas price: 9000 yuan!

This price was lower than all competitors with similar performance (if any existed), but for an epoch-making product, it demonstrated sufficient value. Thunderous applause erupted from the audience.

But Su Chen’s performance was not over yet.

’Today, we bring not only a pair of flying eyes, but also a heart that records the panoramic world.’ A small, exquisite device with a very aesthetic design appeared in his hand.

’Mobi Eye 1—a panoramic vision that fits in your pocket.’

He introduced the parameters of this panoramic camera: dual 8.4-megapixel sensors, 4K video, 15-megapixel panoramic photos, H.265 encoding, IP53 waterproof, weighing as little as 130 grams... He especially emphasized its cross-platform compatibility, whether it’s Android or iOS, it can be plug-and-play and shared seamlessly.

’We hope that recording life no longer has a threshold.’ [Mobi Eye 1], China price: 1400 yuan! Overseas price: 2100 yuan!

The highly competitive price sparked cheers on the scene again.

After showing the breathtaking sample photos and videos, Su Chen officially announced: ’xinghuo no. 2 and Mobi Eye 1 are available for sale simultaneously on major global e-commerce platforms from this moment!’

After Su Chen announced the price and launch time, the media Q&A session began. Instantly, countless arms were raised like a forest in the audience.

Su Chen scanned the audience and first pointed at a male reporter with black-rimmed glasses and a steady demeanor.

’Hello, President Su, I am a reporter from Electronic Engineering.’ The male reporter took the microphone, and the question went straight to the core, ’The computer vision obstacle avoidance and intelligent tracking functions shown by the xinghuo no. 2 are undoubtedly a huge technological leap. We understand that many giants, including Lingyun Technology, are still in the laboratory stage in this field. May I ask how Spark Technology achieved technological breakthroughs and successful mass production in such a short time? Does this mean that Spark has built a very high technical barrier?’

This question hit the key point, and the whole venue went silent instantly.

Su Chen smiled and answered calmly: ’Thank you for your question. Technological breakthroughs stem from our cost-insensitive investment in R&D and our precise judgment of future trends.’ He cleverly avoided the core secret of the system and attributed the credit to the team and strategy, ’We have a world-class R&D team; they dare to imagine and are even better at turning imagination into reality. As for technical barriers,’ he paused, with unquestionable confidence, ’When your product is a whole generation ahead of the competition, this in itself is the strongest barrier. We welcome healthy competition, which can promote the common progress of the industry.’

As soon as he finished speaking, another young and capable female reporter was pointed at, and she stood up quickly.

’Hello, President Su, I am a reporter from Tech Frontier. My question is about Mobi Eye 1.’ She spoke very fast, ’As everyone knows, the action camera and panoramic camera market is already occupied by giants, such as GoPro. Mobi Eye 1 enters the market with a highly competitive price and cross-platform convenience. May I ask what Spark Technology’s strategy is? Is it intended to disrupt the existing market landscape, or is it just an ecological supplement?’

Su Chen nodded approvingly: ’Very good question. Mobi Eye 1 is not a simple ecological supplement; it carries our philosophy of making cutting-edge technology accessible.’ He explained, ’We noticed that existing products set thresholds for many users in terms of price and ease of use. The goal of Mobi Eye 1 is to break down this wall and activate a broader general consumer market with more affordable prices and more convenient experiences. We believe that the right to record life should not be limited by equipment and price. This is our business strategy and our brand promise.’

The questions from the two reporters and Su Chen’s steady and powerful answers further consolidated the perception of Spark Technology’s technical strength and brand pattern among the media and online audiences.

Subsequently, Su Chen announced the end of today’s launch event, and also gave everyone who attended the launch a souvenir [power bank produced by a subsidiary].

The launch ended, and the war online started instantly.

At the Spark Technology headquarters data center, on the huge screen, the numbers representing global orders began to jump crazily at a dazzling speed!

[24-hour sales data statistics]

xinghuo no. 2:

China market: 300,000 units!

Overseas market: 600,000 units!

Mobi Eye 1:

China market: 100,000 units!

Overseas market: 200,000 units!

The moment the data froze, deafening cheers erupted in the command center! This was not just sales figures; this was a vote of confidence cast by the market with real money!

After the 24-hour sales report was released on the Spark official website, the market’s response swept in like a tsunami.

Authoritative media Global Technology released a headline comment at the first time: ’The era of technological hegemony has arrived! xinghuo no. 2 redefines consumer drones. Spark Technology is no longer satisfied with the role of a price butcher; it has raised the guillotine of technology. Computer vision obstacle avoidance, intelligent tracking, 5km image transmission... These functions that once only appeared in professional fields or laboratories have been brought to ordinary consumers by Spark Technology in a mature, reliable, and relatively affordable way. This is not just an iteration; this is a dimensional reduction strike against all competitors, including Lingyun Technology. An era of intelligent flight belonging to Spark has truly begun.’

Top tech video blogger Hardcore Player excitedly stated in the first review video: ’Brothers, I got the xinghuo no. 2 and Mobi Eye 1! After playing for a whole day, I can only say—outrageous! The obstacle avoidance of the xinghuo no. 2 is really like having eyes. I tested it in the community woods, and it actually detoured by itself! Tap-to-fly is simply the gospel for novices and lazy people! And this Mobi Eye 1, the image quality is sufficient, the key is that it is too convenient, plug into the phone and you can shoot panoramas, share directly to Moments! Spark is going to break the road of competitors! This price, this experience, I can only say—buy it!’

An ordinary consumer who left a long positive review on the e-commerce platform wrote: ’I have always wanted to buy a drone, but I was afraid of crashing and didn’t dare to start. Seeing the obstacle avoidance function of the xinghuo no. 2, I finally gritted my teeth and bought it. It arrived today and I test-flew it. It’s really shocking! It really avoids obstacles by itself! It feels like there is an invisible old flyer helping you watch! Mobi Eye 1 is also super great, taking the child out to play and recording, the angle of view is too cool! Domestic products can be made like this, really proud! Support Spark!’

...

The launch ended successfully, and the celebration banquet was bustling with noise and excitement.

Su Chen stood in front of the office window, overlooking the campus that was still brightly lit. He could feel the vigorous vitality of the land under his feet, and he could also feel the steady light coming from the system interface in his mind.

Wang Ming walked over with a wine glass. The chief R&D engineer’s face was flushed, and his eyes were sparkling with the pure joy of a tech person: ’President Su, we... we really did it! A year ago, I didn’t even dare to dream of today!’

’Yes, Engineer Wang, we did it,’ Su Chen toasted with him lightly, ’But this is just the beginning.’

Lin Wan shuttled through the crowd, coordinating all parties, behaving elegantly and capably. She looked at Su Chen’s back by the window, and an indescribable emotion welled up in her heart. From the edge of bankruptcy to the top of the industry, she witnessed all his hardships and decisions. A kind of admiration and dependence that transcended a subordinate’s view of a superior took root quietly in her heart.

Lingyun Technology Headquarters, President’s Office.

On the huge LCD screen, the image was frozen on Su Chen announcing that the xinghuo no. 2 supports 5km image transmission. The office was deathly silent, with only heavy breathing sounds.

’Bang!’

The president of Lingyun Technology slammed the coffee cup in his hand to the ground, and brown liquid and porcelain shards splattered everywhere. His face was livid, his chest heaved violently, and his hand pointing at the screen was trembling slightly.

’Computer vision obstacle avoidance... intelligent tracking... 5km image transmission...’ He almost gritted his teeth, spitting out the words one by one, ’Our technical roadmap for next year! Even the year after next! Have all been left behind by them! What on earth is our R&D department doing?! Are they eating for free?!’

He turned around abruptly, his scarlet eyes glaring at the intimidated executives behind him: ’Tell me! Why can they do it? Why?! We invested so many resources, why are they the ones leading?!’

No one could answer. A huge sense of frustration and an unprecedented sense of crisis, like a cold poisonous snake, entangled everyone’s heart. The technical advantage they relied on for survival seemed so pale and weak in front of the xinghuo no. 2. This was no longer competition; this was almost a one-sided slaughter. The president slumped back into his chair, looking at the hot pre-sale data on the screen, a deep sense of powerlessness welled up, and he muttered: ’It’s over... the market trend is going to change completely...’

Inside a secret club, Zhou Tianyu’s private room.

On the huge projection screen, the cheers at the end of the Spark launch were playing. Zhou Tianyu did not turn on the lights, his whole body was buried in the soft leather sofa, shadows covered most of his face, and only the reflection of the screen flickered in his eyes.

The cigar in his hand had burned a long piece of ash, but he forgot to flick it. His expression was no longer the inscrutable calmness of his usual days, but like the sea before a storm, gloomily terrifying. The corners of his mouth were tightly pursed, and his jawline was taut like stone.

’xinghuo no. 2... Mobi Eye 1...’ He repeated these two names in a low voice, his voice hoarse and cold, ’What a Su Chen... What a Spark Technology...’

He originally thought that Spark only rose by relying on temporary luck and cost control; what he valued was its capital value. But today’s launch completely shattered his contempt. This was no longer a simple business miracle; this was the beginning of absolute dominance in technology! This meant that the foundation of Spark Technology was far deeper than he imagined, and its future potential was even more terrifying.

This made his plan to acquire Spark exponentially more difficult, but it also made his inner desire for possession and destruction become more intense.

He slammed the cigar into the crystal ashtray, with enough force to almost crush the ashtray. He picked up the encrypted phone, dialed a number, his voice filled with unquestionable ruthlessness:

’Advance the plan. At all costs, I want to know all the information about their next-generation products! Also, keep a close eye on that guy named Wang Ming; he is the key! Su Chen... you want to play technological hegemony? Then I will let you know that capital can stifle any technology!’

In the darkness, his eyes were like a lurking poisonous snake, flashing with cold and dangerous light.

Su Chen withdrew his gaze, and his consciousness sank into the system. The task prompt [Lead a micro-technological revolution] seemed to have become a little clearer. He knew that the xinghuo no. 2 and Mobi Eye 1 were just the beginning, and the door leading to ’industrial mother machines’ and even a wider world was waiting for him to push open.

Spark has become a prairie fire. And the future has arrived.