Tech Giants: Starting from Bankrupt Companies

170: Chapter 170 The Golden Shield Stands FirmJanuary 19th, 8:47 PM, Intensive Care Unit of Shenzhen First Hospital.

This area had been completely cordoned off. At both ends of the corridor, four security personnel in plain clothes but with straight postures stood silently. Their gazes covered all passageways, and reports from the outer perimeter patrol could be heard from their earpieces from time to time. Anyone who was not medical staff who approached would be politely but firmly stopped.

Outside the ICU observation window, Su Chen stood alone.

Behind the glass window, Lin Haoran lay on the hospital bed, his body covered in tubes: tracheal intubation, jugular vein catheter, chest drainage tube, urinary catheter... The monitor screen jumped with green waveforms and numbers: heart rate 82, blood pressure 110/70, blood oxygen saturation 98%. These all indicated stable vital signs, but that brain which once commanded the conference room and drew complex architectural diagrams on the whiteboard was currently wrapped in thick gauze, struggling against severe cerebral contusion and edema following intracranial hemorrhage.

The attending physician, Director Wang, walked gently to Su Chen’s side. This top domestic neurosurgery expert was the best neurosurgeon in Shenzhen.

”Mr. Su,” Director Wang’s voice was very low, ”The second CT results show that the cerebral edema has been controlled and shows no signs of further spreading. This is good news.”

Su Chen did not turn his head, his eyes still looking into the ward: ”But?”

Director Wang paused: ”But the frontal lobe, especially the prefrontal cortex, has clear contusions and a small amount of bleeding. This area is responsible for... advanced cognitive functions: logical reasoning, working memory, decision-making. Recovery takes time, and...”

”And it might not fully recover.” Su Chen finished the sentence.

”Yes.” Director Wang answered honestly, ”We have seen similar cases. Some patients can live normally after recovery, but they cannot engage in high-intensity brain work, such as programming, mathematics, or complex system design.”

Outside the window, the crescent moon hung like a hook, appearing and disappearing among the thin clouds of the winter night. Moonlight shone through the corridor window, casting a cold shadow at Su Chen’s feet.

”Will he wake up?” Su Chen asked.

”He will.” Director Wang said affirmatively, ”Vital signs are stable, there is no brainstem injury, waking up is just a matter of time. But after he wakes up...”

”We’ll talk about what happens after he wakes up when he wakes up.” Su Chen turned around, ”Director Wang, I need you to do one thing.”

”Go ahead.”

”No matter what equipment, medicine, or experts are needed, get them here within 24 hours. Money is not an issue, I will handle the procedures.” Su Chen’s voice was calm, but every word carried weight, ”If they are not available domestically, invite them from abroad. The United States, Germany, Switzerland—invite all of the world’s best neurosurgeons and rehabilitation experts.”

Director Wang nodded: ”I have already contacted Professor Greenberg at Johns Hopkins Hospital, who is an authority in the field of traumatic brain injury. He is willing to provide remote consultation, but if he were to come to China...”

”Make him come.” Su Chen took a business card from his suit pocket, ”This is the contact information for Spark’s International Affairs Department. They will handle visas, private jets, and all procedures. Tomorrow morning, I want to see Professor Greenberg’s confirmed itinerary.”

After speaking, Su Chen looked back at the ward. Lin Haoran’s wife, Lisa, sat by the bed, holding his uninjured right hand, whispering something. This 36-year-old former Goldman Sachs vice president was currently just a wife watching over her husband, her eyes red and swollen, but she was trying hard to remain strong.

Su Chen said to Li Jianfeng—the head of Spark’s Security Department—behind him: ”Notify the Finance Department to establish the ’Lin Haoran Medical Rehabilitation Special Fund’ with no upper limit. The company will cover all medical expenses, and subsequent rehabilitation, family living support, and children’s education will all be provided at the highest standard.”

Li Jianfeng recorded quickly: ”Understood. Also, Mr. Lin’s parents are flying in from Xian tomorrow, and airport pickup and accommodation have already been arranged.”

Su Chen nodded, took one last look at Lin Haoran in the ward, and turned to leave.

When he reached the elevator, he suddenly stopped and said to Silent Chen:

”We make chips to allow people to live more freely, not to let the people who create the chips lose their freedom or even their lives.”

This sentence was very light, but in the empty corridor, it was clear enough to make one’s heart tremble.

Silent Chen was silent for a few seconds, then said: ”Boss, they crossed the line.”

”Then draw a clearer line.” Su Chen pressed the elevator button, ”Let them know that the price of crossing this line is one they cannot afford.”

The elevator door closed, reflecting Su Chen’s grim face on the stainless steel door panel.

January 20th, 10:00 AM, Shenzhen, the original Spark data center backup server room.

This place was located on the third underground level, and the walls and ceiling were 50 centimeters of reinforced concrete, with electromagnetic shielding reaching military standards. The racks that originally held servers had been removed and replaced by a futuristic combat command center.

36 screens were arranged in an arc, displaying various information flows in real-time:

12 screens on the left: Global threat intelligence dynamics. News from AP, Reuters, and AFP scrolled by, but more importantly, dark web monitoring data—discussions with keywords ”Spark”, ”chip”, and ”China semiconductor” were highlighted; forums of several known hacker organizations were crawled in real-time; there were even changes in job postings on LinkedIn by suspected CIA outsourcing contractors.

12 screens in the middle: Core personnel positioning and status. On the map, over two hundred green dots were distributed across the country, each representing a technical backbone at the P8 level or above or a division head. Clicking on any dot would pop up detailed information: current location, movement trajectory, heart rate data (from smartwatches), ambient sound analysis... These were all monitoring devices worn voluntarily.

12 screens on the right: Abnormal behavior analysis. AI algorithms were scanning over 30,000 surveillance cameras throughout Shenzhen, identifying suspicious vehicles, gatherings of suspicious persons, abnormal loitering, and other behavioral patterns. Once a match with a known threat pattern was found, the system would automatically alarm.

Li Jianfeng stood in front of the command console. This former Army Special Forces major, now the head of Spark’s Security Department, was also the first CEO of the ”Golden Shield” security company. He wore a black tactical uniform and no military rank, but his posture remained straight.

”Boss, everyone, welcome to the ’Golden Shield’ command center.” Li Jianfeng’s voice reached every corner through the loudspeaker, ”From today on, this will be the ’security brain’ for all of Spark’s core personnel.”

Su Chen sat in the front row, with Wu Yi, Li Wanqing, Lin Wan, and all other T0-level technical personnel beside him—they were required to be present to see with their own eyes the security system the company had built for them.

Li Jianfeng began to report on the personnel structure:

”’Sharp Sword’ team, 27 people.” The screen displayed 27 photos, all men around thirty with sharp eyes. ”All are retired from the Army’s ’Snow Leopard’ and ’Sky Wolf’ special forces, with an average of 8 years of service, having participated in major security missions. They are responsible for close protection, in groups of three, working 24-hour shifts. Equipment includes: bulletproof vests, non-lethal weapons, emergency medical kits, and encrypted communication equipment.”

”’Eagle Eye’ team, 14 people.” The photos changed to faces that looked more scholarly. ”Former experts from the Ministry of State Security’s Technical Investigation Bureau and the Ministry of Public Security’s 11th Bureau (Technical Investigation), with an average of 15 years of experience. They are responsible for intelligence analysis and counter-surveillance. Specific capabilities include: electronic signal detection, cyber threat tracing, in-depth background investigation of personnel, and suspicious behavior pattern recognition.”

”’Shadow’ team, 8 people.” The photos of this group were pixelated, showing only outlines. ”Identities are classified. What can be revealed is that they come from the Hong Kong Police Force’s VIP Protection Unit (G4) and... other special departments. Responsible for overseas risk assessment and crisis handling. If our technical personnel need to go abroad to attend academic conferences or business negotiations, the ’Shadow’ team will arrive at the destination two weeks in advance to conduct security assessments and formulate contingency plans.”

After the introduction, Li Jianfeng pulled up the security system architecture diagram:

Three-level protection system:

Level 1 protection (core personnel, 23 people in total):

24-hour two-person close protection, with security personnel living and eating with the technical personnel (security houses rented next door or across from the technical personnel’s residence).

Bulletproof vehicle modification: Red Flag H8 executive protection version, capable of withstanding 7.62mm rifle rounds, with explosion-proof chassis and tires.

Residence security system: Infrared alarms, vibration sensors, video surveillance, emergency distress buttons, directly connected to the Golden Shield command center.

Daily itinerary pre-approval: Technical personnel must report their itinerary 24 hours in advance, and Golden Shield will conduct risk assessment and formulate protection plans.

Special measures: Regularly change residence (every 3-6 months), use aliases for non-essential social activities.

Level 2 protection (important personnel, 87 people in total):

Daily commute escort: Escorted by security vehicles in front and behind when going to and from work.

Basic residence protection: Installation of security systems, regular security inspections.

Outing reporting: Leaving Shenzhen requires advance reporting, and Golden Shield will assess risks and provide recommendations.

Regular security training: Quarterly anti-tracking, anti-kidnapping, and emergency avoidance training.

Level 3 protection (key personnel, 215 people in total):

Regular risk assessment: Monthly security assessment, with protection levels dynamically adjusted based on the results.

Emergency contact channel: Wear smart bracelets, one-click alarm directly connected to the command center.

Popularization of security knowledge: Monthly push of security reminders to improve security awareness.

”This system has a monthly operating cost of approximately 12 million rmb.” Li Jianfeng finished reporting the data and looked at Su Chen, ”This does not include the one-time investment costs for vehicle modification, residence security equipment installation, etc., which is estimated to require 50 million rmb.”

The conference room went quiet. 12 million a month, that’s 144 million a year. For any company, this is a huge expense.

But Su Chen did not hesitate at all. He stood up, walked to the command console, and took the electronic signature pad.

”Golden Shield company is established, with Li Jianfeng as CEO. Expenses are not subject to budget limits. What I need is that from today on, every core technical personnel of Spark can work with peace of mind and return home with peace of mind.”

He signed his name on the first directive:

”Directive on Comprehensively Upgrading the Core Personnel Security Protection System”

At the end of the directive, Su Chen personally added a sentence:

”Protecting people is always more important than protecting technology.”

After signing, Su Chen turned to the technical personnel present: ”I know this system will make you feel uncomfortable. Privacy is limited, travel is inconvenient, like living in a glass jar. But please understand, the enemies we are facing no longer abide by the rules of commercial competition.”

His eyes swept over everyone’s face: ”Lin Haoran was sitting here yesterday, and today he is lying in the ICU. If we don’t take action today, tomorrow it could be anyone here.”

”Your brains, your knowledge, are Spark’s most valuable assets, and also the most valuable assets of China’s semiconductor industry. Protecting you is protecting China’s future.”

”Therefore, please accept this system. And please believe that we will do everything possible to ensure safety while trying not to affect your normal life and work.”

There was silence in the conference room for a few seconds, and then applause broke out.

It was not enthusiastic applause, but heavy, determined applause. Everyone understood that from today on, their lives would enter a new state—both as creators and as the protected.

The meeting ended, and the technical personnel left one after another. Li Jianfeng walked to Su Chen’s side: ”Boss, there is one more thing. ’Golden Shield’ needs to rapidly expand to a scale of 1,000 people, but there are limited retired special forces personnel, and political vetting also takes time...”

”Relax the standards.” Su Chen said, ”Retired armed police, retired public security special police, excellent demobilized soldiers, all are fine. The National Security Bureau will assist with political vetting, we need speed.”

”Then the training...”

”Set up a training base in Huizhou and hire the best instructors. Three months of intensive training, they must meet the standards.” Su Chen paused, ”In addition, set up the ’Spark Guardian’ scholarship, cooperate with military academies and police academies, and cultivate talent in a targeted manner. We want to build a long-term talent channel.”

Li Jianfeng recorded quickly: ”Understood. Also, vehicles and equipment...”

”Purchase everything domestically.” Su Chen gave clear instructions, ”Use Red Flag for bulletproof cars, Huawei and Hikvision for security equipment, and ZTE for communication equipment. We want to build a completely autonomous and controllable security system, leaving no backdoors for anyone.”

”Yes!”

Walking out of the underground command center and returning to the surface, the sunlight was blinding.

Su Chen stood on the plaza in the center of the park, looking at the busy employees around him, looking at the lights shining from the windows of the laboratory in the distance.

This park has 8,000 employees, 2,000 of whom are R&D personnel. Many of them may never know the existence of ”Golden Shield” in their lifetime, and will not know that the company has built a protection system comparable to a national security agency underground.

But this is what a leader must do—build a line of defense in places people cannot see.

The phone vibrated, it was from the hospital.

”Mr. Su, Mr. Lin’s fingers moved, there are signs of waking up.”

Su Chen took a deep breath: ”I’ll be there right away.”