701: Chapter 696 Stock Price Crash

He pointed to the first item on the list, "Server clusters, the faster the better! My algorithm needs massive data simulation and deep learning. Current computing power is like a tractor; I need a supersonic fighter jet!"

He then pointed to the second item, "FESTO motors are good, but they are only temporary substitutes. The piezoelectric ceramic fiber composite material you mentioned, Brother Yan—I need samples, I need a supply chain!"

"No problem," Shen Yan replied crisply.

Right in front of Zhou Qiming, he directly dialed an overseas number.

A steady male voice speaking German came from the other end of the line.

In fluent German, Shen Yan briefly explained his requirements.

"Yes, Mr. Schneider, I need the highest specification piezoelectric ceramic fiber materials from your lab for use in bionic tendons."

"Regardless of cost, I need an independent production line dedicated exclusively to my Qingtian Technology."

"Pleasure doing business with you."

Hanging up the phone, Shen Yan looked at the dumbstruck Zhou Qiming.

"The Fraunhofer Society in Germany, Director of the Institute for Material Research. Within three days, the first batch of samples will be air-freighted here."

Zhou Qiming was completely stunned.

That was one of the world's top material research institutions; its status in the academic world was like a holy temple.

Ordinary companies wanting to cooperate with them would have to wait in line for years.

Yet Shen Yan had secured a dedicated production line with just one phone call.

He finally realized what kind of aircraft carrier he had hitched his wagon to.

"Alright, I'll leave this to you," Shen Yan patted Zhou Qiming on the shoulder. "Remember, I only care about results."

After saying that, he and Chen Guangke left the laboratory that was about to undergo a complete transformation.

In the following days, this old building in Block B of the Nanshan Science and Technology Park became the busiest place in all of Shenzhen.

Container trucks marked with German and Japanese logos slowly drove in under the guidance of security guards.

Engineers in dust-free suits carefully moved brand-new precision instruments into the laboratory.

The power bureau's engineering trucks even came to lay new high-voltage cables to meet the demands of the 'computing monster' that was about to be powered up.

Zhou Qiming was like a child in a candy store.

He practically made the laboratory his home, sleeping only three or four hours a day.

Sometimes he would mutter to himself at the waterfall of data scrolling down the computer screen, and sometimes he would put on work clothes to personally calibrate newly arrived equipment.

His team was also being built at an incredible speed.

The technical big shots on the list appeared one after another at the door of Qingtian Technology.

Some were attracted by the high salaries, while others were moved by the technical prospects Shen Yan described.

Still others, after receiving an email about their 'little secrets,' suddenly 'saw the light' and chose to abandon the darkness for the light.

The entire laboratory transformed from Zhou Qiming's one-man battle into a luxury team composed of top elites.

While this bustling scene unfolded, a strangulation campaign against 'Future Vanguard' was also quietly beginning.

The first stone was cast by an obscure tech self-media outlet.

An article titled 'User Breaks Leg: Is Future Vanguard's "Intelligent Balance" Technology or a Scam?' was published late at night.

The article was accompanied by a photo of a redacted agreement and a hospital diagnosis certificate.

The content pointed directly to serious safety hazards in Future Vanguard's core products and alleged the company used hush money to cover up the truth.

Initially, the article didn't cause much of a stir.

Future Vanguard's PR department even dismissed it, treating it as a small player trying to extort them.

Gao Jun was still at an industry summit, high-spiritedly preaching about his 'robot revolution.'

However, the next day, the wind changed.

Several mainstream tech media outlets, as if by appointment, simultaneously reposted and provided in-depth coverage of the article.

Some reporters even blocked the entrance to Future Vanguard's building, demanding to interview Gao Jun.

The company's stock price dropped five percent in response.

Gao Jun finally realized something was wrong and immediately ordered the PR department to delete the posts with full force, while threatening to sue the rumor-mongers.

But just then, the second stone was thrown with even greater precision.

A detailed report regarding data falsification in Future Vanguard's Series A financing was anonymously sent to several of their major competitors.

The report contained not only a comparison between original and falsified data but even recordings of internal meetings.

In the recording, Gao Jun's voice was clearly identifiable: "Investors look at stories, not financial statements. Increase the user growth rate by 3% and multiply the activity level by three. Listen to me, just do it!"

The competitors treated it like a precious treasure.

They immediately sent their sales teams to use this report to poach Future Vanguard's major clients.

"Is your capital safe cooperating with a company that falsifies data?"

"Could their technology be as inflated as their financial reports?"

Panic began to spread.

Several of Future Vanguard's largest partners announced a suspension of cooperation that very day, demanding an explanation from the company.

The stock price plummeted again.

Gao Jun panicked completely.

He felt as if he were in a fog, surrounded by invisible enemies on all sides.

He made frantic phone calls, trying to use his connections to calm the situation.

However, when he called the 'friends' he usually called brothers, they either didn't pick up or were evasive.

He didn't know that while he was overwhelmed, the third and most fatal stone had already quietly fallen.

A whistleblower letter, accompanied by a thick stack of accounting evidence, was delivered to the desk of the Shenzhen Tax Bureau.

The letter detailed every instance of tax evasion by Future Vanguard since its inception.

The professionalism of the methods and the conclusiveness of the evidence left even the veterans at the Tax Bureau in awe.

That afternoon, the tax inspection task force raided Future Vanguard's headquarters.

All of the company's accounts were instantly frozen.

When the news broke, the market completely collapsed.

The stock price cascaded down, hitting the limit down directly.

Inside the company, people were in a state of constant anxiety.

Recordings of Gao Jun's improper relationships with several female executives were somehow uploaded to the company's internal group chat.

The entire management layer instantly exploded, falling into a mess of internal fighting and suspicion.

The once seemingly glamorous tech rising star was stripped of all its disguises in just three days, revealing the already rotten reality within.

When a wall starts to collapse, everyone gives it a push.

Verbal and written condemnations from the media, claims for damages from partners, a wave of Employee resignations...

The series of blows caused Gao Jun to break down completely.

Just one day before Future Vanguard announced its bankruptcy and liquidation.

A legal team found the desperate Gao Jun.

Representing a newly established company called 'Pangu Capital,' they proposed an acquisition plan.