281: Chapter 281 The Panicked Opponent

DJI Headquarters

The setting sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting an orange-red band of light across the long conference table.

Da Jiang stood by the window, his back turned to everyone.

The report on the table had been flipped through so many times its edges were frayed. He had read it no less than twenty times, trying to find a loophole each time—falsified data, exaggerated parameters, cheating in the test environment... if there was even a sliver of a flaw, he could tell himself and his team that there was still a chance.

But there was none.

Spark 5 vs. DJI Mavic Pro

Parameters: Spark 5 | Mavic Pro

Battery Life: 120 minutes vs. 80 minutes

Transmission Range: 15 km vs. 7 km

Obstacle Avoidance: Three-way (Front, Back, Down) vs. Two-way (Front, Down)

Price: $1,299 vs. $1,499

In every category, it was a total crushing.

"Technologically, we can't catch up..." Da Jiang finally turned around and tossed the report onto the table, his voice as raspy as sandpaper. "Then we'll use tactics."

Sales Director Li Ming's Adam's Apple bobbed. "CEO Wang, what do you mean?"

"Launch a 'Buy One Get One' in the overseas market." Da Jiang walked to the whiteboard, picked up a marker, and wrote a few words: "Buy a Mavic Pro, get a Spark for free."

The conference room fell silent for three seconds.

Then, like cold water hitting a hot oil pan, it instantly exploded.

"The cost of a Spark is 800 yuan!" the CFO suddenly stood up. "The gross margin on the Mavic Pro is only 35%. Giving away a Spark is equivalent to giving away a month's worth of profit for free!"

"I know," Da Jiang said without looking back.

"And the budget? This promotion would have to run for at least three months. It can't be sustained without 1 billion yuan!"

"3 billion." Da Jiang wrote the number on the whiteboard.

"Add more if it's not enough."

The CFO's mouth hung open like a fish out of water. 3 billion yuan was equivalent to 60% of DJI's total net profit for the previous year.

"CEO Wang, this..." Sales Director Li Ming's voice trembled. "This is equivalent to using three years of profit to fight one battle."

Da Jiang finally turned around fully.

On his forty-year-old face, there was exhaustion and resentment, but more than anything... there was resolve.

"Li Ming, tell me," his voice suddenly became very soft. "If we don't fight this battle, how much market share will the Spark 5 snatch away in Europe and America three months from now?"

Li Ming was silent for five seconds. "Based on their production capacity... at least 40%."

"And in six months?"

"60%."

"In a year?"

Li Ming did not answer.

Da Jiang answered for him: "In a year, DJI's name will change from the number one in the consumer drone market to 'that company that used to be great.'"

He walked to the window and pulled open the blinds.

The setting sun was just right, and the distant Nanshan Science and Technology Park gleamed in the golden light. Among the dense clusters of buildings, one was particularly conspicuous—a silver-gray glass curtain wall with a massive logo on the roof.

Xinghuo Electronics |

That was Spark's headquarters.

"Three years ago, they were still doing OEM work," Da Jiang's voice sounded like he was talking to himself. "I went there to inspect them. A dilapidated industrial park, a few old factory buildings, and the R&D staff dressed like migrant workers."

He paused.

"Three years later, they've advanced drones to this level... and pushed right up to our doorstep."

No one in the conference room spoke.

The faint sound of car horns drifted in from outside; the evening rush hour had begun.

"I can't worry about that anymore." Da Jiang finally turned, his eyes turning sharp. "Notify all overseas branches to implement the 'Buy One Get One' plan starting tomorrow. The first batch of budget is 3 billion; add more if it's not enough."

He looked at the Sales Director. "What I want isn't profit, it's time. Stall them for a year, and our next generation of products will be ready. As long as we don't let them seize the entire market, we still have a chance to turn things around."

"But the cost of the Spark..."

"I'll handle the cost of the Spark," Da Jiang interrupted. "Even if we lose 1,000 yuan per unit, we must suppress the Spark 5's momentum."

He paused, his voice suddenly becoming very soft.

"I've been making drones for twenty years. I can't just stand by and watch it be snatched away."

Delaware Federal Court, USA

Wilmington, a small city with a population of only seventy thousand, is the largest corporate registration site in the United States—more than half of the Fortune 500 companies have registered subsidiaries here.

In front of the federal court, the parking spaces were already filled with news vans from over a dozen media outlets.

At 4:31 PM, GoPro's legal team walked out of the court doors.

Leading them was Chief Legal Officer Sarah Connor, around fifty years old, in a silver-gray suit, as sharp and efficient as a scalpel. Three lawyers followed behind her, each carrying a stack of documents with covers that clearly read:

StarFire Technology Inc. v. GoPro Inc.

Case No. 18-0892

No—it was GoPro Inc. v. StarFire Technology Inc.

The plaintiff was GoPro.

"Ms. Connor, what is the basis for the lawsuit?" a CNN reporter shoved a microphone in front of her.

Sarah Connor stopped, a standard "victory-is-mine" smile on her face.

"Spark Technology's Lingmou 4 action camera infringes on three of GoPro's core patents—image stabilization algorithms, waterproof housing structure, and user interface design," her voice was clear and powerful. "We are requesting the U.S. International Trade Commission to immediately launch a Section 337 investigation to ban the infringing products from entering the U.S. market."

"And the compensation amount?"

"$500 million. Additionally, we demand the destruction of all infringing product inventory."

A commotion rippled through the group of reporters.

"Is there evidence?"

"Of course." Connor signaled the lawyers behind her to open the documents. "This is a technical comparison report we commissioned from a third-party institution. Every point of infringement has detailed technical analysis and experimental data."

Flashbulbs went off in a frenzy.

Ten minutes later, on the NASDAQ.

GPRO's stock price shot up from $8.12, skyrocketing 15% within 15 minutes to touch $9.34.

Traders stared at their screens with looks of utter disbelief.

"GoPro? That company that was beaten half to death by Apple and Huawei?" a young trader took off his headset and turned to ask an older colleague nearby. "They can still sue people?"

The older colleague, biting a pencil, didn't look back. "Patent wars have nothing to do with product quality. Sometimes, a scrap of paper is more useful than technology."

"Can they win?"

"Whether they win or not doesn't matter." The older colleague finally turned his head. "As long as they can drag their opponent through court for six months or a year, they've won."

Half an hour later, the news reached Shenzhen.

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Tokyo

Kasumigaseki, Japan's central government district.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's press briefing room wasn't large, but today it was packed with reporters—Japanese media, foreign correspondents based in Japan, and several clearly Western faces with CNN and BBC credentials hanging around their necks.

At exactly 5:00 PM, spokesperson Kazuo Kobayashi walked onto the podium.

He wore a standard civil servant's dark blue suit, a white shirt, and a gray tie, his expression as solemn as if he were reading a eulogy.

"Good afternoon, members of the press."

He cleared his throat and unfolded the document before him.

"In view of Spark Technology's recent rapid expansion in the global market, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is considering including relevant products in the 'Government Procurement Exclusion List.' This move is aimed at protecting Japan's national security and critical infrastructure."

A forest of hands immediately shot up from the audience.

A reporter from the Asahi Shimbun was called upon: "Mr. Kobayashi, which products specifically?"

Kazuo Kobayashi looked down at the document. "Including but not limited to: Spark HX2 smartphones, Spark 5 drones, Chixiao robots, and Zhulong AI systems."

Another wave of hands went up.

This time, a Reuters correspondent based in Japan, a blonde-haired Englishman, was called: "Is there any evidence that these products threaten Japan's national security?"

Kazuo Kobayashi paused for two seconds.

Those two seconds felt very long.

"There is no direct evidence at present," he finally spoke. "But according to the 'precautionary principle,' the Japanese government has the right to take necessary measures before a potential threat emerges."

Low murmurs of discussion broke out in the audience.

A young reporter with glasses whispered to the person next to him, "Precautionary principle? That's a term used by environmental organizations..."

The person next to him sneered. "They can't find evidence, so they can only use that."

The British reporter did not give up. "Then, when will this 'exclusion list' officially take effect?"

"It is under study. The specific time is undecided."

"Under study? Or are you waiting for America's stance?"

Kazuo Kobayashi's expression flickered, but he did not answer.

The press conference ended abruptly.

Ten minutes later, a tweet appeared on Twitter, accompanied by a photo of Kazuo Kobayashi reading the statement:

"Japan is following America's lead and creating an entity list. Pity they're late to the game—by the time they finish the list, Spark will have already conquered the world."

The poster was an anonymous account with the ID 'TokyoObserver,' with a bio that read 'Observing every corner of Tokyo.'

Within 30 minutes of being posted, the tweet surpassed 50,000 likes.

The top-voted comment read:

"Japanese companies themselves are scrambling to buy Spark's machine tools and lithography machines, yet the government is making a blacklist. What a schizophrenic scene."

The second comment:

"Protecting national security? More like protecting those Japanese companies about to be phased out by Spark."

The third comment:

"It used to be the US making lists and Europe following along. Now it's Japan making lists and Asia watching—to see who blinks first."

When you are powerful, there will always be scholars to justify your path.